TV Reminder: Dollhouse Season Two Tonight

Dollhouse gets a second run starting tonight (9/25). It's been left alone on Fridays with the cancellation of The Sarah Connor Chronicles, but at least that frees up Summer Glau for a guest appearance, right? C'mon - it would be awesome. Especially if the guest appearance was as Cameron. Whedon, call my people.

Wait, I have no people.

Anyway, whether Dollhouse can hit the ground running or will find a kind of narrative apex remains to be seen - but seeing it when it airs is probably the best thing for the show at this point (not sure how doing things like buying it off PSN or iTunes factors into the livelihood of a show versus good old Neilsen right now). We're actually going to miss it, hitting the road and going to a fish fry it would seem - but I do have high hopes for this season.

Update: Yeah, OK - as Sterno points out, if you don't have a Neilsen box - might as well buy it online. We'll probably grab it off PSN, if it's there, when we get back.

TV Watch: Dollhouse, Epitaph One

The thirteenth episode of Whedon's Dollhouse was never apparently part of Fox's studio deal, but for foriegn release was highly desired, so Whedon apparently responded:

'I'll tell you what. I'll shoot a post-apocalyptic thriller that's all on our sets in six days with a cast of four other people, then we'll pepper it with different bits from our regular cast, and we can do it all during the schedule. It'll cost you half. I can do this.' And I was so in love with the idea that I just came up with off the top of my head, and that's what it turned into. It's one of the best episodes we've ever made."

-- Dollhouse Wiki: Epitaph One

So viewers can now either get the DVD set, or download the episode from iTunes or Amazon on Demand. The episode is well worth it by any means. Not only is it impressive that one of the best episodes of the season isn't technically in the season and cost half as much, it offers some great points on the problems and ideas raised by Dollhouse's premise. Rest assured, this doesn't feel like a tacked on piece of filler - there's a lot of meat to be had here.

Without going into much detail, what I think is most interesting here is the willingness to show the dark side of some "post singularity" concepts about the mind, body and immortality in general. It's a specific and unique kind of apocalypse being built up here, and shows a lot of expansion for the show to grow into.

Highly recommend, especially for Dollhouse fans waiting for the second season.

TV Watch: Dollhouse

The Dollhouse premiere was a pretty by the numbers send up, with some Whedonesque flair. The real beauty of this show is the setup, so there isn't going to be much meat in the first episode. Eliza seems extremely capable of pulling off what could be a nightmare for an actress - potentially playing a different character for every episode while also having to keep the baseline glassy persona of "Echo" to heart. The first part of the show made me a bit worried that most of echo's persona would come out as a brazen brunette who might be just as likely to drink under the table as kiss you, which isn't potentially much of a stretch for Dukshu - but the episode showed the range was there, which keeps the core of the show intact.

While not ideal for the performer, Whedon has created a beautiful concept for the writers. They can inject nearly any plot or character and fit Echo into it, while also milking the various portions of the Dollhouse itself for material. Seeing what Whedon can do with a spaceship, some crime and a couple stowaways - I'm looking forward to the rest of the season.

Your Friendly Reminder: Dollhouse and Terminator

Whedon fans might stay home tonight. You've got new Terminator and the premiere of Joss' latest, Dollhouse.

Dollhouse begins Friday the 13th

Fans of the Joss man got a mixed blessing. His new show Dollhouse will be airing on Fox, it's set to air Feb. 13th, Friday the 13th to be exact.

Superstition aside, Friday isn't really a great time slot for television. It hasn't been uncommon to dump genre shows there from time to time (X-Files, for instance), and I'm sure there's a large subsection of Joss followers with Tivo on their side.

Still, this is Fox and their track record isn't always the greatest with handling new shows (*cough* Firefly( *cough*), so we'll see...