I now have a new favorite show. It brings my little nerdy heart so much joy. That show- Dollhouse. I do believe that a beautiful, messed up world is the best way to describe the world of the dollhouse. I actually modified the phrase from a comment I read about one of the relationships on the show. They described it as a "beautifully F***ed up relationship". That description describes pretty much everything on the show. It is beautiful because of the first glance look on the surface (like the appearance of the dolls), but upon closer inspection, you realize that nothing is what it seems. People are being used and manipulated, and in odd ways. It is not always clear who is the victim and who is the victimizer. Why this show is so intriguing to me I will now attempt to explain.
The Themes- I love when a show has a meaning behind it. And this show is nothing if not about meaning behind the image. I mean the main characters are bodies in which they add personalities! The same is true for most of the show. Things are constantly changing right under the surface. I also love the theme of what makes a person a person. As you still you if your memories and personality traits removed? What if just your memories are removed? Are you still you if your personality was "inserted" into another person's body? I could out down so many questions raised on the show. And when you think you have a question answered, they throw in a situation that questions your original answer. They keep me pondering well after the episode has ended.
The Characters- Ok, what actor would not love to be a character that can become another person in an instant? But beyond that lovely built-in character creator, the more "stable" characters even have some great multi-dimensional awesome twists. This is defiantly a show that blurs the "good guy" and "bad guy" lines. I tend to love the not main characters. Not minor, because that implies a lack of importance, but characters with less screen-time. They, for whatever reason, can make just as much, if not more, of an impact with less time. This impresses me. And these characters also tend to have more quirks and "ticks" that make them unique. I found this video. Example of 2 characters in one (a character "inserted" into an active's body). Such an amazing performance. If you have not seen the show, the guy in the chair is an active but with the personality of another character on the show. The actor did a phenomenal job portraying him.
And I just love Alan Tudyk in this episode. He is plain awesome. Little clip here
The Writing- I know that both the themes and characters come from the writing, so this is redundant, but it is still true. Though some of the episodes, especially early on, were very weak; the writing has much improved. Sad too that, at least to me, even the "bad " episodes of it are better than the majority of television out there. Still, not up to the Whedon standard, but last episode gave much hope to how amazing the show can get. So, basically my view of writing- bad Whedon writers > average television. And great Whedon writing team writing blows all other tv out of the water.
I could talk all day about this show, but I realized that I don't want to put lots of spoilers for those who have not seen the show. I hope to soon do a whole blog about one couple (both together and the characters separately) and how they are examples of major themes.
