"David" <dimlan17@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:2o8c04h8ab8kpvap3vogpfvdk0qjoalckt@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
http://www.eonline.com/gossip/kristin/detail/index.jsp?uuid=8d4f2a63-0a18-4024-8e80-248e53ed83cd
> from E!s Watch With Kristin
> The assignments can be romantic, adventurous, outlandish,
> uplifting, ***ual and/or very illegal...
> ... Dollhouse is like The Bourne Identity meets...
> Olivia Williams is going to rock as Adelle Dewitt, a Frigidaire
> administratrix whose rare brushes with human empathy and
> compassion are enough to make you suspect she might just
> be a good guy after all...
> ... Tahmoh Penikett's FBI agent Paul Ballard is obsessed with
> opening up the Dollhouse, but he may have more in common
> with-and already be closer to-the Dolls than he even knows...
> Echo and Paul are going to be hot like fire, no doubt...
Still very bullish on this series and the above excerpts address
the one creative concern I had. The "very illegal" part, which
I hadn't seen until right after I'd first commented on the concept
months ago, is all kinds of problematic. On cable, things like
Sopranos and Dexter can get away with crooks or mostly-
crook anti-hero types. The medium and its adult or R-rated
fare, and the lower ratings requirements make it viable and
potentially successful there. But on a major network, and also
in the SF genre for the most part, I think the market responds
much better to good-guy (or gal, or team, or ****p crew, etc.)
protagonists. They can bend or break rules, and should, but
they need to be on the side of good.
So I like the hints that the "administratrix" is essentially good,
and that the FBI agent may be an extension of the dollhouse
in some way. The Bourne Identity is the main comparison I
thought of when the series was first announced, for at least
the dramatic and action/suspense components of this series.
So I was happy to see that mentioned too. We don't need
to find out (and shouldn't find out) everything except over the
course of the series, but as with Bourne I think the best way
to go is that these people are in fact willing participants who
signed on for this job. Their reasons for doing so might vary.
The show will need to do more on the marketing side. I like
the casting but it's genre-centered with no widely recognized
names. Whedon's name may be the best one they have to
sell at this point, then Dushku. It'd be nice to get a few well
known names as guest stars for the early episodes, if not in
a recurring or sup****ting role. Some buzz-generating ads or
a viral campaign on the web would not be too early right now
either, even if they plan to hold back the series to January
and give it an Idol or NFL playoff lead-in.
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