With all that said (here I come to the fly in the ointment of this whole conversation), I'm having a tough time throwing myself behind the show and the direction being taken in the second season. There are so many great characters and opportunities that they seem to be missing. Let's start with the likes in this second season, in bulleted form and in no particular order:
- Paul Ballard. I wasn't sure where the writers would take him entering this season, after all that transpired at the end of the first season. However, considering his position and the ability he's shown in the situation, it's hard not to root for him, even with the understanding his intentions are to bring down the Dollhouse. It's also interesting to watch him struggle with his feelings for Echo, even as he tries to remain detached and professional. There are a lot of options for them to take at this point, and they all appear promising.
- Echo, specifically that she is retaining the knowledge of all of her assignments. This particular twist was probably inevitable, considering that Echo had all of her previous assignment personalities pumped into her brain at once in last season's finale. There are several directions where the writers could take this, not all of them good. I hold out hope that they are building up to something interesting with this turn of events.
- Dr. Saunders and Topher. Even though the interaction lasted basically a third of an episode, it's intriguing to think where that relationship could go, and I hope it is explored further later in the season. This is, of course, assuming that Dr. Saunders comes back, since she decided to go for a joyride and hasn't returned.
- Mellie. Miracle Laurie's character made a brief appearance in the second episode, as her original personality. I hope that they somehow bring her back onto the ranch and have her as an active again, and soon.
- The entire 'remote wipe' debacle of the third episode. It's understood when watching a show such as this that you have to check your disbelief at the door, but when they pulled out this stunt in the third episode, even I had to groan. It might not have been so bad if they didn't reduce the result to the ridiculous scene at the nightclub.
- The lack of an obvious recurring subplot. The first season of Dollhouse had Alpha's shadow over the organization at all times, culminating in the season-ending two part episode. The only storylines introduced so far that have the potential to become larger are the chances that Ballard will figure out a way to take down the Dollhouse, and Echo's self-awareness. While both have potential to become greater than they are right now, neither seem to have the same haunting quality as Alpha in season 1. While the writers took great pains to make the viewer feel like Alpha could rear up and wreak havoc at any moment, that thread hasn't appeared in the episodes so far, which leaves me feeling like this season is just a bunch of relatively disjointed encapsulated stories. More common thread and strong undercurrent of a story, fewer ridiculous one-off stories.
- Not enough Boyd. It's disappointing to me that they went to such great lengths to develop the Boyd character as Echo's handler, to then relegate him to a 'back office' position in the Dollhouse. He is strong enough as a character, and the actor clearly has enough to pull him off, to devote more screen time and story to the previous "I hate what the Dollhouse stands for, but I'm going to work for you anyway, while I come up with a way to bring you down." Ballard picked up that mantle and has run with it admirably.
If there's anyone out there who is watching Dollhouse as well, and has opinions on this, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear more from fans and where you feel the series is heading. You can be sure I'll be watching until they take it off the air!
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2 comments:
I think that Season One was all about the concept of the Dollhouse and this season is more about the characters. We've seen less of crazy circumstance while we've gotten in the heads of Topher, Dr. Sanders and Echo. I think that will continue. Especially since Fox cut the show's budget so much, they have to really focus on things that won't be so costly. We haven't even seen the light coffins this season!
As far as a season spanning subplot, we have that in Wesley.. err.. I mean the Senator's crusade to take down Rossum. And he's being helped by someone that drops off files at the door - maybe it's Alpha trying to sew discord again?
Good point on the Senator subplot. Apparently it didn't make enough of an impression on me to remember it while writing the entry. That could be a good way to generate some tension and conflict in the Dollhouse.
Personally, I'd like to see a multiple episode arc of Echo going rogue and the Dollhouse deploying all the Actives they can to try to track her down. It could be used to show how strong and resourceful Echo has become, but done in such a way that she doesn't go 'psycho killer' on the world, but more like a benevolent outlaw. Using the Actives out in the field to bring her in could help establish (or re-establish) the strength of those characters as well.
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