Skeptic
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Post by Skeptic on Apr 4, 2009 19:57:15 GMT -5
I rated it "okay". I thought it was good, but the reason I rated it okay instead is because it didn't really contribute to the overall arc (that I know of) and Faith seemed... off. Giles and Faith's relationship also seemed off. The whole story about the town feeding children to a demon seemed a little weird and didn't really work for me.
Overall, though, I thought the issue would've made a pretty dark episode, very dramatic, so that was a plus for me (the dark, epic-feel eps are always my faves). I wasn't sure whether to rate it good or okay, but decided on okay because of the reasons above. I just feel like I waited a loooong time to see Faith again, and learn about how she and Giles are faring in their operation, and was left feeling like her appearance was a drive-by.
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Skeptic
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Post by Skeptic on Apr 4, 2009 19:19:32 GMT -5
Well, this ep was GREAT. Finally. It was solid, it had great writing, and the story kept me guessing, then kept me on the edge of my seat because I was dying to know what was going to happen next. This is what the show should have been from the gitgo - this is what the show will be now, though, although I fear that with the declining ratings in the Nielsens, Fox will probably pull the plug.
Shame, too. I mean, a big shame. With this episode, I honestly, for the first time, was able to look forward and see a second season. I just hope Fox knows what a turnaround there's been in quality, and looks at that while weighing the ratings. I think they'll make the decision sometime in May whether or not to renew it.
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Skeptic
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Post by Skeptic on Apr 4, 2009 19:03:42 GMT -5
If you're looking from something that'll capture the video from somewhere OTHER than Youtube, then I'm not sure. I mean, there are all kinds of programs and sites that help you save video and audio, but most of them are for YT. Sucks a donut, I know. Makes it real hard to find a cool video that you want to save and it's on Vimeo or imeem or something, then you have to start hunting all over the place for a way to save the file.
And when you say record audio... do you mean like with a mic? Or record what's coming out of your speakers?
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Skeptic
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Post by Skeptic on Apr 4, 2009 18:52:18 GMT -5
Just been having a scan of a few of those songs you suggested unKle and Im really loving Plumb! Although Itunes(UK) doesnt seem to have the one you mentioned. Hmm... it's off an album from 1998 called Surfonic Water Revival. If you still can't find it, I can send it to you, no prob - just let me know! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfonic_Water_Revival
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Skeptic
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Post by Skeptic on Apr 4, 2009 14:20:02 GMT -5
Oh, seriously, I was just going through my music this morning thinking I wanted to burn a new cd of upbeat/happy/warmfuzzy stuff for long trips, and another cd for chilling at night. So I might be able to help you out, too! The upbeat stuff: Good Dancers... by Sleepy Jackson Close To Me... by The Cure Do It Better... by Happy Mondays Jenny... by Stellastarr Cherry-Coloured Funk... by Cocteau Twins Erase/Rewind... by The Cardigans Moonchild... by Cibo Matto Fly Away... by Black Eyed Peas Video... by India.Arie This stuff would be good for groovin'/chillin': We Float... by PJ Harvey Surfer Girl Replies... by Plumb Tengo Frio... by Ely Guerra Hands Away... by Interpol Smoke and Mirrors... by RJD2 Someday Soon... by Doves Just Like Honey... by Jesus & Mary Chain Midnight In A Perfect World... by DJ Shadow Near Fantastica... by Matthew Good ... and +1000 to Muse. You might also like to try Unkle, and VAST. I like to listen to all 3 of them together in Winamp, although Muse is my favorite band at the moment and Unkle runs an extreeeeemely close 2nd. Their sounds are all pretty complimentary of each other. I also second the Yeah Yeah Yeah's big time!
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Skeptic
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Post by Skeptic on Apr 4, 2009 13:24:38 GMT -5
I very much agree. Buffy's afraid that she's becoming more Slayer and less Buffy, and that she's pulling away from her connections to people which is what she thrives on, which is what keeps Buffy alive, and the thing that keeps the Slayer alive is Buffy. Buffy's choices over the years have averted many a would-be death, and pretty much nixed the mandatory early retirement that comes with all Slayers. I'm including her choices to keep this group of friends so close to her, because that's a choice that ended up saving her life, twice, one of those times being months after she was already dead.
Without Buffy, the Slayer will die, and I think she knows that. Without the Slayer, Buffy will die, and she knows that, too. One has to feed into the other. She's having trouble finding balance. Slaying is a full time job now; it's not like it was in the early seasons where she went out 2 or 3 times a week and dusted a dozen vamps in mostly mundane patrols. It's more like the later seasons where the patrolling started to morph into hunting. It's not all a bad thing, because she definitely needs to grow and change and feel the things she feels so that she can understand, and get on down the road of life. But, again, she's having trouble finding the balance. Everything's way off balance - her work, her personal life, her emotional connections, her power, her logic's even slightly off-kilter. Top all of that imbalance off with the greatest imbalance: adding a couple thousand Slayers to the world and trying to rid it of All Things Bad. This season is all about where the balance is... or isn't, and what happens as a result, and Buffy's inner tumult about her own darkness is where it all starts.
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Post by Skeptic on Apr 2, 2009 12:40:52 GMT -5
Darkhorse is a smaller company, isn't it? I'm not up on the comics world. So they can't crank out quite as much/often as Marvel or DC, then? I'm not sure they have the resources to do more/faster. But I agree that if Joss showed up with a script that needed to be longer than 22, they would give it to him. Maybe we'll get something like that for the season finale? It should be feasible to do two or three times a year, running on the schedule they're on (which I understand is very tight and a bit planned in advance).
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Skeptic
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Post by Skeptic on Apr 2, 2009 12:09:13 GMT -5
Who'da thunk that years after the show is over and done with, it's still so popular and people still obviously want more? The only thing that would make this success better are double issues! I want more, literally more!
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Skeptic
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Post by Skeptic on Mar 29, 2009 11:29:09 GMT -5
The thing is... we blame Fox for imposing those first five episodes on the show and supposedly boring away a large chunk of the potential audience... but those episodes were absolutely necessary to set up who these people are, what's going on, and why we should care. Episodes 6 and 7 were only as cool as they were because of the setup in episodes 1-5. Really? I don't even remember the first three eps. To me, those were STINKY bad. That's about all I remember. And the only reason I know eps starting with 4 were marginally better is because I remember how awful the first 3 eps were. I don't like the last few eps because of the setup they got in the craptastic crapfest that kicked off the series, I like them because they were interesting, fun, dramatic in their own right. But I think it's still got a long way to go. If you like the recent eps because of the setup in the first few eps, more power to ya.
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Post by Skeptic on Mar 28, 2009 20:55:21 GMT -5
I thought it was pretty good, but less good than last week's, which was only slightly better than week before lasts and... I need a graph or something to plot this out. Anyway, basically, the show still isn't hitting real high on my "it gives me a buzz"-o-meter (har har, pun), but I find it entertaining and wouldn't throw it outta bed at this point for leaving crumbs.
Right now, for me, two of the best things about this show are Paul and Boyd. Boyd is just awesome the way he swoops in at the end and punches somebody, and saves Echo. And Paul, poor Paul. Not in love with the sexy mama next door, and feels bad about it, and will probably feel weird/mad/mad/freaked out/mad when he realizes the Dollhouse owns her.
I'm starting to kind of see Scott Thompson from Kids In the Hall every time Laurence Dominic pops up. Anyone, anyone? Just me then? lol
I'm hanging on. I want the show to improve and survive and be the underdog that ends up coming up from behind and finishing the race in 1st place when nobody expects it to. Unfortunately I don't see how this show will last unless it picks up really soon. I mean, picks up outside of the Whedonverse. I think most of its woes, including its most lame eps, are Fox-related more than Joss-related. If he leaves TV after this, I'll be happy because it just means he'll be making quality "TV" again.
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Skeptic
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Post by Skeptic on Mar 28, 2009 20:33:09 GMT -5
Sounds to me like the prized 18-49 male demographic was watching basketball instead. So the ratings aren't much of a shock to me when I see the .3 drop in demo. Does it ever matter how many women ever watch shows? Screw 'em and their demos.
Next week'll probably improve a tad, but I'm not looking for much because Fox has pretty much screwed the show over from the start. Surprise! And if it just continues to drop, still won't be surprised because two or three better-than-mediocre eps out of 7 does not make a hit.
I don't even find it surprising or appalling anymore, how TV shows go all awry and WTF because of network meddling. When suits start interfering, you start to get mountains of brain-melting, worthless "reality" instead of quality story telling.
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Post by Skeptic on Mar 23, 2009 11:04:08 GMT -5
Aww, poor Satsu, this seems to be the kiss-off for her, I hope we see her again, she seems a good Slayer and good commander. She is, and she's my favorite new character of season 8. (Which means she's inevitably doomed.) Scott Allie says she'll still be playing a part in the rest of the season, so we haven't seen the last of her. He also says the Buffy/Satsu relationship isn't as resolved as it seems to be. Hopefully Joss had some reason for putting this storyline in besides "lesbians are hot." This caught my attention because I completely just now realized (yeah, I'm quick on the uptake) that none of Buffy's relationships have been resolved. Hmm, do I see a pattern? Maybe the problem with Buffy's relationships isn't the relationship. Maybe it's Buffy. The Webber guy in "Conversations With Dead People" reached that conclusion way back in S7. I rewatched it the other day and it was very enlightening as a frame of reference for Buffy's mindset leading into S8. I recommend anyone reading the comics to go rewatch this episode, pronto.
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Post by Skeptic on Mar 22, 2009 23:29:20 GMT -5
So, how do they figure out how many households DVR'd the ep? There's some logical algorithm they use for this, yes? Are there little men in my DVR? *brow*
I watch it on the boob tube, except Friday when I watched BSG's finale. Not that it really matters that I watch it live, since I'm not a Nielsen house. But my DVR is busted, so I re-catch the ep Saturday on Hulu at lunch, to clear up what I missed.
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Post by Skeptic on Mar 22, 2009 23:18:17 GMT -5
Finally got to see this ep (spent Friday night, all day yesterday, and most of today recovering from the BSG finale) and really liked it! Finally I can say that I like Dollhouse, with a smile on my face. When before, I just kinda laughed and pointed. So, this is a nice change. I really liked it, all of it, everything from the schmoopy sad nerd guy hiring the active every year on his anniversary, to Paul and Mellie hooking up, to shirtless Tahmoh (he's definitely my boy crush), to that flat-out craaaaazy kitchen/alley fight scene which was SO totally Whedon classic, to the forehead-slapping moment when Mellie was activated... I dug it all. Tahmoh has freckles on his shoulders. What else... oh, the big frame-up Adelle orchestrated at the end. It took care of the smarmy rapist, that's fore sure. I'm sure the cops that showed up to take the report have nothing on him (I'm sure Adelle fixed it that way) and just write him off as a John Doe thug that followed the girl home. I don't know who sent Echo to Paul, and whether or not it was a coincidence or planned - because if it was planned, then they had Echo meet Paul at the same time the smarmy rapist showed up to try and kill Mellie, which he would have only done when Paul was out, which makes me think that since Adelle sent him, then Adelle sent Echo. The thing was just too perfectly orchestrated, and Echo was very quick and precise in what she had to say and why. We'll see, huh? Oh yeah... the big plastic cassette Topher used. It did look like an 8-track on steroids. When he popped the tape in, I half expected the Doobie Brothers to start playing. LOL.
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Post by Skeptic on Mar 18, 2009 23:48:02 GMT -5
Dammit! Why oh why must it air against the BSG finale? I can't decide. Watch one show and flip back and forth between the other? Or save one for Saturday morning? Because I want to see both, like, as they air, which in this case happens to be simultaneously. Is that too much for a girl to ask? Since I don't have an extra brain laying around to watch the extraneous show, I guess I'll have to stick to my original plan and catch DH on the flipside. Darn it all to heck. But, seriously, I hope the ratings pan out because of the scheduling conflict.
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Post by Skeptic on Mar 18, 2009 12:32:15 GMT -5
I feel compelled to point out that rape isn't an act of pleasure, but rather an act of power and oppression. I wasn't saying that it was, obviously I'm totally against it for all logical reasons, but there are some sick people out there. I didn't mean to imply that you, yourself, were, but I apologize if it came across that way. It's a bit of a kneejerk reaction I have.
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Post by Skeptic on Mar 18, 2009 10:36:29 GMT -5
I guess I don't see how a physical, mortal injury could be seen as mystical/fantastical. I'm trying to see your argument, Paul, but I'm not totally understanding what the qualifications are to be a "real" death and a fantasy death that might be undone by magic. Out of curiosity, do you think Buffy's death at the end of S5 was "real" or fantasy? I guess I see it in two ways - the fantasy part, where she jumped into the light and apparently died, and the real part where she hit the ground and, if she wasn't dead already, that would have killed her. Then, she was buried and decomposed for months and was, for all intents and purposes, gone. To me, that's as real as it comes, although I see the mystical component of how she died. This is how I view Warren's death. He was gone when Willow did the things she did to him. These are very different circumstances between Warren's death and Buffy's resurrection, and I haven't had my coffee yet, so I won't even begin to link Willow's abuse of power in Buffy's case to her subsequent downfall in Warren's case... maybe later. It's just a glaring, nonsensical retcon for me, Warren being alive again. There are other things I find nonsense in the comics, but I've never been a comics reader so I don't know if my threshold just needs to be moved so that I can be open to more. One thing I always loved about BtVS was how it walked through the real world, and the comic seems (to me) to not have that dependency. Being limited only to imagination, and not realism for the sake of budget, might have its ups and downs, as far as I can see.
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Post by Skeptic on Mar 17, 2009 12:02:14 GMT -5
Also, is it Alpha in the polo shirt that is attacking Echo at the end? It looks too muscle-y to be Ballard. Nopers, that's Tahmoh. Tahmoh is very muscly. I feel compelled to point out that rape isn't an act of pleasure, but rather an act of power and oppression. But I'm curious why Sierra was screaming when Victor touched her on the shoulder, too. He didn't seem to react in a way that would say that he knew why she was afraid. My guess is that Sierra's imprint is the culprit, but that it's possible it's faulty in some way. It seems that this show so far has been carefully pointing out that the imprinting technology is imperfect and even dangerous. Hence the need for such a heavy support staff and handlers: The actives often suffer from too much imprinting of the same person, or too much of the same kind of engagement, and can composite and go insane, and/or be sent to "the attic" when malfunctioning, where god knows what happens to them. It's possible that Victor did something to Sierra that he doesn't remember, but I actually wonder if there's something going on with Sierra's imprint, or the imprint technology in general. She seems to be compositing as well (end of Stage Fright) but probably not as fast as Echo is. And we still have yet to understand why Echo is compositing and how self-aware she is at any given time. I'm thinking ep 6 is probably going to put us on the track to start answering these questions. Totally, me too!
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Post by Skeptic on Mar 17, 2009 11:11:32 GMT -5
Oh god. *facepalm* lol I agree Sierra's purty lookin'. I wouldn't throw her out of the bed for leaving crumbs. So yeah, I liked this ep. I think the eps delivered so far have been what I'd call average, but I have noted a marked improvement starting with epsiode 4. I am fully expecting to see this even more improved starting with episode 6, and if the show really does pick up after that, I can foresee fans on down the line referring to 6 as the "new pilot" (per hitnrun017). I know I certainly am looking forward to 6 being a kind of a fresh start, so to speak. Nitpick: The music for the episodes is not doing it for me. Sometimes it's good, but most of the time it just seems low-budget, or synthesized, or canned, or... I can't quite get the word I'm reaching for. The music in this ep starting at 45:45 is amazing. That theme is just flat out amazing. But some of the other stuff, like the music propelling the action, is not doing it for me. I think I got spoiled with the amazing scoring for Joss' other efforts, particularly Buffy. But I did think this episode was pretty good. I enjoyed watching it but it wasn't quite as interesting to me as "Gray Hour". And I loved "Gray Hour" relative to the previous three eps which were pretty blah, but had their good moments. I do see Eliza's acting improving as the series progresses and I feel like at this point that I can have a little faith (har har) that she will continue to improve while she sees us through to the season finale. And? "Man reaction," that's definitely going to go down in the annals of Joss one-liners for the facepalm, and I couldn't help but notice the whole of the scenes happening in the dollhouse were rife with puns about it. lol Oh to have been a fly on the wall when Joss and Tim discussed the script. :> Much about this ep was strong with the Whedon. I enjoyed the interaction between no-nonsense scientist Dr. Claire, and jittery Topher. I got a few chuckles out of their moments on camera together, because they're so juxtaposed. I think they're probably more similar than they appear, though, and as the show goes on I'm interested to see more from her, and about Alpha's attack, and how Topher feels about it. I kind of think Dominic and Alpha are working together, but to me that seems a bit cliche that the only two villains revealed thus far are in league together. I think I might find it more intriguing if it's revealed that they have nothing to do with one another. Oh yeah... I think Boyd is awesome.
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Skeptic
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Post by Skeptic on Mar 17, 2009 10:11:39 GMT -5
Willow could have infact teleported him somewhere, and not incinerated. Was this ever made clear? It could be that Willow just sent his body to some unnamed dimension, and Amy rescued him. Otherwise, Amy just teleported him out and Willow, in her maddened state just didn't think anything of it other than the power taking control and making it happen. That seems like grabbing at wild theories just to make sense of this retcon. Which we wouldn't be sitting here confused about if they hadn't made such a stupid mistake by bringing Warren back (and, yes IMO, thus negating everything Willow had gone through during her downfall and subsequent rise as a changed woman). And I know she killed Rack. I didn't bring him up because we're talking about Warren. And it most definitely does wipe away everything she's about, because it negates why Willow went through what she did in trying to be Willow again. I'm not saying this is "your" ("your" = anyone else but me) opinion; it's mine. Whatever I write here is my opinion - and never meant to be universal or "fact" by any means. I've had time to think about this since whenever the Warren and Amy issue(s) hit, and I don't think my opinion about the arc will much change. I think it was about as silly and not very useful as, say, the tree people and Xander in an acorn hat riding Dawn the centaur.
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