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Post by Tyler Austin "tiewashere" on May 2, 2009 9:40:47 GMT -5
That was almost Buffy-amazing!!
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Marcos
Novice Witch
Define "human".[Mo0:30]
Posts: 210
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Post by Marcos on May 2, 2009 10:02:02 GMT -5
Yeah, it blew my socks off! Gosh I'm REALLY pissed that I totally knew Alan was Alpha, because of the trailer they showed last week. It showed Claire saying "Alpha", and since the only two people that got inside the House were Paul and Eco guy, duh, it was pretty obvious already (and no, I never read any Alpha spoilers, but since I heard that Alan was guest starring, I totally assumed that he would be Alpha, 'cause he's waaay too awesome not to have a major big important character to play).
Jane's script was fantastic, as always, but I agree that the constant reminds of Briar Rose metaphor were kinda annoying. Showing the DH building and then cutting to the princess' castle, I felt treated like a retarded LOL
I didn't see the trailer for Omega 'cause I was pissed that Alpha revelation didn't surprise me at all. Nonetheless, the thing with Alpha and Echo, and the kiss in the end, THAT blew me away big time. The scene, the music, it made me remember Spike and Drusilla! LOL
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Post by Rebecca on May 2, 2009 11:51:43 GMT -5
Wow. It feels like so much happened in this episode. Very dark, yet I didn't feel morose throughout, a very difficult line to bear, much to the credit of Jane Espenson.
Echo as Older Susan The entire engagement was Topher's idea, I wonder how he even heard of it, but I really liked his approach. He didn't view little Susan as a victim, but someone who was lost. Dushku, I thought, was very believable speaking to the girl, that she felt like a fraud when she was painted a victim. Also, the thought of the Prince as an extension of Briar Rose herself, that it was her will that brought him to save her not in an act of chivalry, was an interesting and very empowering perspective. I see it planted here in the beginning as a seed to understand Echo and Alpha's "relationship". I'll get more into that later.
November as Mellie "I don't know what I did wrong. I tried so hard, I did everything I could think of."
Heartbreaking. I just wanted to give her a hug. Also, I loved her outfit this week. She looked frumpy in "Needs" and she has such a beautiful body that doesn't necessarily stick to Hollywood's standards. They shouldn't hide her behind cloth, and this episode didn't.
Ballard "My whole life, my whole life isn't real."
I believe Ballard broke up with Mellie partially because he knew the relationship was a cruel device imprisoning him, but also because he knew she would lead him to the Dollhouse. It was interesting later when mentioned by Alpha/Kepler, Ballard specifically says he has no intention of rescuing November, even though he knows barely anything more about Caroline/Echo than November, and he was physically close to Mellie. He's more enamored by the princess imprisoned in the castle by the evil dragon than the woman trapped lying next to him. So although his break up with Mellie was ultimately good for November, he didn't do it for her sake but his.
Obviously, Ballard has been baited with Caroline by Alpha, that has been certain from the get-go. Obsession ensued, we know this. What I'm curious about is did Alpha know Ballard would come knocking on Kepler's door? By the time Ballard looked up Kepler, Alpha's picture was in his profile and Kepler was killed and dumped in Tuscan. I didn't see a direct link that led Ballard to Alpha's door that could be traced directly to Alpha, so I'm left scratching my head a little. Slight plot hole? Anyways, I'm over it.
His fight with Boyd caused me some cognitive dissonance, which was pretty refreshing. Which one was in the right? They both have valid arguments, both protective of Echo, both knowing the present situation is wrong, but different ideas as to what is the right course of action from here. One rashly swooping in to save Echo like Prince Valiant and the other protecting Echo from the Dollhouse organization.
I actually liked the repeated reminders of the Briar Rose analogy because although it was reiterated, it kept painting Ballard as the Prince. It completely set up the surprise I felt seeing Alpha as the Prince, as another form of Echo rescuing herself. Now I'm left seeing Ballard as Don Quixote, chasing windmills for his beloved, yet imaginary Dulcinea.
Victor as Dominic I thought Enver did very well, though I liked more the dynamic in the room between Claire and Adelle, one troubled and empathetic, the other cold and strategic.
Sierra as Special Agent Gehrhardt God Dichen rules dominating female roles. Even if they aren't necessarily written that way, it makes each of her smaller assignments shine.
Victor I was so heartbroken to see his face shredded. WTH did he do to Alpha? I can see doing it to Claire, from a twisted perspective because she works for the Dollhouse, but why Victor?
Adelle "Did you think you could walk into the Dollhouse when everyone knows it doesn't exist?"
She didn't get much screentime, but Olivia delivered every line with in such a cold professional and quite British manner. The way in which she presents Adelle's professional manner hasn't wavered much over the season. She's truly a wonderful actress.
Alpha As Kepler: "Officially I deplore violence, but that was totally worth the loss of karma points." Alan really shined here. So much like Wash but just a bit more entertaining. He definitely took Jane's script and ran with it.
As Alpha: His scene with Claire was very good. Alan really worked the serial killer mojo. He's Echo's Prince? Like I said, I really didn't see that coming. I'm left not really knowing how to feel about Alpha or Echo.
Echo I like that she trusts Boyd over Ballard, even though I feel for Ballard. Her trust with him runs deeper than imprinting.
Echo as ?? Alpha had to imprint her with something to make her remember him, what did he imprint her with? True Love's First Kiss? I really want to see where this leads.
Overall I thought the episode was superb. Besides the minor plot hole with Kepler, it felt like a movie compressed in an hour with commercial breaks and a cliff hanger ending. Fantastic.
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Post by wenxina on May 2, 2009 13:39:07 GMT -5
Thankfully, I'm not alone here with the slight head scratchy convenience of the Paul finding Alpha as Keppler thing.
Hey, Alpha's twisted... he killed a whole bunch of Dolls when he made his exit. Don't think he needed a reason to slash Victor up. It's his trademark anyway... the whole slashing deal.
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Post by Rebecca on May 2, 2009 13:59:28 GMT -5
I know Alpha's twisted. If I remember correctly, he killed everyone he came into contact with except for Echo and Claire, Claire getting face slashed and Echo not. Obviously he has something going on with Echo, and he seems to have serious issues with Claire. I found it odd that he let Victor live with deep scars like Claire and not kill him. Wondering if there's more backstory there.
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Post by richieshag89 on May 2, 2009 14:31:15 GMT -5
fucking amazing... so is saunders a doll? that's kind of what alpha was making it sound like but then she was there while he was getting his first imprint so who knows
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Post by AndrewCrossett on May 2, 2009 14:57:34 GMT -5
There are hints here that Claire is a doll...
ALPHA: "Have you always wanted to be a doctor?"
CLAIRE: "Yes."
ALPHA: "That's a lie."
And the fact that Alpha seems to particularly like slashing the faces of dolls.
I really want to see what Alpha did with Claire... she wasn't in the preview for next week. Did he kill her? Let her go? Put her in the chair and give her a new imprint? Her original identity?
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Post by Rebecca on May 2, 2009 15:20:20 GMT -5
I thought Alpha particularly likes killing dolls, the only confirmed case we have of slashing of a doll's face is Victor. I'm skeptical of Claire being a doll.
EDIT:
Ok, so I WAS skeptical, until I read this on another forum:
Quite an interesting speculation, that I love a lot. I didn't even notice the "whiskey" thing, as in relating to a doll in particular. I just confirmed that yes, "Whiskey" is the NATO Alphabet telephony of "W".
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Post by snizapman6294 on May 2, 2009 16:33:32 GMT -5
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Post by henzINNIT on May 2, 2009 16:45:55 GMT -5
Very interesting analysis on Saunders. That makes a lot of sense.
Great episode. Not my favourite of the lot but up there definately. Some snappy dialogue and some cool twists. Not a lot of love for Paul around here but I like the character quite a bit. Interesting how he completely ignores November. The conflict between him and Boyd is tragic too as they both want the same things.
Part of me wishes that Caroline's origins were still blurry at this point, cause imagine how fucked up it would be to find out that she was actually an utter psycho in real life like the imprint at the end seems to be. What a horrible twist it would be for Ballard to find he despises this woman he's trying to save.
I think the Kepler/Ballard double act was great fun but went on for a bit too long. Tudyk was funny (pretty brilliant as a killer too) but boy did they milk it.
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weredog
Innocent Bystander
[Mo0:0]
Posts: 38
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Post by weredog on May 2, 2009 17:58:37 GMT -5
I think the Kepler/Ballard double act was great fun but went on for a bit too long. Tudyk was funny (pretty brilliant as a killer too) but boy did they milk it. Really? I thought it was very well directed. The Kepler/Ballard double act, as you call it (and I like that title  worked great. Here, Ballard is trying to get inside the Dollhouse he had known about, but is caught with its maker who more or less holds him back (both physically and patiently). I thought Kepler's humour also saved the scene from going too dark. I think the route most TV spy dramas (ie. 24, Prison Break etc) would've gone with would be Ballard breaking into the vent by himself with Mission: Impossible score as he reflects "My whole life is a lie." Here, the director provided that conventional drama but also brought in a character (who I personally resonated very well with) that lightened and contrasted a revolutionary moment in the series. |
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Post by Rebecca on May 2, 2009 18:23:00 GMT -5
well put.
*karmas*
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Post by hitnrun017 on May 2, 2009 18:24:15 GMT -5
I really didn't like the "my whole life is a lie" line. First off, the delivery was horrible. And secondly, wouldn't it only be the last month or two that was a lie?  I mean, he was searching for the Dollhouse for awhile, but it didn't start heating up until the series started. November could have been his neighbor for awhile, but at that time he was completely ingnoring her. Ugh! I want to punch him the face. |
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Skeptic
Initiative Soldier
[Mo0:24]
Posts: 344
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Post by Skeptic on May 2, 2009 18:25:55 GMT -5
JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANE. +1000000 This ep will go down in history as one of my all-time favorites in the whole of the Whedonverse. Alan Tudyk was astonishing - one moment I'm dying of laughter, the next I'm cursing a blue streak. That is all for now. I must re-watch to get more thoughts out that aren't all "OMGJAAAAAANE" or "Alan Tudyk ftmwf!"  |
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Post by VampSlayer on May 2, 2009 18:26:56 GMT -5
I really didn't like the "my whole life is a lie" line. First off, the delivery was horrible. And secondly, wouldn't it only be the last month or two that was a lie? I mean, he was searching for the Dollhouse for awhile, but it didn't start heating up until the series started. November could have been his neighbor for awhile, but at that time he was completely ingnoring her. Ugh! I want to punch him the face. Aww, be nice. I love Paul, he's awesome. |
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Post by hitnrun017 on May 2, 2009 18:36:16 GMT -5
I really didn't like the "my whole life is a lie" line. First off, the delivery was horrible. And secondly, wouldn't it only be the last month or two that was a lie? I mean, he was searching for the Dollhouse for awhile, but it didn't start heating up until the series started. November could have been his neighbor for awhile, but at that time he was completely ingnoring her. Ugh! I want to punch him the face. Aww, be nice. I love Paul, he's awesome. Sorry. Random burst of rage. I feel much better.  |
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Post by VampSlayer on May 2, 2009 18:40:44 GMT -5
Oh! Just a side note:
I thought Mellie was gonna jump off the bridge. lol I would have like cried my eyes out if she did. I bet she was thinking about it.
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Post by richieshag89 on May 2, 2009 20:50:19 GMT -5
i think he slashed up an actives face thus making her useless so they made her doctor saunders giving her a reason to not go to the attic. maybe something similar will happen to victor and theyll make him a yoga instructor now...
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Post by wenxina on May 3, 2009 0:02:57 GMT -5
Just realized that the Echo and Alpha pairing right at the end reminded me of Spike and Drusilla. If Alpha was a little blonder...
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Post by Wyndam on May 3, 2009 0:17:10 GMT -5
Just realized that the Echo and Alpha pairing right at the end reminded me of Spike and Drusilla. If Alpha was a little blonder... Ha, I said the exact same thing to Ethan last night. Definitely got a Spike and Dru vibe right away during that scene. Glad someone else noticed it. |
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