Hello, readers!
It feels as if it has been eons since I have written a lengthy opinion piece. I have been uncharacteristically and unusually busy throughout the summer, but things are finally settling down now so hopefully I can get back into the swing of things.
One thing that I have been doing over the summer is exploring Whedon's other works aside from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". I'm already a Browncoat and now I have another Joss series to add to my repertoire of geekery: "Dollhouse". What I will be doing in future now is also writing the occasional piece on other Whedon works, though the Buffyverse will still be the predominant focus of this blog ('Ms Whedon Buff' just isn't quite as punchy).
It feels as if it has been eons since I have written a lengthy opinion piece. I have been uncharacteristically and unusually busy throughout the summer, but things are finally settling down now so hopefully I can get back into the swing of things.
One thing that I have been doing over the summer is exploring Whedon's other works aside from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". I'm already a Browncoat and now I have another Joss series to add to my repertoire of geekery: "Dollhouse". What I will be doing in future now is also writing the occasional piece on other Whedon works, though the Buffyverse will still be the predominant focus of this blog ('Ms Whedon Buff' just isn't quite as punchy).
[Spoilers for "Dollhouse" ahead -- you have been warned!]
Here are some of my thoughts on "Dollhouse" so far (I'm up to early season two):
- I definitely think that it is Whedon's most underrated series. Nobody who worked on it gets anywhere near as much credit as they ought to. I do wish that more Whedonites discussed it. If you haven't seen it yet, I really encourage you to (and I also encourage you to not read any further!). Its concept is daring and fascinating.
- It's incredibly nuanced and layered. Just when you think you've started to understand it, something/somebody else pops up and completely throws your belief out of balance. Suspense is what it excels at.
- Everybody, and I do mean everybody is phenomenal within their roles. All of the characters have intricately woven personalities and there isn't one character whose scenes I want to skip.
- Why does Joss Whedon insist on ripping my beating heart out of my chest? It isn't quite "Seeing Red", but it has plenty of devastating moments which come close.
- I have decided that Dr. Claire Saunders/Whiskey is my favourite Whedonverse character of all time.
Everything about the way Amy Acker portrays her positively hypnotises me. As Claire, she is intelligent, concise and effortlessly graceful. There is a vulnerability and mystery surrounding her, yet she is most certainly not weak, as evidenced when she essentially sacrifices herself to save the Dollhouse.
Claire's breakdown in season two's "Vows" with Topher in the server room is possibly the best thing I have ever seen from Whedon; it is phenomenal in every sense of the word. Writing about it barely does it any justice -- it really is something that you must see unfold for yourself.
The fact that she is not even a real person, imprinted with the identity of a dead man with her entire existence, as she says, "constructed by a sociopath in a sweater vest" is somewhat poetic. What I found interesting was when she (accidentally) discovered that she was a Doll at the end of season one and she declined the opportunity to learn about who she was, circa signing up for the Dollhouse. She insisted that she knows who she is.
Claire's breakdown in season two's "Vows" with Topher in the server room is possibly the best thing I have ever seen from Whedon; it is phenomenal in every sense of the word. Writing about it barely does it any justice -- it really is something that you must see unfold for yourself.
The fact that she is not even a real person, imprinted with the identity of a dead man with her entire existence, as she says, "constructed by a sociopath in a sweater vest" is somewhat poetic. What I found interesting was when she (accidentally) discovered that she was a Doll at the end of season one and she declined the opportunity to learn about who she was, circa signing up for the Dollhouse. She insisted that she knows who she is.
How she accepts her scars and even claims to like them really speaks to me. At first, they were something she disliked about herself, then she grew to accept them and even like them, due to them separating her from the other Dolls. The theme of acceptance isn't uncommon in Whedon's works; it is very prevalent in the Buffyverse. But in the case of Claire/Whiskey, it is done so subtly that you may even miss it, amidst all of the other action in the series.
Part of me is forever going to be upset that Whiskey's real background was never revealed. On the other hand, it leaves room for lots of interesting speculation and fan theories, which I thoroughly enjoy reading, the rare times that they do pop up.
Do I have any readers who are also "Dollhouse" fans? Leave a comment below if you are, I would love to hear your thoughts on it!
Part of me is forever going to be upset that Whiskey's real background was never revealed. On the other hand, it leaves room for lots of interesting speculation and fan theories, which I thoroughly enjoy reading, the rare times that they do pop up.
Do I have any readers who are also "Dollhouse" fans? Leave a comment below if you are, I would love to hear your thoughts on it!