Dollhouse: Man on the Street - Mania.com



Dollhouse Review

Mania Grade: C+

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Info:

  • TV Series: Dollhouse
  • Episode: Man on the Street
  • Starring: Eliza Dushku, Tahmoh Penikett, Olivia Williams, Harry Lennix
  • Written By: Tim Minear
  • Directed By: Allan Kroeker
  • Network: Fox
  • Series: Dollhouse

Dollhouse: Man on the Street

It Seems that Everyone Knows About the Dollhouse

By Stephen Lackey     March 22, 2009


Echo (Eliza Dushku) is a high dollar prostitute again this week on Dollhouse: Man on the Street(2009).
© Fox

 

So, this week is the long awaited Joss Whedon episode of Dollhouse. I had high hopes that this episode would somehow redeem the series, or at least bump the bar a little higher as far as quality of character and story. I don’t want to disappoint the browncoats out there, but that just didn’t happen. Some elements were really strong this week, but the failures of the episode keep it from being much better than any other we’ve seen so far. Whedon seems to be desperate to be funny this week and just when he does come off with something fairly amusing he runs the joke into the ground. The worst quip of the episode and probably the worst of the series involves getting the Kindle thrown at you. The joke is made by a techy, so of course he’d reference the Kindle rather than just a plain old ordinary book. That joke followed a whole slew of other tech references meant to be funny or at least winking at the audience. The one joke that was amusing involves two neighbors exchanging a cup of sugar. Well, it was funny until they uttered variations of the joke over and over again. After that, it was just plain annoying.
Things are not going well for the Dollhouse this week. Ballard is closer to them than he’s ever been and Sierra is freaking because it appears that Victor has raped her. The things that happen within the Dollhouse this week are much more successful than the mission of the week. The running story arc of the actives becoming more self aware pushes the always calm and collected Adelle DeWitt into action. Olivia Williams, the actress that plays DeWitt, does a fantastic job of selling the character as intimidating and one step ahead of everyone. Her actions reveal a new active that for some reason I had just not considered. It was nice to be watching Dollhouse and actually get a surprise. Also this week, someone inside the Dollhouse helped Ballard and that person used Echo to deliver a message to him. This completely changes the Ballard dynamic. He’s been focused on Echo specifically in the series so far, but now he’s met her and talked to her and he knows that she will be visiting him again. He may still want to save her but now she’s going to be working with him rather than avoiding him.
Cut in throughout the episode are on the street interviews conducted by a reporter doing a story about the rumored Dollhouse. One of these interviews is actually really funny and the rest are again just trying too hard. If the Dollhouse is such a well known rumor Why do Ballard’s bosses seem to think he’s wasting his time?
The dialogue in the episode wanted to be Whedon too much. It didn’t seem to just glow. It felt forced. The show just doesn’t seem to have that Whedon passion that oozed from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly. On the upside though, the new story developments, those particularly involving the mole working inside the Dollhouse and everything that person revealed to Ballard, was quite riveting. This week’s major fight scene was the best choreographed and shot of the series so far. So, the episode wasn’t near Whedon’s best work, but the story continues to develop and it’s slowly getting more and more interesting.

COMMENTS AND RESPONSES

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NotAFan 3/22/2009 2:08:21 PM

This episode was 100 times better than any of the previous episodes. The thing is that the previous episodes we SO awful it's hard for me to tell if this episode was actually good or just comparatively good. I mean when you're used to seeing something that bad even mediocre seems like excellence.

NotAFan 3/22/2009 2:10:41 PM

Oh I almost forgot. Please no close-ups on Eliza's Man face! I have a weak stomach! So young to have hit the wall! Oh well!

MrJawbreakingEquilibrium 3/22/2009 2:57:30 PM

I think, for once, I agree with NotAFan.  Hm.  I thought this show blew but I had nothing else to watch or do so I caught this episode on Hulu just because Patton Oswalt was on it, out of curiosity, and holy crap!, it was a pretty damn good episode.  Hopefully, they'll all be this good for now on and they won't have to cancel it. It's atleast bought one more viewing from me.  It was badass when they chick took out that last guy.  Ooh, whee!  

NotAFan are you saying Eliza has a man face or don't show her man's face?  If it's the fomer, you're crazy - she's still hot.  Though the pulled back hair look doesn't quite become her as much.  I'm always for the hair down look on women anyway.

MrJawbreakingEquilibrium 3/22/2009 3:02:29 PM

Oh, yeah, I can say two thins about his superiors not wanting him to get involved with the case. And I don't even watch the show.  One - Maybe somebody high up is involved, too and doesn't want him to stick his nose where it doesn't belong or Two - Just because it's a well known rumor or spread rumor doesn't mean it's true or worth investigating.  How many urban myths have you heard growing up and found out they weren't real and how often do you still hear them? Like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  How many people still believe that's real?  Should the FBI or Texas Rangers go and investigate that too?

Duggernaut 3/22/2009 3:47:57 PM

I have never seen the show and problably wont becuase its one of those shows that looks like it will get cancelled after the first season. Usually anything that starts off on a friday is almost cursed to begin with.

I have to say I have to agree with not a fan but not quite as harsh on Elisza mans face. Something is messed up with it and I remember on buffy she look ok.  Did she have surgery or something as it looks strange at times. Maybe she has done to much drugs but either way I would incredibly suprised if this show makes it to season two.

ponyboy76 3/22/2009 3:56:01 PM

Really good episode,  and hope its not too little too late. Like I said in another post, it won't get cancelled because its only a 13 episode season, but I doubt it gets picked up. At least Fox can say they gave Whedon a full season, this time.
And I have no idea what you dudes are talking about, Eliza face hasn't changed since Buffy. She`s a little older but still cute.

How could you give this  C but Supernatural a C. You must be on some sweet peyote.

Hobbs 3/22/2009 6:32:27 PM

I thought this was a pretty decent episode.  I don't think you can say FOX gave Joss a full season Pony.  13 episodes might be considered a season on F/X but FOX would need to be at least 20.  Otherwise you are saying Firefly had a full season because they had 13 episodes.

Eliza has a man face?  Who do you think is hot?  Where is this hate for her coming from all of a sudden?  I would let her eat crackers in bed. 

DaForce1 3/22/2009 6:45:40 PM

Honestly, I thought this was the show that turned some things around.

We know that there are dollhouses all over the world, and that the purpose for them hasn't been revealed as of yet. Ballard's neighbor is a doll to keep tabs on him, that was a pretty big revelation. The mole within the dollhouse trying to help Ballard.

Add all of these big revelations with the smaller ones; Echo signalng to Sierra not to smile at her in the dollhouse, Victor, Sierra and Echo always eating together, and probably a few other things I've missed. Add those all together and it looks like Whedon is heading someplace quick. Remember, the first season of Buffy wasn't that great either.

LooneyBinJIm 3/23/2009 4:26:36 AM

I have to say this shows keeps building in the right direction. I had forgotten Josh was involved with this one, but I could immediately tell something different about it.

The thing with Sierra was a thought I had and was actually suprised that they addressed it. The twist with his neighbor was on point and really should have been something that should have been picked up on after finding about Victor. 

Considering this, during the conversation that Ballard had with guy at the beginning; Maybe this is Ballard's fantasy (too save Echo)?  Maybe Ballard is a doll? In any case I'm hoping this pays off before Fox cancels it.

 

mbeckham1 3/23/2009 7:48:45 AM

 Loved this episode. Best of the season by far. Really feels like we're in the meat of the story now. Dollhouses all over the world. Hidden Agenda. Loved he fight seen and loved it even mre that someoneprobably Alppha has a deep cover operative in the Dollhouse possibly Amy Ackers character, that would be my first guess. 

Loved the way the had chick got Sierra's handler killed. Loved the way Echo delivered the news about when Sierra goes to those chamber thngs she cries.Thought ththat scene where Ballard bursts in on the Internet guy and wife Echo thought he was making porn then she saw the rose peddals he put on their bed and pointed to it and said porn with a mean look on her face. It was a very Buffy in the Halloween dress moment.
 

That assistant coould be the mole but I hink Acker's more likely.

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