TV Kevin from the main news site for Joss Whedon's Dollhouse reviews the pilot, and seems largely confused by what he saw:
"So, what doesn't work? I'm not sure I understand how it works on a weekly basis particularly well. Episode two is going to be important here. If people are tuning in to not engage their brains at all, I'm not convinced they will follow what's happening, as the opening 10 minutes are all over the place. The first 10 minutes, in fact, pull you through so much material and situations it's difficult to identify exactly who (or what) we're supposed to be watching for - which, in a way, is probably the point. It is well written, though. And that is, ultimately, about as flawed as it gets, I think. It's clear right from the beginning you're not going to be watching Every Other Show on your telebox. Goodbye, Gil Grissom - welcome to the Dollverse."
Kev says that he didn't think Firefly's pilot was too great though, something which I think was one of the best series openers I've seen in terms of defining the premise, introducing the characters and making you want to watch episode two. Not even nu-Who's Rose did that.

Essentially we can deduce two things from this review. Firstly that Joss has once again produced what sounds like a show based on an amazing concept which should generate a passionate audience which will either run and run Buffy style or not make it much past its initial order -- in which case join the campaign as soon as you can. Secondly that 'squick' (a word I've not heard before) must be the opposite of squee.
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2 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:45 am

    It was a review of the script and I've read the same script and personally wasn't that blown away - though I'm sure the finished product will be worth recommending.

    I guess the premise is set up efficiently, but not in an amazing way - given the premise, nothing that happens in the pilot is really a surprise. Even the thing that most people will consider the big twist didn't surprise me.

    I guess squick is the opposite of squee, in that squick is something you don't like - viscerally. Something that is distasteful to someone.

    And while I think the first hour of Firefly's pilot is a little slow, the pilot of Dollhouse isn't a patch on it. Actually, I think this episode is the least of Joss' premiere episodes.

    Sure, that's not a fair comparison - based just on the script, but so far, so bland.

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  2. Stuart Ian Burns8:34 am

    Reading it back, he does keep it oddly ambiguous as to whether he's seen the actual episode doesn't he?

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