Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse - io9 Comments

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

palinode — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:05:58 PDT

The book you may be thinking of is Michael Swanwick's Vacuum Flowers. In Swanwick's novel people buy wetware personas that they can imprint themselves with for a limited time.

I can't imagine that happening now. Think of the EULAs.@Ghede:

palinode

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

THE_BOFFIN — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:40:31 PDT

Last I heard, the Topher role was going to be played by Fran Kranz. He was the lead on that short-run sitcom "Welcome to the Captain" and he's shown up in a couple of movies (Matchstick Men, The Village), but nothing really big yet. I knew him at Yale where he was the funniest actor on campus; so maybe Topher will be the funny, Xander-type role - I saw somewhere that he's supposed to have the hots for Doc Saunders? Hilarity in the making.

THE_BOFFIN

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

reddingofish — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 08:30:06 PDT

I was forced to watch her on some show called Tru Calling. She was a psychic or time traveler or something like that. All I remember was that it was crap, it didn't make sense and Eliza sucked hard. They tried the leather pants and kick boxining but nothing could save that show. I am surprised that the networks would even let her set foot on the lot after that turkey.

reddingofish

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

Ghede — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 07:58:02 PDT

Damnit. I still haven't found the title of the book that the premise of the show reminds me of. I might have to go back to the library I interned at just to find it, despite its distance from my house. While she appears to be leeching a little of her desires into the new personalities, in the book the personalities would leech into the personality of the (to borrow the term from this show) "doll". If anyone can find it you win 3.5 internets and a replicated cookie.

Ghede

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

KernelM — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 07:49:42 PDT

That wasn't actually an interview with Joss. It was Kristin talking about what she read in a Q&A format.

KernelM

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

Signal — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 07:27:53 PDT

@Ravac: What difference would it make if the dolls were human or android? Both would be programmed. The whole android being sentient with emotions thing is getting a bit overdone now anyway, with BSG and Terminator and all those movies.

Personally I find the idea of personality programming fascinating, the ideas of self and identity and artificial identities. Would these "personality packages" constitute a separate being? Are they full A.I.s that can run on any platform?

Signal

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

Jesse Mrozowski — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 07:01:33 PDT

@Luana Arrrr: Isn't calling it a run a bit optimistic. More like a walk, a stroll really. It's going nowhere fast.

Jesse Mrozowski

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

darundal — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 07:00:19 PDT

Sounds interesting, and it sounds like it will end up having some stories similar to Pretender.

darundal

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

fritosforlunch — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 06:37:11 PDT

well, my hubby is very happy to have Eliza back on tv, to which I say - yay! more time for me to watch my Ashes to Ashes dvd set....

fritosforlunch

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

Ravac — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 05:15:07 PDT

I really have no interest in this show... it sounds like crap.

Now if the 'dolls' were androids that were beginning to develop sentience... that'd be worth watching.

Ravac

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

Spakkenkhrist — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 05:07:45 PDT

Eliza now looks like a cracked-out shadow of her former self, and where did her nose (and figure, more importantly) go? Apologies for lack of sci-fi content in this post.

Spakkenkhrist

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

muteboy — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:06:19 PDT

I can't be the first to mention Gerry Anderson's Joe 90, can I? That was based around agent Joe being implanted with knowledge and personalities, plus it had a wicked theme tune. Interestting to see how this turns out.

muteboy

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

Oasx — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 02:24:00 PDT

Atleast she cant be anyworse than when she was on Buffy and Angel.. I mean it would be almost physically impossible for Eliza Dushku to suck even more, right?

Oasx

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

Signal — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:55:33 PDT

Why all the hate for this show and Eliza? She's no worse an actress than Jennifer Garner, and Alias was crazy popular. I really like the concept too. Reminds me of the backstory of Molly from Neuromancer.

Signal

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

Doug Nelson — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 23:11:30 PDT

Dushku may have ****ability, but she does not have likeability. I can't picture her carrying a series (not a successful one, anyway).

I just finished rewatching the Angel series, and kept thinking Wolfram & Hart would make an excellent series on its own. No need for any crossover characters, just a legal show about lawyers working for an evil firm who almost always win. "Good guys win" has become a cliche. Each week we'd see good threaten the firm, almost win, but ultimately be crushed by evil.

Doug Nelson

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

Annalee Newitz — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 21:13:44 PDT

@Austin Grossman: Let's hope. I am preparing to love this show, realize immediately that it is doomed due its inherently weird plot that involves heroic hookers, and remain stoic when it is canceled after three episodes.

Annalee Newitz

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

monkity — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:23:57 PDT

No more pasty makeup for Eliza! She needs a tan. And leather pants, fer real.

So... Joss likes Data? I think what he really liked was all the singing Data got to do in ST:TNG. And the smart remarks.

monkity

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

Luana Arrrr — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:44:17 PDT

@Aethyr: Yes. YES. I am so, so bitter over his run with my Runaways.

Luana Arrrr

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

Little Time Bomb — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:15:34 PDT

Even if it only runs for one season (I'm pulling for a longer run) it will most likely have me hooked. I come for the good dialog, the kick ass ladies and the pretty people. I stay for the better than average sci-fi. Seriously how can there be so many Joss haters on a website where we routinely give Torchwood a free pass?

Little Time Bomb

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

Austin Grossman — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:14:09 PDT

Hmm. My initial reaction to this was to the heavy-handed allegorical feel. But then, I probably would have reacted the same way to a Buffy pitch, and it was my favorite show evar.

And I would imagine that when Whedon set up a new high-concept SF show, he wd have put a lot of thought into how Firefly was handled, and how to prevent a repetition?

Austin Grossman

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

Garrison Dean, Mr. Privilege — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:06:57 PDT

@Garrison Dean, King Awesome: They should just add in Virtual Reality and bury it before it starts.

Garrison Dean, Mr. Privilege

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

Garrison Dean, Mr. Privilege — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:06:15 PDT

@Annalee Newitz: Yeah but why bother getting involved in a a show that is just gonna get canned. This sounds too much like Harsh Realm, Dark Angel, Nowhere Man, even flippin Dead at 21. Quality is not the issue. This will be handled very poorly by the network.

Garrison Dean, Mr. Privilege

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

Annalee Newitz — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:03:03 PDT

@Calraigh: But the smokey voice! The way she called Buffy "B"! Oh Eliza.

Annalee Newitz

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

Calraigh — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:47:41 PDT

Even the most elaborately plotted, aesthetically pleasing, sci-fi minded show show ever created cannot disguise the fact that Eliza Dushku is one of the worst actresses ever to walk the planet.And so incredibly bland that I think I've even forgotten what I was writing about....

Calraigh

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

Annalee Newitz — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:44:57 PDT

You guys all suck. When I heard about this show all I could think was WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN. If anybody can play de-brained, brawny hot chick, Eliza can. If anybody can make this complicated, freaky vision work, Joss can. Case closed.

Annalee Newitz

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

darcymcgee — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:26:11 PDT

> the hotness of star Eliza Dushku

This will be a key factor. I miss the days of Buffy & Faith going at each other in leather pants.

> The Doll mechanic, Topher...may end
> up having a relationship with another
> doll, Sierra

We did this already in Serenity, with Mr. Universe

@The Blow Leprechaun: tiny legs, but she's still hot.

darcymcgee

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

The Blow Leprechaun — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:14:01 PDT

@Charlie Jane Anders: Either she's leaning at like a 45 degree angle towards the camera, or her legs have been exposed to some kind of shrink ray.

The Blow Leprechaun

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

Garrison Dean, Mr. Privilege — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:05:02 PDT

Wow, a multi-layerd, morally ambiguous, dark, futuristic, complex show starring Eliza Dookshoot as one of central main characters who have essentialy... no character?! What could possibly go wrong?!

Garrison Dean, Mr. Privilege

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

BullfightsOnAcid — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:48:21 PDT

When me and my wife would watch Tru Calling, my wife would refer to her as Turkey Neck Tru. She's kind of got a Jorge Posada thing going on there in the neck.

BullfightsOnAcid

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

Charlie Jane Anders — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:43:17 PDT

@The Blow Leprechaun: Well, yes, it's photoshopped... but it's a real picture of her. I think it looks cute.

Charlie Jane Anders

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

Aethyr — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:40:59 PDT

I honestly cannot wait for this show. While Joss may have lost some of my respect with his work on Runaways, I'm hoping he'll redeem himself with this.

Aethyr