Chuck: Crazy person with some spec.

There isn't much in the media about Chuck but the few things that have been put up there all talk about the game-changing season finale. And I've got a crazy theory about just what might happen. Spoilers and speculation about Chuck/Sarah behind the cut!


From the new TV Guide:

Let's just say that Chuck and Sarah will go on a little trip together soon, and we'll get to see some of that passion unleashed," hints Levi.

From the new Entertainment Weekly:

Hey, Chuck, your chances of a third season are looking a little iffy-- what are you going to do now? Pull out all the freakin' stops, says exec producer Josh Schwartz, who is promising "multiple weddings, a shocking death, and a game-changing twist." But will Chuck and Sarah do it? "They're going further than they ever have before." Ball's in your court, NBC!

So what could all this mean? We know one wedding goes to Awesome and Ellie (there have been hints that the road to that wedding may be a little bumpier than we expect but I'm still sure Awesome and Ellie will tie the knot.) But who does that leave to have the second wedding? Well, lots of people, actually. It could very well go to Morgan and Anna who always end up moving forward no matter how many steps back they take. The other couple in question could also be Big Mike/Bologna. Because, why not? And if you wanna get really crazy, Jeff and Lester could even throw their names in the hat. (It's just ridiculous enough.)

But why not Chuck and Sarah? Perhaps something so potentially catastrophic could endanger the intersect that Sarah is forced to do something as drastic as get married to Chuck to protect him. It could just be the "game-changer" that Josh Schwartz keeps talking about and could offer so many more complications in the relationship department for enough fodder for season 3. Plus, I keep going back to the quote in EW and while we can interpret "going further" as Chuck and Sarah actually doing the deed, something tells me that's not what he's talking about.

Then there's Zachary Levi's quote from TV Guide where he talks about a "trip." People have been speculating that the trip is the one he takes with Sarah to go find his father (which does happen as they showed in the wondercon/NYCC preview clip for the rest of the season.) But I'm gonna really invest in my reaching skills and say the trip is a trip down the aisle. Like I said, reaching, even for me, but what if?!

Now there's also a couple of hints we got from Matt Mitovich's Mega Minute at TVGuide.com:

The "game-changer" will make these two things happen:
1. "going to make the missions a lot more interesting."

2. "One of the three series leads is going to be extra busy."

Honestly, Matt's hints are so vague I have no clue what it could mean. But if I let myself run wild with my marriage idea (and as you can tell, I totally am), it would make the missions more interesting, and it could potentially make either Sarah or Chuck more busy in terms of maintaining their cover.

Of course, this is all speculation and the chances of Chuck and Sarah getting married are just as ridiculous as everyone thinks. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced it's probably too far-fetched. But what if it's so ridiculous that it could work? Do Fedak and Schwartz have the balls to go there? I hope so! And if not, than at least give us some sex! It's been two long years-- Chuck and Sarah deserve that much at least! (And we the fans deserve that especially if there's a chance we won't get a season 3-- knock on wood we do!)
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Skins: JJ: Everyone’s on the pill!

One of the big things that separates Skins from every other (American) teen show out there is their casual use and portrayal of drugs. Teen shows have always dealt with drugs but while a show like 90210 would focus on Addiction and Overdose and the General Badness of Drugs In General, Skins doesn’t judge. Characters take drugs like candy, and there’s hardly ever any consequences. In “JJ” practically everyone was on the sweet stuff.

JJ isn’t normal. We know this because he kept saying as much throughout the entire episode. His mum wishes he were normal, he hasn’t got any friends because he isn’t normal, “normal” people don’t go to therapy and he does, and there’s even a handy graph on his wall with the word NORMAL scribbled on it and then the word “unusual” next to his name. (There’s also the words “Head Butt” next to Effy’s name which should also indicate just how not normal JJ is because that’s just weird.) His room’s littered with toys, the little kids on his block tease him, and his therapist is an ass. Suffice it to say JJ’s got issues.

At therapy JJ finds Emily, who needs therapy also because... she’s a lesbian. No, she’s there to try and see if she can be more open with people. And possibly score roofies for another “rendevous” with Naomi. And she kinda sorta did! After bonding over their new STUN pills and Emily finally coming out as a lover of tits and fanny, she and JJ form a rather cute new friendship. Except for the little mishap with the explosive vomit. That wasn’t so much cute as TOTALLY GROSS. I mean what was that??

Anyhoo, after talking with Emily, JJ realizes that he’s got to be more honest about what he wants if he wants to be treated differently. And from then on out his character took on a kind of interesting role. JJ acted as a sort of vessel: through his interactions with each individual character as he went on his Quest To Get What He Wants(And Walking In On People Half Naked To Get It) we saw a glimpse into who they really are. Emily finally shared that she’s gay; Effy expressed honest interest in being someone’s friend for the first time; Cook came out with his “fuck people” (both figuratively and literally) philosophy; and Freddie proved himself to be an enormous turd.

The whole gang eventually find themselves in a club at a party thrown by Thomas (?) where Cook’s tripping on some STUN pills JJ gave him, Emily’s drunk off her ass and dancing slutty, and Effy and Naomi are united in their mission to avoid their one true loves. Cook gets beat up and in his messed up state he tells Freddie that Effy loves him. He also reveals that he’s popped Panda and Freddie has to save him once again from beat by Thomas, who overhears.

The episode ended with the virgin and the lesbian having sex.
The whole thing was kind of out of left field, but the only way I reconcile it is by remembering what JJ said in the beginning of the episode: that if he was normal he’d lose his virginity. Maybe the scene was suppose to summarize that in spite (and probably because of) all of the things that make him an unusual guy he’s actual just as normal as everyone else. But the scene still felt totally incongruous, if only because Emily is certainly not in the right frame of mind to be giving pity fucks. She just got over figuring out her sexality and is still not over her (oddly unmentioned) relationship with Naomi. A more likely candidate to have done the deed with JJ? Effy. He likes her, and she likes fucking. Not something I’d necessarily want to see, but still would’ve made more sense to me.

Other notables about the ep:
- I liked the scene in which Cook comforts JJ after he has his fit. And if I have to compare it to the hug Freddie gave JJ I gotta say Cook’s was way better (but then again I also think Freddie’s a turd, so....) Because while Freddie hugged he asked for space, and while Cook hugged he didn’t ask for anything, he just offered his love.

-“Grab my balls” sounds even funnier over loud speaker.

- I was a little disappointed with JJ’s mom and lack of dad. The previous episodes alluded to them being especially quirky folks who love to give maxims about pubic hair. I would’ve liked to see some of that!

- Katie/Freddie? Any takers? No? Didn’t think so.

- Cook’s living situation leaves me wondering. His episode unfairly left out any of his familial backstory. I’ll guess we’ll have to wait and see what’s got him living in a dorm. But it’s just another thing that makes his character very similar to Chris.

- The ep revealed that Pandora is still crawling back to Cook for some surf and turf sessions. This could mean two things: she’s either really obsessed with sex, or, she’s going the Effy route and running to Cook out of fear (what’s she got to be afraid of, you ask? Having to face Thomas after unwittingly betraying him.) One thing’s for sure though: she clearly regrets going to Cookie, no matter how many times she does it.

- New JJism: “shitification.”

- Cook has a tendency to look hot with any girl they pair him with. And he’s pretty much had his share of all of them. His dance with Emily was brief but definitely had shades of hotness. Let’s rank these pairings, shall we? From least to most hot:
Cook/naomi (school scene)
Cook/effy (nurse’s office)
Cook/emily (club dance)
Cook/pandora (twister sex)

- And finally, things we learned about British people today: They’ve all got a supply of mango juice at the ready. Who knew!

Next week, Effy! (The Bon Iver song used in the “Next Time” clip only got me more excited :D)


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Lost's "LaFleur": Suliet or Skate?

As a die-hard, devoted, mildly crazy skate shipper, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed seeing Sawyer kiss Juliet. And now I've got conflicted feelings! I think what I liked so much about Sawyer/Juliet was that Sawyer finally has someone who loves him. Really loves him. And I know that Kate loves him too but she's always had this annoying tendency to flip flop back to Jack and run away from her feelings and never fully give herself over to Sawyer, who deserves love more than anyone! And in Juliet he's found someone who will actually tell him those words-- "I love you"-- back.

(Plus, Juliet/Sawyer just seems like the perfect revenge for Kate daring to go jate during her off-island time. Like a nice big "EF YOU, KINDLY" for her going over to the dark side. Can't not appreciate that aspect of it.)

It's weird, because I've always been in the minority as a Kate fan. Everyone hates her and wants her to diaf, but as soon as I saw Sawyer kissing Juliet it was like something clicked in me. Like, Yes, this is nice and sweet and how in the world could Kate be dumb enough never to have given that to Sawyer? I've never felt protective of Sawyer like that before but "LaFleur" brought it out in me.

Then again, by the end of the episode I was squeeing just like any other skate shipper when Sawyer got his first look at Kate again in three years. The idea of them reconciling and bringing back old feelings and being together again! Oh the possibilities!

But this brings up another conundrum. I really like Juliet, as a character. And just like Sawyer deserves love more than anyone, Juliet is the least deserving of being dumped by the wayside. It's sad but-- and this is particularly heartbreaking to me, as a skater (yes, heartbreaking!)-- Sawyer shouldn't desert Juliet just cuz Kate showed up. It isn't fair. For some reason Kate's appearance alone just came off like, I'm here now! We can be together again! Drop everything for me!

So, in conclusion, I'm still conflicted. I love Skate. I do believe they're the otp of this show (and very possibly the skeleton pair from the Season 1 caves), but this is a complicated situation that I don't think will leave anyone unscathed. I don't want Juliet to get hurt but I do want skate together again. Jack can just cry himself to death in a corner somewhere. Read More

Chuck vs. The Beefcake (who wants to "butter that muffin")

At the start of the episode I almost felt like I was back in my Buffy days when there were hot people digging up graves in primetime. But no! It was just our run-of-the-mill introduction to Super Sexy Spy Guy, or as he was officially called, Cole Barker.

A note about Cole Barker: I know most Chuck fans probably don’t like him because he’s driving a wedge between Chuck and Sarah but the dude is sex on legs. He’s got a little bit of Bryce in him only replace the boyish handsomness with the rugged good looks. And, though I don’t want to make this comparison, he’s got a little bit of Simon Cowell in him too (he talks like an asshole and there was a scene oh him wearing a suit with his shirt open all the way down- the way we know Simon Cowell likes it.) But I digress! Cole Barker is very hot. And very sweet when he called Sarah a breathtakingly beautiful woman.

Which brings me to Sarah/Cole. Which, as you many have guessed, didn’t bother me so much. I’m a huge Chuck/Sarah shipper but I’m also just a big fan of Sarah’s. I’d like to see what goes on in her head when she’s presented with Super Sexy Spy Guy on a platter. Does she act on it in the next episode or does she stay faithful to Chuck even though he “breaks up” with her every other episode. I’m interested to see where the writers (and the fabulous Yvonne Strahovski) take this character. Not only because any involvement with Cole will mean some good ‘ol angst for Chuck/Sarah but also because I want to see a storyline that will really effect and change the Sarah we all know and love.

Sarah was very much in the put-upon girlfriend role this episode and it actually made me feel bad for her. I felt bad when she caught Chuck screening her calls; when she was trying to convince him not to “break up” with her; having to turn off her feelings once again even when Barker was clearly getting under her skin (in the good kind of way); having to ask for help during the mission (something we don’t see much from the very able agent.) Sarah’s hands being tied when trying to seduce Barker was a good visual symbol for this point I’m trying to make.

But by the end of the episode Sarah finally gives into her desires (if only for a brief kiss) and could you blame the girl? Because even though it’s Chuck who always laments not being able to have a real relationship Sarah’s been on the other side of that too. And if she can’t get together with Chuck at this point in her life why shouldn’t she be able to get with the Super Sexy Spy Guy.

Notables from this ep:

-Big Mike moans like a wounded Seal. Really didn’t need to know that.

-Are we supposed to believe that an agent like Cole Barker would say “Butter that muffin”? Really? Too corny. But so hilarious.

-Jeff and Lester! They can do no wrong! Too much goodness to mention but the few standouts was Scott Krinsky’s great homage to Basic Instinct in that little uncrossing of the leg scenes. And the bit info that Lester “nearly” has a degree at the El Segundo school of finance.

-Ellie’s reaction to hearing the news that Chuck’s moving in with Morgan. They really need to have Sarah Lancaster do more comedy on this show. Well, her and Yvonne both.

- Speaking of the moving out thing, I was more than a little disappointed to know that Chuck would be moving in with Morgan when the potential for some terribly awkward/deliciously romantic potential is there for a Chuck/Sarah cohabitational scenario. At least we’ll get to see said scenario for one episode next week when Sarah moves in on protective detail.

And some very superficial thoughts about the men in this episode:

-Zachary Levi needs a haircut. Desperately.

-Josh Gomez is looking good! And yes, I’m talking about that sleeping-in-the-buff scene. We’ve seen him shirtless before (at the Buy More during the mystery crisper game) and things in that department have definitely improved. Nice one, Josh! Nice one.

-Anyone else notice that in General Beckman’s little collage of pictures of Barker that he was wearing that same famed Speedo that Daniel Craig wears in Casino Royal? It was quite a nice picture indeed.

-I love that barker (or I should say Jonathan Cake) shakes his head every time he says something important. It’s quite cute. Ok, I’m becoming a little too obsessed with the guest star. My apologies.



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Skins: Ass to Ass with "Freddie"

Every episode of Skins is basically a self-contained coming-of-age novel but none more so than Freddie’s ep. We got the hook: Freddie’s got a dancing whore of a sister, a dad who favors her more, and to top it all off his mother’s dead. The conflict: Freddie’s stuck in a slacker slump and in love with a girl who won’t love him back. The resolution: Freddie forces himself to grow up and tell the girl how he feels. But the formula stops there because although he is the hero of our tale he doesn’t get the emo girl of his dreams in the end.

The ep starts with Freddie’s dad forcing him to tell his sister she’s sexy. Score one for the creep factor, show! And then he does and goes outside to be angsty and is surprised to find Effy in his garden. And she’s all, Yeah I’m in your garden. That’s not strange at all. And Freddie’s all, It kind of is. And she’s like, I wanna go inside your shed. And Freddie’s like, Is that a euphemism? And just like that the spark of romance ignites.

It burns brighter in class in the most chaste of ways when Freddie and Effy’s forearms touch and the hair on his skin stands on end.

And finally, when he decides to do something about it and goes to Effy’s house to “return her bracelet” aka tell her how he feels. Now, the thing about Freddie is, he’s not very good at articulating anything. This was his primary character trait throughout the episode so it was nice when he got to the point and told Effy that they’d be good together. And she tells him something about how she’s a heartbreaker and therefore it would be a seriously stupid idea. So Freddie goes to explore his feelings some more and we’re subjected to yet another skateboarding montage where we’re meant to understand that Freddie’s a crap skater when girls don’t love him back. And things are about to get a lot worse: his dad destroys/cleans up his shed; he learns that Cook fucked his sister; and then, in a gratuitously gross scene, he throws up.

But then, like an angel, Effy appears to him in a post-vomit haze and enlightens him with the words, “Just be.” which sounded a lot like “just pee” to the point where I thought she had a secret remedy to cure vomiting, but alas, she was just the catalyst to make him point his life in a new direction.

He decides to stop skating, stop smoking, put on a suit (later) and go kiss Effy in a lake. (The scene was sweet, and probably had all the Effy/Freddie lovers absolutely dying, but I’m still not sold on this ship. They just seem wrong for each other and I can’t picture what a relationship between the two of them would look like. Suffice to say, the Freddie/Effy scenes made me cringe a little bit.) But anyway, Freddie’s loosened up! Here’s the thing about Freddie: he may be a bore (when he isnt being a self-richeous little pris) but he’s still the prettiest boy on the show (he’s got the dirty-boy-chic thing down.) And when he loosens up his personality matches his looks and he becomes... cute. That scene of him singing along to “Ass to Ass”? Adorable!

He continues the adorableness by reconciling with his sister and supporting her throughout the loss of her Sexxxbombs competition. But Cook comes over and completely amps up his dick quota for the series by revealing that he was the one who sabotaged of Karen’s career as a singing slut. Freddie head butted him and Cook retaliated by kissing him- which actually isn’t the non sequitur that it sounds like.


After all this, Freddie’s still thinking about his undying love for Effy, and in a climactic scene towards the end Mrs. Stonem essentially tells him that Effy doesn’t want any Freddiebrek because she’s having a Cookie upstairs. And maybe Freddie and Effy aren’t that wrong for each other because the one thing they share in common is that neither one is much for communicating well. They give and receive messages through action. Freddie proclaims himself to her through a kiss. Effy turns him down by showing him, deliberately, that she doesn’t want him (well, she does want him, she just doesn’t “do” relationships.)

The closing of Freddie’s story opened up a whole new one. Not only has the show’s main romance taken a turn for the worse, but we’ve seen the turning point of Cook/Freddie too (and I’m not talking about that kiss.) Cook’s acting out of jealousy now and his actions are becoming a lot more malicious. He’s definitely taking notes from Tony Season 1 in the ways of alienating friends and making yourself the most hateful “friend” of the group. An interesting character arc but I like my Cook to be flavored mild, thanks very much.

All in all, not the best ep of the series by far, but it moved things along somewhat. Some great moments in the episode:

- Naomi = I moan. Hehe. Naomi gets all the sexual references and I love it.

- Cook = “Crayola Dick.” Now I’m just really curious.

- Speaking of Naomi and Cook, this episode was not without its Naomi/Cook allusions. Cook thinks she’s funny, and along with his “I like her” statement from the premiere episode, it was just another subtle hint that he’s developing more than just boner-inspiring feelings for her. At least imo.

- “Hi this is Effy, I’m not talking right now.”
We finally got an answer to a question we never thought to ask: How did Effy talk on the phone back in her non-speaking days? She didn’t! And thanks to Effy’s fantastic voicemail we now know that she really took the silent vow thing to heart. A great throwback to series 1.

- Speaking of the earlier series we got a few other refrences in this episode. Cook said something about encountering an “Anwar the Magnificent.” (So Anwar’s a magician now?) AND, Josie’s back! Ever since counseling Chris in the ways of careers she’s been a delightful recurring character on the series. And she even brought back Chris’ beloved “pucking.” Glad she’s back.


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Chuck Vs. The Suburbs: Charles Carmichael always comes quickly.

This week’s episode had Chuck and Sarah, for one flimsy excuse or another (I really don’t pay that much attention to the underlying reasons behind most missions) moving to the suburbs. The episode started off with Chuck and Sarah on a very awkward Valentines Day cover date which was the perfect reason to launch them into the next mission disguised as the young, happily married couple Mr. and Mrs. Carmichael. Cuz if it isn’t awkward to have to spend the weekend in a house with photoshopped wedding pictures and a very real pet golden retriever, I dunno what is! The thing is, though, it wasn’t awkward, and Chuck and Sarah proved, rather surprisingly, that they’re actually pretty good at the whole suburban bliss thing. (It was like a fan fic reader’s wet dream, only minus the 2.5 kids.)

The setup was rife with plenty of potential Charah goodness and the episode delivered, especially in a quaint little morning scene that had Sarah trading her gun for a spatula as she cooked breakfast for a bemused Chuck. The smile on Chuck’s face after she revealed that she was cooking for him, with out pretense or reason, was adorable. Kudos to Zachary Levi for proving yet again that he is very capable of making a girl’s heat melt. But props have to be given to Yvonne Strahovski as well who played the whole scene with a demure smile on her face that said, “yes, I’m totally loving this just as much as you are.” A great Charah moment that had the charah fangirls smiling. I know it had me smiling like an idiot.

Anyway, Chuck and Sarah think they’re dealing with a run-of-the-mill terrorist but they’re in deeper shiz than they thought when it turns out that all their neighbors are fulcrum. Funny peeps Andy Richter and Jenny McCarthy are perfectly cast as part of the cul-de-sac– they’re unassuming funny persona’s lending themselves to an innate creepiness I can’t really put my finger on. (I think it may have something to do with the way their eyebrows arch when they smile). But anyway: Oh no! Fulcrum!

Without knowing it Chuck gets himself tested for a fulcrum intersect. This is worth mentioning for lots of reason but primarily because in his walk of shame (in his boxers!) Back home Sarah delivers a whopping slap across his face that was just pure comic gold. (And perfectly orchestrated with the music starting again at the exact moment Sarah’s hand collides with Chuck’s face.

The episode until now was pretty fun but one of the great things about Chuck is that it could go from funny to dire in just a matter of scenes. Next thing we know, Casey, Chuck, and Sarah are taken by the cul-de-sac folk to an underground facility so that Chuck could be strapped to a chair Clockwork Orange-style so that his brain can be exposed to the Very Bad Intersect (or dark intersect, as some are calling it.) Sarah did a good job of squirming in her seat while the whole thing went down. And when it was over it looked like Fulcrum had unwittingly found their new human intersect in none other than the old human intersect.

Meanwhile, in a funny moment of irony, Casey had to do what he tried to get Chuck to do earlier; break his thumb to get out of handcuffs. It was both gross and heroic. With, along with the shooting off of his toe, is something we’ve come to expect from dear Casey. He stormed the viewing room and just as the bad guys were sitting Sarah down for her own dose of Very Scary Images, he secretly set the thing off to room full of people not wearing their RayBans. Another sweet Charah moment resulted of this: Chuck protectively held Sarah’s head close to his chest in order to shield her from the images, and a shot of their hands locking only expounded the intimacy of the moment.

The incident killed/seriously harmed the Fulcrum agents. Because apparently, this special viewing in the red room will not only make you go crazy– it’ll kill you too! Which begs the question: why didn’t they just close their eyes? To this I say: Oh who cares! Chuck could be known as Plothole Central for all the unexplainable things that occur but there could be an entire camera crew in the shot and I’d turn the other way cuz this show is just too damn fun. Bring on the plotholes! Like I mentioned earlier, the semantics of the missions is the least of my worries.

When all is said and done Chuck goes back home only to tell Ellie that him and Sarah? Totally not the awesome couple everyone thinks they are. But why, Chuck? Why do you have to go on blabbing to your sister about it? You know this will mean only bad things in the long run whenever Ellie and Sarah are anywhere near each other again. This will inevitably cause complications and I’ looking forward to future episodes to see the ramifications.

Back at the Orange Orange Beckman tells Sarah the honeymoon’s over. Things are more serious now than ever, and Sarah takes the sentiment to heart. After Chuck asks her if they could go back to the suburbs she turns him down (rather coldly) and asks for the wedding ring back. “We cant go back there,” she tells Chuck. It’s a sad moment for Charah- the “two steps back” portion of their “one step forward two steps back” formula. But it’s essential to getting this couple their happy ending. The only reason Sarah’s the one acting so harshly is because she’s the one who let herself fall the hardest over in Suburbialand. She let herself imagine a life of normalcy with Chuck- and she liked it. In the final scene, as she watche the cleanup crew take back all the wedding photos and close up shop, you could see the symbolic meaning of it all on her face. Leave it to Yvonne Strahovski to turn a silent moment into one rife with meaning. The girl, she is very good with her face.

Other great things about this very great episode:

-Emmet’s wig! More of that, please. Also, I wouldn’t mind seeing Henrietta any time soon.

- At NYCC Chris Fedak mentioned that they’re goal was to cast as many Star Trek and Whedonverse actors as they could. It may have been an offhand comment, not meant to be taken entirely seriously, but last night we got our first Whedon alum! Sylvia’s husband was played by Brian Thompson, also known as Luke on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. You may remember him from season 1 as The Master’s right hand man. It was nice to see him sans vampire face and I can only hope more Buffy people show up. (Nicholas Brendan as Chuck’s zany cousin perhaps?)

- The episode’s perfect soundtrack– especially when Chuck drives up to the new house and looks around the neighborhood.

- Andy Richter’s business card scene was right out of American Psycho. That shoulda been chuck’s first clue.

- The first appearance of Morgan’s mom! Right under Big Mike’s lips! This was first hinted at back in the summer when Josh Schwartz surprised the cast at Comic Con by telling them Big Mike would be getting a love interest in Morgan’s mom. Comedy gold, I say! Also, her name’s Bologna. Nice.

- And last, but certainly not least: “Charles Carmichael always comes quickly.” Nuff said.


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Dollhouse: y/n?

I give it a solid m. For maybe.

Don't get me wrong; I think Joss Whedon is (nearly) infallible and Eliza Dushku’s Faith was my favorite character on Buffy (and one of the best characters in TV, imo), but the pilot for Dollhouse hasn’t got me jumping out of my seat.

There are a few things I can’t get behind. Partly it’s the FBI angle. Whenever you bring FBI into anything Sci-Fi it’s just automatical fail (I wasn’t a huge fan of Roswell but anyone can tell you things went sour when the FBI started looking for aliens). And on a more superficial note, Tahmoh Penikett just doesn’t do it for me. But I’m willing to give him another shot.

The biggest thing wrong with Dollhouse, though, was that there wasn’t a single character I could latch on to.

The doctor (played by Angel alum Amy Acker) was mysterious and interesting but there wasn’t enough of her to really like or dislike. Fran Kranz’s mad scientist was fun in his very obviously Joss-like way, but also a little flat. He’s like the Xander character only minus the goofy heart. And then there’s Echo. The hints of her past are the most intriguing bits of character we’ve gotten out of anyone. And I even like the between-the-missions Echo’s simple innocence. But with her changing characters every week, I don’t know if I’ll be able to really care about her at all.

But some of the good things that got me very excited about the show were the little snippets of classic Joss dialogue. Mostly all of Topher’s dialogue, but especially “She hurts.” For some reason, when Echo said that, I was reminded of the simpleness and the poignance of what Joss is capable using just words.

It all comes down to Joss, though. He is, essentially, the only reason anyone is watching this show. And really, the only reason I’ll give it a second shot. If Joss’s name wasn’t attached I’m ashamed to say I’d write this show off completely. But I have faith in Joss, and when he and Eliza say that the last few episodes of this season are some incredible, mind-blowing stuff, I believe them. So I’m sticking around for the long haul.... til it gets canceled. (Cuz judging by the ratings we all know that’s coming.)




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