Wouldn’t you know it … as we head into a Dollhouse-free month, the show goes out with the best episode of the season. It was so good, I was left wondering why the season didn’t start out on this note. Priya’s story not only gave us the history of Sierra, but also offered a very bleak look behind the scenes at the Dollhouse. All that while advancing a number of the bigger picture plot points.

Update: (Because it has become a Saturday tradition) Proving once again that the quality of the episode doesn’t have a lot to do with the ratings, Dollhouse was down this week. 2.15 million viewers with a .8 demo.

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Over on twitter, a few of us have been playing an informal game with the ratings of various TV shows. From over/unders on what the viewer totals will be to either/ors on which competing shows will have more viewers. It’s fun, and we thought we’d run it up the flagpole here to see who salutes. So, with that, I give you the first trial run of the CliqueClack Ratings Game.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock that doesn’t have the internet, you get why I’m kicking this thing off with Dollhouse. After premiering with 2.56 million viewers, episode two fell to just 2.09 million in the overnights. That would suggest episode three could fall below 2 million, but I don’t think it’s quite as simple as that.

This week has brought with it an increased fan campaign, and some nice appearances on the chat shows for Eliza Dushku. The Jimmy Fallon appearance, in particular, was excellent. So, I’m looking for the show to bounce back a little this week, and setting the over/under right in the middle at 2.33 million viewers. Vote in the poll, and if you want to try your hand at prognosticating, leave a guess for what the viewer total will be in the comments.

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Dollhouse is in a bit of a weird place. To call the renewal a surprise would be an understatement. In his letter to critics, Whedon himself called it  “a hilariously unexpected non-cancellation.” That leads to a choice between two very different paths. Should the powers that be down at Dollhouse HQ try and reinvent the show, hoping to finally attract those eyeballs that eluded them last season? Or should they look at season two as playing with house money (pun intended), and make the show for the audience they already have, as small as that audience may be? It gets right back to the question I asked when the various casting announcements started coming out. Is Whedon preaching to the choir? Yes, he most certainly is.

Update: The numbers are not good. 2.57m/1 Lowest rated episode of the series. Worse? It was beaten by Brothers.
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If you’ve been following along at home — and if you count yourself as a Whedon fan, you have — you must be aware of the guest cast that is coming for season two of Dollhouse. We had already heard about Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica), Michael Hogan (Battlestar Galactica), and Alexis Denisof (Angel). The latest news is that Summer Glau (Terminator: TSCC) will be joining the show in a recurring role. That’s all great and I’m looking forward to seeing all of them. But then, I’m a Whedon fan from way back, and already sold on the show. The more troubling question is whether or not this list of guest stars is going to do anything to increase awareness of the show for those that don’t already watch. Read the rest of this entry »

(Season 3, Episodes 15-18)

It looks like the fallout of Faith’s murder of Finch is going to be dire indeed. I’m loving the complexity of her character, especially as we hold her up for comparison to Buffy. Despite her bravado, you can’t help but feel there has to be a confused young girl in there, somewhere … right?

They still don’t quite seem to know what to do with Oz. He never goes on the adventures with the gang, and he mostly sits and stares. I do enjoy that they get into the fact that he rarely talks or shows expression. It’s an interesting facet to his character, but he’s still majorly underutilized. Read the rest of this entry »

(Season 3, Episodes 12-14)

We’ll call this “The New Watcher Arc.” And by arc I mean two episodes with a bizarrely unrelated one stuck in the middle. Still, though, while “The Zeppo” took some time for me to get used to, I’m still enjoying the season so far.

“The Zeppo” was structured almost like a vaudeville comedy. We had overly dramatic music playing over Angel and Buffy, Xander running around frantically in every direction and shenanigans galore. The music, quick camera cuts and structure made for a very different viewing experience. Read the rest of this entry »

(Season 3, Episodes 9-11)

Still chugging along; if only more shows were as consistently inventive and entertaining as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. FOX recently said they intend to let creator Joss Whedon just be Joss in the new season of Dollhouse, rather than interfere like they did with Firefly.

Maybe they went back and watched Buffy and Angel, and realized what magic he could create when you just leave him alone. Whedon succeeds because he creates TV programs that are uniquely special, unlike anything else on the screens. Network executives coming in and mucking up the works only make that harder. Leave him alone and maybe by Season 3, Dollhouse will be at least half as good as this. Read the rest of this entry »