Ok... so maybe it wasn't the best idea to try and watch this when I'm recovering from a trip to the hospital today, but I tried. And I just don't get it. Somebody PLEASE help me make this show make some sense? I don't want to be completely lost next week when I'm no longer under the influence of painkillers...

well i can try...

Spoilers (highlight to read)

So, Echo is basically a blank slate. She has some back story (that of course Joss just hinted at but didn't go into detail).From the first scene, it seems like the Actives are people who have chosen to do this, for some reason or another. Echo's original name was Caroline. Anyway... The first act was basically one mission of Echos, seems like she was a date for hire. Then her handler picks her up, takes her back to the Dollhouse, and they wipe everything. The rest of the episode (for her anyway) was another mission involving the kidnapping of some rich guy's daughter. Echo is programmed to be a negotiator. They use memories from real people, mish-mashed together to make the perfect person for whatever the job is. So Echo got the memories/personality of an experienced negotiator, who also happened to be a kidnap/child abuse victim. So Echo got all those memories too. One of the rich kid's kidnappers was the guy who abused the woman who's memories Echo has. So Echo freaks out, and almost blows the deal. Her handler is instructed to always prioritize her over the mission, so he gets her out. But they both figure out how to catch the kidnappers. Company pollicy is to immediately erase the Actives when they get back to the Dollhouse, but the handler (I never did catch his name) convinced the woman in charge (didn't catch her name either) to postpone the erasure and save the girl, playing on her goal of "helping people". SO they save the girl and then everyone gets erased. On a side note Helo from BSG plays an FBI agent assigned to find/figure out the Dollhouse, but he seems to get in trouble a lot as well. There was something about a girl-trafficking ring, and from what I gathered Helo is going to try to use that to get more info about Dollhouse.

OK, I think that was the gist. I've already forgotten some names and details, but that seems to be the major plot points. Please add anything that I missed!

Woah, that turned out to be longer than I expected...

Kristi - THANK YOU! It makes SO much more sense to me now.

Posted By: Ferroshttp://www.thrfeed.com/2009/02/dollhouse-terminator-premiere-ratings.html

The ratings numbers are in for Dollhouse and they are not good. Now it's time to start the pool on how many eps before cancellation.

[made your link a link - joel]Never go with a hippie to a second location.

It was a really weak premiere so I could see it getting canceled within the next few episodes.

Posted By: Dram

Posted By: AaronIt was a really weak premiere so I could see it getting canceled within the next few episodes.

I wasn't a fan of the first act (the dancing, bikes, and plastic romance did nothing for me) but all in all I thought it was a really strong premiere. Sad that the ratings don't agree with me, but they are still airing Smallville.

Yeah Smallville... Thanks for that Joel!

Posted By: SeanAt the panel, Joss repeated that everything with Fox is roses and rainbows, and the ratings they are looking for aren't #1 overall, but rather something in line with what could be expected for a Friday night. So maybe it'll be OK...?I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy

Fox is simply saying wonderful things to Whedon to put him off his guard. Then one night while Whedon sits in the middle of the Dollhouse set quietly weeping, Fox will come in and rape him. Once Fox is done it will throw the cancellation papers at his feet and walk away.

No point in me saying this now, since the new episode will be on soon. But a 2.0 on Friday nights isn't that bad. I've been keeping track of the network television ratings every week for about a year and a half.
First, Friday nights have about 2/3 the viewer levels of a normal (M-Th and Su) night, so a 2.0 on Friday is like a 3.0 on one of those other nights (Saturday is even worse).
Second, the ratings for a show are very dependent on what airs before it. "Dollhouse" built on "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" by 30% among adults 18-49. That's a success.
Not all the news is good: they're apparently showing the episodes out of order, which means they want the best shows to air first because they don't have faith in the ones they perceive as weaker.
Best case scenario for "Dollhouse" is probably what happened with "Flashpoint" last season.
For comparison, "Flashpoint" did a 1.9 and a 1.5 (again, adults 18-49) in its first two Friday night airings. It was then moved to Thursdays and the first season finale got up to a 2.6. It was renewed for a second season.

The key will be to see how much the second episode tonight drops (second episodes *always* drop from the premiere), and then see if subsequent episodes continue to bleed viewers. If it stabilizes quickly, that's good news. Movement to a higher-viewer night is also good news. Pre-emption is bad news. Movement to Saturday is very bad news.

Episode 2 was SO MUCH better than the pilot. The more I think about the pilot, the more i feel FOX's greasy hands strangling Whedon's genius.

Posted By: DuderI agree this last episode was much better than the pilot. But this is something thats been bugging me

Spoilers (highlight to read)

Helo getting ragged on all the time, the "laughing stock of the FBI" bit is being waaay overplayed IMO. We get it already! ffs

I agree. That is starting to get silly.

Posted By: DrPepperMDI've been keeping track of the network television ratings every week for about a year and a half.

I have absolutely nothing to add to the discussion of this show. I just wanted to say I love when people follow the ratings because they're interested it and not because it's their job to.

As a former Nielsen employee... yeah, Friday night viewership is lower than other days (and Saturday is so bad, they don't usually bother scheduling non-repeat programming!). But that also doesn't mean that the bigwigs are going to care. They sell ads based on ratings points, if they can't hit the ratings they promised, they have to make good on it and basically lose money on the deal. If they can get better ratings filling the spot with House reruns? They will.

Ps, 2nd ep ratings don't ALWAYS drop. Just USUALLY. Example: True Blood. Higher ratings for the second episode. Granted, also on a network that doesn't actually care about ratings so much (at least not in the same way) because they don't sell commercial time.

Posted By: SeanI can't really say which episode I preferred. They flowed together very well, so it was just a good ramp-up in my opinion. I'm still a little shaky on the plot device of the dolls having zero personality, particularly when the employees are taunting them about their condition. Blank slate or not, it just seems like there should be some sort of reaction.

I posted this next thing on Twitter, but it's worth repeating - they used the phrase "an exuberant cost" when the word should have been "exorbitant". I'm surprised by how much it's still bugging me. Maybe I'm just spoiled by Whedon dialogue?

Also, the following exchange took place between myself and my wife:
Her: So, is that the new Wash?
Me: The programmer guy? Yeah, pretty much I guess.
Her: He's like a douche-ier version though.
Me: He's "DoucheWash"!I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy

I actually really like DoucheWash's character. He seemed a little flat until

Spoilers (highlight to read)

Echo's handler confronted him about the mistake with Alpha and he showed he'd obviously lost a lot of confidence with himself over the incident.

If the first two episodes had played back to back I think people would have had a lot more confidence in the show to begin with (myself included).

If you want to get really excited, Google to see who is playing Alpha.

As I said on twitter the day it was announced/leaked, does not compute. And we'll have to wait till the last episode, ep 13, to see Alpha's face anyway.

Josh and I watched the first and second episodes last night, back-to-back (thank goodness for DVR). I thought they laid a good foundation for the season and the series overall. Very solid.

Posted By: joelIf you want to get really excited, Google to see who is playing Alpha.Artist and Creator of HijiNKS Ensue

This is one of those perfectly balanced arguments both FOR and AGAINST getting spoilers from the internet. I am so amped to see the "reveal", but at the same time I can only imagine what my reaction would have been if I didn't know who it was beforehand. It's like peeking at your Christmas presents.

Posted By: mSeligaSo did anybody get the ratings for last Friday? It was a much better episode so...hopefully Joss will get a break this time around. It seems to be a "Story-of the WeeK" thing, but with a over arching story that has appeal.Yeah I like Indy. So what? Wanna fight about it?

Found this on the intenetz

9 pm
Dollhouse came in third behind a Flashpoint repeat (8.06 million viewers) and Supernanny (5.25 mil), dipping 10 percent from its premiere to 4.22 mil. That said, Dollhouse actually gained viewers over the hour. Friday Night Lights surged 14 percent to just under four mil.

Turns out that particular Alpha casting rumor was probably unfounded.

But it HAS to be true! I need it to be true!

Maybe he/she could show off their acting chops!

Posted By: FlankedToday from Penny Arcade ...I'll let Tycho speak for himself. They alsodid a comic.

I liked the comic, and as always the post, but I disagree. Tycho says if you don't want to make a piece of shit, don't work with shitty executives, but you have no choice if you want to do something like this. Additionally, I like the show. Additionally, I want that statue, though I would prefer an ice sculpture of Athena.

I missed last night, but I'll check it on hulu or Internets when it comes out. After nto reading any rumors anywhere for this, but base don your comments, is it Mal? Is he Alpha? Is this show all about some weird slash that Whedon wrote?!?!

Posted By: AaronNot to mention that logic is deeply flawed since Firefly was awesome despite having shitty executives at Fox manhandle it's distribution.

If I recall the story correctly, you can add PA's own first book to that category as well.

As for the show itself, I thought the most recent episode was just terrible. The first one wasn't mind-blowing, but it was solid, and kept my interest. Then I really enjoyed the second. And now the third got a big WTF from me. Overall, it's nowhere near the best show on TV, and I'm struggling with the question of whether or not I'd continue watching it if it didn't carry the Whedon pedigree. I think it would fall into the same category as Fringe and T:SCC - if I have time, I'll watch it on the DVR, but I feel no "OMG I have to see it NOW!!" toward them. The preview for next week looks like it might recover from this episode's misstep, so we'll see.

Posted By: John DarcThe preview for the next episode is just another thing that goes against the conceit that this Dollhouse is so expertly run that no one can find it.

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I mean, I'm gonna assume it was Alpha who wiped Echo remotely, but the whole show can't exist if Ballard ever finds the Dollhouse. And now that we got all this malfunctioning stuff going on...

Move over, bananas! I've got a new source of potassium!

I'm guessing he'll find the dollhouse and then something will convince him not to bust them, and then him and echo will have a strained relationship.

Prediction 1 - this season ends with the cliffhanger of him finding the Dollhouse
Prediction 2 - if there is a season 2, it ends with him becoming Echo's new handler

Spoilers (highlight to read)

Keeping him running around for one season should be fine, since they have the doll/informant to mislead him.