I was a bit disappointed by the Ghost episode, the pilot, so I wasn't expecting anything from this one. However watching Ghost Whisperer I learned that the first episode isn't always the best. That's why I've decided to watch a few episodes before making up my mind about this new show. Moreover it's not everyday that Joss Whedon launches a new production and that Eliza Dushka stars in it. I really liked her as Faith in Buffy the Vampire Slayer because she was so dark and disturbed. Moreover Joss also created Firefly so it's hard not to dive in such a great talent pool.
My problem with the Ghost was that Echo's story reminded me of My Own Worst Enemy and as I quickly gave up on Christian Slater's new show, the association was really bad and I hadn't much hope. However in Buffy every episode was different and more important the show was strong on character development. Xander, Willow and all the others quickly grew stronger on us. It's exactly what happened while I watched The Target as Echo was running in the woods, beautiful and scared, and that flashbacks were revealing her past to us. I have to admit there's nothing really original about it but it was quite well done. Of course there're a few clichés like the young scientists playing Dr. Frankenstein and thinking it's just a game. He probably feels like the Pupper Master (Robert A. Heinlein) and I hope he has a dark side, like Oz in Buffy for example. An other character I'm not really fond of is the cop. It's like hearing the same bell ringing over and over. He's the only one to believe the Dollhouse exists and his life revolves around him. He's so obsessed by it that he even refused the girl next door invitation. For a Garfield's fan it's specially shocking. How can you resist lasagne ? Now as for the story I was quite pleased. First the hunting party reminded me of the Spanish film "El Rey de la montaña". And even if it's not the first time we have seen a babe chased by a psychopath in the wild, the script was so well written that watching Echo survival instinct take over was really intense. That's what so great with Eliza Dushku. She's both an angel and a daemon. And it seems Echo was designed for her. It's like if Joss Whedon found the perfect match to the character he created. In fact I don't know their story but I'm pretty sure had Eliza in mind the whole design process. The other good thing was that I was expecting something to go wrong but definitely not that way. It's only when they began to hunt with a bow that I suspected the guy to be a little disturbed. But then it quickly switched to a love scene so I was confused. Then everything happened so fast that I completely forgot it was a fiction. I became the rocks on which Echo ran, the trees she used to hide and the ants erasing her trail to prevent the predator from catching his prey. I think the climax was reached during the dialog with her protector. Reversing the roles was a really smart idea because it implies a lot of things about the Dollhouse and its occupants. The last scene was correct but something was missing. For example a third character could have been used to balance the fight, like in "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly". It also ended too abruptly and I wish the hunter becoming the prey twist would have lasted a little longer. However the fight was well choreographed and Eliza's acting was quite good. It really felt like Echo was a wild beast when she ran towards the guy for a final blow. It shew us the ambivalence of her character, the porcelain doll and the deadly weapon.
Are the dolls as empty as their masters would like them to be ? Does erasing the mind memory prevent the body from recording events ? What's the connection between Echo and her protector ? Where's the Dollhouse ? Who's really pulling the strings ? There're so many questions I would like to answer right now that it really shows how interesting the show got with just one episode. So I can't wait to watch the others because I'm sure new characters will be introduced, we'll also learn more about Echo and her character will grow even stronger on us. Moreover I really believe the writers won't disappoint us and Joss Whedon probably tried to avoid fillers at all cost considering his philosophy. This episode was a brilliant example as there were actually two stories told but clearly connected.
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