Be Excellent To Each Other

There were always season-long plot-arcs in Buffy - The Master in the first series, Spike and Drusilla in season 2, and the Mayor in season 3. What you mean is that it was good until the rubbish season-long plot-arcs came in (season 4 possibly, season 5 definitely).

See also: Angel was great until his bastard bloody son turned up.

I'm still watching Dollhouse. I'm not sure why. Nice to see The Middleman getting some work last week, though.

Angel became awesome in the last series or two (after the 'daddy!' shit). Mainly because Spike turned up.

Buffy became shite in series 4/5.

You're getting 3 and 4 confused, aren't you?

As mentioned previously, 4 is brilliant up until the point SW goes for huge flabby alien cuddles.

In the early, good series, the arcs were simply a backdrop to the MOTW episodes, often serving as simply an excuse for the MOTW. In the later series, there were episodes which dealt only with the plot arc.

Whedon is in a class of his own when it comes to 'discovering' hawt ladeez. Think about it - you've got Sarah Michelle Geller, that bitchy cheerleader who crossed over to the Angel spin-off, Willow (surely every geek's fantasy woman), most of the girls from Firefly (remember that red-headed scheming girl? Hnnngh) and Eliza Dhusku. Truly he has done more for lonely saddo types than any other director working.

Ben Dover disagrees.

And Joss Whedon is a "rapist", remember.

[Shallow mode]She's lost too much wait. You can see Eliza's ribs. Constantly. It's like looking at a skeleton with skin stretced over it. She needs to eat. [/Shallow mode]




Mr Chris saying I'm wrong is a bit like a certificate of honour. It proves I'm right.

However, Curio has snatched the King of Wrong Crown from me (as officiated by Grim...), and he always thinks I'm wrong. Therefore I'm now officially right.

Myoptika has just broken his keyboard.

Two wrong'uns don't make you right, doofus.

Logic dictates in this instance that only one of us (myself and Curio) can be right. As he outranks me in the Who's Who of Wrong, I must be right.

YoSafBridge?

Get thee to Mad Men.

No, the third one was crap. The fourth one was awful. Big difference.

As for Buddy the Vampire Sagger, I dipped in and out, but could never get into it because of the whiny nasal twanging of half the 26-year old "teen" cast, the deadly "long-term sci-fi series virus", and the embarassingly pansy main character who fought like a housewife and ran like a catwalk model.

My housemates have managed to get me into Supernatural. It, or at least the third and fourth serieseses, is surprisingly good. It's basically Buffy but without all the grating 'teen' shite, with much better plotting (there is an overall plot arc, but it's so carefully woven into the monster of the week that it really doesn't matter that much) and a lot more balls - in the handful of episodes I've seen, several major characters have been unceremoniously butchered in rather unpleasant ways, and one episode's highlight was the two main characters being tortured in a disturbingly understated way that had everyone cringing and going "aaargh, they won't! They won't do that, will they? OH GOD THEY WILL", and we're all pretty jaded people.

I highly, highly recommend the christmas special, also.

Supernatural is indeed rather entertaining, yes.

See that's just further encouragement to type like an idiot.

Except that X-Files had those from the very beginning. Or is what you're saying is that X-Files was shit from the beginning?

I'm confused. Anyway, I still haven't seen this. Should I see it?

Is it?

Remind me, ass-face.

Watch the christmas special. It's beautiful.

I am!

Apparently, they started 'letting Joss do it his way' from episode 6 on, and IT FUCKING SHOWS.

I had a total Buffygasm. I enjoyed watching that more than wathing the conclusion to Galactica - Dollhouse is twice as cool as it was 24 hours ago. There is twice as much going on, it feels like the prologue is over. Torrent and persevere until episode 6. If you don't still like it after this one, you probably won't.

So where did you hear that? It's still not marvelous but it's watchable.

I've found an interview with Eliza where she mentions that info now.

Watched episode 2 last night. It was more annoying than the first one. I'll try to get through to number 6 though

Episode 6 was better. But not brilliant. Better in a large part for not having Eliza in it much. She really isn't appropriate for the role.

Let's put it this way, if it was on channel 5 I would have forgotten to keep watching by now.

But I'm being harsh, it was a lot better.

I hadn't heard of this program but I think I will look it up and see what I think, if only because Eliza Dushku is not on my television enough. Although I doubt she can ever be hotter than when she was evil Faith.

She's astonishing in this, in places. And she's got plenty of competition. Some episodes you coul pretty much just sit there with your cock out from start to finish.

I have no plans to undergo that sort of surgery(a cockalectomy? or would that be the removal and not addition?) so instead i will just have to sit and drool.

I think she looks a million times better in Dollhouse than she did in Buffy. And I liked her in Buffy.

A Game Called Echo Episode 7 - Definitely best episode so far but it still feels pretty weak. Not enough of a big revelation as suggested.

Definite improvements since 6. 8 was pretty good. 9's started badly.
That little toy xylophone jingle at the end of the opening credits is increasingly freaking me out.

I've got to say, I'm a big fan of Miracle Laurie.

And dammit, there isn't one this week. Family Guy better be back... Oh, next Sunday! Argh!

Things aren't looking good for Dollhouse:

http://www.sfx.co.uk/page/sfx?entry=blo ... _dollhouse

The last episode was actually quite good. And I really rather enjoyed it. Massive improvement to the start of the series.

To be fair to fox though, they commissioned 13 episodes but as Whedon made two pilots he ran out of money for the 13th episode as it is actually the 14th.

So rather than just can the show, they've given him money to do the post production on it out of the DVD budget.

Overall, the show hasn't been good enough to be worthy of a second season. And I really hate the crap on the internet about 'oh it's only had a half season that isn't long enough to tell a story.'

Think what Being Human did in 6 and shut the fuck up.

You shut the fuck up!

Being Human is written with the intent of being six episodes. You couldn't approach a studio in the US with a 6-ep treatment, let alone get it comissioned.

Personally this is why I've no respect for studios - I've invested however many hours now in following this story, whilst it looks as if the whole thing will be stopped before the plot has reached anyhting like a conclusion, so why did I bother in the first place? Apparently the other show I like, Sarah Connor, is meeting a similar fate - should I just read a book instead?

And why doesn't Whedon go to Sci-Fi with these things, or somehwere? He might not get as large a budget, but they'd more likely stick with him.

The last A Game Called Echo was actually quite exciting and enjoyable. By Dullhouse standards it's undoubtedly a 10/10. By other TV it might just creep up to a 7 but even that seems a little generous due to all the terrible acting. I watched the episode quite avidly, which is unusual for me. I'm still not sure it's likely to have done enough to secure a second season by the end. It feels like it's likely to be able to wrap up all loose ends by 13 episodes anyway.

Yes. Being Human was written with the intent of being 6 episodes. They didn't know if they would get another series so they made the one they had count.

Whedon should make sure that his show has an interesting and complete story over the episodes he has available, as should the makers of Sarah Connor and that (i'm not saying he hasn't managed that, but even after episode 6 it's moving at a glacial pace).

The sooner America steals the Mexican 'novella' format (60 odd episodes split into 3 seasons, with a beginning middle and definitive end) the better.

But until then, the writers need to make each season stand alone.

All well and good, but you're assuming that writers write this shit for the "art" rather than the "huge fucking wads of cash they'd get for another series quick quick cliffhanger never resolved!"

Looks as if Wheedon has made each season 'cancel-proof' in terms of story - episode eleven is FUCKED UP in a good way, some things I thought I'd not see for some time yet, or ever occur and the cliffhanger is nevertheless huge, much like a DR. Who end of season 'how the fuck do they resolve this and what are we yet to learn' penultimate episode. Let us hope the final episode next week does not fall back on cheese, plot-holes and deus ex machina to get things settled.

My predictions:



The most surprising thing is the lack of pictures of the breasts of most of the female cast on the internet. Quite disappointing, though of course there's the Postman for Olivia, though they do have to share a screen with Costner, which ruins it.

About that imprint

But yes great episode. Makes me wonder why they had such filler last week.

Oddly enough, one of the news websites that pops up when they're looking at the USB stick (~24:36) appears to be the Guardian circa 2003 (complete with authentic spelling mistakes):

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/1366 ... ardian.jpg

http://web.archive.org/web/200308011909 ... 13,00.html

Well that was that then.

It's quite agonising to think it's over when it just actually managed to find its feet and get good. But I wouldn't re-commission a series based on about 3 good episodes. If they could have matched the quality of the final episodes all the way through it would have been a sure fire winner. I suspect that if it was given another series we would end up in the same situation. A lot of nothing happening followed by a bit of something. It's not like the earlier episodes were especially relevant to the final ones either.

Oh well, never mind. Plenty of other good shows to watch.

RENEWED!!!!

http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/05/dollhous ... eason.html

FOR GREAT JUSTICE!!!!!

They'd better not throw away this opportunity with more bollocks like the first half of the season.

So, I didn't download this, and therefore I'm a solid six months behind (watching it on SciFi, which is at least in crisp HD). I've seen as far as ep7 and I'm enjoying it. Admittedly the early episodes were not up to Whedon's normal form -- it feels like he's experimenting with a more serious style and I'm not sure he's as good at it -- but the last two ("Man On The Street"/"Echoes") have been very good, and are moving the slow background arcs into higher gear. Having read the thread through (avoiding spoiler tags), I am looking forward to the next half of the season.

We're all watching Lie To Me now.

Any news on the rumours that Sci-Fi are changing their name to Sy Fy because they hate Science Fiction now?

I'm not watching that. Should I be?

Yeah, it happend in the US last week. http://www.wired.com/underwire/2009/07/ ... ng-empire/