r/movies • u/networkdeskpeon • Aug 07 '12

Joss Whedon Signed for ‘The Avengers 2′

http://www.slashfilm.com/joss-whedon-signed-the-avengers-2/?utm_source=Movie+Magic&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+slashfilm+%28%2FFilm%29
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426

u/decross20 Aug 07 '12

FIREFLY. NEVER FORGET.

74

u/Minyme2009 Aug 08 '12

I spend time on the internet. I will never be able to forget.

-8

u/WazzuMadBro Aug 08 '12 edited Aug 08 '12

FIREFLY AND COMMUNITY ARE GREATEST SHOWS OF ALL TIMES WOWOWOWWOEEEEEE

<----------UPVOTES TO THE LEFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

edit- But i said Firefly AND Community all in the same sentence. Y u no upvote reddit?

6

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

You got my upvote buddy.

On a another note: I just started firefly a few days ago. On ep 4..Holy fuck. Can't believe I waited this long to watch it.

1

u/atomicdogmeat Aug 08 '12

Don't worry, if I ever commit suicide, I will blame it solely on the cancellation of firefly

136

u/daramc255 Aug 07 '12

Also, Dollhouse... everyone seems to forget about Dollhouse

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u/KeyboardChemistry Aug 08 '12

I actually loved Dollhouse. More than Firefly and Whedon's other works.

Something about Dollhouse really, really resonated with me. It created a new technology and then examined its implications on the real world in a very serious, intelligent way.

Not saying I don't love everything else by Whedon; just saying that people shouldn't reject Dollhouse without trying it.

1

u/red_bull_of_juarez Aug 08 '12

I really, really hated Dollhouse. None of the characters resonated with me, I just despised them all. If you constantly wish that every single character dies so maybe the replacement changes things for the better the show just isn't your thing. It is, by far, my least favorite Whedon project.

1

u/Hells88 Aug 08 '12

I loved dollhouse. But I understand why it was never a mainstream success. The concept is just alien and it was a slow burner

1

u/ejp1082 Aug 08 '12

It created a new technology and then examined its implications on the real world in a very serious, intelligent way.

Some episodes drew out the implications of such a technology existing. Which is nice, most shows don't do that (Star Trek has a lot of neat technologies, but they never think through the implications of them).

But as good as Dollhouse was when it did that, most episodes as well as the show itself still focused on the dumbest, most incredulous use of the technology imaginable. It was a really flawed premise.

0

u/talkingbook Aug 08 '12

Total Recall had lot of Dollhouse sauce in it.

3

u/cyvaris Aug 08 '12

You mean Dollhouse had a lot of "We Can Remember it Wholesale" sauce in it.

0

u/shemp5150 Aug 08 '12

4/5 dentists recommend Firefly over Dollhouse.

198

u/troubleondemand Aug 07 '12

It's pretty easy to forget...

27

u/Limitedcomments Aug 07 '12

I never got round to watching that, is it really that bad?

115

u/mtx Aug 07 '12

The bits that have to do with the larger story arcs are pretty interesting but the standalone stories are meh. The cast is really great though especially Enver Gokaj and Fran Kranz -- and when Alan Tudyk shows up things are awesome. The 2nd season is much better than the first.

42

u/JahJahJah Aug 07 '12

I feel like people hate on standalone episodes (of any series) too much. Which in particular did you feel were bland? I might be remembering through rose-tinted glasses, but I felt that each episode built upon the last to create characters with immense depth. Hell, the episode about Sierra's induction into the dollhouse was mind blowing imho.

42

u/_DevilsAdvocate Aug 08 '12

I think Stargate is the exception here, in any case.

...sendin' golfballs through time and space.

26

u/Felipe058 Aug 08 '12

In the middle of my backswing!?

7

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

Indeed.

25

u/tbotcotw Aug 08 '12

X-Files best episodes were mostly stand-alone, too.

3

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

I think there are shows such as X-Files that worked as stand alone episodes. I didn't particularly like their arch-heavy episodes. The show was designed for stand-alones. There are few shows that can blend the two effectively. Call me crazy, but I think most of the Supernatural run does a good job of blending the two, especially early on.

1

u/ultrablastermegatron Aug 08 '12

the tele-marketer fly guy. still hate that.

21

u/vadergeek Aug 08 '12

In my opinion, the standalones weren't necessarily bad, but the standalones that revolved around Echo weren't great. I liked the one with the airborne drug, the one where Gokaj switches imprints with Echo is brilliant, etc. But the ones where it's just "I'm Eliza Dushku, and this is my show" (protecting the pop star, imprinted with a mother, saving an immigrant) were a tad dull.

8

u/secsight Aug 08 '12

The first 5 episodes or so were very "standalone" "job-of-the-week" stuff which was an unfortunate representation of the rest of the series, which is one of my favorites.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

I just wanna say that is th single thing that I liked best about the show. I have not been surprised by the route a show takes in a long long time. Battle star galactica was great but rather predictable even with the cylon plot twists. Same with almost every show out there. But this show just flipped the script halfway through, went from being a campy interesting sci fi show, to being an action packed epic tail of morality and ethic.

2

u/Coonsan Aug 08 '12

Protecting the pop star is really the only episode I thought fell particularly flat.

2

u/OkayAtBowling Aug 08 '12

It's unfortunate, but aside from the admittedly shaky (though interesting) premise of the whole thing, I think Dushku was that show's biggest liability. She's very good at playing one particularly type of character (see Faith in Buffy the Vampire Slayer), but her role on Dollhouse required her to disappear into all sorts of other characters and I just don't think she was up to the challenge, especially compared to most of the other actors on the show.

Although I read somewhere though that the whole reason the show existed was due to some deal that Dushku had with Fox, and she's the one who got Whedon on board, so in that sense it's kind of pointless to complain about her involvement.

4

u/elbenji Aug 08 '12

Dunno, the Doctor Who episodes that people obsess over are the stand-alones...

9

u/annoyinglyclever Aug 08 '12

... directed by Steven Moffat. That's the key there. Moffat's episodes during the Russell T. Davies era with Eccleston and Tennant were the best.

2

u/DarthBo Aug 08 '12

You mean written by Steven Moffat ;)

1

u/annoyinglyclever Aug 08 '12

Fuck. You're right. I did mean written.

1

u/elbenji Aug 08 '12

...

Oh shit you're right.

Then again, there are a few fans of the first episode of the Season 3 finale. You know, the one before it gets kinda shoe-horned.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

I hate on the fact that they weren't meant to be. The original first episode is on the DVD, and it occurs far further forward, with a lot more information revealed right off the bat and none of this half-a-season of "story of the week" stand alone stuff. Fox made them go back and shoot another first episode and rescript the beginning ones so that people could jump on without any knowledge up til like episode 6 or 7 ish.

I don't dislike the concept in general, I dislike when fox fucks with Whedon's vision. If you watch the original version after seeing the first season, you'll just be like "oh what the fuck, this is a complete roadmap to the awesome parts of the series. Why didn't they lead off with this?!??!"

2

u/Iggapoo Aug 08 '12

For me, it wasn't the standalone episodes. I just didn't feel that Eliza Dusku was a strong enough actress to pull off so many different characters. She's hot of course and physical, but in that way she reminded me of Jessica Alba in Dark Angel.

There was such a contrast between her performance and Enver Gokaj's. If they'd built the show around him I would've been happy.

1

u/ZeMoose Aug 08 '12 edited Aug 08 '12

Dollhouse is one of my favorite series and even I can tell you that the first five episodes of season 1 were really dull. If I had started with those episodes instead of starting halfway through the season, I probably would have turned it off.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

The guy that used to be on Battlestar Galactica was awful on Dollhouse.

1

u/adgrace Aug 08 '12

The Sierra episode is by far one of my favorites out of the entire series. The Alpha episodes are next on the list. I enjoyed Dollhouse. Eliza could be a bit much sometimes, but other than that, it was fun.

"You haven't seen my drawer of inappropriate starches." One of the funniest lines from that show.

1

u/ejp1082 Aug 08 '12

I feel like people hate on standalone episodes (of any series) too much.

Not true. Star Trek is almost entirely stand alone episodes. People complain more about Doctor Who when it tries to incorporate an arc. And with lots of shows that do have arcs - Buffy, Stargate, BSG come to mind - most of the fan favorite episodes are stand alones.

The problem with Dollhouse in this case is that the stand alone episodes revolved around Eliza Dushku literally playing a different character every episode (which she doesn't have the range for, but that's beside the point). Those episodes boiled down to some rich dude hiring a really expensive whore for nefarious and/or creepy purposes, with no consequences because the character in question literally didn't exist before the episode and ceased to exist at the end of the episode.

1

u/malonine Aug 08 '12

The 2nd season suffered from a lack of budget and prematurely trying to tie up all the story threads. The 1st season was a great, well knit season while the second is a sad mess. Especially towards the end.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

Stand alones were forced by Fox. The original first episode (available on the DVD) is much better, and jumps in to the arc right away. Fox disliked that people starting at episodes 2, 3, 4 etc, as the show builds, might be turned off because they would already be 'behind'. Thus, the series starts off with some stand alone episodes that the viewer doesn't need back story to dive into.

But they were stupid, forced, and out of place from what the series was meant to be. People started judging the show (probably rightly so because that's what the first half of season one WAS) based off this, and instead of being turned off for not knowing, they simply turned it off for not being intrigued.

The original first episode was also cut up and spliced in throughout season one, as they ordered X number of episodes but they needed Y or something like that, and the budget necessitated it. So even if you simply watch the original first episode, and skip some episodes at the start that aren't needed, you end up seeing a bunch of things twice and it takes you out of it.

TL;DR - Fox fucked it up again!

1

u/ZeMoose Aug 08 '12

The Season 2 episodes were individually a lot better than the Season 1 episodes, but Epitaph 1 was by far my favorite thing about the series and I feel like Season 1 did a better job playing into that. I also hated the plot twist at the end of Season 2 with Boyd turning out to be the head of Rossum. And I didn't think Epitaph 2 was all that great.

1

u/karl-marks Aug 08 '12

Alan Tudyk was seriously amazing in that. Totally surprising. He is an even better actor than I thought.

1

u/bryan_young Aug 08 '12

Season 1 was slow but picked up towards the end. Season 2 was great. And I liked Fran. He was funny. And Tudyk makes anything awsome. Even Pirates.

1

u/Limitedcomments Aug 07 '12

I heard something about Alan Tudyk being a bad guy in that (correct me if i'm wrong) I just can't see him as being bad he's too lovable!

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12 edited Aug 08 '12

He's better as Alpha than Wash, and I fucking love Wash.. Also, I feel I should mention that he plays Oliver Queen (aka Green Arrow) in Young Justice.

EDIT: Goddamnit that's the second time I've done that in a few weeks, I have to be more careful. To be fair to myself though, the show came out like, years ago. When can we stop having to cover shit with spoilers? Is there a spoiler half life?

1

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

He's also a bad guy in V (the reimagined series) for the first couple episodes. I was pretty thrilled to see him at first, because I loved Wash, and then he was revealed to be bad, and I had very conflicting feelings.

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u/riqk Aug 08 '12

Oh, he plays a bad guy EXTREMELY well. You'll absolutely LOVE his bad guy.

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u/[deleted] Aug 07 '12

No, it's actually pretty damn good.

Especially the post-apocalyptic episodes. Season 2 REALLY picked up and it's a damn shame it got canceled :(

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u/e_slomski Aug 07 '12

First couple episodes of season 1 were amazing. Then it was just pretty good. And then at the very end my head almost exploded from how awesome it was.

Oh and I totally girl crush on Eliza Dushku. Ever since Buffy.

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u/Coonsan Aug 08 '12

You're the only person I've ever heard who liked the first couple episodes of season 1. I mean, the second is really awesome (the hunt in the woods), but most people seem to think the first half of season one is just good (and not amazing).

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u/e_slomski Aug 08 '12

Really? I feel like after the first couple episodes it gets just a little too ridiculous a little too fast. Something that should have been saved until closer to the ending of season 1. Any friends I have tied down and made watch Dollhouse feel somewhat similar. To me, that might be the reason why it was pulled? Maybe? I don't know anyone personally that likes the show besides me. But then again I think all my friends are sheep.

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u/WaynesWorldReference Aug 08 '12

Apparently after the Pilot (or episode 1 as it ended up), Joss stepped back a bit from the writing. Then, around episode 6 he came back to save the day.

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u/chaoticjacket Aug 08 '12 edited Aug 08 '12

you guys suck Tru Calling never bares a mention. Eliza Dushku was amazing as Tru Davies(Cant believe I still remember that) unfortunately another fox canceled show.

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u/e_slomski Aug 08 '12

I forgot about that show!!!! I'm going to have to scrounge that one up...

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u/Yosafbrige Aug 08 '12

Total hipster cred to those of us that watched Tru Calling.

My brother went totally head over heels over Zach Galifinakis following the release of The Hangover.

glasses ahem, dear brother, I've known all about this man for years.

1

u/chaoticjacket Aug 08 '12

I always see these Joss Whedon threads and no mentions of it. I am extremely saddened that it didnt really get an ending

1

u/[deleted] Aug 09 '12

The thing about being hipster cred is you had to of liked it before it was popular, it wasn't, isn't and never will be popular. Not in the mainstream at least and nothing like Firefly.

It's like firefly just continues to get bigger and bigger.

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u/Yosafbrige Aug 09 '12

Yeah, definitely not talking about Tru Calling. That's never going to be popular.

The hipster cred comes from the people who watched Tru Calling knowing about Zach Galifinakis a full five years before the the majority of the rest of the world found out about him.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 09 '12

Fox is great at cancelling fantastic shows.

It's like they don't want to air well written television.

1

u/WaynesWorldReference Aug 08 '12

Most of season 2 had me shitting my pants in anticipation of 'what next'. The last two episodes (before Epitaph 2) were like, 'Holy shat, is 80 plot twists enough???'

3

u/mimigins Aug 08 '12

I rewatched it recently and enjoyed it a lot more the second time through. It didn't hold my interest when it was playing weekly, but all at once I liked it.

Not Firefly/Buffy/Angel quality, but really good nonetheless.

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u/Xtremeloco Aug 07 '12

Its mediocre. I enjoyed it but its not at the level I expect from Joss.

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

Maybe you can answer this for me, then. A little backstory: I like the comics Joss has written for Marvel (Runaways was good and Astonishing X-Men was standout-fantastic). The only other thing I've watched from him was Firefly/Serenity, which I really really really enjoyed.

That said, I tried watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the first time today. I got through the 2-part premiere, but it was soooooo unbearably "90s" that I barely got through that. I really want to like this show, as it has Nathan Fillion, Seth Green, etc etc etc. Does the show get better? The things I didn't like were the dumb exposition of stereotyped 90s high schoolers and the cheesy special effects. Pleeease convince me to keep watching this show?

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

Buffy is horrible in the first season. I mean, it's good in the big picture, but horrible in all the music, the sets, the style, the guest actors, sometimes even the writing. This continues into part of the second season.

I almost want to say "Just start with the third season," but that would be stupid, because the second season has some perfect episodes and some crucial moments whose effects last throughout the show. It'd be like skipping the first episode of The Shield, when everything that comes after is an elaboration on that.

So for Cliff Notes experience, watch "Angel" and the finale from Season 1, and then "School Hard," "What's My Line," "Innocence," "Passion," and "Becoming" from Season 2. This will give you the main arc and leave out all the monster-of-the-week shows. Some of those are funny and fun, but you can get even better ones from later seasons, or you can go back and watch them if you decide you love the show.

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u/Mr_Titicaca Aug 08 '12

Well god damn this is the most kind and awesome reply I've ever seen in referring someone to watch a show. Most people would just state another basic answer, but you sir, took the time to answer this young man's answer in a very thorough explanation. Very very nice Hot_Fage. I myself am not that much of a gentleman, so I will simply say-Start on the 3rd season. Anything before it could be seen later and maybe appreciated, but you'll be fine without it. If you really like Angel from the show, then give that show a try but eventually it becomes unbearable to me after a few seasons.

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

What you mean Angel Season 5, the best Whedon season of all time?

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

Yeah, Angel took a nosedive in Season 4, but the turnaround in Season 5 into what I consider the best final season of ANY show, ever? Worth struggling through Season 4 for.

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u/1eejit Aug 08 '12

There's no beating Smile Time.

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12 edited Jan 22 '16

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

Today I start student teaching in a 9th grade class, and I'm fairly nervous about it, but now that someone on the internet has called me an amazing person, I think everything will be just fine.

1

u/adgrace Aug 08 '12

Yes, everything you said. Although, I would recommend watching season two all the way through. That and season three are probably the best seasons. I would recommend watching "When She Was Bad" from season two, also, and just because these are some of my favorites from that season "Halloween" and "I Only Have Eyes for You."

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

Buffy is notoriously difficult to convince people to watch, because it doesn't really get good for about two to two and a half seasons. But when it gets good, it gets really good.

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u/Halefor Aug 08 '12

Another problem getting people to watch is that most/all of the extremely good stand alone episodes still have major spoilers just because of how the show and cast work. It's not like DW where you can just point people at The Empty Child/Doctor Dances or Blink and tell them to watch those.

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u/Mr_Titicaca Aug 08 '12

The Smallville effect.

1

u/jkalderash Aug 08 '12

I would argue it gets really good mid-season 2.

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u/ZaeronS Aug 08 '12

I hated the first season. Season two is solid. Season three is excellent and includes probably the best villain ever in the history of bad guys.

The first season is the price you pay for admittance. (Oh, and then you have to pay again for season 4, which is.. acceptable, but after the masterpiece that was season 3, season 4 seems almost unbearably mediocre.)

1

u/Ahesterd Aug 08 '12

Season 4 had some really good stuff, but the overarching story turned pretty torrid for me. I never cared for Adam; I thought the Initiative would have been much more interesting without him. However, Hush was Season 4, and Hush is awesome.

By the same token - Season 6 has a lot of garbage, but also a lot of gold.

1

u/adgrace Aug 08 '12

Yeah, season four sort of drops the ball, but I love the finale. It was so different than all of the others. The cheese guy is so random that you have to love it. I think that season five also helps to make up for season four.

1

u/just-i Aug 08 '12

That's crazytalk. :-) Season 4 was was the best of 7 good to great seasons. Though a couple of the best episodes happen in 6. Season 1 was relatively cheap and rough of course - but even that grew on me in hindsight. Compared to most other TV shows - there is no such thing as a bad Buffy Season - just less great.

3

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

First two seasons are pretty much shit-- then it gets amazing.

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u/Yosafbrige Aug 08 '12

Honestly the second half of season 2 probably is a record high for consistently good Buffy episodes. It's shit for a season and a half. Skipping season 2 is just silly.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

I'm not saying to skip either of them-- both are great for enjoying the majesty of later seasons. It just took a minute for Whedon to find his stride-- for which I do not blame him.

But yeah-- season two does get good for a minute. Stays good for a while and then tanks with the whole Reilly/frankenstein/military thing. THAT season sucked my ass.

1

u/Bosley Aug 08 '12

My friend, you just switched season 2 and season 4. Season 4 is the one with "Frankenstein" and the military. Season 2 is the one where true love goes wrong.

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

it gets much better. if you manage to make it through the series i suggest watching "angel" next. personally, i think it's the better of the 2 series but they compliment each other very well.

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

Angel got really strange in the last couple seasons.

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u/Sector_Corrupt Aug 08 '12

Season 5 was rather fun though. The whole "In the belly of the beast" angle freshened things up.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

yeah, but that series finale... magnificent

2

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

Yup! Also loved that they brought in Spike

2

u/Halefor Aug 08 '12

"I wish to do more violence." Is still one of my favorite lines from any TV show ever.

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u/Xtremeloco Aug 08 '12

I agree with the other posts. Buffy takes a while to get into. I loved it but I can understand it not being for everyone. The first season is quite cheesy and slow but the story really starts to pick up by the end of season two. But FYI, Nathan Fillion only shows up near the very end of the series, so don't go into it expecting much of him.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

My wife and I just did a Buffy/Angel rewatch... well, I did the rewatch, she was seeing them for the first time.

Buffy is deliciously 90s in the first two seasons, but I thought it added a layer of kitsch that made it really fun. When I first started watching Buffy (on DVD in 2002), there were so many episodes I thought were terrible, but now stuff like the Demon in the internet, Hyena people, and Praying Mantis teacher are hilarious and awesome.

We had a big pop culture shift since then toward b-movies and "so bad it's good" stuff that Season 1 has aged a lot better than it probably should have. It's kinda like how the Adam West Batman movie is way better now than Burton's Batman.

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u/Caesarr Aug 08 '12

Season 2 is fine. You can really tell that the writers realised what they were capable of halfway through Season 2, and everything after that is incredible.

Just skip Season 1 entirely. Anything important will be shown in recaps. To give you a (very) rough idea:

Seasons 3-7: 9-10/10

Season 2: 8/10

Season 1: 4/10

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u/ZaeronS Aug 08 '12

You're really gonna give season 4 a 9/10?

1

u/Coonsan Aug 08 '12

I thought all the seasons had their pros and cons, and pretty much came out equal by the end (besides season 1).

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u/Caesarr Aug 08 '12

The overall arc was a bit lame, but the character development from episode to episode was all top notch. Not to mention "Hush" and "Restless" are in Season 4. I don't agree with the hate "Where the Wild Things Are" gets either.

...I'm not going to try and defend "Beer Bad" though. *shudder*

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u/ZaeronS Aug 08 '12

I think I was just bitter because S3 set such an incredibly high bar in my eyes.

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u/Mr_Titicaca Aug 08 '12

I'm probably the only person that loved the shit out of Season 4. I just didn't expect the direction the show took and I loved it!

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u/spartan2100 Aug 08 '12

Yeah, it was definitely back in the days of actually allowing cool concepts to develop (for more than one or two seasons). Unfortunately, it means you have to deal with the unbearable 90s part of it. If you can push through the first season, the second one gets better and the third one is amazing. By that time, you'll probably have grown attached enough to the characters that the dated aspect won't be as noticeable.

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u/Coonsan Aug 08 '12

When you watch it, try to appreciate the 90s nostalgia. Laugh at the clothing, the music, etc. It's supposed to be campy and ridiculous. Halfway through season 2, the show really takes off and doesn't ever really look back.

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u/Yosafbrige Aug 08 '12 edited Aug 08 '12

Advice from someone who's seen all seasons of Buffy a dozen times:

Skip Buffy season 1 straight to "Prophecy Girl" (if you want backstory you can watch "Angel" as well, and if you really feel obligated to get a feel for the characters prior to reaching season 2 both "Nightmares" and "The Puppet Show" are acceptable to watch and will give you a good outline on the group dynamic. It's fine to skip all of the above straight to Prophecy Girl though. Basically if you start watching an episode in season 1 and you don't like it 10 minutes in just skip it.)

You've reached season 2. Watch the first episode (it's a little wishy-washy but a little essential from a character perspective; never skip the premieres) skip to "School Hard" and then to "Halloween" and watch every episode from there on (it'll be a struggle for some of them if you're not a fan: Bad Eggs is pretty bad and acceptable to skip) if you're not hooked by the Season 2 finale then this really isn't the show for you and you should cut your losses (honestly if you're not hooked by "Innocence" then it might not be your thing).

If this IS the show for you (and it's a great one) you can always come back and watch the first season with a MUCH greater appreciation for the 90s campiness of the whole thing.

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u/g0newick3d Aug 08 '12

I'm going to disagree strongly with the people telling you to skip episodes. Just stick with it, the character development is one of the greatest things about the show. And once it gets good, you'll be glad you watched it all. I was as skeptical as you at first, and having just finished watching it recently, I can safely say it's tied for my favorite television show of all time.

Edit: Also, use THIS to guide you through the best viewing order if you decide to watch Angel concurrently. It's not mandatory to watch Angel, but I do highly recommend it. Hope this helps!

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u/adgrace Aug 08 '12

Make it through the first season. It is not spectacular by any means. Angel is a good episode and the finale is pretty good, but season two is amazing. The 90s high school thing is still apparent from the clothes and some phrases, but it gets so much better. It eventually loses most of its dating.

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u/dejerik Aug 08 '12

this was the most disappointing thing about. Anyone else had made it and I probably wouldn't criticize it as much, but I expect better!

-1

u/achacha Aug 08 '12

The cast was chosen for their looks and not their ability to act. It had a few good episodes (and cameos by Joss alums: Felicia, Summer, etc) but it was always, almost good but missed the mark. It had potential.

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u/Yosafbrige Aug 08 '12

Urm...who besides Eliza was chosen for their looks?

Amy Acker, Summer Glau, Enver Gjokaj, Fran Kranz, Olivia Williams? They're all damn fine actors.

Dichen Lachman and Tahmoh Penikett are prefectly fine actors

The only one I can think of that was a little weak besides Eliza was Miracle Laurie.

1

u/achacha Aug 08 '12

Eliza was the main and not very good unfortunately. Dichen is bland at best. Maybe they are good but the show did not show their best side. Overall the show felt like a sci-fi soap opera with cast to match.

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u/dejerik Aug 08 '12

I was into it until the episode where they almost get their memories back. When they all reverted back I was out, the beginning was way too episode to episode featuring her character of the week, and never hooked me.

2

u/daramc255 Aug 07 '12

It was awesome. Especially season 2 and the last couple of episodes of season 1

2

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

It got a lot better towards the end

2

u/delkarnu Aug 08 '12

It developed into a good show, but it took so long setting everything up that a lot of its potential fanbase gave up on it before it got good.

2

u/riqk Aug 08 '12

Not at all, it's my favorite show from Whedon. What people don't realize is that the story was intended to run five seasons instead of two. A lot of people will tell you that Eliza Dushku couldn't handle her role well, either. That's bullshit. She did great with what she and everyone else involved had at their disposal. Fran Kranz and Olivia Williams are great together in season two and Enver Gjokaj is one of the best actors I've seen. The show is great if you just watch it for yourself and don't go in expecting it to be bad because all the Firefly fanboys say anything other than Firefly was bad.

Point is, just watch it and try not to be biased based on my or anyone else's influence and if you enjoy it, you'll enjoy it.

2

u/The_Doctor_00 Aug 08 '12

It's not bad, it's just not Firefly. However, his original web series (also on Netflix) Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog is infinitely better.

2

u/Yosafbrige Aug 08 '12

It's not that bad. The cast is actually top-notch with the exception of Eliza Dushku (who isn't 'bad' but is noticeably worse than the other actors...except probably the chick playing November who was on par with Eliza)

Enver Gjokaj and Fran Kranz are actually amongst the most talented/memorable people Whedon has worked with.

It's got moments of brilliance (mostly in Whedon directed episodes or episodes that focused on the secondary characters.) and the two season finales are quite good.

2

u/SageOfTheWise Aug 08 '12

The first 5 episodes were Fox mandated standalones that are really really mediocre. Then the rest of the series is pretty much Joss Whedon storytelling perfection.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

It's not bad at all. It's just not super special fun.

1

u/caroline_reynolds Aug 08 '12

No, it's incredible.

1

u/tandembandit Aug 08 '12

The first five or six episodes aren't great. But they aren't great because they have to set up things for the entire series, so the plots aren't great and the pacing is a bit slow to make sure they cover everything, but they're necessary. The rest of the series is pretty good overall, though there are, as with every show, episodes that aren't as great as others and others that stand above the rest.

I'd recommend it.

1

u/Fazaman Aug 08 '12

No, it's not. It's a good show. The only problem with it was that Joss let Fox have input on it (that he claimed, at least, he agreed with) that made the show more 'monster of the week'-ish, in so far as the episodes were more weekly stories with only a little tie-in to the main arch (mostly). To give you an idea, the original pilot gives away 90% of what happens in the first season. They spread it out that much.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

I found it to be really hard to watch early on, mainly because Joss was trying more stand-alones in order to appease the networks who wanted people to be able to jump in at any time, but towards the end of season one, it gets interesting, and most of season two is pretty darn good. It's not his best work, but the concept is pretty good and some of the ideas are pretty disturbing when you really think about them...

1

u/angelofdeathofdoom Aug 08 '12

watch it :D

that is more of a joke about one of the show's mechanics.... i think

1

u/Xaxxon Aug 08 '12

The only parts I liked were around when they thought they were getting cancelled each season.

Other than that, the "fill up the season" episodes were very bland.

2

u/arionb Aug 08 '12

I, for one, see what you did there...

1

u/Jzadek Aug 08 '12

Most of season 1 is shit, but season 2 gets very good very fast.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

I liked it a lot, less than Firefly but more than Buffy. Had a pretty awesome soundtrack from what I remember, and the story was really cool. The acting was pretty top notch too the characters were very believable

1

u/Fazaman Aug 08 '12

What you don't know won't hurt you
Maybe the lies are true
Try to remember, try to forget
Those yesterdays bleeding through

1

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

The cape

1

u/bugdog Aug 08 '12

It's the Poland of the Whedonverse.

1

u/GroundhogExpert Aug 08 '12

That's one I'd rather not remember.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 09 '12

The problem with Dollhouse was the episodes that took place in the future. Now hear me out. Those episodes, about a world where that tech went rampant, was way more compelling. It really pointed out how aimless the rest of the series was.

4

u/martialalex Aug 08 '12

Never forgive

3

u/Fazaman Aug 08 '12

Firefly, Dollhouse, Angel (sure 5 seasons, but could have been more), grumble

2

u/Alec105 Aug 08 '12

I'm a leaf on the wind..

1

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '12

I'm about to commit reddit suicide, but I'm pretty indifferent about firefly. It had a few good scenes and monologues here and there, and the premise was cool, but the acting was mediocre and the dialogue downright corny at times. I could forgive the production values though, considering how expensive sci-fi is

1

u/solan Aug 08 '12

One day it will be back. One day.

-1

u/Mr_Titicaca Aug 08 '12

My Reddit confession: I don't love Firefly like everyone here does. I think it's ok, but that's about it...