epitaph one

This blog certainly feels like it should be eulogized already, but someone actually read it the other day and asked for more. Since I've got some time on my hands these days, I figured why not update for old times' sake? So again I manage a loose double meaning for the title of this post, which refers more to the "Dollhouse" episode of the same name than a tombstone engraving for the ol' Pop Culture Depot.

And how about "Dollhouse", anyway? When I last wrote, this was one of my highest anticipated shows for the new TV season. After some initial disappointment as Joss Whedon and Fox worked to find middle ground, the show hit its stride halfway through its half-season run. Whedon, master of the longview story arc, dropped in some great twists, intrigue, and long-absent humor to his latest opus and made it watchable, if not must-see. But the big news over the summer is the release of the unaired 13th episode, "Epitaph One", on the DVD set just days after a Comic Con screening. Shot on video (I never would've guessed if I hadn't been told), this is just another example of Whedon taking lemons and making Mike's Hard Lemonade. (That's supposed to be a compliment.) Over budget after shooting the pilot twice and still one episode short of a complete baker's dozen, Whedon pulls off a clever, post-apocalyptic view of the Dollhouse's future with minimal regular cast, some shoestrings, the crew from "24", and a one scene dug out of the unaired pilot. It was a perfect cap for the series in case they didn't get renewed and simultaneously a tantalizing springboard for future stories in case they did. My only concern is, did they leave enough unanswered to still have some mystery going forward? I'm looking forward to season two, no doubt.

What else to talk about while I'm here? Well, I already examined season five of "Lost" at my personal blog, argabright.tumblr.com (I know, I'm cheating on you), as well as extolled the virtues of Alan Tudyk's appearance on the "Dollhouse" finale and lamented the short-livedness of ABC's American remake of "Life on Mars".

There's not much else going on right now. Summer is primarily the domain of reality shows, which means fans of scripted TV have to watch Netflix rentals until September comes back around. The only exception is if you get a premium network like HBO. I'm doing both. With "Entourage" as a perennial fave, I've definitely been peeping out the new episodes. And I'm also checking out the first two seasons of AMC's "Mad Men" on DVD--I'm finding it to have a similar feel to "The Sopranos." While enjoyable, however, I have yet to say I'm hooked. But I'll likely DVR new episodes, starting this coming Sunday. I'm also reliving some gems from the past--I picked up season one of "Dexter" at huge discount off Amazon.com and I'm watching it again. Sooo good.