LOVE IT OR HATE IT, DOLLHOUSE HAS BOWED OUT ON A HIGH

I have always had mixed feelings about DOLLHOUSE. I saw moments of brilliance and some utter rubbish that didn't work in any way, shape or form. The standout thing about DOLLHOUSE however was when it was good, it was a masterpiece....shame Mr Wheedon has yet to do this consistently through one of his projects.

What about BUFFY I hear you cry.....Have you actually watched the first few seasons of Buffy recently? No? Well you will see a series that was very much a run of the mill, monster of the week, not really going anywhere series. Only when the main story arc kicked in and we started seeing Glory, Angel, Spike and the other serious powerhouses pop up did we see what a great show that it would turn into. I guess BUFFY suffers from the same problem as STAR TREK (pic any incarnation you want) They all have their fan base that will defend them to the death, claiming that they are the best series in the world and that there was never any crap episodes and they were all masterpieces............in reality the first few seasons on TNG, DS9 and even the original trek were just planet of the week, singular episodes that didn't really go anywhere past maybe a 2 or 3 part arc.

The massive arcs that sculpt the characters and world around them are what make these series really come to life.......Dominion war anyone??? That's when DS9 became the best TREK EVER!!!!!!!!!!! You know it's true.

So have we worked out the problem with Wheedon then? He doesn't set the world, the characters, and the direction of the show quick enough? Or do we just not all get the quirky and odd-ball way that he tells a story? May be, but you can't help loving most of his creations...Mal Reynolds is an idiot, bully, rogue but you know you all still have a soft spot for him!!

Somehow I don't think we will ever know, because no one ever seems to let him finish his projects and bring them to a conclusion....although at least we got some closure for FIREFLY with SERENITY (which I will always hail as one of my all time favourite shows and movies - Bravo for that one Joss) and to some extent we have that for DOLLHOUSE with the finale EPITAPH 2: Return.

To be totally honest I never really had the heart to watch DOLLHOUSE'S second season with any regularity...I had already watched the first 2 episodes just as the news came out that it had been binned before it found its feet...so I kinda just had my own little DOLLHOUSE themed wake and drank a farewell to it before I got too attached. That said I couldn't help coming back to see what they would do with EPITAPH 2....I loved the "lost" episode that was never aired and the fact that Joss, all of a sudden, seemed to have a game plan and a direction for the series. It was nothing short of a master stroke of genius....turn the tech that made people into slaves, and turn the world into zombie like creatures that could be worn like suits for the powerful. Awesome. I just wanted to see that world again and see Joss as the genius that we all know he can be, but struggles to convince some people of.

The episode was action packed, moving, and tied up the loose ends which should have been developed on should we have seen season 3-5 of the show......I can see why Joss ended it with EPITAPH. i'm sure he was thinking "Hell If I can't tell the story from start to finish, well, I'll cut straight to the chase and show you the action packed finale, and you can see what you missed out on!"

Good show, Joss, good show.

Now I'm not one for crying at the TV....that's KW's thing....but I felt a tear well up when the bullet thumped into Ballard's forehead......when Echo finally admitted her feelings for him, and when Sierra and Victor made their peace with themselves. And Topher....well lets just say I'm sure he always wanted to go out with a bang.

The fact the show gave us a glimpse of what could have been, well it just leaves me with an empty hole inside which I want to fill with more DOLLHOUSE....the potential of the show was outweighed by the money worries of the network, some stiff competition with other outstanding shows on the air, and some slow and laboured episodes that just couldn't match the pace of today's audience.

It's a shame, because we've been subjected to some massive piles of shite over the years that never should have made it past a pilot.....Andromeda, you know I'm talking about you!!!!!!! Now that we have some heart, soul, and some real talent in a show, it just seems a shame to knock it down and end it before it's prime.

The big questions is, should it have been given more of a chance? Yes. Should FOX have put more effort it marketing the show and building the audience? Most definatley. Who's fault is it that the show failed? Well we all know the answer to that one.......don't we FOX!!!!!!

DOLLHOUSE I'll miss you and I'm sure there are some die-hard fans that will too. Back to the web to stream the episodes that I missed....we'll always have re-runs.