Dollhouse Revisited

So, as probably none of you knows (except for Jack, of course), Joss Whedon's new series, Dollhouse, has undergone some big changes of late. First we heard that production had been shut down, then there's word that shut downs aren't always a bad sign, and then we heard the most disturbing news of all, that the original pilot had been all but completely scrapped. In spite of assurances that all is well (for the most part) from Joss, I'm still concerned...

I was quite excited about the show when I saw the original trailer (in spite of Eliza Dushku's shameful (REALLY shameful) Spanish (I mean, seriously, did she even practice that? It's not like it was Swahili or something...):



It struck me as having Joss' usual action and excitement but also the levity and charm of past series. While it's hard to assess the need for improvements based solely on a trailer, apparently there were a lot of changes that needed to be made (a decision that I'm guessing had more to do with the Fox network than Joss, but I've been hearing a lot of mixed reports). Joss asserts that this is a good thing, but I can't help seeing it as a bad sign. I mean geez, they basically re-shot the whole pilot!

As you can see from the new trailer below, a lot of changes have been made. Even the scenes that are basically the same on paper have been reshot (and I'm not sure why...) I guess they wanted to spruce up the set? All in all, it's a good trailer, and I'm still very excited for the show, but I was a lot more excited after the first trailer came out.

This new offering just seems less fun and a lot more heavy-handed and serious. Joss doesn't do the straight-forward drama ever, really, so this trailer is a bit perplexing. It's as though they sapped the the funniness and playfulness right out of the series (or at least that's how they have chosen to present it to viewers). I didn't watch this trailer and think, "Hey, that's a Joss Whedon production!" as I had with the first one. It just didn't strike me as quite so quintessentially Joss as the previous one, and in my universe, that's not a good thing...

Here's hoping it all comes together. Still excited, still a good trailer, just not as Joss-y as one would hope...