Of course it’s fair to say that you don’t like watching Eliza, and that you don’t like characters who are animal activists (you puppy-kicker, you) but that isn’t reflective of the show so much as your own tastes and predilections. I wasn’t fond of Eliza so much until I started watching Dollhouse; on the other hand, I do have a soft spot for animals — I’ve quit my job to work with a dog rescue for the next year, after all. So I have my biases, too.

Mostly, though, I think you’re wrong because you’re not seeing the big picture of the Dollhouse itself, which has roots not only in Eastern philosophy but Gnostic teachings as well. In the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas, Christ says his cornerstone is the one the builders reject; he says that perceiving deficiency in the All is a deficiency of self. Dollhouse tackles the notion of “error” in its mythos – it’s practically a central motif – and turns it on its head (gnostically) by challenging the perspective that would find mistakes in the first place, because mistakes don’t really exist except in relation to some imaginary ideal.
.-= jane´s last blog ..Dollhouse Belonging =-.

I agree with Tom in that Tamoh is likely a worse actor, but he’s not a main (yet). He’s still only on the sidelines. That’s the main reason I could deal with Helo in BSG: because he was rarely there. And he’s also right in saying that them making Caroline a animal rights activist/vandal doesn’t endear her to me. I can’t stand that stuff in real life, so that bias translates right into my feelings toward the character in Dollhouse.

In the end, though, I think her acting range isn’t adequate for such a taxing role. I think that *anyone* in the show they’ve cast as a Doll has more versatility than she does. Her performances are passable most of the time, but I never get away from the “she’s acting” feel that I do when I see Enver really get into a character, or even Dichen (like when she was Topher’s friend on his birthday). Those two actors take the roles and make them their own instead of trying to fit themselves to the personality when it might not be the right direction to approach it from.

I believe the point of Beej’s article is not be the best at figuring who to blame, but how to save a show that he sees potential in. If Dollhouse is not your fancy, don’t watch it, but there’s no point in going headfirst against someone who likes Whedon and want to see his work properly illustrated.
.-= Robert´s last blog ..To script or not to script? =-.