Whedonesque : Comments on 21149 : Anna Pickard's review of "Briar Rose".

This site will work and look better in a browser that supports web standards, but it is accessible to any browser or Internet device.

July 29 2009

Anna Pickard's review of "Briar Rose". Anna reviews Dollhouse Episode 11: Briar Rose this week.

For those of us in the UK still behind everyone at Comic-Con!

[ edited by zeitgeist on 2009-07-29 14:39 ]

twinkle | Dollhouse | 13:09 CET | 34 comments total | tags:

A link might be a good idea...

VaughnOfTheDead | July 29, 13:32 CET

Yes it would.

property of Mr Gordo | July 29, 14:20 CET

Try this one: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/tvandradioblog/2009/jul/28/joss-whedon-dollhouse-briar-rose

not_Bridget | July 29, 14:24 CET

I cannot recall most of what was said in the review just moments after reading it because I was blinded by the brilliance of the comment:

"Gosh, the science of this is complicated. I'm not built for science. You know what's not complicated? Stabbing vampires. I miss that."

I miss that, too. (even though I am built for science, and I do enjoy Dollhouse)

roofpig | July 29, 14:38 CET

Corrected.

zeitgeist | July 29, 14:40 CET

Nice article, although to me roofpig, that is the 2nd best quote:-
"We just didn't realise they may possibly fear him because he's Alan Tudyk and can act the socks off some of them."

strangeaction | July 29, 15:15 CET

It was a beautiful twist. Of course, you thought Ballard was the handsome prince in this scenario – or the kind of prince who walks like a cowboy.

Well, (spoilers for season finale 'Omega' follow) Ballard was the handsome prince (kind of), he just wasn't Echo's handsome prince, he was Caroline's. His catching the hard-drive at the end was the epitome of "the handsome prince coming in right at the end and taking all the credit".

Interesting – and philanthropic, though why anyone would pay to have that done is odd.

Um, to stop the kid knifing someone and growing up to become a hardened criminal ? Isn't that a bit like asking why someone would pay to put someone else through rehab ? Why would anyone try to sway anyone from a self-destructive path ?

Still, it's got some funny lines, I don't always (often/usually) agree with Ms Pickard or find her all that insightful but she's an entertaining enough writer. And she's spot on about Enver playing Victor as Dominick.

And is the stairs thing actually real ? I'd never heard of that before seeing this episode (and I used to know someone who was phobic of buttons so i'm not a total newb in the irrational fear arena).

edited to remove idiocy of the first water.

[ edited by Saje on 2009-07-29 15:44 ]

Saje | July 29, 15:20 CET

blah blah.. spoilers deleted...

True, but you can't blame her for not picking that up, since she hasn't watched Omega yet.

[ edited by mortimer on 2009-07-29 15:48 ]

[ edited by mortimer on 2009-07-29 16:30 ]

mortimer | July 29, 15:29 CET

Aaargh, good point, I got that conflated in my head. Invisitexting to remove spoilers (might be an idea if you did the same mortimer).

Deep apologies to anyone i've spoiled, hate it when it happens to me. Shit, shit, shit.

Saje | July 29, 15:42 CET

I took the quote out of mortimer's comment to despoiler it.

Sunfire | July 29, 15:47 CET

I just invisibled it.

mortimer | July 29, 15:50 CET

Apparently we both did.

mortimer | July 29, 15:51 CET

Huh. I didn't know you could do both at the same time. Ok then!

Sunfire | July 29, 15:52 CET

Cheers Sunfire. Silly sod (me not mortimer obviously).

So is it twice as invisible now ? Cos i'm not sure how to highlight something twice.

Saje | July 29, 15:54 CET

weird... By the way, in my opinion Briar Rose was an awesome episode.. in my top three for the season (along with 'Needs' and Man on the street')... actually it's a top 4 now, since I just saw 'Epitaph one'

mortimer | July 29, 15:55 CET

Is it twice as invisible? On my unseeablometer, yes it is. But it registers as 2.1, which is odd.

Stupid Walmart knock-offs.

shambleau | July 29, 16:11 CET

We didn't both invisible it. All that's happened is the quote and invisible formatting are combined.

Anyway, I think Anna Pickard is wrong about Topher. Dude's all full of the idea that he helps people by tinkering with their brains.

Sunfire | July 29, 16:20 CET

Erm, maybe it's just my computer but in Firefox and Safari I can still read the invisibled text in Mortimer's first post. It's black on dark grey.

moley75 | July 29, 16:28 CET

I'll delete it

mortimer | July 29, 16:29 CET

"You know what's not complicated? Stabbing vampires. I miss that."

Best line ever.

I really like these episode recaps.

lady84bug | July 29, 19:16 CET

>>Dude's all full of the idea that he helps people by tinkering with their brains.

That aspects sound so much like Willow's little "I'll tinker with Taras mind for her own good" reasoning. I've not thought so much about the parallells between Willow and Topher before. His Andrewness have gotten in the way. But there is defenitly the same power-abuse-thingy going on there.

Satai (with Punsch) | July 29, 21:46 CET

Willow has some pretty deep control issues, IMO. I think the similarities between Andrew and Topher are mostly surfaces. As I've read various discussions on which other Whedon character is most like him I've never agreed before, but yeah Willow might just be the first.

Sunfire | July 29, 21:58 CET

Yeah, I quite like that Satai. And Willow is also the "science nerd" on her show whhich fits with my pet theory that Topher is, to some extent, Joss' critique of the reductionist, controlling aspects of science (as well as of all other "programmers" including, as he's said himself, Joss).

The show also mentions nuclear weapons (through Ballard) and if you asked the 'man' on the street about big 20th century science I bet harnessing nuclear power would be up in the top 4 or 5 (maybe Joss couldn't see a downside to the Apollo programme - I mean, everyone loves velcro, right ? ;).

Saje | July 29, 22:15 CET

Wasn't velcro introduced by Vulcans accidentally stranded on Earth in the '50s?

barboo | July 29, 22:43 CET

Oh great, whaddya hate spacetime in its current unruptured state barboo ? Used to be people cared about temporal paradoxes and ripping reality asunder. I dunno, sheesh...

Saje | July 29, 22:54 CET

Saje:
...maybe Joss couldn't see a downside to the Apollo programme - I mean, everyone loves velcro, right ? ;).

Yes! And Tang and Space Pens and Space Food Sticks! Oh, that bountiful Apollo program!

Humor Disclaimer: Velcro was patented in 1955 by the man who conceived of it in 1941, George de Mestral, who was Swiss and not associated with the Apollo program (nor a Vulcan). Tang, Space Pens and Space Food Sticks were likewise independently invented. ...Just sayin'.

Grotesk | July 29, 23:06 CET

When I was a little girl going up or down the unrisered basement stairs, my sisters would hide underneath and grab my ankles as I climbed. It's a miracle I survived childhood intact with four evil evil sisters. Anyway, I'm not phobic about them, but sometimes during the climb my speed picks up a bit...

And I agree with the stabby bit. :)

cabri | July 29, 23:43 CET

Really enjoyed that episode, and although I've come to not particularly like these reviews, I'm very happy about Alan Tudyk being so damn loved.

(...Also, why is it only now, after really wanting to own it on Blu-ray, I discover its seemingly only getting released on DVD in the UK? Ugh.)

Jayme | July 29, 23:53 CET

Gone are the mighty days of Apollo...

WhoIsOmega? | July 30, 01:59 CET

(...Also, why is it only now, after really wanting to own it on Blu-ray, I discover its seemingly only getting released on DVD in the UK? Ugh.)

It would surprise me, if there would be no Blu-Ray release in UK. Wait, Blu-Ray has no region codes, right?

[ edited by wiesengrund on 2009-07-30 14:47 ]

wiesengrund | July 30, 07:28 CET

Wiesengrund, Blu-ray has region codes, but many discs are available without region coding. Dollhouse is confirmed region code free here and here.

Michael | July 30, 12:47 CET

Briar Rose is one of my fav episodes of the season. The ending is soooo good. When I first watched it I was up till 12 at night just thinking about it.

Gota luv that Buffy | July 30, 13:03 CET

Yeah same here, it kinda broke my omg meter (the number of time you say omagad while watching it)

maz | July 30, 17:36 CET

*hugs Dollhouse DVDs*

Must be said, that while I love "Omega", I think it is a bit shadowed by "Briar Rose". That episode was just... jaw-dropping for me. And because of that phenomenon turn-bad that Alpha does in this episode, "Briar Rose" is my favorite among the two*. (*not including any other episode)

korkster | July 30, 20:27 CET

You need to log in to be able to post comments.
About membership.

« Older What question would you like to as... | Spot two of our fave couples on to... Newer »