What's in the tea? A Dollhouse re-watch.

In which we – siblings Gemma and Rowan - discuss episode 4 of Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse, Gray Hour. In this episode’s dubious plot, Eliza is Taffy, a safe cracking high heel wearing criminal who is retrieving some stolen artwork from a safe. Uhoh though, someone uses remote wet wipes to reprogramme her.

Confusingly, the tagline for this episode is also that of the environmental youth group I am a member of - https://woodcraft.org.uk/ 

The episode starts as it means to go on, with some casual homophobia and some sleazy male gazery and moves into the realm of heist tropes. How many can we count? More importantly, why is she called Taffy? Who is Judith? Is Topher actually more ripped than is feasible for a noughties nerd living in a dystopian indoor environment? Does he really eat all that veg in his fridge? Is Yumio Takahashi really trying to steal Topher’s credit? Are you a broken cucumber or a chowder head? How have we never realised that losing your marbles is a reference to the Elgin Marbles? Or did we just make that up. We consider a Sierra and Topher spin off and reminisce on Knight Rider. Phew, it’s a time listener, enjoy.

Welcome to What's in the Tea, a podcast where we re-watch Joss Whedon's Dollhouse episode by episode. 

Episode 3, Stage Fright; Someone tries to set fire to a singer and Dichen Lachman is here hooray, but what is her purpose? Did they really plan for her to be kidnapped? Noone knows but we love her anyway. We question why Amy Acker's voice is so seductive all the time and whether Topher is making a really shit computer game in his spare time. Is Rayna's band name Bread? Can you make a monkey tango? Who polishes DeWitt's floor and why isn't it ruined by her high heels. Why is she just staring at a blank computer screen, did Topher not turn it on for her? How shit is the painting Echo is doing at the end and what would have Faith's song in Once More With Feeling have been? Most of all, is the whole thing Topher's dream from his low level developer job in some tech company? 

In which we meet another misogynist Dollhouse client dealing with the trauma of a toxic father; we learn more of the trauma (and bloodshed) Alpha left behind when he wrought havoc on the Dollhouse and Echo reveals her slate is not being totally wiped clean. 

We enjoy Topher's outfits and unique phrasings and Olivia William's precise enunciation. We speculate on the use of fairy tales; ideas of consent and misogyny; why Topher needs so many layers anyway; the Dollhouse's recruitment techniques; how they are keeping this whole operation so secret and just what is in that tea?! 

Well here we go, right into the fray. Eliza is in leather (a lot); Topher has some eye popping outfits and is troublingly endearing; there is a sweaty fed boxing who is fairly easy on the eye; Oliva has some lovely shirts and pencil skirts (Gemma notices outfits a lot); Amy Acker is here and she's covered in face scars; some dubious gangsters are kidnapping little girls; some moral pondering is done whilst overlooking zombified people in a Google-type environment wearing Gap clothes; Chekhov provides us with a subtle manila envelope with the word ALPHA in capital letters on it; and most importantly....WHAT IS IN THE TEA?! Phew...we're exhausted. Join us for a re-cap of Joss Whedon's complicated Sci-fi drama Dollhouse. 

Who are we? Brother and sister Whedonverse fans who watched Dollhouse simultaneously but in different countries many years ago but have NEVER SEEN THE END OF THE SERIES! Can they reach the end? Can you? Do you want to listen to them chat about this slightly peculiar noughties Joss Whedon Sci-Fi Eliza Dushku vehicle? Yeah, go on, you do. Pour yourself a cup of mysterious tea and join us for a re-watch.