Just so y’all know I’m still watching – yeah, this is still earning its way with me as a first act. There was some fun stuff here, and for once the A-plot about the engagement was closely tied into the B-plot about activity at and around the Dollhouse itself. This episode’s instalment of the investigating-cop subplot was a big waste of time though; they’re really struggling to find excuses to put him in the episodes at present. Guys, just leave him out until a proper storyline comes along for him.
All over the net there’s backlash about how “wait for episode 6” is part of the mantra around this show. Sure, there’s some merit to being cynical about aspects of that message, but I don’t see that I’ve got much to lose by finding out if it’s right.
Either way, Dollhouse is going down in history as one of the most unusual show concepts ever. No sympathetic characters and your lead keeps getting her memory wiped? Weirdness. How this thing got greenlit I’ll never know.
Day: March 10, 2009
Sir John The Unexpected
The National govt., still in their just married phase, have announced that NZ is getting Knighthoods again. In the name of the Queen our worthies will once again be given the titles of Sir and Dame. These will replace the anaemic but functional titles we have had from 2000, Principal/Distinguished Companion of the Order of Merit.
Leaving aside all the reasons why this isn’t a decision I like (see NRT for that), it just strikes me as weird, an odd bit of electioneering when there’s no election coming up. There was no consultation, and no signal that this was coming – nothing I’ve noticed anyway. (My hazy memory is that Labour signalled its intentions to lose the old system a ways in advance, but I don’t remember any consultation then either. Anyone recall?)
Notably, the symbolism of this change sits uneasily with our view of ourselves. Is this the first time since WW2 that we’ve actually taken a step back closer to the Crown, rather than away from it towards our own identity?
I don’t get it. Is it a personal thing for Key, that he wanted to re-establish these symbolic ties with the Queen? What am I missing about this?