After watching Dollhouse last night, I started browsing some message boards to see what other viewers think of Joss Whedon's latest creation. While many of the reviews were good, some of them were disappointing.
Granted, as a huge Joss fan, I am biased. Before the first episode, I was fully prepared to fall in love. However, it wasn't just the fact that some people dared to insult a Joss creation that bothered me. The problem was the way some viewers disregarded the show from the first episode because they felt the premise wasn't "original enough".
If you haven't watched, the Dollhouse is a secret, illegal organization that uses technology to wipe away "actives" original personalities and imprint them with whatever personalities are required for their current engagement. The clients who hire actives are extremely wealthy and are buying the perfect date/bodyguard/hostage negotiator/omlette maker or whatever else they want.
After seeing exactly one pilot episode, some viewers said that Dollhouse reminded them of Alias, Pretender, Quantum Leap, Point of No Return, etc. etc., therefore it wasn't original enough and not worth their time.
One of my favorite books, The Time Traveler Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, suffers similar comparisons. It is the story of the relationship between a man who uncontrollably travels through time (due to a genetic disorder) and his wife.
People turn up on message boards asking if they should bother reading it, because it sounds like Butterfly Effect, The Lake House, or other movies or books that are only similar in the fact that they involve some form of time travel.
These people misunderstand the entire concept of originality in storytelling. Originality does not simply lie in creating a unique premise. Originality is in the execution. Originality is in the nuances. It lives and grows from within the characters and where the story takes them. It involves looking at a seemingly familiar concept in a new way.
I blame it on the human brain. Humans are hard-wired to look for patterns. That's why people become addicted to sudoku or solitaire and see bunny rabbits in clouds. Finding patterns is an important skill, but too well honed in some.
People see patterns where none exist, often using stretched analogies and faulty logic. They perceive a pattern and their brains react by giving them a rush of dopamine -- Aha! You saw that those clouds are shaped like Mickey Mouse and the Grinch doing a jig, you are so clever, have some dopamine!
Perhaps that process of evolution has gone a bit too far. When people find patterns that don't exist or are inconsequential, they often simplify a subject and discard it without bothering to see the complexities within.
A leaf is a leaf is a leaf is a leaf, until you take the time to stop and compare the unique beauty in each of them.
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