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Post by Gin on Mar 21, 2009 23:28:48 GMT 1
from Spoilertv.blogspot.com
Press Release
ECHO COMES FACE-TO-FACE WITH AGENT BALLARD FOR THE FIRST TIME ON “DOLLHOUSE” FRIDAY, MARCH 20, ON FOX
Patton Oswalt (“The King of Queens,” “Ratatouille”) Guest-Stars
Echo becomes the perfect wife for a lonely internet mogul (guest star Oswalt), and Sierra’s attacker is revealed. Meanwhile, Mellie’s life is in danger and Agent Ballard’s investigation takes a surprising turn when he comes face-to-face and goes fist-to-fist with Echo for the first very time in the “Man on The Street” episode of DOLLHOUSE airing Friday, March 20 (9:01-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (DOL-106) (TV-14 D, L, S, V).
Cast: Eliza Dushku as Echo; Tahmoh Penikett as Paul Ballard; Olivia Williams as Adelle DeWitt; Fran Kranz as Topher Brink; Harry Lennix as Boyd Langton; Enver Gjokaj as Lubov; Dichen Lachman as Sierra.
Guest Cast: Amy Acker as Dr. Claire Saunders; Reed Diamond as Laurence Dominic; Miracle Laurie as Mellie; Kevin Kilner as Hearn; Liza Lapira as Ivy; Mark A. Sheppard as Tanaka; Aisha Hinds as Loomis; David Barry Gray as Bicks; Patrick Stinson as Brett Locano; Patton Oswalt as Joel Mynor.
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Post by Gin on Mar 21, 2009 23:29:14 GMT 1
from Tvguide.com
Calling his latest creation’s first episodes mere "baby steps," Joss Whedon is getting the word out that from Episode 6 on, Fox’s Dollhouse will be an extra-compelling place to visit.
In a note to reporters (or "Newsly Types," as he puts it) accompanying a DVD of "Man on the Street" (airing March 20) and "Needs" (April 3), Whedon says, "These two episodes represent a much stronger vision of what I consider the show to be."
Thus far, Dollhouse has been met with a lukewarm reception, with Whedon loyalists in particular noting a lack of the author’s trademark witty dialogue. The ratings have reflected such a frustration, dropping 25 percent from the premiere to barely 3.6 million heads at last count.
But since almost before Dollhouse opened its doors, the buzz has been that the structure of the first five hours was largely dictated by Fox, so as to drive home the unusual concept and morally gray characters. Episode 6, thus has been described as "game-changing," as Tahmoh Penikett’s Agent Ballard comes face-to-face — and "fist-to-fist," teases Fox — with Echo (Eliza Dushku) for the very first time.
Says Whedon in his missive, "For me, the question isn’t just whether a show is enjoyable, but whether it’s more than the sum of its fun, whether it truly touches, surprises or connects with you. These [episodes] may do none of the above — I’m not the boss of your opinion — but I feel strongly that they, and the eps to follow, are pretty intense, and very much worth the watching."
What say you, Dollhouse and/or Whedon fans? Are you prepared to engage with Echo a bit more?
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Post by Gin on Mar 21, 2009 23:29:46 GMT 1
Post-gazette.com Review
It’s about time. After weeks of episodes that were boring and not up to the standards previously set by TV scribe Joss Whedon, his Fox series "Dollhouse" (9 p.m. Friday, WPGH) finally turns out a worthwhile episode this week. Another episode airing April 3 also merits a rave.
What changed?
Rather than another repetitive mission-of-the-week episode, Friday’s episode actually moves the greater story forward with some surprising revelations and an opportunity for Echo (Eliza Dushku) and FBI agent Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett) to finally meet. Ballard is pursuing the notion that the Dollhouse exists.
The episode is wrapped at its start and after each commercial break with footage from a news report comprised of man on the street interviews on whether or not the Dollhouse exists. These brief snippets do a much better job of illustrating the premise of the series than anything in past episodes. It’s a smart, savvy setup. Why couldn’t they have done this earlier?
Sadly, I suspect Fox is to blame. Whedon has said in past interviews that by the latter half of the season "I do feel like we got back to our vision in a way that really works for the network."
If tomorrow’s episode had aired earlier in the episode’s run — or the April 3 episode, in which some of the dolls try to escape their captivity — there would have been much more incentive for viewers to tune in. Other than a slight uptick in ratings (up 21 percent last week in viewers but still dismally low), "Dollhouse" has been a disaster, garnering even fewer viewers than perennially low-rated "Friday Night Lights" on NBC.
In a teleconference with reporters today, Whedonthe concept for Friday’s episode, which he wrote, came together very quickly and "for the first time there was a real sympatico" with the network.
"It really was a game changer for us on set and in production," Whedon said. "It’s an episode somebody who’d never seen the show could walk in on. It’s about explaining the premise and at the same time really getting under the skin of the Dollhouse and what’s going on. ... We’re coming at it sideways rather than just showing an engagement and slipping in information around the engagement. This is the one where we get to look at all the cogs in the clock."
And "Dollhouse" is the better for it. So how much were the earlier, lesser episodes a function of Whedon trying to get the show on its feet and how much was it pushback from the network? Whedon said it was both.
"[This week’s episode] contains elements that were pitched or developed by people at the network in terms of the motivations of the peopel at the Dollhouse and the feel of the thing and the thriller aspect. ... It’s very much full of the stuff they were pitching but it also is storytelling-wise much more how I had envisioned coming at it," Whedon said. "It was really about finding the code to a show that I can do my best work in that the network can still really get behind, a meeting of the minds."
Next time, I think everyone would be better off if Whedon’s mind was allowed to drive the train from the beginning.
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Post by Gin on Mar 21, 2009 23:30:21 GMT 1
Eonline.com Review
Thursday 19 March 2009, by Webmaster
If you were disappointed by Dollhouse’s early episodes and walked away, please do consider a return visit this Friday, when Fox airs episode six, "Man on the Street," which is a vivid and thrilling turning point for the series.
In the way episode seven of Buffy the Vampire Slayer unveiled Angel’s series-altering secret, episode six of Dollhouse completely reenergizes the series and reveals some huge character secrets (The remote activation of Actives is key). And, oh yeah, there is also a brutal, totally badass and blatantly passionate fight between Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett) and Echo (Eliza Dushku) that marks the beginning of their adversarial and exciting relationship.
Bottom line: "Man on the Street" is crazy awesome craziness. Look for the kind of dramatic and wordy excellence that makes us all love Joss Whedon.
Speaking of Joss, we just caught up with him by tellyphone, and he spilled some very juicy secrets about what’s to come from the denizens of the Dollhouse. Read on for news about the sex, violence and comedy to come...
Love Among the Actives: Despite Paul and Echo’s radioactive chemistry at their first meeting, the true romance of the show is about to become Victor and Sierra, despite the fact that both characters are largely trapped in childlike emotional comas. Without spoiling too much, it turns out to be true for Actives as much as for garden-variety humans that love conquers all. As Joss notes, "For certain people, there could be some romance, but it’s never simple." P.S. Mad props to Enver Gjokaj and Dichen Lachman for bringing so much charm and depth to their roles—they’re rapidly becoming new Jossverse faves.
Man on Fire: Don’t except to find out in season one why Paul (gorgeous, gorgeous Paul) is so obsessed with the Dollhouse in general and Caroline in particular. Instead, says Joss, "We don’t go back into his story, but that’s because we are about to send him forward. There’s a thorn in his side, and we feel that we can push it further, twist it and possibly hit a vital organ. We want to challenge him [in this obsession] and make it as hard for him as possible."
Holler: What happens Friday with Paul’s neighbor is stunning. Shoulda seen it coming, and heck, slightly suspected, but the spoiler-free surprise was wonderful. Suffice it to say, she’s at the center of the most harrowing scene of Friday’s episode.
Who Watches the Watcher? Something cool is coming with Harry Lennix’s character, Boyd. Says Joss, "Boyd definitely cares about Echo more than his job requires. Their relationship is going to have to shift." Hmmm...in the meantime, on Friday, when a crime goes down inside the Dollhouse, it’s superhandy to have a readily available badass mofo with finely honed cop instincts.
Cut From the Sane Cloth: Look for a multitude of reveals about the mysterious and beautiful Claire Saunders in the weeks to come. Says Joss, "I love that character, not just because it’s Amy Acker, but because she wears misery and torture on her face literally, and we definitely learn how Claire came to this fabulous career. In the last few eps we get to turn the Acker up pretty high." Yay!
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Post by Gin on Mar 24, 2009 0:24:17 GMT 1
from Pifeedback.com
Ratings
Friday 3/20/09
Total Viewers:
CBS: 8.36 million, ABC: 5.60, NBC: 4.60, Fox: 3.89, CW: 1.52
Adults 18-49:
CBS: 2.9 rating/9 share, ABC: 1.7/ 5, Fox: 1.4/ 4, NBC: 1.3/ 4, CW: 0.6/ 2
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Post by Gin on Mar 24, 2009 0:25:53 GMT 1
Ifmagazine.com Review
TV Review: DOLLHOUSE - SEASON 1 - ’Man on The Street’
Finally left alone to do what he does best, Joss Whedon shakes up his new series and finally delivers the kick-ass episode we’ve waited six weeks for.
Grade: A-
Stars: Eliza Dushku, Tahmoh Penikett, Olivia Williams, Fran Kranz, Harry J. Lennix, Enver Gjokaj, Dichen Lachman
Writer(s): Joss Whedon
Director: David Straiton
Release Date: March 20, 2009
I have to admit, DOLLHOUSE’s first five episodes were pretty rocky. It never quite got the mixture of mythology and storytelling to fully hook viewers. And with so many questions unanswered about the “Dollhouse” itself, it felt as if it were a show looking for its mission statement
Thankfully, that all changed tonight. With the Joss Whedon penned “Man on the Street,” DOLLHOUSE fully embraced its inner mythology, shed all of its convoluted storytelling and got back to what Whedon does best – telling interesting, funny and complicated stories with a healthy sci-fi edge.
It’s no secret that Fox has been sticking their hands in the DOLLHOUSE pie from the beginning – mucking it up and forcing many changes on the series that resulted in a couple different variations on the pilot and a bastardization of the wonderful concept Whedon had originally came up with (anyone ever read the far superior pilot script?).
So it’s refreshing that the proclamations from both Dushku and Whedon that this episode is where the series finally hits its stride, turned out to actually be true.
Call it a reboot – a welcome one – where the series essentially delivers Pilot Version 4.0, and the one we’ve been waiting for.
It doesn’t hurt that we’ve gotten to know the characters a little more and a direction seems to be fully in place. Plus, major secrets are spilled and some hunches have proved to be true, while others proved false (or at least for the time being).
The episode begins with a TV news story about the urban legend of the “Dollhouse” – a place where people can be programmed to be whatever you want it to be including high priced call girls (FINALLY, that’s mentioned instead of glossed over).
“Man on the Street” interviews are peppered throughout the series, lending a human voice to concern, pity, approval and outrage of what the Dollhouse is actually doing.
This is also an episode where F.B.I. agent Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett) finally gets close enough to the Dollhouse to realize how powerful it actually is.
We get a VERY powerful sequence where he finally comes face-to-face with Echo (Eliza Dushku) who has been hired by a software gazillionaire who leases out Echo every year to live out a fantasy involving his dead wife and the house she never got to see before her death.
It’s a nice scene, which reflects heavily on Ballard’s obsession with Echo (and I’m still betting he’s the notorious Alpha – even though we’re treated to a different sort of reveal toward the end).
Anyway, Ballard starts getting close to his neighbor Mellie (Miracle Laurie) who he is confiding in regarding his F.B.I. case regarding Echo. Thankfull, Ballard and Mellie end up in the sack together, in a really sweet scene.
Meanwhile, Sierra (Dichen Lachman) is being mishandled by her handler (he’s essentially diddling her when no one is looking). Who figures it out? Boyd (Harry Lennix). He’s a former cop and has a nose for sniffing out bullshit when he sees it. This renegade Boyd is something we need more of — and if anyone is going to get to the bottom of the Dollhouse’s agenda and corruption, I’m betting he’s the man.
As for the bad handler. Well, the way they take care of him is send her in to eliminate Mellie for finding out too much information about the Dollhouse. But guess what? SPOILER ALERT …
.... Mellie is a Dollhouse sleeper agent sent to keep tabs on the nosy F.B.I. agent and she eliminates him when she gets a mysterious message on her answering machine by Dollhouse madame Adelle (Olivia Williams).
Meanwhile, Echo is sent to kick Ballard’s ass in one of the best fight sequences I’ve seen on a TV show all year. A job well done by director David Straiton. At the end of his ass-kicking, we learn that Echo has been implanted with additional information from a mole inside the Dollhouse agency. She spills the beans on some important info on how he’ll get closer to the Dollhouse, but first he needs to lose his job at the F.B.I. to do that.
d**n is this episode good.
Overall, “Man on the Street” manages to have an A and B story that makes sense and ties things altogether. It also does a great job of toning down the “ignorance is bliss” demeanor of the dolls in the house, and start to give them more of a tolerable "blank slate" personality.
There’s some amazingly well-written metaphors and themes slipping in and out of the framework of the episode too (particularly with the gazillionaire’s little story of the perfect “house”) and later when Echo is drawing a house.
Finally emotion. Depth. Thank you Joss Whedon for finding the heart of show. Thank you Fox for leaving him alone for two seconds to do just that.
Oh, and Topher (Fran Kranz) was actually pretty entertaining for once and not as annoying.
There was even some trademark Whedon-esque (no pun intended) humor bubbling beneath the surface – particularly with the man on the street interviews.
It would have been hard to kick off the series with this episode as a true pilot (only because so many pieces of information had to be set up to get to this point), but I’ll go on record as saying "Man on the Street" was just as good as the best of any BUFFY or ANGEL episodes.
This is a turning point for the show, where we realize the global ramifications of the Dollhouse (they have places all over the world) and that their ultimate endgame is not being a sci-fi whorehouse, but something a little more sinister (though we’re not keyed in just yet what that is).
Hooray. I’ve been really harsh on the series, because I wanted to like the show so much. I wanted to love the show, but it didn’t hook me. And now, I think the series has finally gotten back to where it should be.
Maybe Fox has left Whedon alone or maybe all the false starts and stops needed to be cleared away for Whedon to free his own mind and rebuild his DOLLHOUSE from the ground floor.
This is a great step in the right direction – and with next week’s episode looking pretty cool too, we may have finally seen the series what the series should have been all along.
And oh, did I mention how hot Miracle Laurie is?
I didn’t.
Well, she’s hot and the fact that she can be a kick-ass doll makes her even more hot.
Watch out Echo, there’s a new doll in the house and here’s hoping she’s going to give you a run for your money before the season is over.
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Post by Gin on Mar 24, 2009 0:26:36 GMT 1
Avclub.com Review
So here we are, at the fabled sixth episode of Dollhouse, which everyone from creator Joss Whedon to stars Eliza Dushku and Tahmoh Penikett has hyped in interviews as the hour that takes the show to the next level. As a promotional gambit, this seems pretty risky: Does this mean that they thought the first five episodes were garbage? Or that network interference hobbled this baby in the crib? And on the other side, is there a danger to raising expectations too much going into one make-or-break episode that could fall short of the hype? (For the official answers to these and other questions, Hit Fix’s excellent critic Daniel Fienberg has a candid interview with Whedon here.)
Now that “Man On The Street” has finally arrived, the all-the-eggs-in-one-basket strategy starts to make sense, but this was one incredibly strong hour of television. I’ll grant that I’ve been kinder to the show than others—and have more or less liked every episode but the third—but there have been enough sticking points each week to leave me worried about whether the show’s concept was fundamentally untenable or whether Whedon’s inimitable voice would finally emerge. Obviously, TV is a marathon, not a sprint, so one episode isn’t going to cure the rickets or end world hunger. But to me, “Man On The Street” represents that crucial moment when a show’s potential for greatness is realized, and while that doesn’t guarantee its health down the line—on the contrary, it could easily settle right back into its above-average groove—the possibilities are exciting, especially in the hands of a great showrunner like Whedon.
To paraphrase John McCain, I’ve always felt that the fundamentals of Dollhouse are strong. As recently as last week, I wrote: “The bits of information and intrigue that have been parceled out about Dollhouse, its behind-the-scenes machinations, and Echo’s continuing self-awareness are starting to trickle into a flood. My feeling is that like Alias—the show Dollhouse most resembles, in my opinion—the week-to-week missions may vary in quality, but the master-plotting stands to be awesome.” And “Man On The Street” is all about cashing in on the master-plotting—a privilege Whedon has enjoyed on all his previous series. A lot of the little hints and question marks that have been laid down during the five previous episodes, which have been devoted heavily to standalone missions, paid off in a big way tonight. All while introducing new questions, of course.
Partly through a faux-broadcast-report conceit and partly through far more behind-the-scenes shenanigans than usual, Whedon finally starts to pull back the curtain on the Dollhouse. Turns out that ordinary citizens are aware of Dollhouse, but the place resides safely in the realm of urban legend; we can see how the ones who are absolutely (and rightly) convinced that it’s real must look like paranoiacs in front of the TV camera. “One thing people will always need is slaves,” says an African-American woman. (And to the suggestion that the dolls participate willingly, she hilariously counters, “Volunteer?! You must be out of your f**k**g mind.”) Some recoil at the concept of Dollhouse, which amounts to human trafficking for the ultra-wealthy. And for others, the legend is an enticement to wild fantasies about ordering up the perfect person or having “Betty Grable” every night.
“Man On The Street” plunges headlong into a lot of issues and complications, but if there’s a single theme that resonated most with me, it was the fantasy part. For that, Whedon and company have called on the brilliant comedian, actor, and KFC Famous Bowl Taste-Tester Patton Oswalt to play Joel Mynor, a Bill Gates-level computer bazillionaire who calls on Echo for a kind of ritualized recreation of a moment in life he was never able to have. For maybe the first time, we finally see an active performing a specialized service that no one else on the planet could do—in this case, embodying (in mind, if not in upgraded form) Joel’s late wife, who we learn died in a car crash before he could show her their first home. By this point, Joel has become so absurdly wealthy that the whole house could “fit in [his] guest bathroom,” but obviously, a memory like that is priceless and we can see plainly through Oswalt’s stunning performance that the hole in his heart is painfully real.
And how do we find this out? Because he confesses it to Paul, who oh-by-the-way not only has his suspicions about Dollhouse’s very existence confirmed but actually comes face-to-face with Caroline/Echo, the object of his obsession. After Boyd and Joel’s bodyguards manage to sweep Echo away from Paul’s grasp, the episode pivots into a tense mano-a-mano that reminded me a little of Homicide’s famed “Three Men And Adena.”(Which was that show’s fifth episode, so the timing is right, too.) Naturally appalled by Dollhouse’s mission—and specifically, Joel’s none-too-noble intention to f**k Echo after showing her around—Paul gets a chance to do some AIG-hearing-level shaming of his adversary. But Joel punches back with maybe my favorite (and very Whedon-y) line of the night: “I’m sure I’m in serious need of some moral spankitude, but guess who’s not qualified to be my rabbi?” Joel sees right through Paul’s obsession with Caroline/Echo and calls bullshit on his Eliot Ness pose; the quest for justice ain’t the only reason he’s on the hunt.
Joel’s confrontation with Paul ends with the promise that the little guy won’t be taking him down; his computer money pays for a lot of lawyers—lawyers so gifted that they can find a judge to “throw the Kindle” at him. That’s the other big thing we learned about the Dollhouse tonight: It’s huge, and probably far too big for any one man to stop. For all the time and effort people like Adelle and Dominic exert to keep this secret under wraps, the whole operation seems less vulnerable than it did only a week ago, when Adelle fretted about the potential consequences of not following through on a Senator’s request. In truth, we discover that Dollhouse is a vast, multi-tentacled empire with locations in 20 cities, protected by the very same super-wealthy clients who use their service. The politically minded might see it as a sweeping metaphor for the good-‘ole-boy networks that keep a small fraction of people in power while the rest of humanity toils outside their grated communities. (And perhaps gives them multi-trillion-dollar bailouts.)
Back inside the Dollhouse, the exploitation continues, as Whedon casts the place in a much dimmer light than previous episodes did. After a strange incident over lunch in which Sierra screams when Victor touches her, Dr. Saunders performs an exam and discovers that Sierra has had sex in the time since returning from a job. This is alarming on many possible levels. If Victor was involved, that would mean he has a high degree of cognizance during in inactive state. If the act was consensual, that means that Sierra has the same problem; if it was rape, then there’s another set of issues related to security. It turns out that Sierra’s handler has been taking advantage of her pliant state by dragging her into a blind spot in the surveillance system—and if you think about it in terms of the Dollhouse and its interests, that horrifying scenario was maybe the best outcome, because at least it isn’t a design flaw.
This nasty little subplot tells enforces that idea that Dollhouse is an evil place. When another handler suggests that maybe Sierra is “broken” and might need to be retired to the attic, Boyd says grimly, “They’re all broken.” And with that, Whedon finally locates the elusive emotional core that has been missing from the show so far. Much as I’m willing to go along with Dollhouse as a fun, Charlie’s Angels romp—and it will doubtlessly return to that tone many more times in the future—I’m relieved by the gravity and seriousness of “Man On The Street.” Whedon tends to get credited for his snappy dialogue above all other considerations, and that gift is certainly on full display here, but snappy dialogue alone doesn’t fully explain his fervent cult following. At his best, his writing sings with passion and engages viewers with surprise and complex emotion. And “Man On The Street” was Whedon on his game.
Grade: A
Stray observations:
• Hate to leave a bunch of revelations for the bullet points, but it was that kind of episode. I neglected to talk about Paul’s relationship with his hot neighbor Mellie, which moves ahead several steps. Now she knows everything about his investigation (uh oh) and she’s his girlfriend (double uh oh) and she’s an ass-whomping sleeper agent under Dollhouse’s control. For a few weeks, the show has made it obvious—deliberately obvious, I think—that she’s connected with Dollhouse, but I can’t imagine anyone guessing precisely how. Nice twist there.
• And if that wasn’t enough, there was another kick-ass fight with a twist, as Echo’s kitchen/back-alley brawl with Paul was interrupted by a glitch in her programming. Someone inserted a message into Echo’s imprint when Topher wasn’t looking, and now Paul has a saboteur on the inside. The plot thickens…
• Joel on the Dollhouse: “It’s pink and it opens up and there’s teeny furniture and you put the boy doll on top of the girl doll and we learn about urges.”
• That’s it for now. I’m missing two overtime basketball game. Ya’ll take it from here.
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Post by ashie on Mar 24, 2009 16:49:14 GMT 1
I just love how she says: PORN!
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Post by Gin on Mar 25, 2009 2:02:45 GMT 1
awww i cant wait to see it!!! its finally been brought by the sci fi channel over here so hopefully it will start airing soon and i can actually read the things i am posting lol trying to avoid reading spoilery bits if i can but some bits have leaked through and i am soooo looking forward to watching it!
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Post by Gin on Apr 18, 2009 14:11:28 GMT 1
from Tvbythenumbers.com
DVR Ratings
Terminator, Dollhouse Get Big 18-49 Demo DVR Boosts
I’m going to add another table to my regular DVR viewing post starting this week, Largest 18-49 Demo Increase from DVR viewing. I’ll be using 18-49 demo ratings as the basis for the calculations, not average viewership. We’ve used average viewership in the past primarily because they were the only Live+7 DVR numbers that were available to us. Now we also have 18-49 Live+7 ratings information, and ultimately they are more an indicator of a show’s future prospects than average viewership. For those of you who are change resistant, I’ll still include the same average viewership DVR tables as before. It will be interesting to compare the differences between the first chart and the third.
Among shows in danger of being canceled, both Terminator : Sarah Connor Chronicles and Dollhouse received big % boosts in their 18-49 demo ratings during the week of March 16-22. While I don’t think it will save either show, it’s yet another bag of grist for the mill. Interestingly, the perce
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