CliqueClackThe Cabin in the Woods’ Marty is what Dollhouse’s Topher should have been
Throughout watching ‘Dollhouse’, I really wanted to love the character of Fran Kranz’s Topher Brink, but something was missing. After finally seeing ‘The Cabin in the Woods’, I know what it was: he needed to be more Marty.
First of all, don’t get all on me because I didn’t behave like a good little Whedon-ite and line up for the first showing of The Cabin in the Woods at the local theater, when it was released in April — or, better yet, flew to SxSW in March to see it early. A trip to a theater for me these days is such a sad rarity, but we won’t get into that right now. The point is, I finally caught Joss and Drew’s horror film collaboration last weekend. While it was one hell of a great trip, my only complaint would be the very final scene — I was looking for a little more.
What struck me throughout the film was watching Dollhouse‘s Fran Kranz as burnout — and destroyer of all life on Earth — Marty, once again reciting lines put to paper by Joss Whedon. But what was different this time was that this character was more of what I wanted out of Dollhouse‘s Topher.
In one way, this is a good thing. I’ve learned that it wasn’t at all the performance Fran Kranz gave to his Dollhouse character that made him less likable and funny, but was instead the material given to him. It’s likely that a show like Dollhouse wasn’t ever meant to have a Xander-like pot-head character amidst what was meant to be a more serious show than Buffy. Perhaps that’s where Dollhouse ultimately lost its way. Joss has an incredibly strong and rather unique sense of humor that I love, and that shows through in most things he produces. However, when you’re not given enough opportunities to allow for that kind of humor — like with Dollhouse — an overly-comical character like Cabin‘s Marty just wouldn’t quite fit.
Kranz is involved in another Joss production, Much Ado About Nothing, along with a whole bunch of other actors Whedon’s worked with before. It’s good to see Joss regularly recognizes and reuses great talent, so I’m hoping he’ll have a place for Kranz in any future television series he might have planned. Like, maybe as Agent Leo Fitz in a S.H.I.E.L.D. series? Could that sort of humor work in a show about The Avengers? Definitely.
Fran Kranz + Joss Whedon = A good thing. Though let’s stick with the material that makes that formula shine.
4 Comments on “The Cabin in the Woods’ Marty is what Dollhouse’s Topher should have been”
I’m super excited for Much Ado because it’s my favorite Shakespeare comedy and the biting wit between the main leads is right up Whedon’s alley. Do we know who Kranz is playing by chance?
Claudio
I’m a bit surprised you didn’t like Franz’ performance in Dollhouse. I rewatched the series this summer, and particularly enjoyed how his character was crafted, both before and after he realized he was personally responsible for the end of the world.
Twice now, actually.
It wasn’t so much that I didn’t like the character, it’s that I like Joss’s sense of humor, and it wasn’t able to let loose enough in a serious show like ‘Dollhouse’. There was some, but not enough.