Dollhouse: Season 1 [Blu-ray]

Girl in a RedHat United States

"An active is the turest soul among us..."

DOLLHOUSE was a first-rate sci-fi series whose run was cut unfortunately short by the FOX network. It could have been just another in a string of many sci-fi series that have not survived more than a season or two on network TV, but DOLLHOUSE is so much more than that, and well worth checking out. Fortunately, the series still provides resolution and closure to most of the loose threads at the end of season 2, which we were lucky enough to get out of FOX. In its own time on TV, I think this was one of the most underappreciated shows out there, and I hope more people discover it now on DVD. DOLLHOUSE had a very meticulously crafted story arc, and a set of characters - both dolls and people - that are compelling and fully fleshed-out from the quirky genius programmer Topher to cool-headed and fatherlike figure of handler Boyd. The show kept getting better and better (and the secrets deeper and deeper) as the series progressed, constantly topping itself in intensity and plot twists to a supercharged, mind-bending finish. It's solid, exciting, thoughtful, and sexy science-fiction. Many viewers would understandably be turned off by the premise of DOLLHOUSE: it's a place where for a lump sum of money, you can create any personality you need and hire out a body (a doll) with that personality imprinted in them like it was theirs since birth. When returned, the dolls' memories are wiped clean and they revert to a neutral state with no personality. It may sound too much like human trafficking for comfort, but the show tries to distance itself from that (whether or not it actually is trafficking is a matter of interpretation and a necessarily complex question). All the dolls are supposedly there by their own free choice. Dolls can actually be used for many things besides "romantic" engagements - they can be bodyguards, detectives, or charity workers. However the key to the premise is that it is *meant* to make you uncomfortable about what technology can do, or will be able to do. It is also a goldmine for more philosophical speculations about a person's "soul" - can you erase that with a wipe? Like the best sci-fi, it leaves us pondering the 'what if's and their implications. Almost from the opening shot, DOLLHOUSE draws you in to its world. The whole series has a certain visual texture and characteristic `feel' to it that is hard to describe but very alluring. The set was absolutely gorgeous. The first three episodes are probably the weakest of the series (relatively) and act as orientation to the world of the dollhouse. After that, the show continues on a meteoritic rise in tension and apprehension, with relentless twists and shocks along the way. Season 2 only goes hits the gas harder with no holds barred. The season 1 DVD comes with the standard lineup of features. The commentaries are not particularly enlightening and quite skip-able. Of much more excitement are the two unaired episodes: an alternate pilot and the off-the-wall thirteenth episode "Epitaph 1" which you will have to see twice to believe. Epitaph 1 takes events into a post-apocalyptic future landscape and reconstructs what happened in between while the viewer is just getting his bearings. Most people either love it or hate it. The original pilot was much more dense and explanation-heavy than the aired one. I think this makes the aired version a little more approachable to new viewers, although the opening dialogue is in the unaired pilot is masterful. Most of the material in the original pilot was chopped up and used in the next few aired episodes. For a while, this show butted heads with FRINGE, another sci-fi program put out by FOX the same year. Clearly FRINGE won out in the end, receiving a third season while DOLLHOUSE got the axe. It a clear advantage over DOLLHOUSE, which was stuck in a Friday evening timeslot, but it did not have much else over DOLLHOUSE in terms of quality. Now, I don't keep up with FRINGE often enough to feel qualified to review it. FRINGE compared to DOLLHOUSE, though, is a very safe show treading familiar sci-fi territory (another parallel universe, anyone?) that stuck too close to an X-FILES-like structure to feel particularly innovative. It's solid, but not a standout by any stretch. DOLLHOUSE was the gutsy show that took more risks, and the payoff is all the greater for it. Plus, the characters truly rock the house. In two words: Darkly brilliant.

paperkind United States

Fantastic TV show with a rocky start

When critics and fans heard that Joss Whedon was finally bringing a new show to television, expectations ran high. But when Fox stepped in and meddled, as they so often do, the results were less than stellar. The first few episodes did not get good reviews and were not positively received by a lot of people. But you know what? Those episodes were still better than a lot of the crap that's on TV. They weren't as good as one would expect from the guy who created Buffy, Angel, and Firefly, but they were still good TV. I remember clearly the night episode 6 of season 1 aired. This was the episode that was supposed to change everything. This was where Joss & co. claimed the series truly found its footing. It was also the night of the BSG finale. My friend and I opted to watch BSG and tape Dollhouse. And boy, after watching both of them, we sure wished we would have watched Dollhouse instead! Episodes 6-13 of the first season truly don't disappoint. They are fantastic, and both the finale and the "coda" episode ("Epitaph One") are mind blowing. I am beyond psyched for season 2 to begin. A lot of people doubted Eliza Dushku's ability to take on a different character every week. But she's taken on the challenge and done quite a good job. Her strength does lie in slowly unveiling more complex characters, and that's where Joss's writing strengths lie as well, so hopefully together they will find a way to make that happen alongside the weekly adventures (and "Epitaph One" suggests they will). Another actor who's gotten some crap for his role has been Fran Kranz as the egotistical programmer Topher Brink. Both his acting and the role itself have been criticized. But he does a fantastic job. The people who criticize him simply are unable to look ahead and see where his part might take him. Topher seems to have no conscience, but it's in little moments that you are able to see (both through the writing and Fran's portrayal) that he's covering up something else, very possibly something deeper and darker than simple insecurities regarding his skills and/or himself as a person. I'm very excited to see where that goes. The rest of the cast also does a wonderful job. I didn't think I would like Dichen Lachman but she has done nothing but impress me. Miracle Laurie isn't just an example of defying Hollywood beauty "standards" - she's a damn good actress and her character is quite fascinating. Enver Gjokaj is a previously undiscovered gem who we will no doubt be seeing much more of after Dollhouse. Olivia Williams and Harry Lennix are also wonderful. Tahmoh Penikett does a great job with what he has, but his character is one of the problems I have with the show. He is far too focused on saving Echo, and we are supposed to see him as a hero but he just becomes annoying. Hopefully this will change in season 2. Amy Acker doesn't even need a review because she's possibly one of the most talented actresses on TV today, and her character is just...endlessly intriguing. Trust me, watch the season through and you will see. Fox has promised to leave Dollhouse alone in its second season, so the show is truly worth catching up on to follow along as it continues. It's a truly fantastic show, a good next step for Joss in his television creations. And I didn't even get to the intrigue of the mythology surrounding the dollhouses!

SpeedReader United States

A great series

Dollhouse was a series that continued Eliza Dushku's run of bad luck as a lead in a series that did not get much traction and was canceled early (the series Tru Calling being the first one). This series was one of Joss Whedon's post-Buffy series. The premise is that there are "dolls" who are people that have had their memories wiped and when they are hired for a job, they are imprinted with whatever memories, skills, emotions, etc., that is needed for whatever they are hired for. Then, when the job is done, the doll's memory is wiped and they return to their "blank" state which is very child-like. The jobs that the dolls are hired for can be just about anything, legal or illegal, and they (supposedly) have no memory of prior jobs once they return to the blank slate. The series definitely takes a few episodes to find its footing and set up the characters and the world that they inhabit. The show includes a very strong cast including Fran Kranz, as the programmer who gives the dolls their memories (and takes them away), Dichen Lachman as another doll Sierra, Amy Acker, Enver Gjokaj, Tahmoh Pennikett, Miracle Laurie, Harry Lennix, Reed Diamond, and Olivia Williams. Like many of Whedon's other shows about midway through the season the story picks up, and we start getting more twists and backstories to fill in the questions that the initial episodes present. For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the show looks and sounds great in HD. The extras include commentary tracks for a few episodes. One of them has Whedon and Dushku, one with Whedon alone, and one with Whedon and his wife and brother. The original unaired pilot is included, and a couple of making-of and behind-the-scenes features. A decent amount of material for those who like going through the bonus features. Overall, the series is very good. It is a good blend of action and drama, with some comedy thrown in there too. It presents a lot of ethical questions (especially in the second season), and it has a lot of twists and turns. Obviously, there is the question of supporting Whedon's shows given everything that has come out about his behavior over time. Obviously, this came out long before any of that was ever public, and it does tarnish his image a lot. I look at it as, I liked the show before all of that came out, and many more people were involved in the production than him. That said, I will not listen to his commentary tracks anymore because you know some of the stuff he says, especially when he goes on about morals and ethics, is contrary to some of the things he was allegedly doing. I still think the show is worth watching, just know that if you do get into it, it only lasted a couple of seasons and was canceled before the entire story could be fleshed out.

K. J. McGarghan United States

Revision to open letter -- FOX IS CANCELING DOLLHOUSE

To whom it may concern: I have no idea whether one tiny e-mail will make a difference, but I write to urge you to support Joss Whedon and _Dollhouse_. Historically, Whedon's series have sometimes seemed to take a year or two to 'find their feet', but if you look at both his track record and the income made on DVD sales both while the shows are running and/or in syndication and after the shows end, you know that Whedon has a thoughtful, intelligent, passionate fan base and excellent word-of-mouth. You will always do better than break even on his work, and sometimes the profits must be munificent. Whedon comes from the same proud tradition of Mark Twain -- a deeply humanist man who uses humor and pathos to convey messages that are worth consideration for hundreds of years. Do not think that Whedon's work appeals only to the young -- I'm a middle-aged literary historicist by training, I make my living in the IT industry, and I am constantly delighted and amazed at the thought and intelligence behind the scripts, the care given by the entire cast and crew of each show to performing truly master work. Yes, there were moments early in many of the shows that make us wince, but these are more than outweighed by the poignancy and power of others. If one lone viewer's voice matters not, please consider that for every letter you receive, there may well be ninety nine more you did not, because the would-be writers may have feared they would not be heard. It is hard to see intelligent, thought-provoking, and, yes, value-laden (in both production and ethical senses of the phrase) series be discarded because they don't yield immediate results. But look at the phenomenon of Whedon's shows and know that ten years from now, Fox will be more proud of this type of envelope-pushing, loving, crafted work than 90% of what is on broadcast television today. You are more than welcome to contact me should you wish to discuss this further. Yours most sincerely, *** UPDATE AS OF 2009-11-11 *** Received from FOX in response to my above letter: ALL 13 episodes in the 2nd Season will air as promised DOLLHOUSE will air 2-Hour episodes on FRI 12/4, 12/11 & 12/18 (8-10pm ET/PT) - then return after the holidays on FRI 1/8, 1/15 & 1/22 - to complete the full Season 2 order of 13 episodes!! ASKFOX *** While I'm not impressed that they only ordered 13, it appears that they plan on airing them all, at least. I have written again to ask whether they are going to renew the show. If I receive a response, I will post it. *** Response received from ASK FOX on 2009-11-12: "We have given the producers enough time to bring closure in the 13th episode. ASKFOX"