Dollhouse
Following on from a string of successes for
Buffy creator Joss Whedon (and his final major project to be
undertaken prior to the release of a little film called The Avengers),
Dollhouse seemed to be, at first glance, that rarest of
creatures: a Joss Whedon misfire.
Like his previous creations Buffy, Angel
and Firefly the series features an intriguing premise, is
ambitious in scope and takes advantage of numerous sci fi conventions in
order to tell a story that is complex and multifaceted. After initially
rating strongly its fan base promptly died off, as did, according to
Whedon, support from Fox executives over a number of creative
decisions. His original pilot and season finale episodes were never
aired (both are included here, the former as a bonus feature) and the
show ended up being cancelled after its second season. It definitely
merits another watch on Blu, however, particularly given that the
immaculately presented local release is so laden with worthy extras.
The series revolves around a mysterious
corporation operating a series of ‘Dollhouses’ - illegal high-tech
laboratories that hire out human beings to service the needs of wealthy
clients across the globe. Prior to their assignment the ‘dolls’ (or
‘Actives’) have their minds programmed for the specifications of that
particular job: they might be portraying the role of a hostage
negotiator or concert pianist, or simply spending a weekend as the ideal
‘companion’ before their minds are erased of all memories of the role
and they are returned to a childlike state known as tabula rasa.
It was the girlfriend-for-hire capacity
that caused unease amongst the shows’ network and viewership - in many
episodes the dolls appeared to be little more than pre-programmable
callgirls. Fox also apparently wanted Whedon to focus more on the
espionage angle, whereas his main interest was issues of personhood and
identity. The show was further criticised for what some perceived as
additional evidence of Whedon’s thinly-veiled misogyny - despite being
raised by a feminist mother many of his female characters are victims of
rape and childhood sexual abuse and that is certainly the case in
Dollhouse, though whether these issues are dealt with in a way that
empowers women is open to debate.
In any event the show had a lot of promise,
and despite one or two flat (or occasionally just plain silly) episodes
the odd moment of brilliance does shine through. Eliza Dushku gives her
all as central character Echo, an Active who somehow retains memories of
her previous existence, and feline ex-Neighbours star Dichen
Lachman is also very good as her cohort Sierra. Possibly the strongest
performance is that of Battlestar Galactica’s Tahmoh Penikett -
few characters on the series have been bestowed with rudimentary
nomenclature - who plays an FBI agent charged with finding evidence of
the Dollhouses, the existence of which is treated as something between a
myth and a joke by his chortling buddies. Throw in a rogue Active and a
couple of romantic story arcs and you’ve got the makings of a pretty
decent show in my book.
Dollhouse isn’t Joss Whedon’s finest
creation, but it is a hard-working, adrenaline-fuelled and frequently
effective outing nonetheless. It requires a moderate suspension of
disbelief, certainly, but so did The Seventh Seal and no one ever
gives that any shit. And hey, an extravagant, over the top premise
worked for Nikita and The 4400, and it works again here.
Bonus Features
Original unaired pilot ‘Echo’
Audio Commentaries with Whedon, Dushku and
others on selected episodes
Deleted Scenes
Multiple Featurettes including Making
Dollhouse, Coming Back Home, Finding Echo and more
