Mixing the sexy, action/sci-fi vibes of Alias and Dark Angel and infused with the snarky pop culture wit creator Joss Whedon is adored for, the first season of Dollhouse is an addictive pleasure. Although it starts out somewhat bland, as the season progresses and the ideas are made more clear, Dollhouse emerges as a smart, sexy, action-packed techno-drama.
Dollhouse is the name of an underground organization that rents out people who can be programmed in any manner. It’s for only the world’s elite and they’re about as available as the A-Team were back in the day so you need to know who to talk to in order to gain access. The show focuses on one of the programmable, or Actives as the show calls them, Echo (Eliza Dushku). At the start of the season little is known about her or her past. By the end, you know only a little more than a little. But that’s a lot of the fun. Echo’s programming doesn’t work quite right. After each client her memory is supposed to be wiped and that’s that. But like the dark stains left behind on a cookie sheet, the residue of the past remains a spotty part of Echo’s functioning.
It’s hard not to compare Dollhouse to Alias in that the lead role is a powerful woman who is always out on a new assignment playing a different part. The costumes are always changing and the action isn’t far behind. Dollhouse has a sci-fi, ass-kicking component that brings in other similarities to Dark Angel, a show that started with great promise before fizzling out following big format changes dictated by low ratings. Hopefully Dollhouse doesn’t suffer a similar fate.
The premise of using pretty faces and hot bodies for hire out leads to the obvious sexy stuff. And that’s exactly what the Dollhouse comes across as in the early part of the season – little more than a techno-savvy prostitution ring. Although Echo and company are involved in some action, most of it builds to action of a different kind that normally takes place behind closed bedroom doors. But as the season progresses, the role of the Dollhouse expands. The process of wiping and programming memories takes on larger ideas with more possibilities and greater consequences.
For example, one episode questions death when a client has their memory backed up and implanted in Echo after she dies enabling her to track down her murderer. It sounds kind of corny explaining and the drama is, but like any good science fiction it makes you ponder the future, ask questions and predict what the world’s going to be like beyond next week.
Like all of Joss Whedon’s other shows like Buffy and Firefly, there’s a wit and humor to it that grounds the present with whatever it is he’s showing. Whedon provides viewers with big ideas but he’s a master at presenting them in a manner that’s fun rather than stuffy. Dollhouse starts out bland and familiar but about a third of the way through the short season, things evolve and the direction you think the show was headed comes across as a smokescreen for the bigger ideas. It’s a risky move that had the potential to turn off viewers as they might give up on the show before it really begins. But for those who stick around, there’s much to be had from the rookie season and much left for future seasons.
Blu-ray Review
The inaugural season of Dollhouse comes to Blu-ray with a solid package that presents the show beautifully and lifts the curtain to look a little behind the high-profile series. Thirteen episodes are spread over three discs with each being shown in a clean widescreen (1.78:1 aspect ratio) and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio.
Three episodes have different commentary tracks: Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku for the pilot, Whedon in the sixth episode and writers Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon for the season finale.
Much was speculated when the original pilot for the show was scrapped and redone. Well, the original episode resurfaces on the season one release. Personally, I think it would have worked if it were a stand-alone movie but I like the reworked pilot better. The original reveals a lot through exposition and is very much up front rather than the slow revealing the final approach took.
Other bonus features include about a half-hour’s worth of deleted scenes and a collection of featurettes. “Making Dollhouse” is an in-depth look at exactly what the title suggests. “Coming Home” talks about how Whedon’s former co-workers are back, only more experienced now that they’ve got some work under their belts. Dushku is the idol in “Finding Echo” as it offers a quick profile of the actress and why everyone working on the show thinks she’s perfect for the starring role. Joss Whedon gives a tour and overview of the show’s primary set in “Designing the Perfect Dollhouse,” while the cast and crew ponder the science behind the show’s premise and whether or not they’d support it in “A Private Engagement.”
All-in-all, this is a strong first season release of Dollhouse, filled with lots of breezy features not to mention a great show to boot.
Dollhouse: Season One Gallery
