While I am a big fan of quite a few Joss Whedon properties, I am skeptical when new work comes from him. I loved Buffy, Angel, and Firefly, but when Dollhouse premiered, it didn't grab my attention enough to get me tuning in. Tonight, I noticed it was on Netflix and decided to give it a go. I have only had time for one episode, but I will be watching more.
The basic premise is that there is an organization that controls the lives and memories of a group of "volunteers" that live there. Their default persona is one of a happy, carefree, and mellow individual. They have no fears, nor wants. They are essentially a blank slate. Rich and powerful people can pay to have these individuals, referred to as "actives", programmed to be whatever they want or need.
Eliza Dushku portrays Echo, the main character. From the little bit of background and foreshadowing we are provided with in this first episode, it is apparent that the show will explore the effect the wiping/programming process has on Echo, as well as the other actives. In the first episode, we see Echo programmed to be two other individuals, one a party girl who wears very short length dresses and the other a negotiator type character. When you include the vacant Echo, you have three different personalities that Dushku successfully portrays.
In addition to Dushku, who you may recognize from her stint on Buffy as Faith, you have another Whedon-verse actor, Amy Acker who played Fred on Angel. Tahmoh Penikett, Helo from Battlestar Galactica, is another fine actor cast in Dollhouse. It's always fun to see actors I have appreciated in other shows doing good work; they provide Dollhouse with some solid acting to ground the show, which is necessary with the outlandish premise.
The first episode doesn't spend much time explaining the science behind the programming, but they do explain where they programming comes from. There is great attention to detail, which further hints at the science behind it all. Often, a science fiction show is better off not getting into specifics of their science. It just gives people something to nitpick. Leaving it vague may be a better gambit for the show.
My expectations were not high going into Dollhouse, but the single episode I watched was intriguing. I will be watching the entire series. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that it felt like an anime. You have beautiful young women being programmed to do extraordinary things; if this isn't already an anime somewhere, I would be shocked.
If you have Netflix, I would definitely give Dollhouse a shot. If you don't like the first episode, you've wasted fifty minutes. If you do like it, there are twenty-six episodes available to you. It's worth the risk. It exceeded my expectations, going darker than I would have expected and demanding quite a bit from Dushku. It didn't feel like a typical Whedon show, so even if you have an aversion to his products, you still may like this one.
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