Joss Whedon has created several wonderful television shows that have become very popular.  I started watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel after they had been airing for a while.  I started watching Firefly when it began and I'm still annoyed that it was cancelled.  I loved Serenity, the movie follow up to the series, and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, a project Whedon released online.  When I heard that he was working on a new television show I was thrilled, though I had concerns since it was going to be on FOX, the network that treated Firefly so horribly.  I started watching Dollhouse when it began and I have really enjoyed the show.  I picked up Dollhouse - Season 1 once the DVD set became available.

Dollhouse began to air in February of 2009 at 9:00 P.M. on Friday nights on FOX.  The show aired with limited commercial breaks that were only sixty to ninety seconds long.  As a result, the episodes are six minutes longer than other hour long shows.  FOX also used that strategy with another of their new shows, Fringe.  Dollhouse didn't have huge ratings, but FOX decided to renew the show for a second season.  I have read that part of the reason for the renewal decision is because of high DVR recordings of the show.  From what I have heard, the show will air in the same time slot for the second season.

Joss Whedon's previous shows have had somewhat original ideas as the basis of the shows and Dollhouse is no different.  The show is about something called the Dollhouse that is run in secret.  The Dollhouse is in a hidden location and serves a very exclusive clientele.  Later in the first season, it comes out that there are more Dollhouses spread all around the world.  The series is focused on the Dollhouse that operates in Los Angeles.  The inside of the house looks like a calm, peaceful place, sort of like a spa.  People called actives live in the house and are basically programable people.  The actives are identified by code names like Echo, Sierra, November, Victor, and Alpha.  It is said that the actives have volunteered to be an active for five years in exchange for an undisclosed amount of money.  The reasons for why some people become actives are shared over the course of the season.

Once someone becomes an active, they go through a procedure that removes their personality and all memories, leaving them in a child like state.  That is the state the actives are in while they are in the Dollhouse.  While there, they can take part in things like arts and crafts, swim, or get massages.  The actives are sent out on engagements with clients that can be anything from a romantic encounter to doing a very specialized job.  Before leaving on an engagement, the active is imprinted with a personality complete with a full memory and whatever abilities will be needed.  The personality can be for one specific person, or it can be made up of a composite of several people.  It is never fully explained how the Dollhouse gets all the personalities used to imprint the actives, though it does come out at one point that there is a way to backup a personality without removing it completely.  Once imprinted, the active fully becomes the person they are supposed to be for the engagement.  Each active has a handler that monitors the engagements and steps in to get the actives back to the Dollhouse once the engagements are complete.  When they return to the Dollhouse, the actives go through another procedure, a wipe, that removes the memory of the engagement and personality, returning the active to the child like state.  

The Dollhouse employs several employees, though only a few of them are seen during the first season of the show, and even fewer of them receive any attention.  Every so often, a random employee turns up to take an active to an activity.  Boyd Langton is the handler that is shown the most.  During the final episode of the first season, he is promoted.  Only a couple of other handlers are shown, and they aren't around as much as Boyd.  Topher is in charge of imprinting and wiping.  He comes up with imprints that are specific to a certain engagement.  He is shown putting together a personality at one point.  He knows a lot about the technology used in the Dollhouse and he seems like he has helped to improve it.  Dr. Claire Saunders is the doctor that works in the Dollhouse.  She takes care of any injuries an active receives and also does check ups on them.  Mr. Dominic is in charge of security for the Dollhouse.  Adelle De Witt is in charge of the Dollhouse in Los Angeles.  For a while it seems like she is completely in charge of everything, but it later comes out that she reports to someone else.

There are many actives in the Dollhouse, though most of them are just sort of around in the background of certain scenes.  The show starts off mainly focused on Echo before branching out a bit to include Sierra and Victor more as well as November in certain episodes.  More is shared about Echo before she became an active, and a main story line involves FBI agent Paul Ballard learning about her and becoming obsessed with finding her.  The first several episodes are mainly just focused on Echo and her engagements.  A couple of the actives are first introduced like they are normal people before it is revealed that they have been imprinted to do something for Adelle and the Dollhouse.  As the series progresses, Sierra, Victor, and November start to be featured a bit more.  Even though I had been enjoying the show from the beginning, I do think that the show starts getting stronger at that point.   

As the first season of Dollhouse progresses, more is slowly shared about the Dollhouse.  The first few episodes are more focused on Echo and whatever her current engagement is.  Those episodes do stand alone somewhat well, but they also have bits of information that will be more important as the season progresses.  There are a few story lines being dealt with that are all entwined, so I do think it is best to watch the episodes in order.  One of the bigger story lines has to do with Alpha, a former active.  Before the series began, Alpha went though a composite event which isn't explained until late in the season.  After the event, he went on a killing spree in the Dollhouse before escaping.  Alpha is mentioned in many episodes and he seems to be interfering in things, especially where Echo is concerned.  The other main story line for the first season deals with Paul and his determination to find the Dollhouse and Echo.

Some kind of engagement is featured in almost every episode of the first season of Dollhouse.  Several engagements involve an active becoming someone able to do a very specialized job, like negotiate with kidnappers.  Several of the engagements involve some kind of romantic encounter between a client and an active.  Those types of engagements do add some sexual situations to various episodes, though nothing too graphic is shown.  While in the Dollhouse, actives are clothed though every so often they are shown in the shower which men and women both use at the same time.  All that is shown in those scenes are bare legs and shoulders.  Action turns up in many of the episodes at least briefly which does add some violence to what is going on.  The violence might bother some viewers even though it isn't that graphic.  This really isn't a show for children.

Dollhouse does take a bit of time to fully set up everything that is going on.  Because of that, viewers need to be patient and willing to give the show time.  The first several minutes of the first episode seem normal enough, and then things connected to the Dollhouse slowly start to be shared.  I do think there is some mystery to what is going on since so many things aren't shared until late in the season.  Even by the final episode of the season, many more things are unanswered, leaving open all sorts of interesting possibilities for future episodes.  I think there is a good amount of suspense in various episodes as well.  Many times I was left wondering what would happen next.  I only sort of suspected one thing that ended up coming out.  There are several very interesting developments to the season, most of which are surprising.  I didn't think the show is predictable in any way.  Little touches of humor are used throughout the season in ways that work well.  

Echo has received more attention than the other characters during the first season of Dollhouse.  She is frequently sent out on engagements and is considered one of the most popular actives.  She has started acting outside the parameters of her engagements at times, something that isn't supposed to happen.  While in her blank state between engagements, she is able to remember things that should have been wiped from her mind.  She is also starting to become more self-aware, something that Adelle doesn't want to happen to any of the actives.  Bits of Echo's life before becoming an active slowly start to be shared as the season continues.  Eliza Dushku does well with the part, becoming different people in every episode.   

Sierra is the newest active to join the Dollhouse.  She is shown going on a few engagements, sometimes as support for Echo.  Sierra seems to be drawn to Echo when they are in blank states, though Sierra isn't becoming self-aware.  Sierra goes through a traumatic event at one point that she is still somehow able to remember after being wiped.  Dichen Lachman does fine with the part.  Victor is the only current male active to receive much attention.  He is drawn to Sierra in his blank state.  Enver Gjokaj is fine in the part.  November is a female active who becomes more important later in the season.  

Paul Ballard is an FBI agent that is first assigned to investigate the Dollhouse before the series begins.  The assignment is considered a joke in the bureau, but Paul takes it seriously, coming to fully believe in the existence of the Dollhouse.  He becomes a bit obsessed with finding it.  Someone starts to send him clues, including a picture of Echo.  Paul has his own ideas about the Dollhouse and believes that the actives need to be rescued.  Tahmoh Penikett does really well with the part.  A few other FBI agents turn up every so often without much to do.  Mellie is Paul's neighbor.  The two of them start spending more time together and start a romantic relationship.  Miracle Laurie does fine with the part.

Boyd Langton serves as Echo's handler until he is given a new position at the end of the first season.  Boyd takes his job very seriously and has issues with what the actives are made to do.  He doesn't agree with many things that happen.  Harry J. Lennix does well with the part.  Joe Hearn turns up a few times as Sierra's handler.  Dr. Claire Saunders is very concerned with the well being of the actives.  She is critical of some decisions made and really doesn't care for Topher.  She suffered an injury when Alpha escaped.  Amy Acker does great with the part even though she isn't around as much as some of other characters.  Topher works with the technology and does all the imprinting and wiping.  He does have a tendency to panic a bit when things go wrong.  Not a lot has been shared about him yet, but he is interesting.  Fran Kranz does really well with the part.  

Mr. Dominic serves as the head of security for the Dollhouse.  He works closely with Adelle and over sees various things.  He takes his position seriously, though he doesn't seem to like the actives that much.  He doesn't consider them human and even refers to them as pets.  He also has issues with Echo and keeps trying to convince Adelle to retire her as an active.  Reed Diamond is fine in the part.  Adelle seems to be like a manager of the Dollhouse.  At first it seems like she is in charge, but it comes out that she reports to someone.  She believes that what the Dollhouse does helps people, though many times she comes across as being more cold and uncaring.  I think she is going to end up being a rather complicated character.  Olivia Williams is really good in the part.  Various clients are shown, usually during an engagement, though Adelle is shown meeting with some of them.  Alan Tudyk appears in two episodes and gives a brilliant performance.

DVD Information

Dollhouse - Season 1 includes the twelve episodes that aired on FOX as well as two unaired episodes.  One of the unaired episodes is the original pilot and the other is an episode set in the future.  After watching the unaired pilot, I think the first episode that aired works better as an introduction to the series.  It isn't that it is a bad episode, but the other one works better to start things.  Several scenes from the episode end up in later episodes of the season.  Epitaph One is the thirteenth episode that FOX decided not to air.  The episode is set in the future, and gives an interesting peek at the characters at that point.  

The special features for the DVD set include commentaries on three of the episodes that I haven't listened to yet.  There are deleted scenes for several episodes, including the unaired pilot.  There are five featurettes of varying lengths that deal with different aspects of the making of the show.  During Designing the Perfect Dollhouse, Whedon gives a tour of the Dollhouse set, pointing out various spots and explaining the ideas behind some things.  All the featurettes are very entertaining and enjoyable.  

Episode List

Ghost
The Target
Stage Fright
Gray Hour
True Believer
Man on the Street
Echoes
Needs
A Spy in the House of Love
Haunted
Briar Rose
Omega
Epitaph One - Unaired episode
Echoes - Original unaired pilot

Dollhouse is a unique, interesting and entertaining show.   It is different from Whedon's other shows, but his fans may still find something to like.  The episodes got stronger as the first season progressed and the series is worth watching.  Dollhouse - Season 1 is a great DVD set for fans of the series.

Joss Whedon Related Reviews
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Movie) ~ Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog ~ Firefly - The Complete Series ~ Serenity ~

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD