Reviews Series / Dollhouse

At least they got a series finale out of it.

With 27 episodes to review in 3000 characters, let's cut to the chase: Dollhouse is a series starring Eliza Dushku that's best when it's not starring Eliza Dushku.

Part of that is the talent lined up around her. The other regulars are Tahmoh Penikett, Olivia Williams, Harry Lennix, Fran Kranz, Dichen Lachman and Enver Gjokaj, these last being three of the most criminally underrated actors of all time; guest stars include Summer Glau, Amy Acker, Reed Diamond, Alan Tudyk, Felicia Day and Patton Oswalt. It's a formidable cast, and every one of them gets various to shine. So does Dushku, but the premise doesn't help her: she plays Echo, a Blank Slate or Empty Shell character who gradually becomes a real girl. She's a bit shy on range for her various "imprints," and once she becomes self-aware and integrates all those personalities into a "super ego," she just goes for Dull Surprise, which isn't fun to watch. Long story short, the star is the least interesting character of all, and the show works best when it pushes its Ensemble Cast.

Other than that, the show is vintage Joss Whedon, and like most tropers I heart my Whedon. The premise is that "Dolls" are humans who have voluntarily surrendered their bodies for a period of contracted servitude, during which time (non-Doll) humans can rent them for various reasons and the Dollhouse will imprint them with personalities suited to those things. This Monster of the Week format opens up a variety of topics and interactions to the writers, from serial killers to Hot for Teacher (in the same episode, to boot!), and the actors playing Dolls — Dushku, Miracle Laurie, Lachman and Gjokaj — get to show their versatility. The Unfortunate Implications of the brain-programming tech are played for all they're worth, and Grey-and-Gray Morality is prevalent; no character is unambiguously good or evil. Neither is the tech, which saves some lives and ends others. The Mood Whiplash and Shocking Moments are both through the roof... and the Executive Meddling not far behind. Yep, definitely a Joss Whedon show. At least he anticipated getting cancelled and was able to wrap up the plotlines.

To be clear: I loved Dollhouse. Firefly had better writing and characters, but Dollhouse had a complete plot. We saw, for the first and perhaps the last time, what Joss Whedon can do when he has total creative control of a work, from beginning to end. And, Role-Ending Misdemeanor or not... Good heavens, the man can tell a story.