The Show:

The unfortunate side of business in the land of TV, is that you must find your voice and your audience in a hurry, otherwise, you’re canceled. TV doesn’t allow shows to grow, to find its voice, and importantly, an audience. Eliza Dushku and Joss Whedon are no strangers to this ultimatum, with both Tru Calling and Firefly, cut all too soon, before they could accomplish the prerequisites for renewal. Teaming together for Dollhouse, they were facing the same thing, albeit one key difference: it has a voice, but where are the viewers?

Dollhouse is an original, fresh, intelligent sci-fi/action show, and it states that from episode one. I think all of Whedon’s TV series, start off meandering to collect its mythology, its voice, its footing, but Dollhouse, while exploring what it can do in the first few episodes, it finds itself faster than his past shows. I think the so-called “starting off slow” here with Dollhouse helps the later episodes. The first few episodes do feature that “a scenario of the week” feeling, but by the time episodes 4 and 5 hit, these early episodes aid the future ones, since we know what the Dolls do when they are active. It’s background knowledge that helps in creating depth.

Probably one of Dollhouse’s problems in finding an audience, is that the show is an amalgamation of a variety of ideas, much like the Dolls themselves, that made advertising it so hard. It defiantly has ties in action/adventure, but it’s also a sly sci-fi tale, mixed with a crime drama. Think Alias mixed with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, with sprinkles of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. That’s not right, but you get my vibe I was going for. Personally, this mix, this amalgamation, will only help Dollhouse in separating itself from other shows on TV. Once you catch on, you’ll be hooked.

Eliza Dushku is the series’ lead, and she has never been more gorgeous. Seemingly in every episode, the plot calls for her to be in a variety of skimpy outfits. But more importantly than her sex appeal, her character of Echo is her most complex role yet. Each episode, she gets programed to be someone else, or new. This allows her to stretch her acting skills to the max, but it could be a double edge sword. She could fail or succeed, and Dollhouse hinges on that. Luckily, she succeeds. In between her sessions, Echo is a blank slate, as the Dolls are, when off of assignments. She has to be childlike, a hard experience to represent, but again, she succeeds.

Much like all of the Whedon TV series, the series isn’t complete without a solid group of supporting characters, while being perfectly cast. Dollhouse is no different. Journey man Harry Lennix pleases in the show as Echo’s watcher so-to-speak, called a “handler”. He’s smart and stoic, but there’s that humbling father figure presence to him. Tahmoh Penikett as Paul Ballard, a FBI agent on the hunt for this Dollhouse, is spectacular. He unknowingly descends into a rabbit hole, and the twists and turns his character takes, aids the series, as a backbone. Angel fans will rejoice at seeing Amy Acker, the Dollhouse’s resident doctor, with her face scarred from a rogue Active named Alpha. Joss Whedon has an incredible knack for assembling a solid team of actors that, even with the great writing, add depth in subtle ways to their characters. Women are strong and engaging, a Whedon quality, as nobody in TV writes women better than him. While Buffy the Vampire Slayer tackled the stereotypes of the strong woman versus the damsel-in-distress, in a fun angle, in Dollhouse, Whedon tackles the cliches head-on. The nature of the Dolls and their jobs call for some interesting subtext, and Whedon handles it beautifully.

I’ve been purposely vague about what is Dollhouse. I want to keep it that way. Like FBI Agent Ballard, the descent into this bizarre labyrinth works with no knowledge of what everything is. Again, I think this is why an audience hasn’t flocked to it yet. If time is on Dollhouse’s side, and so far it is, Team Whedon will deliver a great show, as Season One is suggesting. The show subtlety adds some social satire about the nature of perfection and beauty, with great drama and action. It’s deeply rewarding to find a show this unique and fresh. Dollhouse also displays a solid theatrical-like quality to the show, making the scale larger than most TV shows. So where’s the audience? A beautiful lead in Eliza, who is displaying some of her best acting work, a clever and original premise, by Joss freakin’ Whedon. C’mon, discover this show so we can see Echo’s full five year arc.

The Blu Ray:

Audio/Video: As I mentioned earlier, the show feels theatrical, and this has to be one of the best looking, and sounding TV shows I’ve seen on Blu Ray. The slick production feels alive with solid blacks levels, vivid colors, and near no source imperfections. If only other studios handle their TV series like Fox did here. The show sounds amazing. The bass is thicker than I expected, making for some serious thumping, and the directional effects are highly active. You’ll be hard pressed to believe this is a sound design for a TV show. Great job, Fox.

Commentaries: “Ghosts”, “Man on the Street” feature Joss Whedon and Eliza, and are some of the better Whedonverse commentaries I’ve heard. Funny, charming, informative, they are a good listen for fans of the series. “Epitaph One”, an unaired 13^th episode gets a track from Jed Whedon, Joss’s bro, and his wife Maurissa Tancharoen, offer some dry wit, and a slightly less engaging track.

Original Unaired Pilot: Echo: Joss Whedon’s pilot failed to impress the studio, making for a new one, which the series eventually started off with, but as a great bonus, we get “Echo”, the intended pilot. It’s pretty different, working on in hindsight as an alternative universe start. This episode is really worth a look.

Epitaph One: The unaired 13^th episode is a doozy. I really won’t divulge into anything spoilerish, but it picks up 10 years after episode 12, radically adding foreshadowing and a direction to where the series is going too. It’s one of those one-off episodes Whedon does like in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and in Angel, that have strands in the mythology, but are well-crafted single stories. Highly recommended viewing.

Making Dollhouse: In HD, and running 20 minutes, we get some actual good material here. Interviews, table reads, on-set footage, and kind of candid take of the original pilot issues. For those expecting a typical EPK junk, this isn’t that. If only more TV shows had better making-ofs, so again good job Fox.

Deleted Scenes: Short and disposable, these do hold a few interesting bits that tie up loose ends.

Coming Home: This short piece illuminates the team working with Whedon again, as does Finding Echo, that has Eliza and Joss discussing their past collaborations.

Designing the Perfect Dollhouse: Runs 5 minutes, and talks about the set construction.

A Private Engagement: This is short and kind of amusing, featuring interviews with the cast about the aspects of various plot threads and ideas.

Conclusion: Whedon is back on TV, with a fresh, original idea, worth seeking. If you stick with it after episode four, you’ll be hooked-guaranteed.

The Show: Rating:

The Blu Ray: Rating:

Tags: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, dollhouse, Eliza Dushku, Firefly, Joss Whedon