Dollhouse Season 1
Volunteers have their minds wiped and imprinted with personalities so they can be anything the Dollhouse wants them to be for each engagement, only the dolls are waking up.
Film making 20/25
Cinematography 20/25
Audio 20/25
Bonus Features 0/25
Total 60/100
Dollhouse is a new series with an intriguing twist to the science fiction genre, Dolls or Actives have their minds wiped and can be imprinted with any personality for a paid customers use. Think prostitutes with entire mind, body and soul at the whims of the clients who pay top dollar for their engagements.
Dolls volunteer but not much choice when they pick people about to go to prison or worse for a five year contract to be Dolls or Actives as their handlers like to refer to them. Once wiped of any memory and personality they are simple dolls empty of all personality and free choice, ready for their next assignment or engagement.
Each assignment varies with the client; prostitution, just a friendly dinner date or a night out on the town comes to mind but then you get the other side. Trained assassin or even veteran soldier for hire is also a possibility as the mind programming includes muscle memory to have fully trained and ready for anything Dolls.
Dollhouse follows one main Doll named Echo, played by Eliza Dushku, who starts to remember things from one engagement to another and even parts of her own past. This is not supposed to be possible as their full personalities are stored on disks and their minds are supposed to be wiped clean between jobs.
Echo starts to exhibit odd behavior but this has also happened before to an extreme with a previous Doll named Alpha who had 48 personalities and skills implanted at the same time due to an accident. Alpha ends up attacking the Dollhouse near the end of the season and escaping with Echo only to have her escape him and return to the Dollhouse.
Another major recurring theme of the season is FBI Agent Paul Ballard, played by Tahmoh Penikett, who gets suspended because of his involvement in trying to uncover the Dollhouse. Most agents think the Dollhouse does not exist but Paul Ballard is set on finding out what happens inside the secret facility and uncovers more than he ever thought possible.
Each episode has its major theme of keeping things under wraps in the Dollhouse and conducting business as usual but two major themes of the FBI agent and Alpha keep repeating throughout season 1. This means a bit too much of episode to episode watching is required so this is one show that you do need to watch them all to figure out what some of the major events throughout the season are.
Dollhouse is written and produced by Joss Whedon of Firefly fame and really has a great story and theme that is entertaining and appealing. The show is based on lots of high tech science fiction but almost all of the set and events are normal everyday things that could be in any major city or its environs.
Other than mind wiping and implanting the memories and skills of different people the show is all about the characters and their interaction. Some of the more thrilling action scenes include things like Echo fending off a thrill seeker who hires her as a target for a personal hunt.
Her body guard/handler helps get her out but not without a little help from her own prowess, instincts and natural skills that keep slipping through her mind wipes. The season ends with more new questions than answers to previous questions that kept coming up throughout the first season.
I really enjoy watching Dollhouse but would be a little disappointed if I had to watch it week by week, I just can’t take having to wait a week to see what’s going to happen next. The show has enough action that it does not get dull, plenty of twists and secrecy that creates a perfect blend for a sci-fi drama.
The DVD edition of Dollhouse is your standard definition show with very good video and audio but nothing spectacular. The video looks very good with good color and skin tone and well done effects that are about normal for TV series shows.
Audio includes the usual English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound that is very good but also standard on the DVD edition of the set. The review copy I received from Fox does not include any extra features so I could not comment on any bonus content that may be included in the retail sets.
Overall I really enjoy Dollhouse as it’s not your run of the mill drama with gun toting people who are all buff and handsome. The show has intellect and smart actors doing a great job under the direction of a seasoned science fiction writer and director who leans toward shows that rely more on character interaction than fancy effects.
Dollhouse season 1 is a fun time and well worth purchasing for any Joss Whedon fan as well as a great science fiction drama.