Spring Break
Enter the Dollhouse
Janie Logan
Issue date: 3/4/09 Section: Entertainment
"Nothing is what it appears to be." These are the first words uttered in the new series from Joss Whedon, Dollhouse. Even after you know the show's premise, there are layers of meaning to uncover and understand.
Anyone who has ever seen a Whedon show, whether it be Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, or even just the 45-minute internet musical series, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, will be used to his style: what happens on the surface may seem fantastic in the sci-fi geek sense of the word, but the truth of the message is an intimate study of the human experience. And this is all done in a way that is full of Whedon's characteristic wit and imbued with Classical storytelling themes. When it comes down to it, his shows are all about good versus evil, and the moral gray area in between.
Dollhouse is no exception. The story is about a secret company that will fulfill people's deepest desires with the use of Actives-human beings who reached a place in their lives where they became willing to sign themselves over in order to get a clean slate. Of course, they could not fully comprehend what they were agreeing to because it would have seemed unfathomable that their personalities were going to be completely deleted, leaving them with no history and no identity.
They have become, in effect, "dolls" who can be imprinted with a new personality every time they are hired out to a client. They can fulfill any need and possess any skill to satisfy that client. At the end, their experiences are erased from their minds, and they return to their everyday life of contentment and emptiness in the Dollhouse.
Three episodes have aired so far, focusing primarily on the Active Echo, played by Eliza Dushku (Faith of Buffy/Angel). Dushku is a very powerful actress and, as a self-described ADD person, this role is perfect for her because it allows her to explore new characters every week. At the same time, she has to develop Echo as a character. This is obviously a difficult task because an Active, by definition, has no "character" to speak of.
Anyone who has ever seen a Whedon show, whether it be Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, or even just the 45-minute internet musical series, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, will be used to his style: what happens on the surface may seem fantastic in the sci-fi geek sense of the word, but the truth of the message is an intimate study of the human experience. And this is all done in a way that is full of Whedon's characteristic wit and imbued with Classical storytelling themes. When it comes down to it, his shows are all about good versus evil, and the moral gray area in between.
Dollhouse is no exception. The story is about a secret company that will fulfill people's deepest desires with the use of Actives-human beings who reached a place in their lives where they became willing to sign themselves over in order to get a clean slate. Of course, they could not fully comprehend what they were agreeing to because it would have seemed unfathomable that their personalities were going to be completely deleted, leaving them with no history and no identity.
They have become, in effect, "dolls" who can be imprinted with a new personality every time they are hired out to a client. They can fulfill any need and possess any skill to satisfy that client. At the end, their experiences are erased from their minds, and they return to their everyday life of contentment and emptiness in the Dollhouse.
Three episodes have aired so far, focusing primarily on the Active Echo, played by Eliza Dushku (Faith of Buffy/Angel). Dushku is a very powerful actress and, as a self-described ADD person, this role is perfect for her because it allows her to explore new characters every week. At the same time, she has to develop Echo as a character. This is obviously a difficult task because an Active, by definition, has no "character" to speak of.
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