fraser-simons My first thought after finishing it all these years later after it aired and was canceled was this: this must be what people felt when Firefly was canceled.If you pay attention to Whedon's work from the past and his perspective on something in particular: feminism. You'll see that this whole show could be a metaphor for a man trying to be a good ally. Right up until his execution of an exploration, of what is certainly an examination on society and specifically how women are treated in it but not limited to just women. And while it's doing this it missteps. It's widely known FOX stepped in and messed with this (most predominantly the costume wear and hyper sexual themes, go figure and making Echo a less empathetic character from the get go), but the entire way it does not ever try to assert that it's showing you something that is terrible and is NOT condoning these things. All of the men in the show, including Paul, who is trying to find Caroline (Echo), throughout the first season missteps frequently. "Pleasure" workers, gender spectrum, grief, mourning, identity -- humanity. And even more, all the while being hamstrung. But the heartbreaking thing is not that it obviously could have done much better, but that a show that decided to examine these things in such a way was also attacked at the time for doing so. I remember watching the show initially myself and not getting into it, which -- this thing definitely has pacing issues. But I can definitely say that at the time that I watched this show I was not ready for these concepts or interested in them at all, and as such, they were completely lost on me. I did not give it it's due and a lot of people didn't, it seems. And here's the thing. I can't forgive a lot of shows for pacing issues, sometimes mediocre acting, conflicting themes, and other issues that happens when a lot of hands are in the same pot of a project. But this one, I can. Even an imperfect work that looks at these things, especially during that time is worthy of my respect, I think. Seemingly random with Whedon's trademark characters and development we always are grounded in the one assertion that this is not okay. The fact that it never buckled in doing that every time, for so long until a new season and changed it up only slightly to make her more empathetic -- kind of shows the dedication in displaying that fact for all to see -- while getting canceled, unfortunately. It is important that it tried to do this, when it did this, and how it did it. More and more the show strays towards moral ambiguity after it's already established what is right and wrong. Blurring the lines with the protagonists themselves in order to examine morality itself. Not as poignantly and eloquently as it could have. But it's pretty dang clear as it gets further into season 2 that we really can't expect a straight edge from anybody. Victor and Sierra as well are characterized much better in the second season. Showing us that there are always things about us that fundamentally are just a part of our identity and that is not attached to morality.Also, the best dialogue and exploration of the characters in this show are always the ones with the best lines and active dialogue because we are meant to know what it is from their lens. And how often people that can't try and view things from a different lens end up missing everything. The point, themselves, their emotions, and it literally messes up the world. It could have been less eloquent too, no? To stop babbling though, I'll finish with this, the general dovetailing and ending of the show, and the final episode, are also a slow burn. Probably because of the cancellation but I think it sticks the landing better than most any other show I've seen. In fact the most emotional I felt during the whole thing was in the ending. Because in the end:Sometimes the only way to become whole and the only way to move on is to dismantle our sense of self and become something new again. And sometimes the only way we can do that is to go home. And this is why it matters so much more than Firefly, to me.

Dan1863Sickles The show DOLLHOUSE is nothing to write home about. It's self-important, self-referential, self-indulgent and never really gets off the ground. Basically Joss Whedon is just whacking off over Eliza Dushku in public. But Boyd Langton IS the man. I will now demonstrate with a story that shows what the show looks like from HIS point of view (with a little help from the great black poet Paul Laurence Dunbar).*****Adele DeWitt called her top handler over to her. "Now Boyd, when Echo goes out tonight, I want you to take very good care of her."The tall, strong, light-skinned black man grimaced inwardly, hating the haughty, aristocratic mannerisms of his stuck-up boss. But he masked his true feelings with practiced ease. "I'll take good care of Echo, ma'am. Just like old Uncle Tom took care of Little Eva.""Thanks ever so much." Beautiful, English Adele didn't quite catch the literary reference. Didn't sense any real danger. With a toss of her perfectly coiffed auburn hair, the sexy, coolly stunning manager of the Doll House walked away."With torn and bleeding hearts we smile," the black man muttered, eyeballing the English lady's exquisite rear view. "What's that, Boyd?" Topher Brink shambled up with the usual goofy grin on his narrow face, his blonde mop rumpled as though he had gone days without combing or washing his hair. Being Adele's pet, and a top programmer to boot, the basic rules of workplace grooming didn't apply to him."Nothing," Boyd replied. "Do you have the details on Echo's newest assignment?""Uh, yeah. Some rich white guy wants to screw her. You're supposed to watch from a distance while it happens.""Is that all?" Boyd asked. "Shouldn't I wash little Missy's underpants after it's over?""That's my job," Topher grinned, but the look on the tougher, older man's face made the young whiz-kid change his tune. "Hey, you know, Adele doesn't single you out for these jobs because you're black. It's because she has such great respect for your strength of character.""Really?" Boyd asked. "Oh, yeah. She genuinely admires your self-control." The white boy grinned. "Naw, man, I'm just shitting you. It's because you're black."Late that night, as they were driving back from the job, Boyd and Echo got ambushed by a rogue active named Alpha and his horribly scarred half-human henchmen. There was a lot of fighting, and Boyd couldn't use his firearm for fear of hitting Echo in the confusion. Both of them got banged up and even a little bloody, but the pretty little active really seemed to enjoy herself. "Isn't it funny," she asked afterward, biting into a huge double cheeseburger at the In-N-Out, "how a fight like that always makes you hungry and horny?" Her brown eyes sparkled as she looked up at her strong black guardian. "That's just your latest imprint talking," Boyd grumbled. For a moment pure temptation mixed with hatred of the Doll House warred with his own personal sense of what was right. "Protecting you is my job, Echo. I would never take advantage of that.""Oh yeah," the sexy teenager grinned. "First word: jail. Second word: bait."Boyd was shook. But he covered it with a gruff little laugh. "Exactly. Now finish up that juicy burger."Adele DeWitt was waiting up when the two of them got back to the Doll House, late and tired and covered with cuts and bruises. The autocratic Englishwoman was plainly furious with both of them. But only Boyd was held accountable. After receiving the very best medical care from Dr. Saunders, Echo got to skip right off to her "treatment," a total memory wipe, and then to a hot bath and a soft bed. "I have a feeling Echo is developing more and more of her own personality." Boyd sat up straight in Adele's private office, holding her emerald gaze as he told the story of the fight. "Tonight she was tough. Sexy. Like a girl of the streets. I think she's slowly developing a genuine personality through a growth process Topher can't control.""Excuses," Adele DeWitt said crisply. The sexy boss lady leaned back behind her desk, looking unbelievably aristocratic and elegant. "You're giving me excuses for why the fight took place tonight. The two of you could have evaded Alpha and his minions in your car if you so desired.""Don't try to tell me my business, ma'am. Car chases draw police attention. Remember, I'm prior law enforcement."Adele waved this aside. "The truth is, Mr. Langton, it wasn't Echo's buried rage that took control tonight. It was yours." "I have no idea what you're talking about," the black man said stiffly."Quite right," his boss agreed. "We have our pride. Why should the world be over-wise, in counting all our tears and sighs? Let them only see us while we wear the mask." Before Boyd could think of a reply, Adele rose from behind her desk. With a look of cool indifference, she came around to where he sat, his body rigid and his face expressionless."You could kill me right this minute if you wanted to." Her slim white hand rested on his shoulder. "You could bring this house down like Sampson pulling down the temple. Instead you serve us, and you wear the mask." "We wear the mask." Boyd looked up at the cold-seeming Englishwoman whose face was as unreadable as his own. Slowly he reached up, and began unbuttoning her blouse.

A_Different_Drummer Another reviewer nailed it -- said this did not "feel" like a Joss Whedon show. What was he thinking? It was high concept, it had potential. The first mistake was the casting. Eliza Dushku worked so well in Buffy because she was counterpoint, not merely to the star but to the ethics and morals of everyone on the Scoobie team. It was at the time a part that would be almost impossible to screw up, and she did not. But not screwing up a part is not the same as winning an Emmy. Whether, after a few outings in B-grade cheerleader movies, that justified building an entire show around her, gee, turns out Joss is human after all, and makes mistakes. The record will show that I tried to like this production and watched each episode looking for just a hint, a soupcon, of what makes a Joss Whedon show so special. Some snappy dialogue. An unexpected plot arc that comes out of nowhere but really was subtly set up 5 episodes ago. The set also made me crazy. The interior of some institution buried underground sounds great on paper, but week after week it gets claustrophobic. True confession. I watched every episode until it was yanked. And instead of anger I felt relief.

nr1213 Very well done. Solid characters and cast. Plot is fluid and intriguing. This show makes you think. Makes you question. Think Matrix meets The Island. It's Lost without jumping the shark. Honestly I think what really kills a TV series is running too long. (Movies are inherently superior because they have a one sitting time limit.) TV will often beat around the bush until the bush dies. Dollhouse gets to the point and makes a mark. In two seasons it's as impacting as any series is in ten seasons.And Elisa Dushku is guaranteed to steal your heart.God bless America.