Dollhouse: Season 2

You might think that a television series about beautiful women and handsome young men that can be programmed to fulfill any desire and then completely forget those actions would be a natural success but unfortunately when this concept was realized as a series it struggled to stay alive in the first season only to succumb to cancellation after the second. The case in point here is the late, lamented ‘Dollhouse’. This series had incredible potential but like all too many shows it wound up on the regrettably always growing ‘Brilliant but Cancelled’ list. This is another case of a show with a fascinating premise, solid execution and incredible potential that unfortunately didn’t receive adequate ratings from the audience, for once Fox did provide more than their usual commitment to giving the show a chance but in the end the executives concerned with ratings and revenue counted for more than those in charge of creativity. Occasionally this happens and a series that is well done doesn’t catch. After s all, the most famous and influential science fiction series in history, ‘Star Trek’ had similar tribulations prior to its premature cancellation. ‘Dollhouse’ was admittedly not in the same exalted level as ‘Star Trek’ it certainly deserved much more than the handful of episodes afforded by its two brief seasons. To be fair the series was far from flawless. It had some inherent mistakes that would certainly have been addressed if enough time was permitted. The show will surly live on in Sci-Fi conventions for many years to come as the still loyal fans debate the nuances of the story that has been presented. This is part of why it’s a shame the series has ended. There was a lot of the story left untouched and so many directions left unexplored. Along with the DVD set of the first season this series has earn a special place of honor in my full series of merit shelves of my collection.

The man behind this series was Joss Whedon. You can tell when he makes an appearance at a convention panel discussion by the extraordinary lines to get in. his creations are legendary in the annuls of television Sci-Fi and fantasy with his vampire universe encompassing Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel the Vampire with a soul. Both of those series ran a respectable number of seasons but his old west in space show, ‘Firefly’ barely made it one season before hitting the aforementioned list. That show was also on Fox but unlike ‘Dollhouse’ the network appeared to go out of its way to destroy it with episodes out of order and changing time slots. With ‘Dollhouse’ the almost canceled after the first season but in response to online viewing and loyal fans they gave it a second chance. Fox tried to resuscitate the show by transferring a former ‘Firefly’ star, Summer Glau’ from another early cancelation. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles’. This was offset to some degree by an unexpected overhaul in the writing staff when the first season’s writers left for another show. The fact that Fox kept with the show for two seasons demonstrates the tried to atone to the genre fans for their infamous mistreatment of Whedon’s ‘Firefly’.

The Dollhouse we have seen for the past season is one of an international network of such places with a deeper and darker agenda than wish fulfillment to the ultra rich. The Dollhouses are the creation of the sinister Rossum Corporation whose activities are far more global and insidious that initially apparent. They are able to take a normal human being, wipe their minds overlaying their innate personality with any personality they desire. During this process they can alter the personality to include any skill set. Memories, beliefs and directives they desire. At the end of an assignment the ‘Active’ is wiped again leaving the person in the mentally neutral, childlike ‘doll’ state until they are needed again. One doll, Echo (Eliza Dushku) begins to remember aspects of her original life even after 32 personalities have been implanted and removed. She briefly managed to escape with the covert help of a rogue doll, Alpha, but by the start of this season is back in the Dollhouse fold. As the season unfolds we learn of the full potential for this technology. Not only obvious applications like assassination and fetishes but by recording a person’s entire personality and placing it in a new body a very real form of immortality is made possible. The potential for stories ranging from common place greed to global domination could have kept this series fresh for years. In the second season the FBI once again is on the trail of the Dollhouse although most people believe it to be an urban myth. One corner the writers painted themselves into is making the dollhouse too powerful an adversary. If someone gets too close just wipe them. If you need to keep an eye on an investigation all that is needed is to plant an active close by. One thing that is revealed here is the dreaded Attic, the place to store broken Dolls.

One thing that could have been worked differently was the overall pacing. There was too much emphasis on a weekly mission with a little tidbit thrown in to uncover a little of the larger mysteries. With a series like this and considering the targeted fan base speeding up the covert real agenda could have smoothed out the tempo of the series, ‘Lost’ proved that too much time to reveal too little frustrates the audience. This season did make great strides in this direction but alas it was too late to save the show. Partly the problem here is more to do with audience expectations than the craftsmanship of the series. Many in the audience expect a story to unfold in the fast pace manner of a big budget block buster film. In this medium, series television, a writer should be able to take more time in developing the characters and situations. With ‘Dollhouse’ there was too much going on to rush; you needed time to acclimate and assimilate the plot points properly. Exceptional acting, tight direction and formidable premise became a dish not given the proper time to blend, simmer and cook.

Posted 10/10/12