Dollhouse

We just watched the pilot for Fox’s anticipated show from Buffy creator Whedon. Check inside for our thoughts.

Dollhouse’s pilot isn’t going to blow away anyone who isn’t a die-hard Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly) fan, but the potential for a very strong season is definitely here. In fact, some Joss fans may not even like it right away as most of Joss’ trademarks are absent—there’s almost no witty back-and-forth dialogue and the show seems to be exhibit Joss’ more serious side (a stark contrast from his last project, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog).

There is probably no need to summarize the plot of Dollhouse, but just in case someone reads this who isn’t completely obsessed with Whedon, I’ll give it a go.

Eliza Dushku stars as Echo, an "Active" for a secret organization that runs an updated version of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. These Actives are people who—through imprinting memories, abilities, and personalities (think Keanu Reeves’ "I know kung-fu" bit from The Matrix)—are made-to-order for anyone willing to pay the right price. Of course the Actives have no idea they’re being pimped out.

They can become spies, sexual companions (as we see in the first five minutes), or probably even World’s Greatest Grandpa. Dollhouse thankfully doesn’t go into the science and technology that allows this to happen in the plot-stuffed pilot, but as a basic premise, it’s incredibly promising and keeps the door open for anything and everything to happen in future episodes.

There have been concerns about Fox’s requests to make the episodes more action-packed and standalone, and I’m afraid to say those concerns are warranted. Joss is a storyteller who thrives on character-building, and that’s a tough gig when your star spends most of her time being other characters in the episode’s standalone plot or having no character at all (as noted in the premiere, Actives must be almost completely devoid of personality in order to receive implants—not those kind, you dirty dog—resulting in an emotionless Echo cruising around the Dollhouse).

This is just the pilot, so we’re counting on Echo’s developing awareness of what’s going on (which we’re promised is the main storyline) to help us feel some sort of bond with her. It will be very interesting to see how Whedon is able to overcome this obstacle, but I’m pretty confident he will (we’re treated to some pre-Dollhouse Echo footage, but not enough).

As for the other characters, Tahmoh Penikett (Battlestar Galactica) plays an FBI agent obsessed with uncovering the Dollhouse, Harry J. Lennix (Commander in Chief) plays an ex-cop who serves as Echo’s handler (he watches over her when she’s on an engagement), and Olivia Williams’ character runs the Dollhouse and serves as the shady corporate figurehead that all sci-fi shows need. Of particular interest is Fran Kranz’s Topher Brink, the tech-wiz responsible for implanting the Actives. He’s instantly engaging and provides the pilot’s only levity. Dichen Lachman is also poised to be a breakout star as a fellow Active that will no doubt butt heads with Echo later.

The standalone plot in the pilot is nothing special…pretty standard stuff. There’s a kidnapping and some mediocre character acting going on, but that’s about it (we don’t want to give too much away). We all read the story about the original pilot being thrown out, reshot, and rewritten, and sadly that can be seen—the pilot feels a bit hurried.

In recent interviews, Whedon has said the show has definitely hit its stride (albeit several episodes in), and I’m inclined to believe him. Whedon is an artist working with new tools, and the pilot was basically a first draft.

Having said all that, I’m eagerly anticipating more based on Whedon’s track record, the incredible potential, and Eliza Dushku (whoa momma that white dress done made me stupid!). I’m not usually one to give out scores, but this pilot would be somewhere in the 7.0-7.5 range.

Dollhouse premieres on Fox on February 13.