Dollhouse

When it premiered, the general consensus on "Dollhouse" (8 p.m. Central Friday, Fox; three and a half stars) was that it had potential but that the vision for the show hadn’t quite gelled.

Friday’s season finale finds the Joss Whedon show reaching its potential, and then some (rest easy, what’s below does not contain spoilers).

The episode, "Omega," does all the things that Whedon’s shows do at their best: It delivers action, suspense, quippy dialogue and a tangled set of relationships, all while asking thorny questions about human nature.

Around Episode 4 of "Dollhouse," I was doubting whether this show could overcome its rather strained, repetitive beginnings. My doubts are gone now; the most recent bunch of episodes have been stellar.

I challenge you to find another show that overtly discusses the malleability of the soul and is also chock full of witty dialogue and bone-breaking action. The TV world would be a much less interesting place if "Dollhouse" weren’t in it, though I wonder if one more season of the show is all fans should hope for — at most.

Truth be told, Friday’s episode leaves things in a somewhat conclusion-ish place. But having been surprised by how well the second half of the season turned out, I’m hopeful that a second season could also be emotionally compelling, surprising and challenging. (And it’s worth noting that there will be one more DVD-only episode in this season, for more on that look here.)

Dh_04-eliza-bl-mannequin_0293_djrV3 Of course, none of the big questions "Dollhouse" asks would matter if the show didn’t deliver on a pure storytelling level. The finale certainly does that, in no small measure thanks to another bravura performance by guest star Alan Tudyk, who played a key role in last week’s episode as well. Tudyk makes it look easy to play a character who has more flavors than an ice-cream store, and he manages to be funny at times too. All hail Wash.

Tim Minear, who wrote and directed the episode, delivers a taut hour that subtly and not-so-subtly pays homage to several classic Hollywood films (if I said what any of them were, it would give too much away, and I don’t want to ruin any of this episode’s tasty treats. Come back here Friday for a fuller discussion of "Omega").

One of the most interesting things about "Dollhouse" is that Whedon and his writers have taken away from themselves one of the foundations of any TV show — characters whose natures don’t change all that much from week to week. The questions "Dollhouse" asks may have made things uncomfortable for viewers (and that may be one reason for the show’s low ratings), but the writers first made things uncomfortable for themselves, by not relying on a predictable set of motivations for several key characters.

Sure, in the early going, the dolls’ frequent personality changes made it hard to invest in them, but "Dollhouse" has pulled off an uncanny trick: It’s made me conscious of what’s missing — the dolls’ real selves — even when I’m interested in the roles they are playing on particular missions.

Those "active" scenes work on two levels: You never forget what’s been taken away from them, even as you become interested in what they’re doing on a mission. And when they’re back at the Dollhouse and wandering around as simple-minded dolls — well, those scenes have such poignance and sadness now. (I’m sure that’s exactly what Fox executives were looking for when they commissioned the show, right?)

In my perfect fantasy universe, "Dollhouse" would return next season, and so would another borderline series, NBC’s "Chuck." Though the tone of these shows are quite different, these cleverly constructed yet heartfelt programs are asking similar questions: Can technology make someone different or better? What is "better," anyway? Is there an enduring soul that persists, no matter what information is implanted (willingly or not) in a person’s head?

Both shows ask questions about who we are, versus who we wish we were or who we could be. And both "Chuck" and "Dollhouse" seem to be saying, no matter what the world does to you, it’s not that easy to change who you fundamentally are. And maybe that’s a good thing.

I’m getting far too philosophical here. What is this, an episode of "In Treatment"?

Suffice to say, "Omega" is well worth an hour of your time. You may not burn down your living room when it’s over, but you may well spend quite a bit of time talking to friends and fellow online fans when it’s over, musing on what it all mean and whether we’ll get answers to "Dollhouse’s" provocative questions.

A few links:

* I think this essay on why "Dollhouse" is a feminist show is quite thought-provoking and excellent.

* If "Dollhouse" is canceled, that’ll mean we’ll be without another TV show starring a strong, compelling female character, as this piece points out.