Joss Whedon

Whedon Hallmark #1: Strong, kick-ass female characters

How "Dollhouse" fits: As an "Active" or "Doll," Echo ( Eliza Dushku) can be imprinted with any number of abilities — such as martial arts or foreign languages — for a given mission or job. Despite having her memory wiped between each job, Echo begins to become self-aware.

Example(s) from Whedonverse past: "Buffy": Buffy is a slayer and keeps company with the odd witch (Willow) or vengeance demon (Anya). "Angel": Cordelia - visions, briefly a higher being; Jasmine - deity who could control minds; Fred - super-nerdiness, once possessed by one of the Old Ones. "Firefly": River Tam - child prodigy, super-human combat skills; Zoe - career military and second-in-command

Whedon Hallmark #2: Names that are proper nouns that could also be common nouns

How "Dollhouse" fits: The protagonist is named Echo

Example(s) from Whedonverse past: "Buffy": Willow, Faith, Spike, Finn, Dawn; "Angel": Angel, Gunn, Harmony; "Firefly": Wash, Book; "Dr. Horrible": Penny. (Bonus: Moist, which is technically an adjective, but hey, it does double-duty)

Whedon Hallmark #3: Some underlying big evil force or conspiracy

How "Dollhouse" fits: The operations in the hidden laboratory known as "The Dollhouse" are highly illegal, and some suspect it’s not peopled by volunteers but by victims of human trafficking.

Example(s) from Whedonverse past: "Buffy": The Big Bad that varied from The Master and Angelus to Mayor Wilkins and the deity Glory. "Angel": Wolfram & Hart, the Beast, Jasmine, the Circle of the Black Thorn. "Firefly": The Alliance, the Blue Sun Corporation. "Dr. Horrible": The Evil League of Evil

Whedon Hallmark #4: Unique slang or a colorful, playful use of language or references to pop culture

How "Dollhouse" fits: Remains to be seen, but considering the confusion with identities and sci-fi premise, expect some coined words and high-tech mumbo jumbo.

Example(s) from Whedonverse past: "Buffyverse": Mr. Pointy, five-by-five, the Scooby Gang, bumpy. "Firefly": bits of Mandarin Chinese mixed with Western patois, "shiny" meaning cool. "Dr. Horrible": blogs, "The status is not quo," "It’s curtains for you — lacy, gently wafting curtains," texting.

Whedon Hallmark #5: Appearances by favorite actors from the Whedonverse

How "Dollhouse" fits: Eliza Dushku played the slayer Faith in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Amy Acker, who plays Dr. Claire Saunders, was lovable Fred from "Angel."

Example(s) from Whedonverse past: Several "Buffy" characters moved over to "Angel" or guest starred. Gina Torres of "Firefly" played Jasmine in "Angel." Nathan Fillion of "Firefly" starred in the "Dr. Horrible" musical film and was Caleb in "Buffy." Before becoming River Tam on "Firefly," Summer Glau played a ballerina on "Angel." Felicia Day was Vi in "Buffy" and played Penny in "Dr. Horrible."

Whedon Hallmark #6: A beloved, maybe even central character will die.

How "Dollhouse" fits: To be determined, be we’re anticipating and dreading it at the same time.

Example(s) from Whedonverse past: "Buffy": Buffy herself (twice!), Tara, Jenny Calendar, mom, Kendra. "Angel": Doyle, Fred, everybody. "Firefly/Serenity": Wash, Book. "Dr. Horrible": Penny.

Whedon Hallmark #7: Creepy, scary or violent imagery

How "Dollhouse" fits: It’s likely the Dolls will be asked to do some shady things, so be prepared for anything

Example(s) from Whedonverse past: "Buffy" & "Angel": Vamps, demons, werewolves and other beastly beings taking victims’ lives or getting offed themselves. "Firefly/Serenity": Reavers.

Whedon Hallmark #8: Uncertain allegiances. Bad guys who don’t stay bad. Good guys who look bad. Good guys who turn bad. You get the picture.

How "Dollhouse" fits: What goes on in the Dollhouse, while supposedly voluntary, is still illegal, so who really has whose best interests at heart? And whom can you trust when you’re not even you from one day to the next?

Example(s) from Whedonverse past: "Buffy": Willow became evil once and turned on everyone. "Angel": Both Angelus and Spike eventually worked for the good guys, and Lorne was freaky-looking but an entertainer, not a fighter. "Dr. Horrible": He’s sympathetic, even though he wants to rule the world.

Whedon Hallmark #9: Incredibly touching moments to balance out the humor, action, mysteries and complex world mythology.

How "Dollhouse" fits: This remains to be seen, but people willingly (or unwillingly) giving up their identity to become tabula rasa for others is a sad premise in itself and an even sadder commentary on society’s influence on the individual.

Example(s) from Whedonverse past: "Buffy": The whole episode "The Body," Oz realizing that Tara smells like Willow. "Dr. Horrible": When Dr. H "won’t feel a thing" after achieving his goal. Heck, even in an episode of "The Office" that Whedon directed, there’s a moment between Michael and Pam at her art exhibition.

Whedon Hallmark #10: Doomed romantic relationships and very bad sexual repercussions.

How "Dollhouse" fits: How can you build a relationship if your identity is wiped repeatedly? Also, the Dolls are occasionally called upon to provide some sort of non-relationship-y escort duties.

Example(s) from Whedonverse past:"Buffy": Buffy and Angel don’t end up together and having sex with Riley and Spike (separately) leads to actual destruction. Willow splits with Oz and loses Tara. "Angel": Doyle only gets one kiss with Cordelia before he dies. Angel doesn’t get Cordelia, but she does sleep with his son, which results in Jasmine. "Firefly/Serenity": The only healthy romantic relationship ends in tragedy. Lots of unrequited feelings. "Dr. Horrible": Billy loses his laundromat partner and muse.

Whedon Hallmark #11: Creative costuming

How "Dollhouse" fits: Since the Dolls are hired for a variety of jobs, their clothes will have to change accordingly, much like the ever-changing fashions that Sydney had to wear while undercover on "Alias."

Example(s) from Whedonverse past:"Buffy" & "Angel" not only had demons and flamboyant vampires to dress, but sometimes events took place in the past, necessitating period costuming. "Firefly/Serenity" created its own western/futuristic/Chinese-influenced look, while "Dr. Horrible" featured self-made superhero or supervillain attire.

Whedon Hallmark #12: Risk-taking that appears mad at first ... until it works

How "Dollhouse" fits: Whedon’s re-teaming with FOX after the demise of "Firefly."

Example(s) from Whedonverse past: Musical elements in "Buffy" and "Dr. Horrible." Younger, unknown relatives — Dawn in "Buffy," Connor in "Angel" — suddenly thrust upon main characters. The "Buffy" episode "Hush" in which most of the action takes place without dialog. The whole concept of putting "Dr. Horrible" online during the writers’ strike.