Entertainment
Joss Whedon’s 2-Part Cyberpunk Sci-Fi Cult Classic Marked the End of an Era
Joss Whedon is widely known for his teenage horror series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its subsequent spin-offs, before he pivoted to superhero content, including joining the prolific cinematic universe at Marvel Studios. In between these two distinct eras of his popular filmography is a show that not only marks the transition but is vastly overlooked. Dollhouse was the last pure sci-fi TV show he created, following the likes of Firefly and Serenity, before he committed to spandex and capes. However, the two-season series is severely overshadowed by the rest of his oeuvre and deserves some recognition for its ambitious ideas.
Dollhouse follows the titular immoral and illegal organization that erases and imprints new personalities on people who can be hired out for a variety of purposes. As expected, some high-paying clients simply pay for kinky sex, but others have more niche uses for this versatile “product,” like negotiating kidnappings or robbing a bank. They call these ready-made people “Actives,” and we follow Echo (Eliza Dushku), a woman who has a blank-slate personality when she is not out on an “engagement.” However, as the series unfolds, something in Echo’s mind gradually shifts, and soon she is on a journey of rediscovering her past and her true identity.
‘Dollhouse’ Makes You Question Your Morals in This Ambitious Sci-Fi
While the organization essentially functions as a futuristic human trafficking ring, Dollhouse is ambitious in how it approaches its premise, covering every single perspective of the issue. At the forefront is Echo’s journey in the thick of the company, a victim-turned-heroine who is easy to root for. Similarly, there is another storyline involving a detective (Tahmoh Penikett) who is trying to take down this elusive organization everyone seems to think is make-believe. But we also experience the story from the perspectives of Echo’s handler (Henry Lennix), the scientist who erases and imprints memories (Fran Kranz), a mysterious doctor (Amy Acker), and the uncanny head of the organization (Olivia Williams). Through these points of views, our own morals are continuously challenged, as there are times we are at the cusp of validating their ideologies.
Every week, Dollhouse pushes the limits on how this technology can be used. Each episode delivers a new, inventive idea that is admittedly exciting to watch, even as you recognize the implications of a lack of bodily and psychological autonomy. Its immediate engaging nature almost makes the viewer feel culpable for the crimes being committed. Eventually, the show delves into the more sinister connotations of the industry, throwing us on uneven footing as our morals are reflected back at us. But the series moves beyond physical slavery and also raises intriguing concerns about the attack on identity, both of the Actives and the memories they inhabit. It’s a twisty and ambitious show that was ahead of its time.
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Eliza Dushku Shows Off Her Range in ‘Dollhouse’
The ensemble cast makes Dollhouse fascinating, but it is Dushku who bears the brunt of the emotional narrative. While the characters played by Williams and Kranz rise to the challenge of humanizing their villainous roles, Dushku performs in a wide range while maintaining a central thread for us to invest in. As she flits from one personality to another, we learn to appreciate the actor’s versatility, but it is during her expressionless, robotic version of Echo where the overarching story resides. The show relies on almost imperceptible undercurrents of emotion beneath Echo’s guileless face to convey her development. When Dushku achieves this, it makes for quietly intense scenes in contrast to the superficial sci-fi grandiosity of the show. She anchors us amid the sci-fi torrent and propels us through the moral and psychological ramifications of the corporation’s work.
Though it would be one of the last times Whedon created a sci-fi show, Dollhouse is certainly one to remember, even if it didn’t gain as much traction as it deserves. It pushes the boundaries of how TV can represent and dissect one’s identity while delivering an entertaining procedural-like format that almost tricks us into siding with a criminal organization. With versatile ideas and performances, if you don’t enjoy an episode of Dollhouse, fear not, the next one will transform into something new and hopefully cater to your sci-fi preferences.