Television reviews: Dollhouse season one

#101: 'Ghost'

Wr: Joss Whedon
Dr: Joss Whedon

Synopsis: Echo is one of the "Actives" in the elite and illegal Dollhouse. Through different personality downloads, she plays the role of a lovestruck girl on a romantic weekend, and then a ruthlessly efficient kidnapping negotiator. Meanwhile, FBI Agent Paul Ballard is struggling with his assignment to uncover information on the Dollhouse. The chase has destroyed his marriage and is wrecking his career, and it doesn't seem that he'll stop until he uncovers the truth.

Review: Joss Whedon returns to our screens for the first time since the curtain prematurely closed on the hugely underrated Firefly and the jury is most certainly out. The much-discussed Dollhouse premiere is a mixture of the fascinating and the banal, a curious pot pourri of ideas that don’t always seem to gel. The script tries to do too much at once: introducing the audience to the concept of ‘dolls’, outlining the rules and procedures of the imprint process, delineating the power structure of Miss DuWitt’s facility, counterpointing the Paul Ballard character against the central plot and, most importantly of all, demonstrating the malleability of Eliza Dushku as Echo, our plucky young protagonist. The result is that some aspects of the plot suffer from a lack of development or, worse still, rather lazy writing; Ballard’s introduction through the medium of the highly clichéd ‘boxing metaphor’ being perhaps the worst offender. Still, there is much to enjoy here: inevitably, Dushku brings a pointed believability to both of her roles within the episode, selling the character of the ‘ransom expert’ exceptionally well and imbuing her rather less graceful doll self with enough charm and intrigue to acquire the viewer’s allegiance. Whedon does a beautiful job with his supporting cast too, presenting us with a number of apparently one-note characters whose dialogue and mannerisms quickly hint at many more hidden depths: Amy Acker’s Dr. Saunders is fascinatingly resigned, while Topher’s stereotypical ‘aloof genius’ persona is just crying out for further exploration. It’s worth noting, too, that the basic premise of the show is one of the most original to have come out of the LA film lots since well, God only knows when, and has absolutely bags of potential. It’s a shame that the implications of the process aren’t explored in much detail here – although its morality is certainly well discussed, and quite refreshingly left without decisive comment, allowing the viewer to draw his or her own conclusions – and that the central drive of the narrative is ultimately a rather flat game of cat and mouse between Echo and a young girl’s kidnapper. Still, there’s plenty time yet for the show to grow into itself and as a preface to the season, this sets the necessary pieces into place satisfactorily. It’s just, well, we know Whedon’s capable of so much more… 6.8

#102: 'The Target'

Wr: Stephen S. DeKnight
Dr: Stephen S. DeKnight

Synopsis: Echo becomes the ultimate outdoorswoman when she is is hired by a handsome young client named Richard, but it may turn out that neither of the pair is what they seem to be. Meanwhile, Agent Ballard receives a clue about Echo's past, and we learn about Dr. Saunders' scars and the rogue active "Alpha".

Review: Things improve slightly this week but the essential problem illustrated so prominently in 'Ghost' still remains: the writing staff turn the attention of their stories to the minutiae of the actives’ missions when actually, the most interesting element of the show is the concept of the Dollhouse itself. We’d rather turn the microscope inwards, examining the possibilities of the imprint process and the intrigue that seems to bleed from the walls of DuWitt’s facility, than plod along with Echo as she tries to fulfil the fantasy of whichever multi-millionaire has hired out her services this week. To be fair to Steven S. DeKnight, he does add a considerable amount to the show’s burgeoning mythology, hinting at the rather more sinister side of the Dollhouse equation through the character of the demented, mysterious and elusive Alpha. The idea of a ‘rogue’ active is a superlative one as it automatically pervades the narrative with a sense of apprehensive tension: the viewer is aware that the character could return at any time, and in any aspect, since his identity is carefully and cleverly left to our collective imagination. DeKnight does a wonderful job of cementing his position as a formidable foe too, coating the dialogue that references him in fear, anxiety and the laconic, and providing a shocking and rather repulsive explanation of the excellently realised scars on Dr. Saunders’s face. It’s a brave move to disfigure a central character and keep the injury consistent, especially in the rather glossy, picture-perfect and pristine world of American television. Good on you Whedon, good to see that your penchant for the horrific didn’t end at a few episodes of eye-less Xander in season seven of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Elsewhere, the A-storyline is passable if rather predictable; Dushku and Conlen play the roles of hunted and hunter perfectly admirably, but it’s obvious from the moment that the crazy SOB turns on her that she’ll escape from his clutches in the end and more than likely have some sort of epiphany about her status as a doll. It’s a shame, again, that the show insists on concentrating on this sort of conventional, tried-and-tested plot when it has a wealth of untapped narratalogical gold at its fingertips. Come on Whedon, show us something daring. 7.0

#103: 'Stage Fright'

Wr: Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen
Dr: David Solomon

Synopsis: Echo becomes a backup singer to watch out for a female singing sensation with a very overzealous fan. Agent Ballard's investigation takes a turn for the worse.

Review: One step forward, six steps back; 'Stage Fright' is a decidedly lacklustre offering, based on a premise that lacks any semblance of imagination or creativity. Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen’s script is essentially a dot-to-dot of televisual storytelling that feels like it was cobbled together on the back of a cigarette packet as a last ditch resort to come up with something before the impending deadline. Really, this couldn’t be more of a snooze fest if it tried. ‘Famous singer is targeted by crazy fan and needs protection, so in comes Echo to save the day but whoops! Singer doesn’t want to be saved really; she’s a tortured soul so she sabotages her aide’s efforts until finally, Echo uses her super-duper pre-programmed psychological intuition to tap into the celebrity’s psyche, to the lost, scared, humble child within’. Obviously, she saves the day and the superstar with a death wish comes down off her whine-horse, fully appreciative of the wonderful life that she leads. Bravo Echo, another soul saved, another moral lesson dutifully delineated; and another woefully treated audience, battered around the head with predictability and cliché. The ‘twists’ are telegraphed before the plot’s even had a chance to kick itself into gear, and the denouement just feels like one gigantic let down, a case of “yeah, well, is that it?” Interestingly, the production feels pretty half-arsed too, as if the crew were aware of the script’s glaring weaknesses and couldn’t bring themselves to even attempt to patch them up. The direction lacks flair, save for the performance sequences which, while not looking even remotely like any concert I’ve ever been to, are at least well choreographed and suitably glitzy, the support cast don’t really gel, and even Dushku appears to be going through the motions, as if aware that her considerable talents are being wasted. This is the first time we fail to get any further insight into the Dollhouse itself too, which, given that this is the most promising aspect of the show, really negates the episode’s impact. A bit of a waste of space. 4.5

#104: 'Gray Hour'

Wr: Elizabeth Craft & Sarah Fain
Dr: Rod Hardy

Synopsis: Echo becomes a burglar so she can perform a dangerous art heist. Meanwhile, Ballard challenges Lubov, and Adelle makes a disturbing confession.

Review: And in come Craft and Fain to save the day… Joss Whedon’s favourite old hands, those stalwarts of the Angel franchise, manage to resuscitate Dollhouse’s ailing carcass after last week’s disappointing effort. This is a much more well-rounded episode that sets up what appears to be a fairly run-of-the-mill heist plot and then takes a thoroughly gratifying swerve about a third of the way in. 'Gray Hour' does what no other episode has dared to thus far, and incorporates the minutiae of the imprint process into the central narrative, exploring the implications of an unexpected ‘shut down.’ This proves to be much more satisfying viewing than a simple ‘assignment of the week’, giving Dushku a chance to really demonstrate the horror of an active’s dual, conflicting existence, and reiterating, and indeed accentuating, the undercurrent of dramatic tension that is driving the show’s on-going narrative, as it becomes apparent that Echo is the victim of sabotage (Alpha, perhaps?) It’s a shame that this development is resolved so quickly, and that the impact on Echo appears to be fairly minimal, although it remains to be seen whether it will have implications in future episodes. Sierra’s involvement in Echo’s retrieval jars a little too, since Dichen Lachman is clearly still struggling to find her feet in the role, and delivers her lines rather clumsily. Nevertheless, this is a pretty enjoyable episode with an engaging foundation that advances the show’s mythology without requiring too much from the viewer. Promising. 7.2

#105: 'True Believer'

Wr: Tim Minear
Dr: Allan Kroeker

Synopsis: Echo becomes a blind woman so that she can infiltrate a very secretive and well-guarded cult.

Review: As if buoyed by the success of Craft and Fain’s episode last week, Whedon hires the services of fellow Angel veteran Tim Minear (one of the show’s executive producers, it’s worth noting) for this hour’s emotional tale of difference, faith and community, and the result is a distinctly average concept conveyed in an astutely above average way. The crux of the story, the infiltration of a religious cult through the introduction of a supposed miracle into their daily machinations, is fairly bog standard narratorial fare, and the turns within it - the testing of the ‘miracle’, a mistake that leads to the police team’s exposition – aren’t exactly shocking. Even the abrupt culmination of Esther’s ‘blindness’ is a guessable development, although the ensuing, hindering intervention of the slimy Mr. Dominic is rather less so. However, what sets 'True Believer' apart from other, bog standard Dollhouse fare is the successful marriage of script and production. Minear has a wonderfully keen eye for realism, and his dialogue manages to two-dimensionalise the range of characters within the story without ever seeming expository. His astute understanding of characterisation allows individuals like Jonas Sparrow and indeed Esther herself to acquire emotional layers that are often absent in the work of other writers. Importantly, this is complemented very well by a highly proficient cast; Dushku once again demonstrates how remarkably versatile she is by taking on an exceedingly difficult role and working wonders with it, while Brian Bloom turns in a superbly nuanced performance as Sparrow, and the remaining guest cast all sell their admittedly rather small roles as members of the cult exceptionally well. Of course, the episode is far from perfect: at the end of the day, the story is another fairly standard mission with little bearing on the overall mythology (save for Mr. Dominic’s surprising move), and what we do get in the way of action within the Dollhouse amounts to little more than time-filling sniggering (really… Topher and Saunders inspect Victor’s erections? Come on!) The show could do with upping the ante somewhat, but at least the production staff now appear to be on the right track. A good example of how to garnish the mediocre. 7.4

#106: 'Man on the Street'

Wr: Joss Whedon
Dr: David Straiton

Synopsis: Echo tries to help a client heal the ache of a lost love as a TV reporter prepares an expose on the Dollhouse

Review: This is Dollhouse’s much talked about climate change, Whedon’s mid-season shift in the direction of his latest project. It’s a bit of curious beast, feeling rather like an experiment in narrative divergence, and as such one is left feeling rather unsure as to whether the episode is successful or not. There are a number of highly memorable, skilfully executed set pieces around which the script seems to gravitate, not least of which is the dual one-two suckerpunch of Ballard’s physical encounter with Echo, in which she aides the agent by way of a piece of programming from within the Dollhouse, and the crushing revelation that Mellie is in fact a doll, and a decidedly kick-ass, scary one at that. While this twist was always on the cards, especially after we learned that Victor wasn’t actually a Russian millionaire, so the sequence is not entirely unexpected, the finer points of the scene are certainly far from what we might have anticipated for the character. November is a sleeper active, able to be transformed at DuWitt, or indeed anyone else’s, will through the utterance of a simple phrase… and boy, once those words are spoken, does she change. I’m still scraping my jaw off the floor following that headlock… geez. This sets up a wonderful slice of dramatic irony within the Ballard/Mellie dynamic, and also further illustrates the murky morality of the entire imprint process. There are other impressive moments too, such as Ballard’s heart-to-heart with Echo’s latest client, which offers a wonderfully human justification for the existence of the Dollhouse, and the series of vox pops that puncture the narrative, which serve to remind the viewer of the sheer size and scope of the implications of Topher’s work. Unfortunately, the narrative does feel rather like it is struggling to keep itself above water while traversing these points, and occasionally seems to wander aimlessly, filling screen time with unnecessary conversations between characters, where they deliberate about whether or not to do something. Still, at least the plot is finally given a shift in emphasis, from the intricacies of Echo’s missions to the intrigue of the world within which she inhabits. Whedon finally seems ready to harness the potential of his wonderfully rich concept, and if the rest of the season consists of episodes like this, we can only be onto a winner. 7.7

#107: 'Echoes'

Wr: Elizabeth Craft & Sarah Fain
Dr: James A. Contner

Synopsis: Echo abandons an assignment when she is drawn to a nearby college where the entire campus is being affected by a mysterious memory drug.

Review: 'Echoes' is an episode with the best of intentions but sadly, somewhere along the road, it loses its footing and descends into regrettably farcical whimsy. While comedy is certainly not a genre that Dollhouse should steer clear of – far from it, in fact, as the occasional bursts of humour that have peppered many of the preceding episodes have proved to be a more than welcome addition – it does take considerable skill to be able to make it work as a central motif, and unfortunately, for whatever reason, Craft and Fain fall well short of the mark here. Whedon’s track record with this sort of thing is largely spot on: some of Buffy and Angel’s finest work is to be found in the episodes with the highest comedic content (‘Smile Time’, ‘Band Candy’, ‘Storyteller’, anyone?), but crucially, they all use it as a backbone to the fundamental drive of the narrative. Humour is the medium through which character development occurs, or the allegory is expressed. Here, the only function that it appears to serve is in the audience’s temporary titillation. Sure, it’s fun to see Topher and DuWitt gradually removing their clothes and talking about the consistency of potato chips, and the sight of Mr. Dominic gesticulating madly with his gun is certain to raise the odd smirk or two, but these moments are too superficial to work without moderation. They produce a laugh but it quickly subsides, especially when the joke is basically repeated ad nauseum for the bulk of the episode. The sheer number of characters ‘wigging out’, for want of a better phrase, by hour’s end is just irritating, and the screwball element is distinctly over-egged, coming across like it’s trying far too hard to be funny. Unfortunately, this undermines the impact of the rest of the episode, which, at its heart, is actually trying to do something rather neat. Craft and Fain provide a glimpse into Echo (or rather, Caroline)’s past, detailing her reasons for signing up to the Dollhouse project. At first, they may seem a little underwhelming, but there are at least fairly realistic: the ‘political protest’ angle seems far more grounded than, say, a convoluted murder plot. The story itself t just about manages to keep itself afloat, although the idea that there are students and teachers running about on campus high as a kite, and that no outside forces would even deign to intervene when the Dollhouse operatives are ‘in da haus’, stretches credulity a little. The introduction of the Rossum Corporation adds an intriguing new layer to the show’s mythology though, giving it more room to breathe now that we are aware of the number of individual Dollhouses across the globe. It’s a bit of a shame that these positive developments are bogged down in light-hearted silliness when really, they should be given the careful attention that they so obviously deserve. 6.1

#108: 'Needs'

Wr: Tracy Bellomo
Dr: Felix Enrique Alcala

Synopsis: Awakening within the Dollhouse, with large parts of their original personalities having returned, Echo, Sierra and Victor plan an escape.

Review: While 'Echoes' was certainly something of a mixed bag, it has nonetheless had significant repercussions for the direction of the show as, with ‘Needs’, we are treated to the first almost entirely in-house narrative, a result of the glitches that befell the actives in Craft and Fain’s script. It is certainly good to see this issue being addressed, as the litany of things that have gone considerably wrong with the imprint process has become rather abundant of late, and it is entirely logical that DuWitt and co. would feel the need to resolve the issue before sending anyone else out into the big wide world. The execution of this process is largely commendable: the concept of a ‘brain wipe’, if you will, for the central protagonists, wherein they lose their Doll-like innocence but fail to remember who they really are, sets up an engaging dynamic, wherein the viewer feels the potential for his or her questions about the individual characters to finally be answered. In effect, our emotional responses are transferred onto Echo, Victor, Sierra and November, and thus, the drive towards the resolution of their respective enigmas becomes all the more captivating. It’s also rather refreshing to see the Dolls interact significantly with one another: outside of being imprinted, this is the first time the four characters have had a meaningful discourse (no, “I like art” does not count) and they complement each other well, the actors clearly having settled into their roles. The denouement is largely successful too: Sierra’s past proves suitably chilling, Victor’s expression of his attraction to the girl is a satisfying pay-off to the weeks of boners in the showers, November’s grief at the death of her child is considerably moving, and all the more poignant for the beautiful long-shot in which we follow her from a noisy, joyful playground full of kids to a quiet, sombre graveyard, and Echo’s need to seize control and ‘rescue’ the Dolls reinforces her position as the most important of our protagonists. The only real flaw in the whole thing is in the structuring of the explanation for their behaviour: the episode treats the notion that Dr. Saunders and DuWitt orchestrated the ‘wipe’ as if it is a major revelation, when in fact it becomes rather obvious as soon as no one appears to bat an eyelid in the face of some seriously un-Doll like behaviour. Nonetheless, this is a considerably solid effort and certainly the most satisfying episode to date. 8.1

#109: 'Spy in the House of Love'

Wr: Andrew Chambliss
Dr: David Solomon

Synopsis: When a traitor is discovered inside the Dollhouse, Echo and Sierra are programmed to root out the spy. Meanwhile, Paul receives surprising news from Mellie.

Review: Dollhouse continues its uphill climb with this highly engaging episode that quickens the pace of the ongoing narrative by presenting the viewer with a number of much-anticipated confrontations. Once again, the imprint process is used in a refreshingly inventive fashion, this time to provide the facility with an internal investigation into the possibility of a mole within their midst. Dushku does a great job as detective Echo, clearly relishing the opportunity to have the upper hand in her scenes with the characters that she normally has to act like a human vegetable around. Dichen Lachman is also good as the wigged, espionage-adept Sierra, and the sequences in which she infiltrates the CIA building are deftly executed. While the viewer is obviously aware of Mr. Dominic’s position as the traitor, the dramatic irony actually works to the story’s advantage as it is both rewarding to see how he handles the situation, scheming and squirming his way around the problem, and engaging to watch the missteps within the investigation, particularly the accusation of Topher’s ever-unfortunate assistant. Once the cat is out of the bag, we are treated to a number of delectable sequences, including a superbly choreographed fight between Echo and Dominic, and a marvellously understated two-hander involving him and DuWitt, which cleverly avoids providing any distinctly concrete answers for his behaviour, leaving the door wide open for further exploration of this angle. In the ‘real world’, per se, Ballard finally gets the chance to see Mellie, sorry November’s, true colours when another message from inside the Dollhouse plays out through the mouth of his girlfriend. Tamoah Penikett is excellent here, conveying the character’s surprise and horror without a great deal of dialogue. Only DuWitt’s sub-plot with Victor really falls anywhere near under par, as it seems a trifle intrusive when one considers the exhilarating thrust of the main narrative, although it certainly adds much welcome depth to her occasionally one-note character. And Enver Gjokaj's a bit of a hottie, so any opportunity for him to remove his clothes is fine by me… 8.6

#110: 'Haunted'

Wr: Jane Espenson & Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen
Dr: Elodie Keene

Synopsis: Echo is programmed with the memories of a dead woman in the hopes that she can help solve the woman's murder. Topher secretly prepares Sierra for an engagement, and Ballard looks into Mellie's past.

Review: Dollhouse does Quantum Leap as Echo is imprinted with the personality of an individual who was recently murdered in an attempt to uncover the truth behind her demise. It does seem like something of a step in the wrong direction following the revelations and developments that have occurred in recent weeks, but as an example of a ‘mission’ episode, it is able to hold its head up with the best of them (although, admittedly, they are hardly an illustrious bunch.) The story remains engaging by adopting the tried-and-tested conventions of the murder mystery; here we have a veritable litter of much-maligned individuals, each with their own respective motive for doing off with the poor head of the household, and as the script progresses, the intrigue builds and builds, with new layers of betrayal and double-cross exposed at every turn. This process enriches the believability of the narrative, carefully divulging the emotional conflicts within each of the characters and allowing the viewer the opportunity to empathise significantly with each of them. By episode’s end, we care enough about the family to be rather incensed by the culprit’s betrayal, even if all signs do seem to point to him once he starts fooling around in the stables after dark. Regrettably, the confrontation between mother and son falls rather short of expectations, seeming rather hurried and ham-fisted, although this may be more a fault of poor editing or direction than any flaw with the script. Still, Dushku and Jordan Bridges do their level best with what they’re given, and it’s testament once again to Eliza’s flexibility that she is able to make the viewer genuinely upset that Echo has to take the place of the dead woman once the mission is completed. It’s a stroke of genius to have the character be a friend of DuWitt’s too, since it lends the story a much more humanitarian undercurrent, ensuring the audience actually care about the ultimate outcome. We also get a neat little sub-plot with November and Ballard that carefully illustrates the cracks in their relationship now that he is aware of her status as a Doll (check out that angry sex scene man, ph-ew!), and a rather less than stellar C-storyline involving Topher and Sierra, in which the nerdy one finally gets a chance to unwind. It’s innocuous enough, and a welcome piece of character development, but one can’t help but wonder whether the time would’ve been better spent focusing on any number of the loose narrative strands that have been left dangling in recent weeks. An enjoyable side step before the inevitably mad end-of-season dash to the finish line. 7.7

#111: 'Briar Rose'

Wr: Jane Espenson
Dr: Dwight Little

Synopsis: Echo uses the story of "Sleeping Beauty" to help a young girl overcome a past trauma, but does the story foreshadow Echo's own future? Meanwhile, Ballard may have found the original designer of the Dollhouse, Adelle goes to an ex-employee for answers, and Alpha reveals himself and his endgame.

Review: And take that, all ye naysayers. Dollhouse ups the ante not once, not twice, but around about ten times with this rollercoaster ride of an episode that takes in Ballard’s infiltration of the facility and the re-emergence of Alpha as a threat to the lives of our protagonists. Espenson’s script is superbly crafted, beginning as a seemingly rather standard mission for Echo in which she helps a young girl come to terms with the advances of her predatorial father – a sub-plot that is handled with suitable delicacy and that introduces a terrific metaphor that permeates the hour – before morphing into a series of shocking plot developments that bombard the viewer with sequences that we’ve been awaiting for months. It’s good to see Tamoah Penikett getting such a considerable slice of the action, as he’s usually relegated to B or C storyline status, but here, it is his mission to rescue Caroline that provides the plot with its backbone, and, as is to be expected, he rises to the challenge. His counterpoint, the supposed Stephen Keppler, is an excellent foil too, striking just the right balance between fear and pathos to make their interplay suitably enjoyable. Espenson does a fantastic job of disguising the biggest twist of all, that Keppler is in fact Alpha, come to whisk Caroline away and cause all kinds of havoc to poor Victor’s face; the abundance of narrative strands, and the strength of the humour in Ballard and Keppler’s interaction, turn the viewer’s attention away from any distinct analysis of the situation. Indeed, Sierra’s mission to uncover the identity of the body in Tucson, which DuWitt identifies as being a potential victim of the errant Doll, even becomes something of a red herring: by making the Dollhouse occupants aware that Alpha is active once again, and addressing this within a C-storyline, it puts a distance between this concept and what is going on within the central thrust of the plot. There is no immediate association between Alpha and Ballard, and therefore the quick-fire moment in which Keppler turns into a face-disfiguring maniac provides one of the biggest fall-off-your-seat shockers of the year. Alan Tudyk is absolutely excellent in both of his roles, giving Dushku a run for her money in the versatility stakes, and it’s worth giving Amy Acker a mention too, since Dr. Saunders’s evident horror as she realises that the man who scarred her has returned essentially sells Alpha as a formidable foe. A thoroughly enjoyable episode then, and one that’ll leave you reeling from its many twists and turns long after Echo and Alpha have run off, snogging their way into the distance. 9.0

#112: 'Omega'

Wr: Tim Minear
Dr: Tim Minear

Synopsis: Alpha's continued obsession with Echo may cost her everything. Ballard makes a decision that could change the rest of his life. One Doll's story ends as another's is revealed.

Review: Unusually, ‘Omega’ has come under fire from a number of fans and critics alike for not providing a ‘satisfying’ enough conclusion to Dollhouse’s admittedly rather turbulent debut season. Such accusations seem rather to miss the point: Tim Minear’s script was never meant to be the last we saw of Echo, Sierra, Victor and co. in this televisual year. Due to some ludicrous behind-the-scenes politics, Fox ultimately decided only to show twelve of the thirteen hours filmed for season one, meaning that ‘Epitaph One’, Whedon’s actual season finale, which can be found on series one’s DVD release, was never aired. Fortunately, it is something of a unique instalment that can be separated from the season as a whole without having an effect on the flow of the ongoing narrative (even though it contains an abundance of revelations and plot developments… intrigued? You should be). Anyway, it certainly seems that ‘Omega’ has had to bear the brunt of this unfortunate occurrence and honestly, it really doesn’t deserve the scorn that some seem inclined to bestow upon it. The episode expertly explores some of the wider-ranging implications of the concept of imprinting through Alpha’s clearly rather disturbed machinations, hinting at some of the more sinister avenues that the show could take in seasons to come. The decision to imprint a random host with Caroline’s original memories and present her with another individual inside her own body is just plain warped, and quietly illustrates how dangerous the technology could be if it fell into the wrong hands. The scenes between Alpha, Caroline and the so-called Omega (Echo with an awareness of all of her previous personalities) are equally fascinating, opening up the possibility for a future turn in Dushku’s character towards self-awareness and providing a wonderfully succinct summary of the moral debate that has consistently underscored the show’s ongoing narrative. Some fans have criticised these sequences for being too ‘talky’, lacking action, but when the action actually comes, with Alpha basically running away with Echo’s original personality, it’s rather lacklustre and feels tagged on, as if Minear realised he needed to appease the quotient of fans that just want to see Dushku’s boobs bouncing up and down. It’s the intrigue of the dialogue and the horror of Alpha’s plan that make for the most compelling viewing; frankly, I’m dying to see how he’s going to top this in season two. Tudyk is wonderful once again, particularly in the subtle exhibition of the character’s abundance of personalities, one of which, amusingly, is a multiple personality. The supporting cast are fairly good too: Boyd and Ballard work significantly well together and appear to have considerable chemistry, while Olivia Williams’s DuWitt just gets better and better the more furrowed her brow becomes. There’s also the small matter of the Whiskey revelation, which is achieved through a number of simultaneously amusing and sickening flashbacks. Amy Acker is just outstanding throughout; the moment where she confronts Topher is probably the most heartbreaking scene that the show has yet given us. While the ending seems a little disappointing given the gravitas of what occurs in the episode, ‘Omega’ is nevertheless a thoroughly engaging episode with an abundance of fantastic sequences that demonstrate the wealth of potential that the show has going into its second season. A more than satisfactory substitute for the MIA ‘Epitaph One.’ 8.8

#113: 'Epitaph One'

Wr: Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen
Dr: David Solomon

Synopsis: The year is 2019, and the world is broken. A small band of survivors discovers an abandoned Dollhouse and as they explore they begin to understand the shadowy organization and to suspect that they may have been responsible for the current state of the world.

Review: In a somewhat frustrating turn of events, it transpires that Dollhouse’s greatest episode is also the one that the vast majority of the viewing public will never get to see (well, unless FOX tag it on to the end of season two or something.) In case you weren’t aware, ‘Epitaph One’ was never broadcast as the show’s season one finale, as it was supposed to be, due to a load of codswallop wrangling between the network and the production crew over how many episodes were ordered and how many delivered (if you want to understand the minutiae of the situation, just check out the notes on TV.com.) Consequently, the only chance that the programme’s fans have to see it is on the recently released first season DVD (well, the only legal chance anyway…), but trust me, it really is worth forking out the £25 for. Whedon’s script is a masterpiece of ingenuity, transporting the viewer to a depressingly bleak, nondescript future in which the technology of the Dollhouse has gone global and caused society as we know it to effectively fall apart at the seams. With the Rossum Corporation controlling which personality they want to imprint in each body, and the option available for ‘lesser’, ‘weaker’ individuals to have their minds replaced with more preferable models, a Hellish dystopia has been created, wherein no human being is necessarily who they claim to be. Amongst this chaos, Whedon weaves the tale of a ragtag band of ‘originals’ struggling to survive, who suddenly come upon the very thing that they may need to save mankind: the original Dollhouse itself. The viewer is launched headfirst into this unfamiliar, unforgiving environment and has to work to piece together the minutiae: the characters’ dialogue is littered with jargon and self-reference, which is often somewhat impenetrable, but such astute attention to detail greatly enhances the believability of the piece (after all, if you’d been living in such a world for the better part of five or so years, you wouldn’t explain everything to your compatriots in every sentence, would you?) The conflict and tension amongst the members of the group is also deliciously palpable; the guest cast do an absolutely stellar job of selling the paranoia and distrust that have become a natural part of their everyday lives. It’s something of a brave move to depart from the standard formula of the show and reduce the regular cast to B or C storyline status but thankfully, in Whedon’s masterful hands, it works wonders. The flashback sequences that do involve the Dollhouse occupants are all the more enjoyable and intriguing for their brevity. We are only allowed glimpses into the sequence of events that have led to the catastrophic environment in which we now find ourselves: we get an idea of how Ballard and Echo work from within to ‘free’ the Dolls, how Rossum develops its plans for the facility and, perhaps most significantly from a characterial perspective, what happens to Topher and DuWitt as they begin to see society falling apart around them. The scene in which she comforts the scientist in his mock Doll-hole is beautifully minimal, loaded with emotional meaning. Whedon is careful not to reveal too much here, suggesting rather than delineating, although one is tempted to question whether he wrote the script imagining that it would be Dollhouse’s last. It does seem to be a definitive path for the narrative post-‘Omega’; would he have been so revelatory if he’d known that the show was to be renewed? We can but speculate; just as we can but ponder the episode’s title, which seems to suggest that there are several epitaphs, not simply this one. Could this be a hint that we are seeing a possible future, not a definitive one? Or that a future season could pick up the story after this episode? Who knows? At the end of the day, perhaps it is actually for the best that ‘Epitaph One’ never aired. As a ‘bonus’ episode, outside of the official, televised canon, we are able to choose whether we treat its suggestions as sacrosanct or simply conjecture. This gives the episode an even greater weight, a rich ambiguity that makes its story all the more rewarding. A considerably brave move from Joss Whedon and one that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout, desperate for the next revelation or morsel of exposition. With a fantastic guest cast, beautifully laconic and bleak production and another damn fine turn from Amy Acker (really, she’s just the best damn thing about the show, isn’t she?), ‘Epitaph One’ stands head and shoulders above just about anything that was actually aired under the Dollhouse moniker. An absolute must see. 9.3

Season One Statistics

Highest scoring episode: 'Epitaph One' (113), 9.3
Lowest scoring episode: 'Stage Fright' (103), 4.5
Season average: 7.6