User reviews

It took a few weeks, I don't have the time to binge watch, but I finished watching the 2 seasons. I have the same question, why in blazes was this canceled.

An innovative show that will generally keep your eyes glued to the TV. Excellent scripts & direction. Eliza shines as Echo.

Not a lot of episodes but highly recommended.

This show is amazing. And dark. Very, very dark. This has clearly made many people uncomfortable. However, Helo, sorry, Paul, essentially spells out the message in the pilot: when seemingly helpful technology is created someone finds a way to use it for evil.

I don't believe the show makes any apologies for the people at the Dollhouse. I believe it shows the ways those people rationalize what they are doing so they can sleep at night.

This show is a great vessel for exploring the nature of the soul and personality. What makes people who they are. Despite being wiped and implanted over and over, Echo retains some of her Caroline-ness. This show is not ultimately about "the world's oldest profession," but about what makes humans human. If you can't get past the creepy paying for people, and, yes, the singer episode, then this is really not your show.

And, speaking as a woman, I really don't find it all that offensive. I'm actually not all that certain why I should. The dolls are of both sexes and I see a strong female lead, may Whedon continue to put them on television.

I highly recommend this show. Get past the first few episodes (which Fox tinkered with) and see the brilliance beyond.

Any Joss Whedon fan knows that he creates a full world. Beginning to end and at first he gives you the smallest glimpse. So the first season you don't really grasp his concept, but as it goes along you get pulled into that world.

The psychological background and action sequences keep getting better. I've fallen in love with the characters. The story line makes me gasp with amazement. The concept grows and just boggles my mind.

The first season was the slow start, thus far the second season is amazing. Now that I've watch season one and most of season two I find myself totally immersed in the show. I look forward to it being on for an hour every week... and when the episode is over I'm in TV shock.

And then I want more!!!

...that FOX is letting this one go. The time-slot didn't help (Friday night is usually the go-out-and-party-night) so most folks (like me) would TiVo this or DVR it for later viewing (which doesn't count to the networks, I guess). More's the pity. This show is really picking up steam and the story lines are getting better and better, especially now that the Echo, Sierra and Victor characters are being fleshed out more and given extremely interesting back stories. Eliza Dushku is a find as the tough, enigmatic protagonist of this series and since FOX isn't going to allow this cool show to go past two seasons, I sincerely hope they have the common sense to keep her on the payroll for other projects. Her chemistry with both good-guy Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Pennikett) and with brilliantly insane psycho nut-job Alpha (Alan Tudyk) is palpable and riveting. The casting of Olivia Williams as the ice queen in charge of the Dollhouse is spot on while Harry Lennix and Fran Kranz (as cool head security dude Langton and as genius programmer nerd Brink, respectively) add another dimension to the whole show. I'll continue watching this unique and entertaining series until it finally bows out a short time from now and hope that some other network may step in at the last minute and save it though that seems unlikely (again, pity). This is just a cool, pseudo sci-fi type show that probably had the misfortune of a cruddy time slot because everything else (the acting, writing, casting) was brilliant. Too bad more people didn't watch it or give it a chance.

Fantastic. Compelling. Brilliant. A complete package. Well connected episodes and a very satisfying ending. I can't say enough about Dollhouse. Eliza Dushku was amazing as she flawlessly play many characters. Fran Kranz was the anchor as he played a well developed character. I fell in love with Dichen Lachman ... beautiful, exotic, wonderful actor ... I just don't understand why her career has languished, she deserves more. Highly recommended.

Okay, I'll admit, when I watched the first episode of this show I was a little let down. As a long time Whedon-fan I'd had high hopes for his TV return. The pilot didn't exactly have me clapping my hands and doing cartwheels. The next few episodes held my interest, but it was mid-way through the season (when Fox stopped interfering) that the trademark Whedon-brilliance really appeared.

The show was no longer just about Echo, but started to give more screen time to the other characters, who are all as perfectly flawed and human as they can be. We started to get a stronger sense of the underlying arc, the moral ambiguities that the Dollhouse presents became more apparent and I found myself counting the hours till I could watch the next episode.

This is a show that will make you think and question. If you want mindless fluff, go elsewhere (90210, anyone?). If you want real, intelligent television (with a whole lot of fun mixed in), then Dollhouse is it.

Season 1 of this show is great. It's dark and it's powerful and it's unique and it's interesting, but it's pretty slow moving and you can find yourself wanting more. Then came the season 1 finale "Epitaph One", and my like of this show turned into obsession. Then came the AMAZING season 2. Every single episode in season 2 is a great one. In fact most episodes don't seem like they're from a TV show at all, they seem like short movies! The acting is phenomenal in season 2, and season 2 is just so freaking smart! Tell me the Chaucer stuff in "Belle Chose" wasn't brilliant, or the camera angles in that episode weren't extremely beautiful... the pair of episodes "The Public Eye" and "The Left Hand" are the most genius I've ever seen on TV! They are so edgy and provocative and kept me entertained the full way through. I can go on and on about how good season 2 is honestly! And Eliza man, Eliza!!! She holds her own with the other unbelievable actors in season 2 and even manages to outshine them on more than one occasion. Yeah she definitely proves that she is worthy of headlining her own show in season 2.

Watching Orphan Black first spoiled Dollhouse for me. Eliza Dushku doesn't make a bad job of portraying lots of different people in one body and getting you to root for all of them, but there was no hope of her doing a better job of it than Tatiana Maslany. She is the gold standard and everyone else just falls a bit short. In fact, I think Enver Gjokaj as Victor did a better job than Dushku - his portrayal of Victor as Topher was rather good.

Dollhouse wasn't bad. There are some bits of humour, mostly from Fran Kranz as Topher and the Victor/Sierra romance was charming in a somewhat thought provoking way - of people that fall in love regardless of who they ostensibly are. There are some shock reveals - exciting! But most of these aren't examined in any great depth. Some of the missions seemed a little contradictory - where did the academic who wanted a pupil to fall for him get the money from? And unfortunately, the most interesting parts of the story were mere cameos - the consequences of the technology condensed, for the most part, into a mere two episodes, one per season. And Bennett Halverson, who had the potential to be a really interesting character, barely featured in just five episodes.

Dollhouse had the potential to be great, but it needed MORE. More insight. More looking at difficult questions. More consequences. Sturdier characterisation. More more and more.

How anyone can call this show boring and complete garbage is mind boggling for me. What hurts even more? Some of them claiming to be Joss Whedon's "fan" had actually said he lost his potential.

For one, Joss Whedon can never lose... anything. His mind is constantly working to create diverse, intelligent, cult-driven shows that will take us on an emotional high every time we watch it.

Dollhouse is perfect, even with its flaws (because honestly, nothing is "perfect" or else our world wouldn't be what it is). Joss is able to create villains that aren't villains. There aren't any demons or vampires or the supernatural here, and I think that's what makes some viewers dislike the show so much. They can't watch it and distance themselves from it by saying, "Oh he's a vampire so therefore blah blah... etc." In Dollhouse it's all about human nature and where we've taken ourselves. And that no matter how advanced our technology may be, we are all the same... always. You can never take someones soul away.

I refuse to watch anything belonging to Fox ever again (unless Joss somehow signs with them yet AGAIN for some Goshforsaken reason). I don't know how much more grief I can take when they go off and cancel it. Ugh. W-ankers!

Like others here I only know Firefly and enjoyed it. Having just watched the first episode it doesn't look too bad and was watchable. It also handled the scene setting reasonably well although the internal boxing/MMA vision of the FBI agent was utterly puerile and downright irritating. Contrast that with the decent attempt to build on the complexity of the characters and settings and one can already see where it runs the risk of falling down.

A couple of things stand out for me. Firstly I thought some of the dialog was hackneyed and really badly written. There is also a suggestion of stereotypes at work and the assumption that all bad guys are automatically connected. Finally much as I find Ms Dushku visually alluring, she's just another one of those pretty faces who would struggle to act their way out of a paper bag.

But that is made up for to an extent, by the supporting cast of Reed Diamond, Olivia Williams and Harry Lennix. Whedon's track record should carry it along for a while anyway but it will need better writing and some finger-crossing that Fox don't can it. One would also hope it will not turn into just a personality of the week show.

In typical network shortsightedness, Fox cancels an INTELLIGENT program that doesn't pander to the least common denominator. Dollhouse is extremely well written, visually interesting, and consistently holds attention. Viewers who are negative clearly don't understand it. The concept is unique and well handled with a great cast. I own both seasons and wish there were more!

Sad to see it's most likely canceled, The show wasn't great, but really, there aren't many network science fiction shows, so I was happy to see it on the air and the plot at least left me a bit curious to see what was happening next.

The character of Echo was kind of flat, but then that's how she was supposed to be, so I can't blame it on bad acting. One thing I have to say about Whedon: he's never afraid to try something a bit different. (He always places some decent eye candy in his shows too, which although is hardly a necessity to the story, sure doesn't hurt.)

All in all at least the show gave us some good philosophical questions to talk over and that's never a bad thing.

This series is centred on Echo, a young woman who is in the 'fantasy fulfilment' business. Having committed certain offences, which are revealed later, she has been persuaded to give five years of her life to the Dollhouse. During this time her mind is wiped and she will live as a doll. When hired the required personality will be downloaded into her mind and she will fulfil that person's desires. Echo isn't the only doll, over the course of the series we get to know other dolls, who are both male and female, their handlers and key workers in the Dollhouse; notable Echo's handler Boyd Langton; Adelle DeWitt, head of the LA Dollhouse Adelle DeWitt; Laurence Dominic, her head of security; scientist Topher Brink and Doctor Claire Saunders. Outside the Dollhouse and its wealthy clients it is considered an urban legend but FBI Agent Paul Ballard believes in it and is determined to expose it; something that will put him in considerable danger. Early on we get many 'client of the week' stories but gradually the overarching plot takes over. Then we learn more about the Dollhouses and the shadowy corporation behind them.

As one might expect from a series created by Joss Whedon there are plenty of interesting ideas and great characters... also like some of his other series it was ended too soon. The early episodes do an impressive job of introducing key characters without telling us too much about them... there are some surprising revelations throughout the series. The nature of some of the Dolls' engagements mean it could easily have become a little sleazy but this is avoided this by giving a good mix of stories. The cast, which includes many Whedon regulars, does an impressive job. Most notable of these is Eliza Dushku who does a really fine job as Echo; Harry Lennix, as Boyd Langton; Tahmoh Penikett as Ballard; Fran Kranz, as Topher; Olivia Williams as Adelle DeWitt; Amy Acker as Dr Saunders; and Enver Gjokaj and Dichen Lachman, as dolls Victor and Sierra respectively. Most episodes include a good amount of varied action and plenty of tension. The plot obviously includes many science fiction elements but it is more about characters than technology so even if you aren't a sci-fi fan you can enjoy this. Overall I'd definitely recommend this; don't be put off by its premature ending; it does have a proper conclusion.

Why do intelligent TV shows get cancelled all the time?

When this show moved away from single episode arcs, revolving about the assignments, and turned to handling complex themes like - how does one deal with the ethical questions around this kind of human trafficking (-> self-deception, mostly) - what makes a personality - how does an Active cope when confronted with the fact that apparently s/he gave up his/her personality willingly - what makes one give up his personality and allow oneself to be dealt with like a "thing"

Dollhouse became a truly fascinating show. Yet entertaining, captivating. Which of course led to it being cancelled. Oh, sigh.

This show is simply amazing. I'm not an acting expert, so I can't comment on whether they performed it well, I can only say that I was convinced. The plot was fantastic; a brilliant concept that was really well explored in places that we didn't expect, in ways that we didn't expect. Joss and his merry band of writers really knew what they were doing. There were a few episodes that I thought didn't really work, especially ones nearer the end of Season 1 and the start of Season 2 where it felt the plot was rushed, (and I expect this was simply because Joss was scared that Fox'd go all Firefly on him and stop at the first season, so he had to rush it) but they managed to 'stable it out,' and get back on track toward an amazing ending that had me in tears. The characters were all amazing, I can't think of one that I didn't like for some reason or another, and they all had more than the one standard "He's the funny one," "She's the cold one," personas (in fact, regarding Echo and the concept, I'm sure there's some kind of deep analysis you could do about how she parallels everybody else. But that's the English A-level in me talking.) And it totally get's you thinking! It explores what it really means to be human, and what it really means to be you, who you are, who you want to be, capitalism, personality flaws, immortality, all that stuff! Watch this show; if you can't connect with at least one of the characters or fail to be amazed at all the plot happenings, then I'm surprised if you can enjoy any show.

And so we come to the end of the first, and possibly last, season of Dollhouse, and, as expected, the conclusion generated far more questions than it did answers. Certainly there's a lot of potential to the program, as there has been to just about everything Joss Whedon has created, but I have to admit that I found Dollhouse considerably harder to get into and enjoy than the likes of Firefly - a show I both loved and which I thought had an emotional and intellectual depth equal to Dollhouse and anything else on television for that matter.

The reason for this is simple: the main character has no character. She's a Doll, meaning that she has no personality beyond what is imprinted on her, and her pre-Doll character is actually quite annoying – animal rights liberation doesn't seem nearly as relevant in these days of terrorism, financial turmoil and economic calamity.

That Eliza Dushku is excellent in Dollhouse is beyond question, as are the other Dolls regularly featured. Dichen Lachman as Sierra projects incredible vulnerability when acting as the Doll form of Sierra, though the characters she becomes while out on missions tend to be less convincing. Enver Gjokaj (Victor), on the other hand, is excellent throughout, making each role, and accent, he inhabits entirely believable. It will be very interesting to see where the writers take them both, especially Victor given his recent mishap, if a second season is commissioned.

Unfortunately that doesn't seem very likely. Dollhouse is an awkward program to get into, full of slow reveals and deeper meanings than what most audience members are looking for. Certainly adolescent males looking for beautiful woman, who are not overdressed, kicking ass and strutting their stuff would most likely have quickly looked elsewhere as there's only limited amounts of flesh or fighting and most of the latter, admittedly well choreographed, involved the excellent Harry Lennix and somewhat overwrought Tahmoh Penikett – I never really understood why he was so obsessed with the Dollhouse or Echo in particular.

So, in conclusion, I can say that I'd like to see more of the Dollhouse and its themes of identity and the essentially transient nature of self, how one person can so easily be completely different from one day to the next, without resource to science fiction machines. The show has its flaws, but they seem to be because of hidden depths only hinted at thus far. However, if the second season doesn't materialise I believe we will all be missing out on a show that could, with a more understanding network, have blossomed into something extraordinary.

Of course, that begs the question of why on Earth does Joss Whedon continue to agree to create programs for Fox!?!

Joss has put out some solid work with Buffy, Angel, and Firefly. Currently watching the series on Netflix and am addicted to it.

It is/was one of the better shows on TV. Sadly the network executives did not get this show, as they missed it with Firefly as well.

Doll House is creative, different, drama, light Sci-Fi, and part mystery. Very well written and cast. The characters, such as Topher is a likable geek, are well developed. The "dolls" are played by gifted actors who do well in portraying multiple roles in each episode.

There are many guest appearances from cast members from Firefly and Battle Star Galactica (SyFy).

Would suggest this series to any fan of the above mentioned shows.

It would be PG-13 for adult themed content and mild violence. There is good material for Joss Whedon to make a movie out of it like he did with Serenity to wrap up the Firefly story line.

After watching the last episode, i still haven't decided whether to like it or not. I am not even sure if I want a season 2 or not. The Actors were all pretty good. Eliza Dushku almost never failed in giving a believable new Person each Episode. And its really not her fault, that some of her Characters were just not interesting. It seemed to me, the writers didn't think about the limited episodes the Show had been given and that there might not be a second season. They tried so hard to make each episode unique that they forgot about the main plot. Especially the first 5 Episodes... They never got me to a point of wanting to see more. Then after Episode 6, it was an up and down for me with the show. Sometimes it got interesting, but too often they stole the interesting Plot with simply erasing the Dolls minds, when finally they remembered something. I thought the show was going more in the Direction, that some of the Dolls starting to remember what happens to them and try to get out of there. The Dollhouse was almost too perfect for an interesting series. Its been like "hey we have a Problem... ahh never mind lets just erase some minds then" The writing went from poor to very good. The Episode with the singer made me wanna stop right there and never ever watch another Episode of Dollhouse again. That was the most Stupid thing i have ever seen in an Joss Whedon Series, even the complete Season One of Angel wasn't as bad as this, and that sucked. I also expected more from the final Episode... I thought, they knew, they had to do something interesting if they wanted a second season. I expected a big boom at the end, something that made me sending out bomb threads to the people in charge of green-lighting a second season. But again: Nada. It ends with the same "plot-twist" of most of the episodes: Ooooh they're minds are erased again, but they might (or not) remember something. So i really wonder why they do not air episode 13, which sounds like it might finally lead the series to something really interesting. I am almost sure, that there wont be a season 2 and i am afraid i can understand why that might be. From all I've heard about the plans for Season 2, i would be willing to give it a shot, but if its never made... i guess i wont cry my eyes out and simply wait for a new Firefly Movie or Even a Buffy Movie and erase my mind so i can simply forget about the Dollhouse....

To ask oneself how to review a television drama that lasted only two seasons poses many questions. The obvious: why did this show get canceled? And then the not-so-obvious: why did this show get canceled? Think of it like a double-sided coin, the probability is 100%. Eliza Dushku, or Echo, the main protagonist and co-producer of Dollhouse in interview expressed her concerns about how this might have come to be. Advertising being one, but mostly it was the Friday night time slot she recalled as "death" that inevitably would drag the series down.

The series seemed to have everything going for it: futuristic technology, kick-ass fight scenes, and a slew of intriguing characters to tickle the intellect or pull at the heart-strings of any science fiction or fantasy genre enthusiast. What I won't do is sit here and complain about why the show got canceled but rather try to convince you why you should sit down and give this 27 episode masterpiece a chunk of your time.

I believe the magic behind Dollhouse was fueled by the cast and crew's inevitable realization that this show might not go on forever like anticipated igniting passion into everyone that truly believed in the project and where the possibilities could lead given a six season run. The characters were concise yet elusive and open, forcing viewers to really analyze and walk inside the shoes of these complex individuals and situations inside the schizophrenic nature of The Dollhouse.

On the DVDs there are three extra episodes, all unaired. One being a sort of prequel to the series and two at the end of each season that sort of summed up all of what writer Joss Whedon wanted to say before the series was canceled. The first unaired episode begins with the director, one of many, but our series specific "Dollhouse" interviewing her next potential client. Then Echo, well, being Echo.

What Adelle DeWitt, the director, baits her newest potential client with is the opening:

"The world is a very simple place - at first. Then, as we grow up, it grows around us. A dense thicket of complication and disappointment - unbearable for some; and even for the luckiest of us still sometimes more than we can handle -- less than we'd hoped."

The life of the average "active" is not so complicated. Get imprinted with the correct memory topography to complete the assignment, get sent to the client, come back to The Dollhouse, and be erased. The client is happy, The Dollhouse gets paid, and time moves forward. What The Dollhouse creator could not anticipate was the resilience of the human mind, the idea of evolution, and the inevitable progress of science and technology.

All of these factors play into the plot line of Dollhouse, creating an intricate web of creation, betrayal, hope, and redemption, leading us into a fantastic journey through what life could be if one was able to purchase the raw emotions needed to complete their own human experience.

This is pretty much the most Whedon series to ever Whedon. As in, it is sharp, interesting, absorbing, thought provoking, full of witty dialogue but also intensely convoluted and problematic. I could talk at length about the themes and implications of this show - suffice to say, it's never boring. And the fact that it's creepy af is, in this case, kinda the point - so I'm inclined to give it a lot more passes than say, Firefly, which is also creepy and problematic in places, but needn't be.

Dollhouse raises a ton of interesting points regarding identity, truth, beauty, consent, the nature of happiness, free will, reality, humanity, trust, relationships, control, how we're manipulated by society and the media - I mean, it really is a fascinating premise, and whilst the execution sometimes misses the mark, it sometimes hits it dead-on and some of the episodes are actually pretty moving and affecting. (Some, however, are really daft.) Saying that, despite having a 'badass female protagonist' it feels pretty male-gaze and there's a ton of cringey damsel-in-distress stuff, and the mind-control aspect (if manipulation and abuse storylines upset you, maybe skip this one) can get a bit heavy. It makes me wonder how it would have been received if it had been a vulnerable, hot young male protagonist with a capable female handler instead of the 'obvious' vice versa.

All in all, it's kinda an exploration into what makes us human;what makes us us.

As with any show "Dollhouse" took a bit of getting into for me. The 1st season had some amazing episodes but nothing that really jumped out and grabbed you. As a fan of Whedon's I chose to stick with hoping that he had something up his creative sleeve. Thankfully we were rewarded with the Alpha episodes of season one and the 'unaired' episode which showed us what he had planned for the future and hope against hope this amazing second season.

4 episodes in and the darker style suits the show so much better, Whedon and his writers are allowing the characters to grow, within the conceit of the show, and you get the impression that a whole lot of trouble is going to descend on them.

My faith in Whedon has been restored and now I hope he has the chance to complete the show.