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Posted on May 30, 2009 by Jj Jamson | Posted under Movies TV
Dollhouse: The Darker Whedon
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Dollhouse is about a clandestine laboratory that can be hired tofulfill various assignments, from fantasy dates to rescue missions. The assignments are performed by programmable humans or "dolls"implanted with the requisite memory and personality tailored to each mission. After the assignment, the doll's memory and personality are then wipedout to begin again with a clean slate for the next one. Whatmade Whedon's work memorable in the past is the infusion of humor inthe middle of a serious crisis. The stark contrast in attitude endearshis shows to the audience. The humor does not necessarily come from agoofball character, but it could be something a purportedly seriouscharacter would do that made us smirk. Whedon characters of note hereare the likes of Jayne from Firefly and Spike from Buffy. A sci-fi drama, Dollhouse isseemingly a departure from Whedon's formula. If he sticks to the toneof the premier, then Dollhouse could be more along the lines of CSI than it is to Buffy. The show feels that dark and that serious! Now, Whedon has had some success with a darker show before in Buffy's spin-off, Angel. But even that show had bright spots in Cordelia Chase (played by Charisma Carpenter). In Dollhouse, Whedon introduces five characters that could drive or turn the story. First is Echo,the lead "doll" and main character of the show. She is played by ElizaDushku. We are likely to follow her assignment from week to week. Somewhere in the series, she'll have to snap out of her programming andsomehow regain her real memories. Otherwise, she'll never develop apersonality that fans will fall in love with because she'll have a newone every week. Next is Boyd Langdon played by HarryLennix and Echo's handler or bodyguard. He is constantly with her andseems to be developing sympathy towards Echo. He's either an ex-cop oran ex-military and has a strong sense of compassion for those in need. It was Langdon who convinced senior authority to continue with therescue of the little girl after the botched negotiation. Then there is Adelle Wittplayed by Olivia Williams and the head of the Dollhouse laboratory. She seems to govern with a firm hand with only the interest of thelaboratory in mind. But she is willing to hear out reasons. In Ghost,after the negotiation was botched and the client was shot, she couldhave pulled out and taken "clean-up" measures to hide the laboratory'sinvolvement. Instead, she approved a backup plan of armed rescuebecause Langdon pointed out that they stillhave a mission which is to get back the little girl. And there is Paul Ballard played by Tahmoh Penikett and an FBI agent assigned toinvestigate the Dollhouse. We didn't get much more from him other than that he was catching flack from his bosses because hecould not find proof that there's an underground "dollhouse" operationthat is trafficking humans. But he is a monkey wrench that could blow the whole operation. Finally, there is Topher Brink played by Fran Kranz and the main programmer for theDollhouse laboratory. He researches and implements the backstory andpersonality for the doll in each assignment. He gleefully goes abouthis work, admiring each successful operation as a triumph of geniusnotwithstanding that the subjects are humans. For Stargate: Atlantisfans, Topher Brink, if developed well, could be the next Dr. RodneyMcKay, an arrogant, yet sensitive technocrat who considers himselfabove the intelligence level of everyone around him. If there are anyneed for humor, it could come from Topher. All in all, I'm rating Dollhouse's premier episode a 3 out of5. The only character that grabbed me so far is Boyd Langdon. He issomeone willing to go against the grain to follow his intuition. Everyone else seems to be cut and dry, including Echo. Still, I'mcurious enough to watch the next few episodes especially on how Whedonwill fit the current make-up, if at all, into his formula where thefans can have their next Spike or Jayne. About The Author: The author is a web producer and writes freelance on cool geeky topics such as science fiction movie reviews and Transformers movie action figures. From time to time, he also writes about career-oriented subjects such as where to find an online project management certification, a specially useful credential as Congress passes President Obama's stimulus plan. |
Tags: DOLLHOUSE, JOSS WHEDON, ELIZA DUSHKU, SCIENCE FICTION, TV SERIES
