Dollhouse – CliqueClack Preview

Any self-respecting Joss Whedon fan (and even fans who don’t respect themselves) has been dying to see if the master can wow us all again with another Buffy/Firefly/Angel-like masterpiece. Given the rather lukewarm reviews of Dollhouse as of late, we’ve all been a bit nervous. Add to that the pilot rewrite and the Friday night death slot and … well, I don’t need to tell you how that makes most people feel.

I finally got my chance to get an official look at the Dollhouse pilot, and so far I’ve got to say we’re right to be worried.

I don’t think I need to go too much into detail about what the show is about; you can read the general premise and cast list in lots of places. You want to know where this show wins and fails, in terms of this episode at least, right?

Things start out pretty promising. The first thing that hit me was how incredibly gorgeous Eliza Dushku is on this show. Hell, she’s just plain gorgeous anywhere. The opening scenes with her character, Echo, on the dance floor are … wow.

We soon get a glimpse of the interior of the Dollhouse, which is quite impressive and … is that the inside of Wolfram and Hart? With Amy Acker walking about, it’s a regular Angel party! Actually, the place feels a lot more like an oriental spa, but it’s tough to say if it feels more like the ultimate relaxing utopia or a really fancy prison (the yard consists of yoga, meditation and treadmills).

You may recall that the original pilot was reshot because, as Whedon put it, Fox wanted to introduce the show in a “different way.” He had said his original vision would have plopped us into Echo’s world in a way that would have left viewers somewhat confused as to what the show was really all about. If I had to guess, the original pilot introduced us to a pre-Dollhouse Echo, slowly showing us her assimilation into the secretive organization. Instead, we’re thrust right into Echo’s Dollhouse world from the start, with little explanation as to why she or anyone else is there. In theory, this approach should interest viewers more — what is this place, who are these people and how did it all start? Unfortunately it doesn’t quite accomplish that in this episode, which (again, unfortunately) is the episode that’s going to hook people unfamiliar with Whedon and why they should give the show another try.

Most of the time, this episode felt a lot like one we’d expect to see later in the season. Most of the episode revolves around one of Echo’s “missions,” as she is imprinted with not only the personality and memories of a past hostage negotiator, but with some physical imperfections that came with that imprint: near-sightedness and asthma. Ultimately, though, this felt like one of the many imprints-of-the-week that we’ll likely see as this series progresses, rather than diving a little deeper into the whys and hows of Echo and the Dollhouse.

Something that particularly disappointed me about the show is the complete lack of Whedon-branded humor. I’m not really sure there’s room for it, at least with the cast of characters introduced to us so far (though resident Dollhouse nerd, Topher, seems like a natural fit for funny dialog). The Whedon stamp seems missing without at least some decent quotable lines.

What is promising is what’s to come. Why is Echo at the Dollhouse and who is she really? Why are the others there? Who has the coolest name, Whiskey? What is the FBI agent’s agenda? There are lots of questions I want to see answered, and I want to see more examples of Dushku’s range as an actress, beyond being a badass.

It’s an OK show … so far. I really wish FOX threw us more than one episode to chew on, because it’s going to take more than the pilot for me to bless or pan it. Like I said, if the pilot isn’t grabbing two huge Whedon fans like my wife and I, then what does that say for people who aren’t already fans? Maybe we’re expecting too much?

Clacked by Keith McDuffee
on Jan 13, 2009 @ 10:00 EST5EDT