‘Did I fall asleep..?’ – How on earth could I?!

Last week I had to do a TV programme review on a recent sci-fri programme...and here it is! Ta da!

The uber-awesome Dollhouse cast

The genius that is Joss Whedon has brought us a portfolio of sci-fi gold over the years, ranging from the omnipresent Buffy to the futuristic Firefly - not to mention a few musical numbers to boot! Last year saw the arrival of Dollhouse.

Headed by one of Whedon’s best, foxy starlet Eliza Dushku, Dollhouse provides a myriad of technological wonders, presenting you with the concept that people are dolls, or ‘Actives’, that can easily be wiped and programmed at will.

Centred on Caroline/Echo (Dushku), the show takes us on the journey of her selfawareness, whilst simultaneously offering episodic storylines wherein we see the dolls sent on engagements, some of which are pretty sordid! The Actives at the LA branch of the Dollhouse are our main focus, and all are cleverly named after the phonetic alphabet. The likes of Victor, Whiskey, Sierra, November, and of course, Echo, demonstrate a range of personas, sometimes plonked into the most mundane, and other times, the most bizarre situations. From high-risk criminal ventures to loving interludes, no episode is the same and, if anything, Dollhouse really earns its merit by giving all of its actors the chance to showcase their talents.

After each engagement, the Actives are ‘wiped’ of each character imprint by Topher, the resident techy geek. However, this doesn’t really work on our heroine Echo, who retains some memories from each person she transforms into. Gradually, she comes to terms with the fact that she is a doll, with her services being prostituted to the highest bidder. Suffice to say, she, with the help of FBI buddy Paul Ballard, is eager to fight back and break away from the exploitations of the Dollhouse. Unfortunately this isn’t as easy as it may seem. Even Ballard, with his unhealthy Echo obsession, gets roped in to working for them in the end, albeit an attempt to take them down from the inside.

Both season finales are worth a mention, as they interestingly jump forward in time to a post-apocalyptic future. Without giving too much away, it stages the uprising of the dolls, as well as showing how advanced the Dollhouse technology has become and subsequently, what it has done to the human race.

A definite must, Dollhouse comes up trumps for me and I’ve already pre-ordered Season 2 on DVD. If only it hadn’t been so prematurely cancelled…

In the words of Mutant Enemy: ‘Grr. Argh.’

This futuristic sci-fi drama deserves a decent 7.5/10.