TV Show Review

TV Review: DollHouse: Season 1, Ep. 1: Ghost, Ep. 2: The Target

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I thought it was time for me to chime in on Joss Whedon‘s Dollhouse now, especially since the Dollhouse Grindhouse trailer kicked ass. I have seen Dollhouse Season 1, Ep. 1 : Ghost and Dollhouse Season 1, Ep. 2 : The Target. The first ten minutes of the series’ premiere, Dollhouse Season 1, Ep. 1 – Ghost, were ordinary and a bit of a let-down. We have all seen a bike race on a city street before and done far better than what was presented. There was a nice piece of dialogue after the race though: “Oh my god, you’re a sore loser.” “I wouldn’t know, I’ve never lost.” “That’s okay, the first time you’re always a little bit sore.” What was interesting was when the series star, Echo (Eliza Dushku), had her personality wiped and she was virtually a child afterward. A child with no experiences to fall back on and no past. The storyline that evolves out of her imprinted personality later in Ghost was surprising, especially the last scene involving the three kidnappers. It was well scripted and well acted. I have got to give Whedon credit for how that scene ended then transitioned to Echo’s wiped self in the Dollhouse.

Dollhouse Season 1, Ep. 2: The Target, amped the back story ante of Dollhouse as well the blood factor. We got to see how certain characters came to the Dollhouse and the result of a breakout from inside it by an “Active” codenamed Alpha. The best part of the episode for me was the serial killer and the hunt in the woods. Even after the episode’s ending I was thinking: “Shoulder to the Wheel. Make your own way. Do the work.” When Echo, nicknamed Special Needs by her handler, Boyd Langton (Harry J. Lennix), is standing in Dollhouse after getting her stones broken by Dollhouse’s head of security, Laurence Dominic (Reed Diamond), and not knowing how to respond to it, I knew she was going to tap her shoulder with her hand, “Shoulder to the Wheel”, when Dominic walked away. Great ending. I guess there is a residue of the imprint that does remain. What would be fascinating is if Echo builds a new personality from the residue of all of her imprints, one that supplants even her old personality. We will see. What did you think of the first two episodes of Dollhouse? What do you think of the human trafficking aspect of the show and how the “Actives” in the Dollhouse get whored out?

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Rollo Tomasi

Rollo Tomasi is a Connecticut-based film critic, TV show critic, news, and editorial writer. He will have a MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in 2025. Rollo has written over 700 film, TV show, short film, Blu-ray, and 4K-Ultra reviews. His reviews are published in IMDb's External Reviews and in Google News. Previously you could find his work at Empire Movies, Blogcritics, and AltFilmGuide. Now you can find his work at FilmBook.
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