It's been ages since Joss Whedon last had an episode of television air on network television. Now four years later he's back with Dollhouse.
Dollhouse stars Eliza Dushku, who Whedon has previously worked on in Buffy and Angel, and she plays the character of Echo. Echo is part of the Dollhouse, an organization that houses childlike blank slates who are imprinted with mission-appropriate personalities and hired out to clients for a very expensive fee.
The show has famously had some upheaval during production. The initial first episode, "Echo", was scrapped and "Ghost" was written in its place. At the time "Ghost" was written, the original first episode was to become the second episode. That is now not the case either. It's all very confusing but when you bear it all in mind it's not surprising that some of "Ghost" is clunky. Exposition is imparted in such a way as to accompany "Echo" and not tread on its toes too much. Despite this the way much of the exposition is given just does not work. Much of it doesn't flow naturally. The owner of the Dollhouse, Adelle, explains to an allegedly long time, repeat customer the rules of hiring a doll as if it were his first time. Shouldn't he know this by now? There are several examples of this throughout the episode where characters explain things or engage in spur of the moment philosophical conversations instead of allowing the viewer to work it out themselves. It's not dissimilar to when the characters in House psycho-analyze each other every week.
The plot of the episode revolves around Echo being imprinted with the personality of a n expert hostage negotiator to aid aforementioned long-time client in retrieving his daughter from a group of kidnappers. The case is rife with twists and turns and implications of the "engagement" spill over into the confines of the Dollhouse itself. Having said this Eliza Dushku was not altogether convincing with the new personality, which was stereotypical to begin with, but such is the nature of the premise and show's formula.
If it seems like I hate the show, I don't. There is one element that definitely points towards future greatness. This element involves Alpha, who one assumes is a former doll at the Dollhouse. He is set up as a problem for Adelle and he has an interest in both Echo and FBI Agent Paul Ballard. The inclusion of Alpha creates promise that once the series evolves beyond its "engagement of the week" formula it will become must-see TV in the same vein as previous Whedon shows.
In summary: "Ghost" is not the best first episode ever, most likely due to the troubled birth of the show. However, a first episode is just that: a first episode, and most of my problems with "Ghost" are first-episode problems. I have every confidence that once we're over the introduction phase Dollhouse will be as good as anything else on TV.
Dollhouse stars Eliza Dushku, who Whedon has previously worked on in Buffy and Angel, and she plays the character of Echo. Echo is part of the Dollhouse, an organization that houses childlike blank slates who are imprinted with mission-appropriate personalities and hired out to clients for a very expensive fee.
The show has famously had some upheaval during production. The initial first episode, "Echo", was scrapped and "Ghost" was written in its place. At the time "Ghost" was written, the original first episode was to become the second episode. That is now not the case either. It's all very confusing but when you bear it all in mind it's not surprising that some of "Ghost" is clunky. Exposition is imparted in such a way as to accompany "Echo" and not tread on its toes too much. Despite this the way much of the exposition is given just does not work. Much of it doesn't flow naturally. The owner of the Dollhouse, Adelle, explains to an allegedly long time, repeat customer the rules of hiring a doll as if it were his first time. Shouldn't he know this by now? There are several examples of this throughout the episode where characters explain things or engage in spur of the moment philosophical conversations instead of allowing the viewer to work it out themselves. It's not dissimilar to when the characters in House psycho-analyze each other every week.
The plot of the episode revolves around Echo being imprinted with the personality of a n expert hostage negotiator to aid aforementioned long-time client in retrieving his daughter from a group of kidnappers. The case is rife with twists and turns and implications of the "engagement" spill over into the confines of the Dollhouse itself. Having said this Eliza Dushku was not altogether convincing with the new personality, which was stereotypical to begin with, but such is the nature of the premise and show's formula.
If it seems like I hate the show, I don't. There is one element that definitely points towards future greatness. This element involves Alpha, who one assumes is a former doll at the Dollhouse. He is set up as a problem for Adelle and he has an interest in both Echo and FBI Agent Paul Ballard. The inclusion of Alpha creates promise that once the series evolves beyond its "engagement of the week" formula it will become must-see TV in the same vein as previous Whedon shows.
In summary: "Ghost" is not the best first episode ever, most likely due to the troubled birth of the show. However, a first episode is just that: a first episode, and most of my problems with "Ghost" are first-episode problems. I have every confidence that once we're over the introduction phase Dollhouse will be as good as anything else on TV.
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