Plot: What’s it about?
A group known as Dollhouse serves the world’s most powerful people, providing services no one else could offer. If someone needs an ace in any field, Dollhouse can deliver one. No matter what the task is, from assassins to chefs to voracious lovers, Dollhouse has the goods and then some. But the group doesn’t employ an army’s worth of experts, instead it operates with actives, humans with blank slate minds. Dollhouse takes these blank slates and fills the minds with whatever knowledge is needed, then when the time comes, the slate is wiped clean once again. Echo (Eliza Dushku) is one of the actives, unaware that she isn’t whomever she is supposed to be at that time. But when some of the actives begin to realize what is going on and Dollhouse faces an intense threat, what will become of the actives and their creators?
Dollhouse marked the return of Joss Whedon to television, but would this series enjoy a Buffy style run, or be given a quick death ala Firefly? The first season of Dollhouse was by no means a ratings boon, but the show was renewed for a return, so only time will tell the show’s fate. Dollhouse was well hyped and Whedon’s rabid fans were lined up, but the show fails to spark the kind of unique presence Buffy or Firefly possessed. Is the show bad? No, but it also isn’t great. Some episodes work out well, but some don’t and the first few episodes are quite mediocre. As hot as Eliza Dushku and her female co-stars are, it isn’t enough to lift Dollhouse from the middle of the pack. But there is potential, so perhaps the second season will be more memorable than this one. If you do watch it, make sure not to give up after the first few weak episodes, as the series does improve. But those looking for Whedon’s magic touch are sure to be disappointed.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. The show looks good, even great at times, but this isn’t an elite level presentation. The image looks clean and much sharper than the DVD, but falls short of the best television titles out there in high definition. Some scenes look excellent, but most look just a shade above average. This is still good news, as Dollhouse looks terrific, but we often expect the world from Blu-ray releases. On the positive side, the colors are vivid, contrast is consistent, and no serious issues creep in. All in all, more than solid work.
Audio: How does it sound?
The DTS HD 5.1 option present here is great, a step up from most of the television soundtracks I’ve heard. This still isn’t up there with the best action movie audio, but it does sound terrific. The show has a good deal of action, which means plenty of surround presence and some memorable power at times. As I said, not a lot of shows have this kind of aggressive audio, so when Dollhouse’s pace quickens, the soundtrack keeps pace and then some. But calmer scenes also sound great, with clear dialogue, powerful music, and no volume issues whatsoever. This release also includes subtitles in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The main draws here are the original pilot and an unaired episode, both well worth a look. The rest of the extras fail to impress, though the Making Dollhouse featurette is passable. In addition to those features, we have bland audio commentaries on three episodes, half an hour of deleted scenes, and some brief featurettes.
