Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #210 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-09-07
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 4
• Running time: 666 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
It’s fair to suggest that there are television series that have sprung out of the blocks with more confidence and momentum than Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse. The latest show from the creator of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Firefly centres on Eliza Dushku as Echo, a woman who has different personalities transplanted into her depending on the mission she’s been hired for. It’s a tremendous premise, and one laced with just the kind of threads that Whedon has shown real skill at exploiting. But the first half of the season is a muddle. It takes some time for the show to settle down and find its feet, and the first couple of episodes in particular are more disappointing than anything else.

But then Dollhouse suddenly finds its feet. And while it doesn’t iron out all of the creases, once the show slips into gear, it finally begins to realise some of the immense potential here. What’s interesting too is that this first season DVD set includes the terrific missing episode that was never broadcast when the show debuted in the US.

A second season of Dollhouse is incoming, and given how soundly all concerned recover their footing with season one, that’s something to genuinely look forward to. This maiden season? It has its problems, but when it finally hits top gear, it rewards both your financial and time investment. --Jon Foster

Synopsis
Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Firefly creator Joss Whedon crafts this science-fiction-themed television series concerning a highly-illegal, underground organization known as the Dollhouse that caters to the wealthy, powerful, and connected by leasing out 'Actives', people whose personalities have been wiped clean so they can serve whatever purpose the client demands. Echo (Eliza Dushku) is an 'Active'. She doesn't just perform the role that she has been hired to play, but actually becomes it since she knows no other life than the one she is living in the moment. Actives can become whatever the client wants or needs - a lover, a best friend, a corporate negotiator, or even an assassin. Echo and fellow Actives such as Sierra (Dichen Lachman) receive their assignments from Adelle Dewitt (Olivia Williams), one of the leaders of the Dollhouse. Upon completion of her mission, Echo always returns to the Dollhouse to have her thoughts, feelings, experiences, and knowledge erased by genius programmer Topher Brink (Fran Krantz) while her handler Boyd Langton (Hary Lennix) supervises the process. But the powers that be have caught wind of the Dollhouse, and with every tip he receives from Russian informant Lubov (Enver Gjokaj) FBI Agent Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett) moves one step closer to the truth. But now, as Echo stops forgetting and her memories gradually begin to return, she becomes determined to solve the mystery of her secret-shrouded past. Features the complete first series of the show.

Customer Reviews

A flawed diamond
Ok, so the series starts off with Joss Whedon, celebrated writer-director-composer, except no-one wants to work with him, then he has a hit web show, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, and he catches the attention of the dark and shadowy Fox Corporation. Fox wipe Joss's brain to make him forget that he worked for them before when they became mortal enemies.

So now Fox can make Joss do whatever they want, everyday they activate Joss and set him to work making a television series for them called Dollhouse. Everything works out fine for them. The show is flashy, cool, sexy, confusing, humourless, disconnected and unengaging. Without the real Joss to complain Fox don't even have to spend much cash on it. But can the technology Fox has used really remove all of a person's memories, their sense of self, their soul?

As he works from episode to episode it becomes apparent that Joss starts to remember who he is, but knowing he shouldn't draw attention to this fact he keeps it to himself and works slowly to improve Dollhouse from within. From episode 6 `Man on the Street' flashes of brilliance begin to save the show, culminating in the superb episode 9 `A Spy in the House of Love', by now Dollhouse has become gripping, funny, dark and touching with an intelligent and complex storyline that has people thinking. Joss is even able to help other people taken over by Fox and makes Eliza Dushku realise that she is an actress.

By the end of the series we have been taken to a place we little imagined in the beginning. I won't give any spoilers but Dollhouse does end with Joss improbably winning renewal for a second series, this time will he be out to revenge himself on the people who did this to him and turn out a flawless piece of work from the start?

AMAZING!!
Ok, so the first five episodes are rather slow, but that is not down to Joss Whedon (creator), its down to the fact the network (FOX) kept sticking there noses in and changing the scripts so the first 5 episodes could be "stand alone" and act as five pilot episodes so people could tune in and understand the show. Episode Six is really when the show hits its stride and the episodes following on get even better (Episode 8 is by far the best episode) all leading up to the finale which was a great ending to the season.

Please DO NOT just watch the first 5 episodes and stop watching, i PROMISE it gets better by episode 6. And by the looks of things this show is going to rock in its 2nd season :D

You can really tell Joss is spending time on this show, there isn't alot of TV series out there were it gets better every episode. Most of the time they start off good and begin to go down hill.

'There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so...'
When I first heard that Joss Whedon, the man behind two of my favourite shows of all time (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel), was returning to television after a long absence I was so excited. Better still was that he was taking with him a whole load of Buffy alum, namely actors such as Eliza Dushku and Amy Acker -- plus Buffy/Angel writers: Tim Minear, Jane Espenson and Steve DeKnight to name but a few.

Dollhouse is basically an illegal, underground organisation that caters to the wealthy, powerful, and connected by leasing out 'Actives'. Actives are people whose personalities have been wiped clean so they can serve whatever purpose the client demands and pays for. Echo, acted by Eliza Dushku is an Active and the first few episodes are focused upon her and her 'engagements'. When the show slowly becomes more settled within itself, around episode five, the series becomes progressively more of an ensemble piece and non-coincidentally improves hugely.

These Actives don't just perform the role that they're hired to play; they actually become it. They are imprinted with a personality formed of many different people to create a persona suitable to the client's needs and desires. Sounds nefarious and dark? Yes it is. It's also treated as such. The morality surrounding this whole organisation and the various people who work for and against it explore the ethics involved. This series is bleak in its outlook; although, on the surface it's not always apparent what with the witty banter, the gloss and the beautiful people -- but underneath it, Dollhouse is very much a piece on what it means to be human and what it would mean for humanity if we really could be programmed like nothing more than computers and hardware.

The Pilot episode 'Ghost' does a decent enough job of explaining what is a relatively complex idea. There are weaknesses to the Pilot episode mainly due to a lot of network tinkering but I've seen worse. The original 'Unaired Pilot' is included on this DVD set, which is much better written. Although I think 'Ghost' serves as a wholly less confusing entrance into this universe. The first four episodes are standalone-ish -- but keep at it. When 'True Believer' (penned by Tim Minear) hits the show settles down superbly with a heart-felt standalone episode that is also action packed and a sign that this show can do those kinds of episodes well. 'Man On the Street' (episode six) is when things really get going in terms of the central story arc. Agent Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett) from the very first episode is striving to expose the Dollhouse, over the season we see him fall from grace a little as his obsession takes over.

The other main characters include the Actives Sierra, November and Victor; joined by Boyd who is Echo's handler. The Dollhouse is overseen by Adelle DeWitt, played by British actress Olivia Williams. The amoral Topher, the genius behind the personality imprints that the Actives are imprinted with, fast becomes one of the most fascinating characters in the series with the small bouts of humanity as he struggles with what he's done. Dr Claire Saunders played masterfully by Amy Acker, is another character I found fascinating. Keep an eye on these two.

I was dubious about the premise of this show at the beginning, wondered if it could really work. I thought this kind of story could not be sustained for X amount of seasons and the intrinsic nature of the programme would be too disturbing for a network like Fox -- as usual, Whedon and Co. have proven me wrong with their excellent handling of this gritty and morally ambiguous world. There's something mildly noir about Dollhouse and its inhabitance with all the characters hiding something, lying, and just generally not being what they seem. The heroes, the villains, are not clear cut. This show has something to say about humanity, about ethics and the human condition. You should have a listen.

Highlight episodes include: Man On the Street, Omega, Needs, True Believer and Epitaph One.