Dollhouse Episode 1 Series Premiere Review: The Ghost

The series premiere of Joss Whedon's new creation, Dollhouse, aired on Fox on 2/13/09. Dollhouse is about a secret organization whose agents are programmed with new personalities every day to make them the perfect operative for whatever their assignment is. The only catch is every night their minds are wiped , becoming living "dolls." Warning: my episode review contains plot spoilers.

The plot behind Dollhouse is just plain creepy. At first I loved the concept because apparently I was getting the series confused with my last favorite (now cancelled) series My Own Worst Enemy. I thought the "dolls" were assassins/operatives who were on various missions for a questionable governmental agency. I was so wrong. After the first ten minutes of the episode, anxiously waiting for Echo, played by Eliza Dusk, to either snap the annoying rich guys neck or steal some secret information, I was totally shocked to watch Echo do neither of those and just happily stroll back to the center and have her mind wiped. Nope, Echo is not a cool governmental agent, instead she is just a highly paid prostitute.

So after twenty minutes of this crap, I was beginning to get very disappointed but I didn't give up hope yet because I knew one of my favorite actresses from the good old Angel days, Amy Acker, was in the series. But my hopes of a good series was quickly dashed when it is revealed that Amy Acker is not one of the dolls, instead she is a timid scarred doctor who quietly lurks around the dollhouse.

As much as I wanted to like this series, I just don't see what could be good about a TV series of a bunch of citizens turned zombies who are forced to do the will of billionaires, especially when the will is usually just turning them into sex dolls.

The series also has some predictable and not very original side-plots. Lets see, there is a ex-cop turned handler who obviously sees the ethical dilemma of the dollhouse but he keeps his mouth shut because he is being paid very well. There is the creepy young nerd who enjoys playing "god" with the beautiful dolls because he has probably never been on a date in his life. And of course there is the handsome hero in the form of a beefy cop who is hot on the trail of the dollhouse, against the wishes of his superiors. Sigh...nothing original in the side-plots. The main plot of the dolls could have been very interesting if the dolls were being sent on secret saving the world type missions instead of just being sent to fulfill the fantasy of a bunch of rich guys.

Can you tell I didn't like the series premier of the Dollhouse? I give the episode 1 out of 5 stars. I need to go watch a couple episodes of Buffy to erase my mind of the Dollhouse's terrible concept.