Pretty Good

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

When this show was created, (Almost!) 10 years ago, I was defintely looking forward to it. After following religiously others of Joss' shows (Buffy, Firefly), I couldn't wait to see what was coming next. And I was definitely not disappointed.Dollhouse surprised me then, with its mastery over the human psych, its treatment and development of characters and it surprised me now, when I rewatched it in 2018 and found it to be as insightful as it once did. Sure, the technology seems almost outdated, due to the rapid changes on the landscape, but the terrifying predicitions seem only closer this time around, and I would say, more real. The many loops and twists were still amazing to watch (even if I still remembered some of them partially) and it is refreshing to rewatch such a clever show. Should you watch this show? Yes, definitely, but especially if you: - Sometimes wonder where this technological advances are leading us; - Don't mind watching a show for the glory of its years (eg.: Watching Star Wars and remembering which technology was available at the time and not complaining how lame the computer graphics are); - Love Joss Whedon and want to capture its essence with the female-dominant hero, intelligent humor, different perspectives on the same situations, and grey scenarios and villains.I also wanted to add that one of the things that I particularly enjoy in this show is exactly what Joss intended to do: It makes people nervous and it makes them hot and bothered even if sometimes they can't quite figure out why (well, in this show, many times you can clearly pinpoint why - My brain quickly travels to the SM outfit). It is also interesting that maybe nowadays, with the hollywood-ish climate on women being treated differently and abuse, this show could never have existed, at all.And what a shame that would be.

My first thought after finishing it all these years later after it aired and was canceled was this: this must be what people felt when Firefly was canceled.If you pay attention to Whedon's work from the past and his perspective on something in particular: feminism. You'll see that this whole show could be a metaphor for a man trying to be a good ally. Right up until his execution of an exploration, of what is certainly an examination on society and specifically how women are treated in it but not limited to just women. And while it's doing this it missteps. It's widely known FOX stepped in and messed with this (most predominantly the costume wear and hyper sexual themes, go figure and making Echo a less empathetic character from the get go), but the entire way it does not ever try to assert that it's showing you something that is terrible and is NOT condoning these things. All of the men in the show, including Paul, who is trying to find Caroline (Echo), throughout the first season missteps frequently. "Pleasure" workers, gender spectrum, grief, mourning, identity -- humanity. And even more, all the while being hamstrung. But the heartbreaking thing is not that it obviously could have done much better, but that a show that decided to examine these things in such a way was also attacked at the time for doing so. I remember watching the show initially myself and not getting into it, which -- this thing definitely has pacing issues. But I can definitely say that at the time that I watched this show I was not ready for these concepts or interested in them at all, and as such, they were completely lost on me. I did not give it it's due and a lot of people didn't, it seems. And here's the thing. I can't forgive a lot of shows for pacing issues, sometimes mediocre acting, conflicting themes, and other issues that happens when a lot of hands are in the same pot of a project. But this one, I can. Even an imperfect work that looks at these things, especially during that time is worthy of my respect, I think. Seemingly random with Whedon's trademark characters and development we always are grounded in the one assertion that this is not okay. The fact that it never buckled in doing that every time, for so long until a new season and changed it up only slightly to make her more empathetic -- kind of shows the dedication in displaying that fact for all to see -- while getting canceled, unfortunately. It is important that it tried to do this, when it did this, and how it did it. More and more the show strays towards moral ambiguity after it's already established what is right and wrong. Blurring the lines with the protagonists themselves in order to examine morality itself. Not as poignantly and eloquently as it could have. But it's pretty dang clear as it gets further into season 2 that we really can't expect a straight edge from anybody. Victor and Sierra as well are characterized much better in the second season. Showing us that there are always things about us that fundamentally are just a part of our identity and that is not attached to morality.Also, the best dialogue and exploration of the characters in this show are always the ones with the best lines and active dialogue because we are meant to know what it is from their lens. And how often people that can't try and view things from a different lens end up missing everything. The point, themselves, their emotions, and it literally messes up the world. It could have been less eloquent too, no? To stop babbling though, I'll finish with this, the general dovetailing and ending of the show, and the final episode, are also a slow burn. Probably because of the cancellation but I think it sticks the landing better than most any other show I've seen. In fact the most emotional I felt during the whole thing was in the ending. Because in the end:Sometimes the only way to become whole and the only way to move on is to dismantle our sense of self and become something new again. And sometimes the only way we can do that is to go home. And this is why it matters so much more than Firefly, to me.

It is in and of itself a good show, so its a shame to see them use what is basically a lame title since if you don't know the show you know the title-and if its lame you don't spend time with the show. The acting is decent and the concept is decent also. It seems that there are very few new shows that stand the test of time unless they are MASH. Thats too bad because this one was a good idea-granted it probably wasn't designed for a long haul. I'm tired of the TV environment as it all too frequently contains predictable shows with dull plot lines. I liked many shows in the beginning-Person of Interest started out good and then became a series of incomprehensible exchanges in darkened rooms that nobody knows the location of. Burn Notice was another one that started good-and then became implausible. Well I thought it did. How could a guy that smart get burned in the first place? Maybe this show attempts to answer all these enduring questions in one fell swoop. Who knows.I do know it was better than 'A Cabin in the Woods.' What a pile of rubbish that was. Good old Joss Whedon & his effeminate title choices.

I love Dollhouse. It's one of the smartest, deepest sci-fi shows I've ever watched. It explores themes of identity, memory, free will, gender, and the very essence of humanity, while keeping you entertained with lots of awesome spy-fi geekery.However, the show has some significant flaws: The first 5 episodes are mediocre at best, but since the show is heavily serialized, you can't really skip them. Eliza Dushku doesn't have quite the range or the presence to fully convince as the main character. The show never quite looks or feels as sharp as it should, especially compared to "Alias" or "Fringe". As it nears its endgame, Dollhouse reveals a major plot twist that barely makes sense on a plot level and certainly doesn't make any sense on an emotional level.Despite all those flaws, Dollhouse is still a great show if you bring just a little good-will and patience. Dushku's shortcomings as an actress are actually balanced out by a truly fantastic supporting cast (Dichen Lachman, Enver Gjokaj, Olivia Williams, Amy Acker, Summer Glau, Tahmoh Penikett, Alan Tudyk etc...)In a way, Dollhouse has similarities to spy-fi shows like "Alias" and "Nikita", bit it has much more on it's mind. It explores some seriously deep issues instead of being just mindless entertainment. I would compare the show most to "Fringe", "Orphan Black", and the old 60es cult series "The Prisoner". I recommend Dollhouse to anybody with a taste for cerebral sci-fi.