Dollhouse

:

Season 1
  • Network: FOX
  • Series Premiere Date: Feb 13, 2009
Season #: 2, 1
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 419 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 346 out of 419
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 419
  3. Negative: 58 out of 419
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User Reviews

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  1. mereditht
    Oct 27, 2009
    1
    What Dollhouse serves up week after week is the high-tech date rape of its attractive women, who are fed electronic roofies for sex they can't remember. Lest you think this show is written by bad people, they include token disapproval of what's happening. Then, more date-raping. Echo gets raped the most, although they are particularly brutal when they rape Sierra - no idea what What Dollhouse serves up week after week is the high-tech date rape of its attractive women, who are fed electronic roofies for sex they can't remember. Lest you think this show is written by bad people, they include token disapproval of what's happening. Then, more date-raping. Echo gets raped the most, although they are particularly brutal when they rape Sierra - no idea what that's about. Thankfully, America isn't buying it and the show has basically been canceled. Don't waste your Christmas season fighting to save a show that panders to the sadistic fantasies of its nerd-heavy audience.… Expand
  2. JaeE.
    Feb 13, 2009
    2
    Maybe I'd like this show if I'd never seen or read any science fiction before and I got off on the idea of a hot, programmable woman, but for me this was just a waste of good talent and an hour of my life. Watch it right after an hour of BSG (as I did) and you'll really see notice this one's shortcomings.
  3. TitoB
    Mar 2, 2009
    3
    I immensely enjoyed every Whedon's show so far (Buffy, Angel, Firefly) and was looking forward to this but Dollhouse is really bad. Everything we like about Whedonverse (humor, witty dialogue, melodramatic emotions, ironic undercutting of those same emotions, meta-, auto- and other references, defamiliarization of the familiar genre...) is NOT to be found in this predictable C-grade I immensely enjoyed every Whedon's show so far (Buffy, Angel, Firefly) and was looking forward to this but Dollhouse is really bad. Everything we like about Whedonverse (humor, witty dialogue, melodramatic emotions, ironic undercutting of those same emotions, meta-, auto- and other references, defamiliarization of the familiar genre...) is NOT to be found in this predictable C-grade show. The casting is horrible. I can understand that Miss Dushku is pleasant to look at and fun to be around, but she does not have the range to pull this off. This show needed someone like Amber Tamblyn for the multipersonality lead. Even worse are the über-cliched empty, other-blandly-good-looking-people: the obligatory British headmistress ("Execute a kill order? Good heavens!"), the soulful ex-cop that overcomes his doll-ism (it's like racism! and he's black! omg! the irony!) in the space of 20 minutes, the obsessed lantern-jawed agent or cop (or whatever), the small-time crook and the painfully unfunny tech-geek. The only semi-human character (like Tara from Buffy) is the cop's lonely neighbor who will (in a non-surprising twist) probably be revealed as a deep cover agent and/or a doll herself. The soft-porn opening credits and the main theme make me cringe every time I see/hear them. The only thing that remains thoroughly Whedonesque is the gargantuan gap between the ambition/pretention and the realization/skill/budget. I thought the pilot was bad/boring/cliched until I saw episodes 2 and 3. The whole thing plays like Pamela Anderson's VIP, which is really disappointing for a Wheadon show. I (figuratively) cried when they canceled Firefly - I will sigh with relief when they euthanize this awful mess. Do yourself a favor and avoid this. In the time of shows like Veronica Mars, Mad Men, True Blood and Generation Kill... this is not even grade B brainless fun, it's embarrassing for all involved.… Expand
  4. JonS
    Mar 21, 2009
    3
    The entire show is just fetish fuel, right down to the commercials and opening credits. While its definitely improved its storytelling as of late, I'm still unconvinced that it will be able to turn things around. Phrases and story points get repeated over and over again. "Alpha must have done this, isn't what they are doing immoral," etc can only be repeated so many times.
  5. LJHayes
    Feb 25, 2014
    3
    I've been a fan of Joss Whedon since before my age even hit double digits but I missed out on seeing this show when it was released so I was thrilled to find it on Netflix. Then came the crushing disappointment. This show is awful.
    One of the things I love about Whedon is that he brings together a collection of characters with distinct personalities and different personal strengths and    I've been a fan of Joss Whedon since before my age even hit double digits but I missed out on seeing this show when it was released so I was thrilled to find it on Netflix. Then came the crushing disappointment. This show is awful.
    One of the things I love about Whedon is that he brings together a collection of characters with distinct personalities and different personal strengths and weakness and we see them interact and bounce off each other as they develop. But due to the nature of this show, half the main cast (Echo, Sierra, Victor & November) don't have any personality of their own, they change to a different character from episode to episode. It is impressive on the part of the actors to show such a range of talent but it makes it difficult to relate to the character. We don't steadily build up a relationship with a character throughout the series, we have forty minutes to briefly get to know a character we're told we should care about.
    As for the other characters, the non-doll characters, they don't make much sense either. Paul Ballard and Boyd Langton are basically the same guy on different sides of the fence. Paul Ballard is a tough guy working for the police who doesn't like what the Dollhouse are doing and spends every episode (literally every episode) obsessing over how to find them but never makes any progress until the last three episodes. Boyd is a tough guy who used to work for the police who also makes it clear he doesn't like what the Dollhouse are doing, which begs the question of why the hell he's working for them but that never gets answered.
    Topher Brink can have his funny moments but his character remains undeveloped throughout. Adelle DeWitt is the only one who has any kind of depth to her which is somewhat explored in small segments between the large chunks of time spent focusing on the Drones...sorry, Dolls.
    The premise of the show is an interesting concept but there just enough here to keep it afloat. A huge let down.    … Expand
  6. JosephS
    Mar 8, 2009
    0
    This is a real gutting from the creator of three shows I really loved. I'm not the biggest Eliza Dushku fan, but I think she does well playing supporting characters. She's just not up to snuff here. Way out of her league by trying to play several different personalities that are essentially her. If Joss Whedon's name wasn't attached to this, I would've stopped This is a real gutting from the creator of three shows I really loved. I'm not the biggest Eliza Dushku fan, but I think she does well playing supporting characters. She's just not up to snuff here. Way out of her league by trying to play several different personalities that are essentially her. If Joss Whedon's name wasn't attached to this, I would've stopped after 10 minutes of episode one. But with each episode, I feel more and more betrayed.… Expand
  7. SusanK
    May 8, 2009
    0
    This show bores me to tears. It's hard to believe Whedon was involved in this.
  8. KevinB
    Aug 29, 2009
    3
    The only way I could give this a positive score is if the second season reveals that Dushku's character is actually a horrible actress and the real life Dushku is an incredible actress, acting like a horrible actress, who is acting like randomly-generated personalities. Bring back firefly.
  9. JonathanC.
    Feb 19, 2009
    0
    This show is awful. The premise is bad, the execution is bad, the writing is bad, the acting is bad. The character motivations make no sense; what the hell is some holier-than-thou cop doing working for a human trafficking/prostitution ring that brainwashes women and turns them into living sex dolls? Joss Whedon is overrated, and this is proof positive that he is, at best, a hit or miss This show is awful. The premise is bad, the execution is bad, the writing is bad, the acting is bad. The character motivations make no sense; what the hell is some holier-than-thou cop doing working for a human trafficking/prostitution ring that brainwashes women and turns them into living sex dolls? Joss Whedon is overrated, and this is proof positive that he is, at best, a hit or miss idea guy. For ever Dr. Horrible, there will be a Dollhouse.… Expand
  10. NatalieS.
    Jun 13, 2009
    1
    Sooner of later Fox will be obliged to notice that nobody watches this show.
  11. deetoo
    Feb 14, 2009
    1
    Eliza Dushku is just horrible. It's one of the most painfully self-conscious performances I've seen in a long time. Every time she's on-screen it threw me out of the story. I wanted to like this show - I hated it. Really, REALLY hated it.
  12. timothym.
    Feb 14, 2009
    3
    I watched 75% of the show and finally had enough. The actress that plays Echo seems to play every charter the same, emotionless, with a hatred for the world.
  13. FreemanC
    Jul 11, 2009
    3
    The Dollhouse is a whorehouse that solves crimes. If that makes sense to you, maybe you should be writing the show, because the writers can't make it make sense. They act like they're being really complex, but they're just sloppily inconsistent - one week the Dollhouse is like Charlie's Angels, the next week it's evil. They did like three good episodes out of 12 The Dollhouse is a whorehouse that solves crimes. If that makes sense to you, maybe you should be writing the show, because the writers can't make it make sense. They act like they're being really complex, but they're just sloppily inconsistent - one week the Dollhouse is like Charlie's Angels, the next week it's evil. They did like three good episodes out of 12 and got a second season just 'cause the show's owned by Fox. Don't waste your time - Fringe, Bones, there's something out there you'll like better than this mess.… Expand
  14. MarkSn
    Mar 16, 2009
    0
    Bad TV show..I regret watching it and wasting time on it. Whedon should move on to something else.
  15. MovieGoer
    Apr 14, 2009
    2
    An unfortunate misstep by Joss Whedon. Too populated by glib beautiful people to be believable as a human experience (even a pretend-world human experience), too poorly written and trite to be interesting. Superficial but not tasty enough to be mind candy, guilty but not a pleasure.

Awards & Rankings

72
#72 Best TV Season of 2009
2
#2 Most Discussed TV Season of 2009
44
#44 Most Shared TV Season of 2009

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
57

Mixed or average reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 28
  3. Negative: 6 out of 28
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ken Tucker
    67
    Given the artfully vague hints of an intriguingly desperate past for Echo, as well as Whedon's track record, we ought to cut the show some slack. Let's see if Whedon can bring this doll to greater life.
    Read full review
  2. Newark Star-Ledger
    Reviewed by: Alan Sepinwall
    60
    Whedon is a vastly better storyteller than anyone involved in "My Own Worst Enemy," so Dollhouse can be very engaging, even if the premise doesn't make sense. Dushku isn't as versatile as the role demands--many weeks, the only difference in Echo's persona seems to be her wardrobe--but Whedon and his writers certainly are.
    Read full review
  3. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Tim Goodman
    50
    Joss Whedon is one of television's most talented visionaries, but his latest series--the highly anticipated midseason drama Dollhouse--is a major disappointment.
    Read full review
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