So I just watched Dollhouse...

I used part of my free Netflix trial that came with my PS3 to watch Joss Whedon's other cancelled show, and while it wasn't the best program I've watched, I have to say it was still enjoyable.

There's definitely some things they did well with this show that also set it apart from Buffy/Angel and Firefly. Unfortunately, the things the show excelled at may have also contributed to its short run. First of all, the production value of the show, what with the varied wardrobes and sets, was obviously high. After all, the show was largely about endless possibilities and excess that the wealthy revel in. Also, the show did a good job of really drilling into the audience's heads the darkness that comes with the power to dominate someone else's mind so completely and the hopelessness of being in a position to be taken over so easily and fully. And because this was a Joss Whedon show, there was a complex badass heroine to root for, which is always a plus; along with this comes the great action and well-executed fight scenes.

Still, I believe the folks behind this show may have only been able to squeeze another passable season out of this, so I can understand why it was cut short. Part of this can be attributed to the show lacking two essential elements to a good Joss Whedon story: sharp dialog and good characterization.

Usually with a Whedon show we have our resident joker; in Buffy it was Xander and with Firefly it was Wash. In Dollhouse, it's clear that Topher is supposed to have that role, but he simply isn't as funny and just misses something, whether it's timing or charisma or likability. In fact, the funniest part of the show that involved with Topher kind of didn't, but rather it was Victor's (Enver Gjokaj) portrayal of him. As for characterization, it is a bit tricky because the Dolls are the most interesting characters on the show, but they get mind-wiped at the end of each episode. Echo (Eliza Dushku) clearly evolves over the course of the show, as does the relationship between Victor and Sierra, but this progression was perhaps too slow and only really picked up in the second season. It's like the show can't decide if it wants use to be interested in the innocence of the Dolls or the people they used to be, which is a problem because the show had to decide whether to progress with the endless possibilities of Dolls carrying out their engagements or toward the Dolls becoming free and getting their original personalities back. The choice was no doubt forced when they realized their ratings weren't that great and they only had a short time to tell the story they wanted to tell.

It was clear there were some storylines they wanted to explore a bit further, such as the stretch where Echo was outside of the Dollhouse running her own engagements. However, it was somewhat fortunate that the creative team was forced to step on the gas with their overall story, because there could only be so many episodes where Echo puts her own spin on here engagement then hints that she remembers something she shouldn't at the end. They also got to explore a lot of the potential that came with the concept of essentially molding personalities like clay, so one can't be disappointed in that respect. In addition to the key failings pointed out above, the underlying problem is the gloominess and character roadblocks that go along with this particular example of Whedon turning something fantastical on its head. We can't get too attached to the Dolls because they'll likely be someone entirely different in the next episode and almost all of the other characters are involved with the Dollhouse so we can't like them too much because they're contributing to slavery/prostitution.

Overall, the show had its moments and fell on the enjoyable side, but unlike Firefly, the short-time it was given was just about appropriate.

Yup, I liked this show, and I do agree with your assessments of its shortcomings. I do wish he had made it for a cable channel/audience - it felt like the compromises he had to make to make the show palatable to a mainstream TV audience made the difference and killed the ability to tell a coherent and sympathetic story.

Also, Eliza Dushku, Amy Acker, and Summer Glau are hot.