If “Dollhouse” has one defining weakness, it comes in the form of Echo, the show’s central character played by Eliza Dushku. The problem isn’t necessarily in the acting — though that could be argued — but more in the fact that, as a character who literally changes personalities from week to week, it’s nearly impossible to fully latch onto her plight.
When your show’s central conceit focuses on a veritable brothel specializing in the sales of attractive, impressionable human beings, the lack of an accessible main character is a tremendous problem. I think that even the staunchest of Joss Whedon’s fans would agree that they’ve stuck with “Dollhouse” not because it’s a particularly riveting television experience, but because there’s enough promise for it to eventually become worthwhile.
Thankfully, season two is looking to deliver on that promise.
In last season’s “Omega,” one of two finales for the opening year (there was also the unaired “Epitaph One”), Echo experienced a trauma when Alpha (Alan Tudyk) uploaded every single one of her past personalities into her brain at once. The result is that Echo is starting to integrate these different viewpoints during her downtime and even on missions — in short, she’s becoming an actual, proactive character.
Such is the set-up left at the end of the season’s opening episode, “Vows.” The episode’s main story — Echo is being married off to an arms dealer played by “Battlestar Galactica’s” Jamie Bamber — is completely forgettable, with the real meat coming towards the end. Echo informs Agent Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett), who has begrudgingly accepted a role in the Dollhouse as Echo’s handler, that she’s becoming aware of her situation. The two make a promise to one another to bring the institution down from within — a partnership that’s even hinted at in last year’s “Epitaph One.”
While there’s plenty of promise in Echo’s new role, we’re not out of the woods yet. Based on next week’s promo, it looks like “Dollhouse” is sticking to the old formula — much like “Fringe,” the mystery-of-the-week format is still in place, which I think could be a problem. Forcing Echo to assume different identities every week could slow her progress as a compelling character, undoubtedly the first season’s biggest failing. But if “Dollhouse” can manage to make this formula work in conjunction with Echo’s developing personality, however, the second season could actually be quite substantive.
There are other problems to consider going forward as well. Right now, the show’s most interesting character by far is Dr. Claire Saunders (Amy Acker), who recently learned that she used to be the Dollhouse’s primary operative, Whiskey. Saunders’ story in the first episode back is easily the icing on the cake, what with her hateful interactions with computer nerd Topher (Fran Kranz) and her potential romance with security chief Boyd Langton (Harry Lennix).
But don’t get your hopes too high, as Acker recently booked a regular job on ABC’s “Happy Town,” meaning her continued involvement in “Dollhouse” is going to be limited at best — word on the street is she’ll only be around for three episodes, and I believe last night was one of them. Still, her slack could be picked up by the bevy of guest stars headed to “Dollhouse” this season, including Whedon veterans Summer Glau (”Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles“) and Alexis Denisof (”Angel“), among others.
I’m hopeful that “Dollhouse” can become a truly strong series in its second year, but I’m staying cautiously optimistic. All the required ingredients for success are on hand — a developing main character, a terrifying central concept, a sharply focused plot — but it’s a question of whether or not Whedon and his team will implement these ingredients correctly. If “Vows” is any indication, we might still be in for a mixed bag for a while… but with a couple more “treatments,” Whedon’s “Dollhouse” could truly become the show that fans are begging for.
Did the season premiere of “Dollhouse” make you optimistic of the show’s chances? Were you already a staunch supporter of the show before the second year kicked off? Let us know what you think of “Dollhouse’s” strengths and weaknesses in the comments section!
Word is running rampant today that the rights for the “Terminator” franchise are being sold off for a pretty penny. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about 
The rights to the Terminator franchise have only been 
News broke yesterday that 
Are you a fan of both “
All of us here at MTV are excited for Ridley Scott’s “Alien” prequel. The director hasn’t had anything to do with the series since the 1979 original, which is a bonafide classic. To honor Scott and his lasting contribution to badass women in film, we’ve paired up the lovely duo of MTV contributor Jenni Miller and Photoshop ninja/digital producer Sohyung Kang to produce a magical list of five leading ladies who could rock Ripley.
