Review of DOLL HOUSE

THE DOLL HOUSE - episodes 1-7

Science fiction, mind control, ethics, morality, 2009

CAROLINE FARRELL, later known as ECHO, is being given a hard choice by ADELLE DEWITT, the director of one of the DOLLHOUSES. She can either agree to let the Dollhouse run her life for five years or she can face an unspecified fate. She accepts the former, and becomes an ACTIVE, that is, someone whose original personality is wiped and who then gets a new personality designed for whatever purpose a wealthy client wants. This purpose could be sexual, criminal, political or whatever. After the five years, the actives get a lot of money and resolution of personal problems including accusations of murder, and their original personalities are restored. Whether the active knows before signing that he/she could also be maimed or killed during an assignment isn't clear.

In the first episode, Echo is programmed as an uncompromising but efficient hostage negotiator, being sent to rescue a millionaire's daughter. However, traces of Echo's prior personality, the one that should have been completely wiped, keep popping up.  Needless to say, this assignment, like the others does not take place exactly as planned.

Echo, like all the actives, has a 'handler,' BOYD LANGDON, an ex-cop with an unknown past. He's quite solicitous of Echo, and, though she can get herself out of most predicaments, he  often steps in at the last minute to save her. Echo also has an FBI agent, PAUL BALLARD, who is obsessed with her.  He knows of her life as Caroline and is determined to uncover the Dollhouse and rescue her.

Dollhouse has a lot going for it.  There is action, titillation (though not tits), a lot of humor, and several serious moral questions. Though most of the dollhouse staff treat the actives kindly and gently, the house has robbed the actives of independent choice. And, as the first episode shows, the original decision to sign up was often (if not always) under coercion. So why does Boyd, who seems like a genuinely good person, cooperate with the organization? The stereotyped computer geek, TOPHER BRINK, seems devoid of qualms, but even he wonders at times whether his actions are evil.

Dewitt and Topher are so similar to Amanda and Seymour from the NIKITA series, I think it's a ripoff.

The series was aired for only two seasons. It had a an enthusiastic, but not very numerous following, and so ended up being canceled.  That's a shame. Watching these episodes really helps my workout and even gives me a little to think about. I rate it as ++++.  It will get your pulse up to a run.