Dollhouse is an American science fiction television series created by writer-director Joss Whedon under Mutant Enemy Productions. The show premiered on February 13, 2009, on the Fox network.
The first season ran from February to May 2009. Thirteen episodes were filmed, but only twelve episodes were aired in the United States. The final episode, "Epitaph One," was not aired there due to contractual reasons, but was released on DVD after a premiere at the 2009 Comic-Con in San Diego. The Region 1 DVD was released on July 28, 2009, and the Region 2 DVD was released on September 7, 2009
The second season premiered on September 25, 2009. After four episodes, the show was put on hiatus in the United States during November 2009, but was scheduled to return in December with back-to-back double episodes. Fox officially cancelled the series on November 11, 2009 during production of the 11th episode but will air all thirteen episodes that were ordered. The series finale is now tentatively scheduled to air on January 22, 2010.
Cast and characters
The Dollhouse cast consists mainly of Actives (or Dolls) and Dollhouse employees.The dolls are named after the NATO phonetic alphabet.
Main cast
- Echo (Eliza Dushku) is an Active and the main character of the series. She is one of the most popular Actives in the Dollhouse, and has shown skills that transcend the limitations of her parameters during the course of her engagements. Prior to having her mind wiped, Echo is a college activist named Caroline Farrell.E-7 She becomes increasingly self-aware during her blank state, and later even vows to discover and restore her original self.E-14
- Boyd Langton (Harry J. Lennix) is introduced at the onset of the first season as a former cop and the Dollhouse handler assigned to Echo. Later on in the season, he's promoted as the new head of security.E-9 He has doubts about the ethics of what the Dollhouse does with the Actives.
- Topher Brink (Fran Kranz) is the scientist who operates Dollhouse's technology and uses it to imprint new personalities on the Actives. Cynical, ego-driven and seemingly amoral, Topher's knowledge of human behavior allows him to specially craft the various personalities of the Actives for their various missions
- Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett) is an FBI special agent assigned to the Dollhouse case at the onset of the series; most in the Bureau view the case as a joke, but he makes discovering and rescuing Caroline/Echo an obsession. The Dollhouse assigns November to spy on him as girlfriend Mellie. After breaking into the Dollhouse, he works for them under the condition that November is released,E-12 and later takes the role of Echo's handler.E-14
- Victor (Enver Gjokaj) is an Active who was originally introduced as Paul Ballard's informant inside the Russian mob, Lubov, before being revealed to be a Doll.E-3 The character is also regularly hired out on secret romantic engagements by Adelle DeWitt. In his mind-wiped state, Victor is inexplicably attracted to Sierra. His handler is Selena Ramirez.E-9 He suffers facial cuts similar to Dr. Saunders' after a run-in with Alpha,E-11 which DeWitt authorises to have removed at great expense.E-14
- Sierra (Dichen Lachman) is the most recent Active to be added to the Dollhouse at the beginning of the first season. She is instinctively drawn to Echo, but lacks her growing self-awareness. Prior to having her mind wiped, Sierra is a painter named Priya Tsetsang.E-17E-13 Unlike the other Actives, Sierra is committed to the Dollhouse against her will by a powerful man after refusing his sexual advances.E-8 During season one, she is raped by her handler in her blank state,E-6 and despite Brink doing his best to rid her of these memories, subsequent episodes reveal that he is not entirely successful. In "Epitaph One," she begins the idea of tattooing one's real name on their back as a security measure for the possibility of being wiped. In the possible future depicted in the episode, this becomes a standard safety measure all "Actuals" begin to take
- Adelle DeWitt (Olivia Williams) is the highest ranking official at the Los Angeles Dollhouse. She believes the causes of the Dollhouse are truly benevolent. Although Adelle is the head of her Dollhouse (as the L.A. Dollhouse is just one of more than twenty worldwide)E-6 she answers to off-screen superiors. She is revealed to be "Miss Lonelyhearts" who has hired out Victor several times.E-9
