Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
David Lynch will forever be remembered for his unique, dreamlike movies and the exceptional, generational series Twin Peaks. Most of his work could be hard to follow with its reliance on a skewed sense of logic, though ultimately, they ended up making sense and coming together. That’s why, when Joss Whedon showed Lynch the pilot episode of Dollhouseand David Lynch’s comment was that it was “too confusing,” Whedon knew he had a problem on his hands. The solution, reshooting the pilot, didn’t make things any better.
The Strange Concept Behind Dollhouse
The premise of Dollhouse is, on the face of it, incredibly skeevy and creepy. People have their minds wiped and replaced with fake personalities for clients, clandestine missions, or corporate interests. Eliza Dushku is Echo, who in the pilot episode that aired on Fox in 2009, “Ghost,” takes on the persona of a negotiator to save a kidnapped child. It’s a straight forward, action-focused episode that explains who the Dolls are, what they do, the Rossum corporation, and touches on the dark side of the Dolls.
It’s also not the original series pilot. “Echo,” the original pilot, was pulled for being, as David Lynch mentioned, too confusing. In this episode, we see from the get-go how dark the series was going to get. Echo and FBI Agent Paul Ballard (Battlestar Galactica’s Tahmoh Penikett) have their fight where Echo reveals her mission to save the Dolls and bring down Rossum, a scene that airs much later in Season 1, as does another scene where the Rossum staff realizes the Dolls are showing signs of being self-aware. It’s a lot for a series pilot.
Even after filming “Echo” twice, it was chopped into pieces with the scenes inserted into later episodes. Once fans were able to watch the unaired pilot as part of the Dollhouse Season 1 box set, they realized they watched it all. The drip feed of information, revelations, and betrayals that fans received throughout the first season made it a hit, at least enough for Fox to air a second season, seemingly unheard of when it comes to high-concept sci-fi shows on the network. That’s despite some minor executive meddling that confused viewers.
Dollhouse Aired Out Of Order
Dollhouse did not air in the intended order. The second episode, “The Target,” was moved up a slot. If you watched the episode, and wondered who Alpha was after the Rossum staff started talking about his meddling, you were right to be confused. “Gray Hour,” the original second episode, aired fourth, and its in that episode we learn who Alpha is, and why it’s surprising he’s out there making life hard for Rossum. It’s hard enough keeping track of who’s who without dealing with executives adjusting the order because “The Target” is a take on The Deadliest Game and he thought that was cool.
Watching Dollhouse after Joss Whedon’s history came to light can be difficult. Eliza Dushku left acting because of what it was like working for him, but on the other hand, she did an amazing job as Echo. The cast, filled with familiar faces from the world of sci-fi, including Firefly and Buffy alums, is an absolute joy to watch them work. Be prepared to be a little confused as the series reveals itself, partly because of the twisted mystery, and partly because no one knew how to sell the concept to viewers, so they make you jump in headfirst.
Both seasons of Dollhouse are available for purchase on Amazon Prime Video.
