Dollhouse (Fridays Fox)

Joss Whedon's latest venture 'Dollhouse' premiered across the pond last night, and i have to admit i was fairly excited about seeing the pilot. Whedon is certainly a man with talent; something he displays in the last few seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer which, despite its quirky birth, turned into a dark and compelling series by the time it finished a few years back. 

Dollhouse has Wheadon in his element; Sci-Fi. It revolves around a group of Girls (and men i believe, though i couldn't tell in the Pilot) who are implanted with differing personalities and skills to allow them to carry out various missions at the behest of 'clients.' These missions could be spending a night with a guy or as we saw in this episode, rescuing the daughter of a rich business man. 

I couldn't have been more underwhelmed by this show; the star Eliza Dushku is nice enough to look at, but this is a role that demands she pull off many different personalities, and when she has her memory wiped, she must be robotic blank canvas. She can do neither, she simply doesn't have the range. Ironically I'm sure Sarah Michelle Geller would have been much better. 

The other "doll" is none other than Katya Kinski from Neighbours, who is one of the worst actresses i have ever seen in my life; how she has managed to command such a role should be documented in history books. That or she has a personal relationship with Whedon that hasn't yet surfaced. 

The show is all over the place, and the all important set up flashes by like lightning, it left me feeling totally confused and uninterested.  When Dushku, or 'Echo' as she is known in the series, takes on her first mission she is simply identical to the vacuous personality free 'doll' she plays when stumbling around the 'dollhouse.'  Shows live and die by their casting, and unfortunately i suspect this show will fall on the sword before we see its second season. 

There are some nice performances, Harry J. Lennix is brilliant as Echo's 'Handler' (hmm kinda like watchers in Buffy) and Rushmore Alum Olivia Williams throws down a solid turn as the manager of the operation. 

It's not enough though, make no mistake this was weak, uninspired nonsense.  A good looking cast does not make up for a lightweight story and terrible acting. As with 'Fringe' i certainly won't be rushing back to see another episode of this tat. 

4/10