Well, I watched the first season of the new Joss Whedon series religiously and, while I think it’s okay, I have to say it falls far short of what I expect from him. It didn’t take me long to decide what was missing.
The characters aren’t nearly as engaging, either. It’s a very serious show, with serious implications, which, in my view, should necessitate the addition of something to break up the drama. Dollhouse doesn’t bring the funny, so the drama isn’t nearly as compelling. The best shows, in my opinion, offer up both humor and drama in more or less equal parts. I’m not thrilled with any show that doesn’t even attempt to do so.
Dollhouse doesn’t have the staying power of Buffy, or even the cult popularity of Firefly. What it has is Eliza Dushku. She’s attractive and talented enough, but she can’t carry a show that doesn’t have the elements to make it extraordinary. Basically, in my opinion, Dollhouse is simply ordinary. And that’s a shame. Knowing that Joss wrote it, it could have been great.
Too bad.
