Joss Whedon’s 2-Part Cyberpunk Sci-Fi Cult Classic Marked the End of an Era

Joss Whedon is best known for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and later for his work in the superhero realm, but Dollhouse sits between those eras as the last pure sci-fi TV show he created. The two-season series is severely overshadowed by the rest of his oeuvre, yet it deserves recognition for its ambitious ideas.

The show follows an immoral and illegal organization that erases and imprints new personalities on people called "Actives," who can be hired for a variety of purposes. Some clients pay for kinky sex, while others use Actives to negotiate kidnappings or rob a bank.

At the center is Echo (Eliza Dushku), an Active with a blank-slate personality who gradually begins to rediscover her past and true identity. Dollhouse examines the premise from many viewpoints: a detective trying to take down the operation (Tahmoh Penikett), Echo's handler (Henry Lennix), the scientist who erases and imprints memories (Fran Kranz), a mysterious doctor (Amy Acker) and the uncanny head of the organization (Olivia Williams).

joss whedon, dollhouse, eliza dushku, actives, echo, cyberpunk, sci-fi, memory erasure, fran kranz, amy acker