5/5 Extremely fun series
  by P. Novak
I bought this set on the strength of Joss Whedon's name, and I was not disappointed. The series is well written, and draws you in by slowly filling in the blanks of Caroline, and the Dollhouse's purpose and past. The acting is first rate, there are plot twists in just about every episode, and it's full of beautiful women, so what's not to like? I look forward to the second season, as the end of the first was not expected, and was quite inventive.

5/5 This Dollhouse is not for kids...
  by Will Turc (USA)
The first season of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse is awesome on blu-ray and the added 13th episode (not aired) adds another dimension to an already interesting show. The lovely and talented Eliza Dushku caries the show along in style. With its sexual story lines and violent content this is not a kid's show, but as an adult who is also a Joss Whedon fan (Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Serenity) I love the whole concept of this series.

4/5 Fast-paced, entertaining
  by Elias Aractingi
The premise behind the series is a big stretch, even if you enjoy science fiction. However, if you're willing to accept it, this is a very well crafted series with great acting and a fast pace. Quite enjoyable.

4/5 Begins slow... ends great!
  by A. Van Natta (Illinois)
Dollhouse is a good show with potential to be a great show. This is a shift in style for Joss Whedon from the more joke heavy fun of Sunnydale and the black. To a slightly more serious tone, just slightly. Whedon's touch is still clearly present in the show. The show is divided in two halves for me and one is significantly better then the other. The first half of the season is more episodic with individual storys for each episode. Those episodes are the weakest, it's not til the second half of the season the mythology of the show really kicks into high gear and the final episodes are as good as any Joss Whedon show.

4/5 An uneven first season that has promise
  by Terry Mesnard (Bellevue, NE)
A good portion of my friends belong to what I affectionately call "The Cult of Whedon." I do not belong to this cult, but my friends are continually trying to make me drink the Koolaid. They were successful with the entertaining Dr. Horrible, so I figured I'd give Dollhouse a try since it seemed to be the least campy and most interesting thing he's created so far. Before I begin, and as a warning to those who are on the fence, this season takes a bit to get into.

In the first episode, we're introduced to our main characters and the general gist of how the show will run. We quickly meet Echo, a woman who has signed on to be a "doll," a blank person who can be imprinted with a variety of personas and skills (think The Matrix crossed with Alias). Each episode is constructed in an episodic fashion, meaning that you can theoretically skip and episode or two and still understand the story. There's always a central situation that involves one or more dolls being imprinted with a personality to satisfy their clients' needs. These can be anything from a sexual tryst to excitement and danger. Obviously, there's a fine line here; is the Dollhouse a brothel? Are the dolls basically prostitutes? Unfortunately, this dichotomy isn't really examined much more than an afterthought here or there.

My biggest complaint with the series so far is that, for most of the thirteen episodes, I felt that there wasn't really much of a meta-plot (that is, plot outside of each episode's individual thread that has no relevance on any other episode). Everyone kept telling me to wait until the halfway point and some people pointed out a specific episode, "Man on the Street," in which some new information comes to light. I'll admit, it was a good episode and I thought a turning point...but then things kind of went stagnant again. Sure, some episodes did a good job of filling in the backstory or adding another thin layer to the story, but I felt that Dollhouse was struggling to locate its niche. Was it going to be another Law & Order-type show, with the focus being on the individual cases (or, in this case, clients)? Or was it going to be working toward an overall mythos?

Episode 11, "Briar Rose," is probably the best aired episode, even though I found it both terrific and terrible. The too-on-the-nose-it-hurts Briar Rose metaphor was almost painful for me to handle, in an eye-rolling fashion. I hadn't seen such poorly utilized metaphors since a beginning college writing seminar. This was couter-balanced by a great story in which something pressing finally happens...unfortunately, the great setup fell apart in the "final" episode of the season.

That said, the true final episode of the season is a complete game-changer. "Epitaph One" is absolutely fantastic; it's ironic that the season's best wasn't even aired. This episode would have completely sunk its teeth in me and made me excited for the series to continue. This is the type of thing that Fox needs to air. To discuss this episode would invoke major spoilers. However, it is absolutely fantastic (worth the price of admission alone) and the direction I'd want the show to take. Honestly, everything before it felt like a retread of Alias in a way. Hot woman dresses up as different people ach episode, working for a shadowy corporation that's more than it seems. This is the basic synopsis of both series...

Until Epitaph One.

So maybe I haven't swallowed the Koolaid, yet. But it is swishing in my mouth. I'm hopeful that Season Two helps Dollhouse discover its potential. It could be a great show.