mondojohnson

Dollhouse always had a tough road to hoe, as it occupied the time slot directly adjacent to the brilliant Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles. TSCG not only advanced the “Terminator” mythology into compelling new territory — it also decisively severed its association with sad old Governor Schwarzenegger. The complexity and intelligence of the writing set the bar extremely high for whatever show would follow… such was the task set for Dollhouse.

For those who don’t know: Dollhouse is based on the urban legend that there is an elite brothel that houses stunning young men and women, all of whom have been “wiped” clean of identity and memories, so that they function something like blank discs (“dolls”). Various personas can be uploaded into the dolls, so that the client can have highly customized fantasies. The dolls are not just for sexual pleasure: they can be programmed with esoteric knowledge and physical skills as well, so occasionally a client will hire one to be a stealth ninja backup singer for Beyonce, etc. A highly potent premise, eh?

Tonight’s episode has made me an official fan. It reached deeper into the implications of the technology, philosophically and scientifically (and sexually, but it had that right from episode one). The client, in this story, was a wealthy middle-aged heiress who regularly made total brain scans of herself — so that if she were murdered, she could be “revived” through a doll and finger her killer. The writers ran with it: watching one’s own funeral, the religious ideas raised, and of course the Oedipal wrecks (thanks Woody Allen).

These are the things we have to consider as we get closer to a mechanistic theory of consciousness, and as machines get smarter. “Downloading” one’s mental state seems more and more plausible as science advances (TSCC touches on this to great effect as well)… the questions raised in the Dollhouse are real. They’re just posed in a fantastic, over-the-top setting (which makes for top-notch sci-fi in my book).

P.S. — The show is filled with doll-worthy beauties, I must say. Top of my list is Enver Gjokaj, who is not only überhot but also very talented, jumping from persona to persona quite convincingly.