List of Dollhouse episodes
Encyclopedia
Dollhouse
is an American science fiction
television series created by Joss Whedon
which premiered on Fox
on February 13, 2009 in the United States. It ran for two seasons before its cancellation, ending its run January 29, 2010. The series comprised a total of 27 produced episodes, with two unaired episodes – the original unaired pilot episode, "Echo" and the season one coda, "Epitaph One
", which was aired internationally. Both episodes were made available on the season one DVD and Blu-ray releases.
The series focuses around Echo
(Eliza Dushku
), a member of a group of people known as "dolls." The dolls have had their personalities wiped clean so that they can be imprinted with any number of new personas
, becoming "actives". Actives are given skills including memory
, muscle memory
, and language
for different assignments, which are called "engagements". They are then hired out for particular jobs, crimes, fantasies, and occasional good deeds by the extremely wealthy. On missions, Actives are monitored internally (and remotely) by Handlers. In between tasks, they are mind-wiped into a child-like
state referred to as the Tabula rasa
(blank slate), and live in a futuristic dormitory
/laboratory
set up as a spa, complete with five-star cuisine, exercise equipment, pools, games, relaxation techniques and tai chi classes, and professional massages. The hidden facility is called the Dollhouse, run by Adelle DeWitt (Olivia Williams
) and located in Los Angeles as part of an international network of similar facilities. The story follows Echo, who begins, in her mind-wiped state, to become self-aware.
During its two-season run, Dollhouse explores the issues of the morality and philosophy behind its technology, as well as showcasing the disastrous consequences of what could happen if the ability to wipe away a person's entire being could be put in the wrong hands. Switching between action/adventure, comedy, science fiction, drama, and conspiracy thriller, Dollhouse showcased Echo's ability to move into personhood within the tabula rasa state. During the first season the Dollhouse faces the insane rogue Active Alpha, and during the second season Echo faces down the Rossum Corporation—the force behind the Dollhouse.
Dollhouse also features an ensemble cast of the people in the Los Angeles Dollhouse, including Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett
), an ex-FBI agent who falls in love with Echo and joins the Dollhouse to free her, Victor
(Enver Gjokaj
) and Sierra
(Dichen Lachman
), two dolls who also "wake up" within their wiped state and fall in love with each other, and the people behind the Dollhouse—Adelle DeWitt (Olivia Williams
); Topher Brink (Fran Kranz
), the genius programmer behind the Dollhouse; Dr. Claire Saunders (Amy Acker
), the scarred and haunted doctor of the Dollhouse who has secrets of her own; and Boyd Langton (Harry Lennix), Echo's handler and an ex-cop who struggles with the morality of the Dollhouse.
renewed Dollhouse for a 13-episode second season that began broadcasting on September 25, 2009. Citing persistently low ratings, Fox officially cancelled Dollhouse on November 11, 2009 during production of the 11th episode.
Dollhouse (TV series)
Dollhouse is an American science fiction television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon under Mutant Enemy Productions. It premiered on February 13, 2009, on the Fox network and was officially cancelled on November 11, 2009. The final episode aired on January 29, 2010...
is an American science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series created by Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
which premiered on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
on February 13, 2009 in the United States. It ran for two seasons before its cancellation, ending its run January 29, 2010. The series comprised a total of 27 produced episodes, with two unaired episodes – the original unaired pilot episode, "Echo" and the season one coda, "Epitaph One
Epitaph One
"Epitaph One" is the thirteenth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Dollhouse. This episode became available on DVD and Blu-Ray on July 28, 2009...
", which was aired internationally. Both episodes were made available on the season one DVD and Blu-ray releases.
The series focuses around Echo
Echo (Dollhouse)
Echo is a fictional character portrayed by Eliza Dushku in the Fox science fiction series Dollhouse, created by Joss Whedon. Within the series' narrative, Echo is an "Active" or a "doll", one of a group of men and women who can be programmed with memories and skills to engage in particular...
(Eliza Dushku
Eliza Dushku
Eliza Patricia Dushku is an American actress known for her television roles, including recurring appearances as Faith on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff series Angel. She starred in two Fox series, Tru Calling and Dollhouse...
), a member of a group of people known as "dolls." The dolls have had their personalities wiped clean so that they can be imprinted with any number of new personas
Personas
In marketing and user-centered design, personas are fictional characters created to represent the different user types within a targeted demographic, attitude and/or behavior set that might use a site, brand or product in a similar way. Personas are a tool or method of market segmentation...
, becoming "actives". Actives are given skills including memory
Memory
In psychology, memory is an organism's ability to store, retain, and recall information and experiences. Traditional studies of memory began in the fields of philosophy, including techniques of artificially enhancing memory....
, muscle memory
Muscle memory
Muscle memory has been used synonymously with motor learning, which is a form of procedural memory that involves consolidating a specific motor task into memory through repetition. When a movement is repeated over time, a long-term muscle memory is created for that task, eventually allowing it to...
, and language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
for different assignments, which are called "engagements". They are then hired out for particular jobs, crimes, fantasies, and occasional good deeds by the extremely wealthy. On missions, Actives are monitored internally (and remotely) by Handlers. In between tasks, they are mind-wiped into a child-like
Tabula rasa
Tabula rasa is the epistemological theory that individuals are born without built-in mental content and that their knowledge comes from experience and perception. Generally proponents of the tabula rasa thesis favour the "nurture" side of the nature versus nurture debate, when it comes to aspects...
state referred to as the Tabula rasa
Tabula rasa
Tabula rasa is the epistemological theory that individuals are born without built-in mental content and that their knowledge comes from experience and perception. Generally proponents of the tabula rasa thesis favour the "nurture" side of the nature versus nurture debate, when it comes to aspects...
(blank slate), and live in a futuristic dormitory
Dormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
/laboratory
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
set up as a spa, complete with five-star cuisine, exercise equipment, pools, games, relaxation techniques and tai chi classes, and professional massages. The hidden facility is called the Dollhouse, run by Adelle DeWitt (Olivia Williams
Olivia Williams
Olivia Haigh Williams is an English film, stage and television actress who has appeared in British and American films and television series.-Early life:Williams was born in Camden Town, London, England...
) and located in Los Angeles as part of an international network of similar facilities. The story follows Echo, who begins, in her mind-wiped state, to become self-aware.
During its two-season run, Dollhouse explores the issues of the morality and philosophy behind its technology, as well as showcasing the disastrous consequences of what could happen if the ability to wipe away a person's entire being could be put in the wrong hands. Switching between action/adventure, comedy, science fiction, drama, and conspiracy thriller, Dollhouse showcased Echo's ability to move into personhood within the tabula rasa state. During the first season the Dollhouse faces the insane rogue Active Alpha, and during the second season Echo faces down the Rossum Corporation—the force behind the Dollhouse.
Dollhouse also features an ensemble cast of the people in the Los Angeles Dollhouse, including Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett
Tahmoh Penikett
Tahmoh Penikett is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his roles as Karl "Helo" Agathon on the Sci Fi Channel's television series Battlestar Galactica and as Paul Ballard in Joss Whedon's Dollhouse'.-Early life:...
), an ex-FBI agent who falls in love with Echo and joins the Dollhouse to free her, Victor
Victor (Dollhouse)
Victor is a fictional character portrayed by Enver Gjokaj in the Fox science fiction series Dollhouse, created by Joss Whedon. Within the series' narrative, Victor is an "Active" or a "doll", one of a group of men and women who can be programmed with memories and skills to engage in particular...
(Enver Gjokaj
Enver Gjokaj
Enver Leif Gjokaj is an Albanian American film and television actor. He is best known for his co-starring role as Victor in Joss Whedon's science fiction television series Dollhouse.-Early life:...
) and Sierra
Sierra (Dollhouse)
Sierra is a fictional character portrayed by Dichen Lachman in the Fox science fiction series Dollhouse, created by Joss Whedon. Within the series' narrative, Sierra is an "Active" or a "doll", one of a group of men and women who can be programmed with memories and skills to engage in particular...
(Dichen Lachman
Dichen Lachman
Dichen Lachman is an Australian actress. She is best known for appearing in the soap opera Neighbours as Katya Kinski and Joss Whedon's science fiction drama television series Dollhouse as Sierra...
), two dolls who also "wake up" within their wiped state and fall in love with each other, and the people behind the Dollhouse—Adelle DeWitt (Olivia Williams
Olivia Williams
Olivia Haigh Williams is an English film, stage and television actress who has appeared in British and American films and television series.-Early life:Williams was born in Camden Town, London, England...
); Topher Brink (Fran Kranz
Fran Kranz
Francis Elliott Kranz is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Topher Brink in Joss Whedon's science fiction drama television series Dollhouse.-Early life:...
), the genius programmer behind the Dollhouse; Dr. Claire Saunders (Amy Acker
Amy Acker
Amy Louise Acker is an American actress. She is best known for her roles on the television series Angel as Winifred Burkle and Illyria and on Alias as Kelly Peyton. She is also known for her role as Dr. Claire Saunders/Whiskey on Dollhouse.-Early life:Acker was born and raised in Dallas, where she...
), the scarred and haunted doctor of the Dollhouse who has secrets of her own; and Boyd Langton (Harry Lennix), Echo's handler and an ex-cop who struggles with the morality of the Dollhouse.
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Season premiere Season premiere In North America, a season premiere is the first episode of a new season of a given television show. It often airs in September or October, after several months of reruns.-Evaluating the changes:... |
Season finale Season finale A season finale is the final episode of a season of a television program... |
DVD and Blu-ray release dates | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | |||||
| 1 | 13 | February 13, 2009 | May 8, 2009 | July 28, 2009 | September 7, 2009 | December 1, 2010 | |
| 2 | 13 | September 25, 2009 | January 29, 2010 | October 12, 2010 | October 11, 2010 | align="center" | |
Episode list
In this table, the number in the first column refers to the episode's number within the overall series, whereas the number in the second column indicates the episode's number within that particular season. "U.S. viewers (millions)" refers to the number of Americans who watched the episode upon its original broadcast.Season 2 (2009–2010)
FoxFox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
renewed Dollhouse for a 13-episode second season that began broadcasting on September 25, 2009. Citing persistently low ratings, Fox officially cancelled Dollhouse on November 11, 2009 during production of the 11th episode.