This, the original pilot, features several scenes that will be familiar to anybody who has already watched the first season
and given that it is tucked away amongst the extras on the final disc I imagine that will be fair number of viewers. For those who decided to watch this first it gives an interesting introduction to the Dollhouse, most of the main characters and to explain what is going on.
The Dollhouse is an organisation with branches around the world, this story focuses on the LA Facility which is run by Adelle DeWitt. It offers a unique service to wealthy individuals who, for a substantial fee can hire 'Actives'. These actives are people who have had their own personalities removed and can be imprinted with any other personality the perfect lover, assassin, carer or whatever one imagines. Not everybody believes this system is moral; Boyd Langton, one of the handlers who looks active the Active known as Echo, is unsure about what they do and FBI agent Paul Ballard is investigating despite the fact that his colleagues believe the Dollhouse is an urban myth. Ultimately Ballard's inquiries put him in real danger.
I'm not sure why the network decided not to use this pilot; I thought it would have been an effective introduction to the series perhaps if I hadn't seen the series first I might see things differently. The way things were introduces was intriguing and showed protagonist Echo in a number of roles. The cast does a solid job; Eliza Dushku really impresses as Echo; a role which effectively means she is playing many characters. The rest of the cast are good too; notably Harry Lennix, who plays Boyd Langton; Tahmoh Penikett, as Ballard; Olivia Williams, as DeWitt; Fran Kranz, as Topher, the man who programs the Actives and Amy Acker as Dr Claire Saunders. Overall I'd say that his episode is well worth watching.
The Dollhouse is an organisation with branches around the world, this story focuses on the LA Facility which is run by Adelle DeWitt. It offers a unique service to wealthy individuals who, for a substantial fee can hire 'Actives'. These actives are people who have had their own personalities removed and can be imprinted with any other personality the perfect lover, assassin, carer or whatever one imagines. Not everybody believes this system is moral; Boyd Langton, one of the handlers who looks active the Active known as Echo, is unsure about what they do and FBI agent Paul Ballard is investigating despite the fact that his colleagues believe the Dollhouse is an urban myth. Ultimately Ballard's inquiries put him in real danger.
I'm not sure why the network decided not to use this pilot; I thought it would have been an effective introduction to the series perhaps if I hadn't seen the series first I might see things differently. The way things were introduces was intriguing and showed protagonist Echo in a number of roles. The cast does a solid job; Eliza Dushku really impresses as Echo; a role which effectively means she is playing many characters. The rest of the cast are good too; notably Harry Lennix, who plays Boyd Langton; Tahmoh Penikett, as Ballard; Olivia Williams, as DeWitt; Fran Kranz, as Topher, the man who programs the Actives and Amy Acker as Dr Claire Saunders. Overall I'd say that his episode is well worth watching.
