Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse: Confounding Purpose, Confusing Identity ed. by Sherry Ginn, Alyson R. Buckman, Heather M. Porter (review)

The discussion, study and analysis of the works of television/film/comic writer/director/producer Joss Whedon have developed into both an established scholarly discipline, referred to as Whedon Studies, and a commercial publishing industry overlapping the academic and mainstream sectors. Whedon Studies is distinct within academia both for the speed with which it has developed and for the manner in which it has grown to encompass so many different disciplines, from film/TV studies to music, law, literature, comics, philosophy, theology, education and new media. In fact, as Whedon’s creative output and influence continue to expand across media, the discipline is growing exponentially. Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse: Confounding Purpose, Confusing Identity, edited by Sherry Ginn, Alyson R. Buckman and Heather M. Porter, is one of the latest contributions to Whedon Studies and takes us back to Whedon the television writer/producer. It is also the first academic book to offer a sustained examination of Dollhouse (US 2009–10), a series that certainly confounded and confused both the network and audiences upon its initial broadcast, making the book’s subtitle an appropriate disclaimer for the series and the creative agenda behind the book – to unlock the mysteries that both confound and confuse. In fact, Dollhouse is an apt reminder that one should never dismiss a television series, especially a show produced by Whedon and the creative team at his company Mutant Enemy, too quickly. Prior to Dollhouse’s initial broadcast, there was, of course, much anticipation about the show, as this was the series that returned Whedon to television where he had achieved, at that point, his greatest cult successes (namely Buffy the Vampire Slayer (US 1997–2003), Angel (US 1999–2004) and Firefly (US 2002–3)). The show would also reunite Whedon with Buffy/Angel alumni Eliza Dushku (who would act as both star and executive producer on the series), and include creative contributions from notable Buffy/Angel/Firefly/Doctor Horrible collaborators. This seemed to be lightning in a bottle. The initial reaction to the show’s premise on the part of the network and fans was, however, at best lukewarm, and at worst overtly hostile.

Both Dollhouse and the editors of this collection remind us, however, that television needs time to unfold and reveal its true potential – a factor often forgotten by networks looking for an immediate success. Furthermore, with Whedon shows in particular, it is often through patience, attention, and a critical eye that the true meaning(s) and intention(s) of the work are revealed, a task that the book’s editors set themselves in constructing this collection of essays. This is no small task. While it only ran two seasons, the show’s premise is unusual and at times misleading. Dollhouse is based on a provocative sf narrative in which a shadow organisation owned by the global Rossum Corporation runs a series of Dollhouses, containing living dolls, people who have had their memories wiped and replaced with a rudimentary and passive self (the ‘Doll’), waiting to be activated by having a new identity imprinted onto them. They are then sent out on assignment (as ‘Actives’), where they are effectively rented to the company’s clients as a form of fantasy wish fulfilment. While the Dolls are purported to be ‘volunteers’, the links to prostitution and human trafficking are highlighted by the high proportion of romantic and/or sexual engagements that are shown or discussed on a weekly basis. This is hardly typical material for mainstream or even cult television, posing problems for the networks in terms of the show’s apparent preoccupation with sex and prostitution, while many fans were disappointed with its seeming glamorisation of sexual exploitation, coming from the creator of post-feminist icon Buffy Summers.

I choose my words carefully when I say ‘apparent’ and ‘seeming’, for much like the Dolls themselves, Dollhouse is a show that seems to...