Science fiction, outside of the Star Wars"" franchise, always seems to come firmly attached to the word ""cult."" In other words, you have to be some sort of marginalized freak to enjoy anything in the realm of fantasy, magic or space travel.
Joss Whedon, creator of ""Buffy the Vampire Slayer,"" ""Angel"" and ""Firefly,"" probably has one of the biggest followings in the aforementioned realm. However, Whedon has also gained popularity outside of cult status (aka ""the mainstream"") that other sci-fi franchises (""Battlestar Galactica,"" the more recent ""Star Trek"" incarnations, arguably even ""Heroes"") have not. Perhaps this is because Whedon does a great deal of gender- and genre-blending in the traditionally limited sci-fi world, and he doe s a great job of it, too. Who else but Whedon would mix the genres of science fiction and musical theater in ""Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog,"" a musical-superhero spoof that aired online during the writers' strike of the 2007-'08 season? Whedon also manages to put strong female characters at the center of his shows in a genre that had previously been decidedly male.
It is a great disappointment, then, to see that Whedon's newest creation, ""Dollhouse"" starring Eliza Dushku and airing on Fox, looks like it's going to be such a freaking dud.
The premise is that Echo (Dushku) has her personality wiped clear in some sort of futuristic laboratory so that it can be imprinted with other personalities. She is then sent out into the world to perform various tasks while being monitored by the people at this Dollhouse laboratory.
I'm willing to give Whedon the benefit of the doubt, as he has surprised me many times before. However, after last week's premiere of ""Dollhouse,"" it's clear that Whedon has abandoned many of the rules that make his personal twist on sci-fi popular in the first place.
The reason science-fiction shows are popular is because the weird, robotic and other-worldly have always felt strangely human. But in its first episode, ""Dollhouse"" has cleared the protagonist of her personality. Although we may pull for her to get a personality back, it's going to be hard to identify with someone who is missing the root of what we consider it is to be human.
Additionally, there seems to be no apparent deeper meaning underneath the goings-on at the Dollhouse factory.
Eliza Dushku looks great and all that, but her status as ""bangin' robot"" makes me wonder how Whedon's usually strong, independent female protagonists turned into nothing more than a male fantasy.
In the world of sci-fi, there is never going to be an overwhelming appraisal of one specific show, series or superhero, because the appeal of a cult following is that only a certain amount of people ""get it."" Whedon, who has managed popularity outside the ""weird science kids club,"" may not even attract his cult following, because although robots with human traits may be exciting, humans who act like robots do not create the same intrigue.
Do you think a ""bangin' robot"" is exactly what a sci-fi series needs to survive in today's society? E-mail Ali at rothschild@wisc.edu.
