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I just finished watched the series finale of Dollhouse. Dollhouse was the latest creation of one Joss Whedon (of Buffy and Firefly fame and all around geek idol) staring the stunning Eliza Dushku as Echo and Tahmoh Penikett (formerly of Battlestar Galactica fame) as FBI agent Paul Ballard. The basic premise of the show was that a technology had been created that allowed a person's entire personality or essence to be stored on a hard drive and uploaded or downloaded as needed. As the show would ultimately explore it's a both tantalizing and terrifying prospect (okay mostly terrifying).

Many decried the show in its first season for being little more than an excuse to parade the quite attractive "dolls," around in exceedingly revealing outfits and the Dollhouse as nothing more than a technologically advanced brothel. Truth be told early on it was hard to disagree with at least parts of those criticisms. However diehard Whedon fans reminded us that it was often the case with his creations that they evolve over time and come to be more appreciated as they grow. I decided for whatever reason (okay maybe Eliza had something to do with it) I decided to sitck with the show and true to form the show really hit its stride about midway through the second season.

The mythology really built to a climax and in the end a true creshendo. The Dollhouse as a show became more about a conspiracy among the founders of the corporation (aka the rich and powerful) that controlled the dolls to, perhaps predictably, use the technology for evil (porbably and understatement). One such moral quandary examined is for example what if you had an army of emotionless soldiers. Or how about fat cat company executives that wipe some bodies for themselves and hop from body to body as they tire of them. You get the idea. I believe the show at its core was really an exploration of some of the fundamental questions of humanity and really that's SciFi at its best.

So we have a conspiracy, a great cast, plentiful action, SciFi futuristic tech, moral and etchical quandries galore, like I said SciFi at its best really. Fundmentally I think the show as an exploration into some of the most basic human questions. Things like nature vs. nurture or what makes us alive, what makes us, us? Can we ever really be "wiped" or can we fight that? Is there a part of us that never goes away?

The last 1/2 of the second season the run up to the end of the show was some of the best TV and SciFi that I've ever watched, period. The plot twists were a roller coaster and then some.  The reason I watch TV and the reason I believe that at its best it really can be an art form is for the moments when the show fades to commercial and I have to sit their paralyzed my mind blown, mouth agape, completely astonished at what had just happened. In Dollhouse's gauntlet run to the end these moments were coming at a rate of several per episode.

It would seem like the writing was on the wall for some time as it seems like everything was tied up nice and neatly in the end and perhaps they had some warning and were able to have a true series finale and not leave things hanging. If you need more convincing it is, at least in my opinon, worth noting that the series finale guest started Felicia Day (geek goddess of The Guild and Dr. Horrible, itself another Whedon project)!!

I believe that Dollhouse particularly in the last episodes was at least as good a show as Firefly. In true FOX fashion they seemed to hand down the cancellation right as things were starting to get good. Will Dollhouse become the cult hit Firefly did? I'm not entirely sure but the parallels are eerily similar. More of Joss Whedon's great SciFi that FOX just didn't seem to have the patience for. Unfortunate really because the finale moments of this show really convinced me that there was a rich mythology there to explore. So if you are looking for some good SciFi I highly recommend pick up Dollhouse on DVD (or iTunes) stick with the first season and hang on for the RIDE that is the second!!