The Good, The Bad, and the Dolls

The Main Cast of Dollhouse Season 1 (All Dollhouse photos ©2009, 2010 Fox Broadcasting Co.)

Dollhouse may have only aired for two seasons, but those 26 episodes were more than enough to establish an entire cast of memorable, if not relatable, characters. We'll be focusing on the main and recurring characters introduced in the first five episodes of season 1. This will give us a good starting point at analyzing how individual characters will become personifications of some of the show's key themes.

The Actives

The Actives Victor, Echo, and Sierra (from left to right)

Within the first episodes, the show begins to focus on a few key Actives in the Dollhouse. These individuals are supposed to be mentally indistinguishable from any Doll in the House: mindless, worry-free, naive, capable and willing to do anything given the right personality imprint. 

But as the show continues, we will see the nature of identity and the self question as Echo, the Dollhouse's most popular Active, begins to form her own personality despite constant mind wipes, as well as her own schemes to free herself and her fellow Actives from psychological bondage.

We also will see a romance begin to form between Victor and Sierra, which should be impossible given the Dolls' emotionally suppressed state. Not only will these two act as the show's exploration of love and attraction, they both individually represent other main themes of the show. Victor will come to show us the power of the Dollhouse to corrupt the individual and enslave others, as he is constantly used by others as a means to an evil end. 

Sierra's story, however, is infinitely more tragic. Her presence in Dollhouse will show her personally living the tragic implications of being made a defenseless, vulnerable Doll, and all the abuse and anguish that comes with it.

Next week, we'll look at the "horrible" people who did this to the Dolls, and how morality tends to become very gray in the Dollhouse.