Delve into the underbelly of internet über-geekdom and you won’t be far away from the forum-dwelling hordes who bow down at the altar of one Joss Whedon.

Those inhabitants will tell you stories of how Firefly was cruelly and prematurely cancelled. Hope was on the horizon, as Whedon has stretched his hand down once again to those disciples and bestowed upon them a new gift – one that comes in the form of Eliza Dushku in a leather dominatrix outfit.

Dollhouse, which is released on DVD this week, is the first series of Whedon’s new sci-fi, action-drama starring the forever ‘hot new thing’ Eliza Dushku. As Echo, Dushku plays a basic slave for hire, who can be imprinted to embody any personality the wealthy investor wishes – be it sex-toy, assassin or your run of the mill hostage negotiator. She’ll become exactly that and then nothing more than an empty vessel after her day is over. Your average prostitute, then.

While Dushku manages to embody the personality of the week with all the energy and charm that you would expect, she leaves nothing to relate to after the constant personality flippage. It is then down to the supporting cast to flesh out the thought-provoking premise. While some characters do indeed manage to paint a haunted picture, notably Echo’s handler Boyd (Harry Lennix) and the FBI agent trying to track down the illusive organisation (Tahmoh Penikett). Elsewhere, other characters, while enjoyable – Topher (Fran Kranz), the most obvious Whedon archetype – haven’t quite wandered into the deep end of the swimming pool yet.

The show is a tease, jumping from episode to episode, sometimes focusing in on the overall arc of the series and sometimes embarking on distractingly mundane ‘personality of the week’ plotlines. Without giving away twists, the amount of hidden dolls walking around often flirts with the absurd – if the show continues in this fashion it’ll soon fall into Heroes territory of creating twists to make up for a lack of other dramatic kicks.

It is a shame, as the show has plenty of other things to rely on. The action is excellently choreographed and the show has the potential to see the characters going anywhere and becoming anything. It really is a writer’s toy-box just waiting to be explored. Perhaps the current restraint is due to Whedon’s desire to maintain a steady flow of quality, allowing the second season to explore the possibilities in its own time.

As it is the show is frustratingly hit and miss. The lows aren’t enough to put you off, as the highs are so exceptionally exquisite, and with a quality supporting cast – made up of familiar faces such as Rushmore’s Olivia Williams and Battlestar Galactica’s Tahmoh Penikett – who really have an opportunity to make use of the shady background to provide a show that can rival much of the US output.

The DVD also provides a bonus in the form of an unaired episode of the show. Epitaph One features a bunch of survivors in an apocalyptic future torn by the Dollhouse technology, having been used as a weapon. It goes dark, featuring flashbacks of our normal protagonists as they have to deal with their worlds crumbling. It promises big things for a show that has so far only skimmed the surface. Elsewhere the discs provide commentaries and behind the scenes features that, if anything, show the bond between cast and crew that makes a Whedon product feel particularly unique.

You have to wonder why Whedon has been sectioned in with the Comic Con crowd. Sure, they are an appreciative bunch, understanding the complexities and the promise of such original programming, but this could make for a full-on commercial success.

Perhaps that’s a bit of wishful thinking, any semblance of originality to come out of US television very rarely catches the mainstream, but we’d rather have a show that makes you think and be unpopular than suffer another insufferable police drama. What Whedon has to decide now is where he wants to fall – does he want to make Dollhouse the exceptional piece of television it could be, or will he continue to let it simmer when it could really sizzle?

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