Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse" has room for the gays... sor of

by Michael Jenson

Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku on the set of Fox's Dollhouse

The last day of the Television Critics Association Tour in Los Angeles included a set visit to one of next year's most hotly anticipated programs, Joss Whedon's Dollhouse starring Eliza Dushku. Joss, of course, gave us one of televisions best same-sex couples ever in Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Tara and Willow. But us gay boys were less lucky with the rather ambiguous Andrew (who nonetheless made our list of the Ten Best Gay and Bisexual Science Fiction characters).

So the pressing question has been whether Dollhouse would have any gay characters on the show. I got the chance to ask Joss that very question and to nutshell it for you the answer is ... sort of.

AfterElton.com: Joss, with Tara and Willow, you created probably the best same-sex relationship. Is there anything in Dollhouse that a gay man can look forward to?
Joss Whedon: The thing about Dollhouse by its nature is the relationships are rather ephemeral. Having said that, sexuality is part of what the actives were created for. So exploring different kinds of sexuality is going to part of the show inevitably. We don;t have long-term relationships set up because they forget who they are at the end of every day, but same-sex encounters is part of the mythos. It comes with the territory.

AE: You've been good about that. Is diversity something important to you as a writer in your shows?
JW: Well, Eliza and I are both interested in sexuality as a topic. When we were first talking about the show before I decided to do it, when she was just explaining the kind of show she wanted to do, she said political, feminist, liberal and she said I'd like to deal with sexuality and I don't just mean 'be a little hottie.'

I'm interested in it as part of our humanity and all of those things factored into the idea for Dollhouse. So we're both fascinated by what it says about us and what we thing is wrong with us. I think people's sexuality is much more fluid and interesting than most of them admit. I also think that people's perversions, like their obsessions, are usually the only true and fascinating thing about them.

AE: Is there anything gay in the works fairly soon or is that likely to happen later in the season?
JW: There will be something within the order that we have, for sure, the first 13. It's not something anybody has asked us to shy away from. It's not something that has made the network twitchy at all. They get it. And they're not asking for it with a lascivious grin, either. They're just like, This is just about what humans need from each other. And that's not all sexual; most of it's not. But when it deals with sexuality, they know that some time they'll be from each other that is sometimes what humans need from each other they may not admit is in themselves.

The cast of Dollhouse

What's encouraging here is that Joss didn't just say he was open to the idea of same-sex storylines and would consider it (I can't tell you how many times I heard that line at the TCA!), but actually said we'll see something in the first half of the season. If it's not there, it's going to make him - and Fox - look bad. Of course, after having landed in the bottom of GLAAD's rankings two years in a row, Fox should be used to that by now.

For those who don't know anything about the show, Eliza Dushku plays Echo, an "active" or "doll", someone who has had their personality "wiped" and is subsequently "imprinted" with a new personality before being hired out for a variety of reasons by a variety of folks. In between missions, the new personalities are again wiped and the dolls live in a state of childlike innocence not knowing who they once were or much about the other dolls either. Which explains Joss's answer about the dolls relationships being ephemeral (although one of the folks running the Dollhouse could certainly be gay).

Enver Gjokaj (pictured right), who sharp-eyed viewers might recollect from the ill-fated and shortlived The Book of Daniel, is also on board. Judging from the set visit and going by the sleeping pods we saw, it looks like there is room for six dolls at any one time so I assume we'll see other dolls as recurring characters. And I imagine dolls don't always survive their assignments.

Going by what Joss had to say about how the dolls are used, it's easy to imagine a whole host of scenarios involving gay storylines. A dying middle-aged man who never came out could hire a doll to give him the relationship he never had. A executive trying to steal computer secrets from a rival who happens to be gay could hire a doll to seduce him and steal the secrets.

BTW, the Dollhouse set was amazing. Serious money was sunk into this puppy which resembles a very upscale spa with lots of wood paneling, plush carpets, perfect lighting and a couple of ominous touches including a very luxurious office overlooking the facility, plus several ominous rooms where those who control the dolls tend to hide out.

One other item that is sure to get notice are the dolls coed showers ala Starship Troopers with Casper Van Dien (pictured below).

Let's just say I think Joss is willing to do what it takes to get decent ratings! Like the rest of the Dollhouse, the showers are circular, but with frosted glass Joss showed us the different styles they are trying out in order to be salacius, but not too salacious. Hey, if they guy has to show some skin, at least the ladies and gay boys won't be left out!.

Seriously though, his series has a lot of promise and I've got my fingers crossed Joss will do something interesting with all of it, but especially the gay angles.