Your post reminds me of something Tim Minear said a while ago about how The Inside was not any darker (or even less dark) than Angel, and yet, because it was set in the Real World, without the buffer of fantasy, it was harder to look at. It also didn't make it past a handful of episodes.

I don't know. If it weren't for Whedon's name attached to Dollhouse, I wouldn't be watching it. I'm not drawn to the premise, but I generally like the stories he tells (even/especially when he tells them over and over again), so I'm giving it a shot. I don't think the pilot was stellar, but I don't think Whedon pilots usually are, and I think there was some network interference with this one. I'll watch a few more episodes.