Recap & Analysis -- Season 2, Episode 4: "Belonging"

Wow. What can I say? That was the best episode of Dollhouse thus far. We were treated to a Sierra-centric episode that told us so much more about ALL of the players involved. This episode certainly exposed the darker side of Rossum, and we saw Adele’s humanitarian, noble facade crumble before our eyes. We also got to see Topher evolve significantly; he’s finally beginning to see people as more than scientific subjects, and he’s developing a bit of morals and conscience in himself. And we finally began to see the dolls emerging as people themselves, both in and out of their doll-like states.

RECAP:

The episode opens with Topher muttering to himself: "I was just trying to help her." This is not our usual smug, arrogant Topher. Rather, Topher is visibly upset. His face is bloody. The scene is blurry.

Segue to Sierra, at a craft market on Venice Beach. She is hawking paintings. A subtitle tells us it is one year ago. We find out she is Priya and she's from Australia. An admirer and repeat customer comes to her stall. Priya comments that he's not her type. We find out she's vending on the street because she lacks a work visa. The customer asks her if she'd consider doing a large, commissioned piece for him. He tells her he may even be able to arrange a showing for her.

We move into an art gallery. Priya is showing the large painting her customer commissioned. Priya is obviously bored by the rich clientele. Echo approaches her with a glass of wine and comments that Nolan said "the art was almost as beautiful as the artist." Priya replies that she's NOT one of Nolan's groupies. Echo advises that she should be happy because she's doing what she loves, and people want to pay her for it. Priya responds that these are not her type of folks and she plans to be moving on. Echo reminds her that shows like that will give Priya the ability to do so. She advises Priya to stick with Nolan.

We move to a conversation between Nolan and Harding, a Rossum Executive. Harding says although it's the least Rossum can do to repay Nolan for his hard work, it's an awful expensive, elaborate seduction. Couldn't they just buy her a necklace? Nolan says he tried all that, but Priya is an artist, a free spirit who can't be bought. Harding asks if she can be lured, then asks Nolan why they don't just build him a woman. Nolan replies that he doesn't want a Doll--he wants HER.

Echo tells Priya there's a lot of power in the room, and that Nolan is a medical genius. Harding interrupts to introduce them to Victor as "the finest Art Dealer in all of Italy." Priya appears to be immediately attracted to Victor. They converse about her painting, and Victor asks about the bird motif. She walks away with him, then tries to leave with Victor. Nolan stops her. She tells him to enjoy the painting. Her job is done, and she's leaving. Nolan accuses her of trying to give it up to some guy she just met, and tells her the man isn't even real. Victor is removed for a treatment. Nolan yells at Victor "You were supposed to help me." Victor says Nolan doesn't need his help and promises to find Priya after his treatment. Priya tries to follow. She tells Nolan "There is no 'we'". He says he's tried to give her everything--what else does she want? She says "I want to get out the door." He grabs her as she tries to leave. She tells him to get off of her. He says he won't take no for an answer. She slaps him and tells him there is nothing he could ever do to make her love him as she flees.

Flash to a scene of Priya and Nolan in his apartment. She kisses him and tells him she loves him. She asks when she can see him again. He snaps a picture of her as she leaves, and throws it into a drawer full of photos. The credits roll.

We return to a scene with Victor and Sierra in the Dollhouse. The affection between them is obvious. She is painting a picture of a bird. We see the black blob on the page as Sierra tells Victor she doesn't like the color. When he asks her why she uses it then, she replies "because it's always here." Echo eavesdrops.

We go to a scene of a frustrated Topher, examining something through a magnifying glass, muttering that it should work, but it doesn't. He ponders that Alpha could do it using just a telephone. He muses that he's talking to himself, just like Alpha did. He's startled by Echo entering his lab. She has Sierra's painting. Echo thrusts the painting at Topher, insisting that Sierra doesn't like the bad man, and that He makes her sad over and over. Topher calls it a primitive rendition and says he's not even sure it's a man. Echo replies: "You're not looking hard enough...you never do."

Flash to Topher asking Boyd about Sierra's repeat client. He tells Boyd he has a hunch that something is wrong. Boyd laughs. He thinks it's funny something is bothering Topher. Boyd tells Topher the client is Nolan Kennard. He's a Rossum VIP, MD, neuropsychologist, helps sick kids. He asks Topher if he wants Nolan's file. Topher asks about the engagements. Boys said they're typical romantic seduction scenarios, and that Sierra never exhibits any stress and always comes back with a clean bill of health. Topher tells Boyd he helped Sierra, and that she was a paranoid schizophrenic psychotic when she came there. Boyd comments he didn't ask. Topher shows Boyd the painting, and tells him Echo brought him the painting and told him the blotch represented the bad man. He comments that Echo is a mother hen to the other dolls. Topher says he needs a pattern, and Boyd suggests they check Saunders' files. Boyd says that Saunders didn't go on engagement, but rather looked after the actives while they were in the house. Boyd says Saunders would have seen a pattern. Saunders had a whole file of Sierra's paintings and noted that the blobs probably did not represent Sierra's state of mind before going to the Dollhouse, but rather a severe state of anxiety and rage, possibly symbolizing Topher. Topher wistfully comments "I'm NOT the bad man."

Flash to Echo and Victor in the painting room. He's gathering the black paint because Sierra doesn't like it. Echo encourages him to take them all. She tells him it's good to take charge. Boyd watches Echo and wonders what she is up to.

Flash to Topher in his lab, again obviously upset. He brings up Nolan's file, then Sierra’s. He retrieves Priya's original brain scan from a vault and reviews it scrupulously. Meanwhile, Boyd is watching Echo on a monitor. She's hiding under the stairs, reading a book. Topher bursts in and drags Boyd to the lab. He says Echo was right, he wasn't looking hard enough. He says Nolan is an expert on neuroleptics. Topher explains most neuroleptics are anti-psychotics. He shows Boyd 2 brains: "This is a normal brain; this is a brain on drugs...more specifically, anti-psychotics." He launches into a complex explanation of what he sees in the "brain on drugs." He compares it to Priya's original scan. Boyd says "You lost me at brain." Topher explains that Priya wasn't psychotic DESPITE her heavy medication...she was psychotic BECAUSE of it. Topher brings up the "wish fulfillment exercise" Dr. Saunders conducted with the dolls (last season, when they apparently woke up.) They had thought Sierra went back to the mental health clinic to confront the doctor who had originally diagnosed her. In actuality, Nolan Kennard owns that clinic and lives in a penthouse in that building. Topher has figured out that Sierra actually went back to confront Nolan. De Witt walks in as they wonder if she knows about all of this. Adele says "She does now."

We segue to a meeting between Nolan and Adele. She is her usual, calm, professional self. He says he wants Sierra back as soon as he can get her, and assumes that Adele called him in to discuss their policy on return engagements. She basically tells him she's on to him, and he's never getting near one of her actives again. She calls him a raping scumbag one step shy of a murderer. She tells him their services end now. He asks her what she's going to do…call the police? He tells her to imprint Sierra and send her to him permanently by close of business. If she does, he'll see to it that she keeps her job. Adele's face shows she's clearly repulsed by the man and the situation. We go to commercial.

We return to a conference between Adele and Harding. We see Adele's facade start to crumble before our eyes as Harding orders her to do things their way and to do what Nolan wants. Harding exposes us to the dark side of Rossum as he attacks Adele’s morality. Adele is practically in tears as she protests. Harding calmly asserts that they're placing a psychological basket case into a life of wealth with a man she adores. He admonishes Adele for wanting to tell Rossum that one of their "most valuable assets" is a kidnapper and a rapist. Adele says they're not slave merchants, and however Priya got there, she's in HER house, under HER care. She will not allow it. Harding threatens Adele in return. He calls her "Miss Lonely Hearts", and says Victor is the least of Adele's indiscretions. If feeling moral helps Adele get through her day, that is her business; The Dollhouse is Rossum's business, and Adele will run it in the manner she's told, or they'll replace her with someone who will. And Adele won't like Rossum's early retirement plan, if you get his drift.

We go to a scene in the shower room. Victor is getting rid of the paint. Sierra finds him doing so, and gets playful, painting Victor's face. He has a flashback of him in battle and collapses. He says "I don't want to take charge." Sierra comforts him.

Flash to a scene of Topher protesting to Adele "We can't do this!" She says "we" are not going to do this; "you" are. They don't have a choice, and she means that. Adele is broken. Topher protests that Dr Saunders would have never allowed it. Adele asks which Dr Saunders? The one cut down right in front of Topher's eyes, or the last woman he gave a permanent imprint to in order to save her life, the one that ended up hating Topher so much she fled the city? Adele is drinking heavily as they converse. "You'll do it because you must,” She commands. “The hard reality is that everyone was chosen to be here because their morals had been compromised in some way.” She goes on to say that Topher was chosen because he had no morals whatsoever. He has always thought of people as playthings, but he also took very good care of his toys. She tells him he'll have too let this one go.

Topher is choked up as he approaches Sierra, who is sitting with Victor. He tells her it's time for her treatment. She wants to bring Victor. Topher tells her she can't. He takes her to his lab. Meanwhile, Boyd retrieves Echo's book from a false front in a step. He muses: "So she can remember." He's interrupted by a phone call from Adele. She wants Boyd to ensure Topher follows commands, and especially the command “to keep the dolls in their places.” We go to commercial.

We return to Topher's lab. Echo is in the chair, getting a treatment as Adele walks in. She asks Topher for a report on Sierra's last engagement. He says "You mean Sierra's last engagement EVER." He calls Hearn an idiot. Adele tells Topher she has a 22 year old paranoid schizophrenic who may be a possible replacement for Sierra.

We flash to a scene of Topher walking through a psychiatric hospital with a doctor. They’re discussing a patient who is delusional and usually incoherent. Nolan passes them as they enter the ward. Dr. Kennard has been treating and medicating her, but "nothing seems to take." Priya is paranoid, talking to herself, rocking back and forth, and obviously not mentally healthy. She lashes out and says everyone there is a liar. Topher tells her he's not a liar. He softly says her name: "Priya." She screams not to call her that. She tells Topher that they're dissolving her from the inside out. She begs Topher to help her. He offers to take her out of there. She tells Topher that men with guns took her there to fill her with poison and torture her. He tells her it's not uncommon to believe that. She complains that she's a prisoner.

We move to a montage of scenes. Topher is in his lab, examining brain scans. Sierra is dressed up, happily getting into the back seat of a limo. Adele is drinking in her office. Priya is being forced into a straitjacket and dragged into a mental hospital, fighting them the whole way until they sedate her. A calm Sierra is approaching Nolan's apartment. Echo walks in on Sierra being brought to the Dollhouse for the first time, with Topher taking her original scan. Sierra enters Nolan's apartment. He asks if she's here to stay. Sierra says she's all his. Victor sits alone in the Dollhouse. Topher puts Priya's original scan back into the vault. Adele enters. She asks Topher if it's done, with a pained look on her face. When she says "good", Topher replies "If you say so." Adele comforts Topher. "If you have actually managed to develop some pangs of conscience, you can take comfort in the fact that, in this matter, you had no choice." "No, I didn't", he muses while he fingers Priya's tape.

We go to a scene with Sierra and Nolan. She's seducing him. She playfully asks if she's being too aggressive. She giggles as she asks if he wanted her wide-eyed, stupid, or even mute. She teases him, asking which fantasy he wants her to be forever. Nolan's face changes from pleasure to panic as Sierra grabs his hair and slams his head against the wall. "Priya?" Nolan hesitates? "You just couldn't take no for an answer," Sierra growls as we cut to commercial.

We return to Boyd confronting Echo with the book she stashed under the stairs. Echo plays dumb. Boyd asks her when she learned how to lie. Echo asks if she's in trouble. Boyd says "Not from me, but there are a lot of people who would be very upset if they knew what you were doing." He warns that she's pushing, both the actives and the staff, and there may be consequences she cannot control. He warns that some people are not ready to wake up. Echo says she doesn't care because something bad is coming. She says there’s a storm coming, and she wants them all to survive it. Boyd warns that she may just bring the storm on herself.

Segue to Sierra and Nolan, only she's not Sierra. Rather than giving her a permanent imprint, Topher evidentially gave her back her original self. She's back to being Priya. She tells Nolan she's no longer his lab rat. He asks if she came for revenge. She says the last thing she remembers, he was poisoning her. She can't remember a single minute of the year she supposedly loved him. She taunts him for resorting to brainwashing to get her. She says she can't remember anything from that year about him, but she CAN remember falling in love with somebody else. She trusts THAT man. HE thrills her. She can't remember him, but she CAN feel him. She loves THAT man even more than she hates Nolan. Nolan begins beating Priya. She asks if he's going to fight fair this time. He doesn't. He throws her across the room, bangs her into walls, and rips her clothes off. She struggles harder. She's doing a pretty good job of fighting back, so Nolan grabs a knife. He tells Priya that the struggle is a turn-on. He tries to control her with the knife, but she manages to take it way from him. He approaches her, and she stabs him. She stabs him over and over. Then she collapses in tears.

Flash back to the Dollhouse. Topher is in his lab when he gets a call. We only hear the musical interlude and none of the conversation. Flash to Topher, running into Nolan's apartment. He finds Nolan dead on the floor, in a pool of blood. He calls for Priya. She's curled up in a corner, hysterical and covered in blood. Topher tells Priya that they have to run. They’re startled by a noise. It's Boyd. He tells Topher that, as Head of Security, he hears ALL incoming calls. He orders Priya to wash up, then go to Nolan's room and pack a suitcase for a warm weather destination. He tells Topher to go get the supplies from the van, including plastic sheeting, tools, and acid. Topher asks Boyd what he's talking about. "Consequences," Boyd replies. We go to commercial.

We return to another montage, with a musical overlay. Boyd and Topher are cleaning up the scene. Priya is washing up and packing a bag of Nolan's things. Boyd orders Topher to drain and dissect the body. Topher is nauseated. He complains he can't do it. Boys hands him a saw. Priya sees her painting hanging in the apartment. Boyd goes through Nolan's wallet and starts taking his credit cards. Priya finds the drawer of photos. Topher cries as he dissolves the body in acid. Priya cries as she finishes washing up. Topher finishes with the body, and is puking. His face is covered with blood. He is crying. "I was just trying to help her...now she’s ruined!" Boyd matter-of-factly states: "You had a moral dilemma, your first, and it didn't go well." Topher cries that Priya does NOT belong in the Dollhouse. Boyd responds: "She does now."

Boyd says: "Now I have to start the lies." He makes a phone call to "the goose" to say "I need someone disappeared." Back at the Dollhouse, he calls DeWitt and reports Kennard's permanent engagement plans involved leaving the country with Sierra. He lies that Kennard left in a hurry, without Sierra, and they found his car abandoned south of the border with fake ID in the glove box. Sierra is back in the Dollhouse.

Priya is with Topher. She is still Priya. She complains she doesn't know what is real anymore. Yesterday, she had lost her mind and was trapped in a nightmare. Then Topher brings her there and wakes her up, and she's sane again. They tell her it's been a year, she finds about all the things they made her do, and then she kills a man. She cries "I woke up from a nightmare only to live in one...You were supposed to HELP me."

"I thought I was," Topher responds. "I was fooled. I'm so sorry." Topher is obviously humbled. He asks Priya if there's anything he can do to make it better. She asks for a beer, then asks if it will be her last. She asks Topher if "we're happy here". He stammers before admitting he has no idea how the actives feel. Priya spots Victor. She remembers she loves him. She asks Topher if THAT'S real. He says that it is real, and Victor loves her back.

Priya admits she wanted Nolan dead, and that's all she thought about while locked up in the mental hospital. Topher humbly says he never should have let Priya go to Nolan's. He should have just set her free. She admits she would have gone there anyway. She wanted to confront him. She doesn't know what she thought would happen. As she gets into the chair for a treatment, she asks Topher to erase that day from her master tape. She doesn't want to remember it--she couldn't live with herself if she did. "This secret we have...can you keep it?" she asks. Topher says he must. He can keep it, but he doesn't know if he can live with it. Priya comments she knows she can't, but she doesn't HAVE to. She lays back and prepares herself for her treatment. Topher is visibly upset as he watches. Sierra raises, accent gone, and asks "Did I fall asleep?" She's Sierra the Doll again. Topher walks her down to where Victor is sitting alone. Sierra and Victor are obviously happy to see each other again. They walk away holding hands. Topher watches, his face showing that he is a changed man.

We go to Echo, reading her book. Inside, she finds a folded sheet of paper. It has a transit pass tucked inside, with the note saying "For the storm". We flash to Sierra and Victor, spooning in a sleeping pod. Credits roll.

ANALYSIS:

Hands down, this was the best episode of the season, and possibly the series thus far. What last week's episode lacked in character development, this week's more than made up for. On the surface, the episode was about Sierra and her back-story. But I would argue that we saw more character development in the other characters than we saw in Sierra.

What did we learn about Sierra? Sierra was an Australian artist named Priya, here without the proper Visa, getting by by hawking her wares at the craft market by the beach. A powerful Rossum VIP became obsessed with her. She wasn't interested. He did everything he could to try to woo her, but neither neither money nor power could sway her. So the VIP used his power to have her committed to a mental hospital, and drugged her to the point of psychoses. Then he used his power to commit Sierra to the Dollhouse, all under the guise of curing her mental health issues. When his ruse was uncovered, he used his power to ensure it was continued, even expanded. He's obviously so important to Rossum, they'd do anything to keep him happy, so they gave him Priya, against her will. Priya got a raw deal. She did nothing to deserve what happened to her. Unlike Caroline and Madeline, Priya had no part in agreeing to the contract; she was forced into Dollhood without any say in the matter. Her character was such she'd never willingly agree to such a thing.

Through his interactions with Priya, we saw Topher really start to change. I'd argue that this episode was actually more Topher-centric than Sierra-centric. Topher finally evolved into a fully fleshed out human being, a real man rather than an adolescent characterature. This episode was about Topher's self-delusions getting completely shattered, about him seeing and coming to terms with the consequences of his scientific tinkering. Like Adele said, he was brought in because he failed to see people as intelligent, special creatures. Rather, the old Topher viewed himself superior to every other human specimen on the planet, and anything not as genius as himself was a lab rat, there for his ministrations. His world view was Darwinian--if you're not one of the fittest, who cares what happens to you. The evolved Topher realizes every life has value, be it that of a free spirit, a scientist, or an average Joe, and that no one deserved to have his life manipulated for another's amusement. Topher was forced to see the dark side of his doings, and he didn't like what he saw.

Topher also realized that even in their wiped state, the dolls are human beings that retain feelings and emotions. No science can completely wipe a mind of all its humanity, no matter how hard it tried. As Boyd and Adele both pointed out, Topher had finally developed a conscience. He was looking down from his pedestal to see the hell he had wrought. He was responsible for that all of that evil done in the name of science. Now, he is prepared to climb down from that pedestal and walk amongst those who he had written off as valueless in the past, possibly even to begin trying to atone for what he has started.

Adele went through a similar transformation. Always the caretaker, Adele was prepared to stand up for her actives and come down on the gross bad guy who had duped her into a game she did not want to play. We saw Adele shatter when she realized the limits of her power, and the depth to which Rossum would sink to cover its tracks. Adele had the rose colored glasses knocked right off of her face. However righteous she pretended to be, she was just as complicit in the wrongdoings as the Rossum VIPs. She wasn't funding research that would save the world while protecting those that made the sacrifices to fund it; she was merely helping to pad the pockets of those that didn't care about who they trampled along the way. And she was highly dispensable. Her way wasn't even going to come into play here; she was a puppet as much as those Dolls she was trying to protect. We saw Adele descend into a well of drunken darkness, no longer a benevolent powerhouse, but rather a powerless pawn in a game she no longer wanted to play. No matter how hard she tried to be the ray of goodness, she too was powerless against the evil.

Boyd remained his cool, level-headed self throughout the chaos, making me question his true motives even more. I'm convinced more than ever that he's some sort of mole. I'm more confused about who he's mole-ing for, though. He seems to be trying to coax Topher and Adele into some kind of epiphany, while protecting the dolls at the same time. Each week, he does more and more guiding, to help other Dollhouse personnel to see the consequences of this scientific tinkering. He appears to be 100% loyal to the Dollhouse on the surface, yet he kept both Echo's self-awareness and Topher's change-of-imprint to himself, purposely hiding it from his Dollhouse superiors. Just who exactly was he protecting when he covered up the murder to Adele? Just who did he call on for assistance with the cover-up? Was he covering for Sierra, for Topher, or for someone higher up?

I loved the development of the "doll" character reflected in this episode. We did get to see where Sierra and Victor's attraction first began. And it began despite the fact that only one of them was a doll at that time. Again, we saw that the dolls have human feelings, no matter what state that they're in, and that science cannot ever completely erase chemistry. Through Dr Saunders' notes and Sierra's paintings, we saw that all dolls retain feelings from their former and current states. What Echo has tried to describe, all the dolls experience to some extent. Love is way more powerful than science can ever be. However, that build up of emotion can be an explosive thing when a doll is released from her contract and returned to her former state. Priya could remember nothing but the built up hatred she had for Nolan, despite a year of programming designed to change that. Yet, Priya also remembered the love she developed during that missing year, even stronger than anything else. That feeling was present in any of her mind-states.

I also loved how we saw the dark side of Rossum through subtle interactions. That evil seems to transcend to anything even remotely associated with Rossum. No ends can justify their means. They manage to dupe their participants into thinking otherwise for a while, but no good can come of anything Rossum even breathes on. This episode planted enough seeds to explain the Topher, Adele, and rest of the Dollhouse we glimpsed in Epitaph One.

Echo was almost ancillary in this episode. We saw her trying to make the others take charge. We also found out the others may not be ready to. Through Echo's machinations, we saw a glimpse of Victor's past and what ghosts he may be running away from. Echo wants to make all of the actives as strong as she; the other actives may be there simply because they are not that strong and never will be. Boyd seems to have an awareness of this that no one else has, and he seems to be trying to guide Echo to that very awareness. He sees Echo's proclivities, recognizes the impact they may have, and seems to be trying to guide her to the same awareness. Unlike Paul, Boyd seems to want to protect Echo's developing abilities, rather than exploit them, while keeping her safe from those who would try to program them away. He also seems willing to provide her with an escape, when/if the need should arise.

I can't wait to see the continued evolution/devolution of Topher in the weeks to come. Now that he's developed a conscience, what paths will Topher take in the storm ahead? Will Rossum be able to scare him into line like they did Adele? What will Adele become now she realizes she's just as bad as the guys she works for? How will she deal with having to compromise her values on a daily basis to protect her life? How will she continue to protect her family while convincing her bosses she's playing their game? Or will she take the path of least resistance and take up residence at the bottom of a bottle?

Who is Boyd, and why exactly is he there? Was Ballard just the Keystone Kop, the FBI distraction sent so the real mole could infiltrate unnoticed? We know Dominick was a mole from an agency more covert and more powerful than the FBI. He worked unnoticed for how long? Could Boyd be of the same ilk? Or could Boyd possibly be affiliated with Rossum, working for someone higher up the chain than Harding, and there to report back to the real higher ups? While the other characters are beginning to unfurl their leaves, Boyd is clenching his tighter. He becomes more interesting and more of a mystery with each passing episode.

I am so disappointed that we have to wait an entire month for another episode. Fox, in their great wisdom, think that reruns of drivel House and Bones will bring bigger numbers than our great, multi-layered sci-fi masterpiece. The good news is that they may run back to back episodes in December to catch us up, and hopefully, entice more folks to watch the show live. Maybe enough folks will discover this great episode during the hiatus and join us for the back nine of the season. Maybe the hulu numbers will convince Fox to let Joss go out with a two-hour wrap up, so we get the ending we truly deserve. I fear nine episodes will not be enough to finish fleshing out the characters and to provide a spectacular wrap-up.

I’m told Hulu watching, ITunes downloads, and international numbers may sway Fox to fund a few more episodes. I, for one, will be rewatching on Hulu during the hiatus. It certainly can’t hurt, and I’m going to miss my weekly fix. This was supposed to keep me occupied until Lost came back. I also invite everyone to come join me on the forums at Fox to show our support for and love of this show. If there’s any news that breaks over the hiatus, I’ll post it here.

In the mean time, I wait with baited breath for the remaining episodes. I can only hope they’ll all be the quality of THIS episode, “Belonging”.

Fox Commits to Airing All 13 Season 2 Episodes (YAY!)

Has the Cancellation Threat Passed? According to E Online's Kristen, it has. Kristen reports:

Despite Dollhouse's seemingly shaky future, Fox has revealed that it will produce and air all 13 ordered episodes of season two. Good network manners such as these must be rewarded and encouraged. Someone send these people cookies!

Her link takes you to "The Live Feed" which reports:

"Dollhouse" fans can breathe easier: Fox will air all 13 episodes.

On the heels of impressive DVR data for last month's "Dollhouse" premiere, network executives say they will run each produced hour of the show's current order despite the Friday drama's modest overall ratings.

"We're going to run all the episodes," Fox scheduling chief Preston Beckman said. "We're not saying we're happy with those numbers, or accept them, but we don't have to overreact. During [November] sweeps we might have to jack up the numbers a little [with other programming], but we plan on completing the order for this show."

As for ordering additional episodes, or a third season, Fox says they will make that decision after the current run.

The news represents a relief to "Dollhouse" fans that the current season won't be cut short, yet also suggests a full-season order is unlikely. Waiting until all 13 episodes have aired before making a decision generally means allowing production on the show to shut down for the season.

Reached by phone, Joss Whedon (who has a terrible-sounding cold -- feel better!) said he's writing the 13th hour to give fans a degree of closure.

"We'll definitely have closure, but will leave some doors open," said Whedon, who's currently shooting the eighth episode. "When we got our first numbers, which were bad, the first thing [Fox president of entertainment] Kevin Reilly said was, 'You'll have all 13,' which was great. They're not going to pull the rug out from under us."

Beckman said DVR results have played a role in the show's fate, though wasn't surprised by today's results.

"It's one of the reasons that we brought it back; we knew it was DVR friendly," Beckman said. "We expected to see this, and hopefully we'll see [the overnight ratings] increase from week to week ... with some shows, you have to look at the bigger picture."

Beckman also humorously characterized deciding the show's fate as a bit of no-win situation when it comes to dealing with Whedon's passionate fans.

"If you cancel it, you're an asshole; if you renew it and then don't put it back on, you're an asshole," he said. "I'm still paying for 'Terminator.' 'Dollhouse' has a small rabid fan base that in the world of social media seems bigger than it is. We gave them another season knowing full well we were going to burn in hell if we pulled it."

(Reprinted from http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/10/fox-we-will-air-all-13-dollhouse-episodes.html)

So what does this mean? We'll get our full season, but that may be it. And we're not getting more than 13 episodes this year. We'll also potentially get another "Epitaph 1" (or maybe an "Epitaph 2?), as Joss promises the 13th episode will provide some closure. It also means our efforts haven't all been for naught. That last paragraph of the article above basically says we're loud, and we're being heard. But we're still recognized as just a loud minority. Is there hope for a Season 3? Probably not, unless the numbers increase significantly or a cable network thinks it profitable enough to pick-up. Maybe we should be lobbying for that? Numbers are of a whole different significance on cable, who is used to courting a loud minority. Cable just likes the "loud" part.

I think we just have to be glad we had our second season, and we have to enjoy it and analyze it as much as we can, because we won't have much more of it. If we're extremely lucky, it will be discovered by the DVD set somewhere down the line, and maybe will be revived as a movie or a miniseries. I also think that we'll see a change in the remaining episodes. I think they've been in kind of a holding patterns themselves, not really having a feeling how many hours they'd have left to write. I think we've seen that in these kind of stand alone episodes. After this announcement, I think they'll be moving toward closure, being that they only have 9 more hours to bring this story to its conclusion. (3 out of 13 episodes have aired; the fourth is already written and in the can.) I think we'll be back to the edge-of-your-seat, can't miss a second, have to watch it twice kind of writing and filming we saw the second half of the season and enjoyed in "Epitaph 1".

While I mourn it's assumed ending, I am also excited by the quality it is sure to bring. Wouldn't be ironic if its reported death was the very thing that elevated the series, finally bringing in the rabid audience it stumbled to find all along?

Recap: Dollhouse Season 2, Episode 3: Belle Chose

Let me begin by saying that this was my least favorite episode of Dollhouse thus far. It seemed to be a stand-alone episode that contributed little to the overall story arc, and it failed to develop character in any significant way. If this was the first episode I ever watched, I probably would not come back for more, something that does not help if cancelation is indeed looming overhead. I’m not going to separate the recap and analysis this week, as I find little to analyze about this episode. Perhaps therein lies the reason for my disappointment. I have come to look forward to peeling back the various layers of the onion each week. This week, the show was more like an orange than an onion—you immediately get to what is beneath the surface without a lot of thought or work.

The episode opens, and we see a man playing some sort of game with some mannequins. Only, we realize that they’re not mannequins when we see one of them begin to sweat. We’re in some sort of playpen of a madman. He has these women, named for various female members of his family, held hostage and paralyzed, there for the man’s unknown machinations. One begins to come to and tries to escape. The man injects her with something, and she stabs him with a needle. He bludgeons her with a croquet mallet, crying “I guess we’ll need to find a new Aunt Sheila.”

We flash to the weirdo walking down a street, apparently stalking an unknown woman. As he crosses the street to follow her, he is hit by a car. Roll credits.

We’re at the Dollhouse. Ballard is looking for Echo in the shower room. He takes her for a treatment.

We go to a scene with Boyd and Adele, walking down the hall, discussing the “disappearance” of Dr. Saunders. Boyd says she didn’t disappear, she left. Adele notices Boyd is calling her “Claire” these days, rather than Dr. Saunders. They encounter Victor, who complains the new doc is “not his best”. They continue to Topher’s lab, where the weirdo is in a hospital bed, in a coma and hooked up to life-support. Topher is mapping his brain. Boyd wonders why they’d ever want to wake a guy like that up. Our patient obviously has a criminal record, lessened by buying off judges. We learn weirdo is the nephew of one Bradley Karrens, a major shareholder in Rossum Corp, and that’s why they’re trying to treat the guy.

Topher shows Adele two brain scans—his and Terry Karrens’. Terry’s brain scan shows similarity to that of a serial killer. Topher expresses he has “ethical concerns’ with trying to wake him up.

We learn Echo has become Kiki, an empty-headed co-ed on a romantic engagement with a college professor. Paul obviously does not like this dumb persona or the assignment. He takes Kiki to the dressing department and waits with another handler as his active is dressed for her assignment. They’re obviously bored.

Adele meets with Uncle Brad. Adele questions why they should help someone like Terry. She threatens to return him to a hospital. Bradley discusses Terry’s checkered past and history of crimes against women. He hints that “victims” had been paid off in the past to keep them quiet. Now, he’s afraid there are women out there that Terry needs to tell someone about. Brad wants Terry revived so that he can question him about some missing women.

Echo, as Kiki, prances in front of the mirror. Paul seems relieved when Boyd comes to relieve Paul of his assignment. Boyd tells Paul they need an FBI Investigator to question a possible serial killer. We see Victor in the chair, getting a treatment. Victor has become Terry Karrens. Cut to commercial.

When we return, Victor (as Terry) is in an investigation room, alone, muttering that he knows his rights. Adele and Bradley are with Topher, monitoring the investigation via CCTV. Ballard reviews a pile of missing person reports with Bradley, asking what they might have to do with Terry.

We flash to a scene of Echo (as Kiki) in a college class. She gets a paper back with a big red F on it. Kiki is the proverbial airhead, clearly confused by Chaucer. She says she thought the class was about mid-evil literature, not advanced-evil literature, and now, she wishes she took Evil Lit 101. The professor invites her back to his office to discuss her grade. The episode continues to switch back and forth between Victor and Echo, showing the parallels of their respective assignments.

Back to Victor. He is being interrogated by Ballard. Ballard taunts him, makes fun of his name, and asks about the veterinary paralytic they found in his system. Adele and Brad continue to monitor the interrogation. Ballard seems to get nowhere with Terry. Bradley questions the approach they’re taking with Terry. Adele sends Bradley off with Topher to see the real Terry. Back in the investigation room, Ballard tells Terry he’s not special, just weird and ordinary. He tells Terry he surrounded himself with fakes to feel like he was in control. Then he shows Victor video of the real Terry, laying in a coma in a hospital bed. Victor says “Goodness gracious” as we go to commercial.

We come back to Victor and Ballard in the interrogation room. Victor is confused, saying it’s impossible, and that it cannot be him in the video. Ballard tells Victor to remember the car. He tells him he THINKS he walked away from the car without a scratch, but he didn’t. Victor watches the video of Uncle Bradley, looking at Terry in a coma. Ballard tells Victor that they need to find the women. Victor needs to tell them about the women if he ever wants out of the hospital bed. Victor points to the picture of Aunt Shelia and tells Ballard that it’s her fault. She made him do this. She didn’t pay enough attention to him. He calls the women whores.

We go back to Echo, in the professor’s office, discussing Chaucer and the role of women in Chaucer’s tales. Then we go back to Victor, as Terry, discussing the role of women. We continue to go back and forth between Victor discussing the women with Ballard, and Echo discussing women with the professor. Victor tells Ballard he can fix things, make them right. They just need a new Aunt Shelia. Ballard reports to Adele that Terry has killed at least one of the women.

Adele receives a phone call, and rushes to Terry’s hospital bed. Alarms are blaring. Topher reports that Terry is in cardiac arrest. Not really, says the doctor. Someone tampered with the equipment. Adele rushes back to her office. The camera shows the interrogation room is empty. She calls Bradley and chastises him, immediately deducing where Victor has gone. Bradley says he’s taken Victor to try to get the information out of “Terry” himself. Bradley gets no further with Victor than Ballard did. Instead, Victor knocks Bradley out, crashes the car and escapes. We cut to commercial.

We return to Adele in her office. She is upset, as she cannot get Bradley on the phone. Ballard thinks Terry is returning to his victims. Adele wants to use Victor’s GPS strip to locate him and the women. Topher reports Victor’s GPS strip was removed during facial reconstruction surgery, at the order of Dr. Saunders, and was never replaced. Ballard suggests they try to locate them by using the GPS in the car.

We flash to the women. The tranquilizer is wearing off. They’re crying, afraid Terry is coming back to kill the rest of them like he killed Aunt Shelia. One woman, Robin, reminds the others that they are humans, not toys. She urges them to fight.

Ballard reports Victor is on foot, or maybe on the subway. He asks where Terry was hit by the car. Adele reports he was hit in Beverly Hills, so Ballard heads that way. Adele orders Topher to perform a remote wipe so that Terry doesn’t use Victor for his nefarious acts. Topher says it can’t be done. Adele reminds Topher that Alpha did it to Echo. Topher reminds Adele that Alpha used a cell phone, and asks Adele for Victor’s cell number. Victor doesn’t have a cell phone. Adele commands Topher to “think of another way and think of it fast.”

We see Victor emerge from the Hollywood and Vine Subway station. Then we see Echo discussing Chaucer with the professor. She’s starting to come on to the professor. She puts on some music and starts to dance. Boyd is monitoring her from the van outside. Just then, Topher calls Boyd to inform him he has to take the biolink system offline. He tells Boyd he needs to take the system down to attempt a remote wipe of Victor.

Victor is walking down a Hollywood street, checking out women. He comes to a club and goes inside. Flash to Topher in the lab with Adele, attempting the remote wipe. Flash to Victor. He appears to be in pain. The system goes down, and there is a power outage at the Dollhouse.

Back to Echo. She is dancing with the professor. All of the sudden, she pulls out a knife and stabs him in the neck. Echo says “Goodness gracious” as we cut to commercial.

We come back to the Dollhouse. The power is still out. Adele calls Boyd and tells him that they are calling in all of the actives, as the whole system is down. Boyd concurs with the decision and offers to help spread the word to the other handlers. Back to Echo. She is rifling the professor’s pockets. Evidentially, something went wacky and Echo assumed Victor’s imprint. She steals the professor’s keys and leaves. Boyd rushes in to extract his active only to find the professor bleeding on the floor. He calls for an ambulance.

Adele and Topher are talking. Topher says everything got scrambled. They know Echo became Terry. They wonder what happened to Kiki.

Flash to Victor in the club. He’s dancing. Evidentially now, Victor is Kiki. The remote wipe transposed the imprints. Ballard enters the club, hot on the tail of Victor. His phone rings, and he steps out to take the call (Adele). Meanwhile, Victor (as Kiki) hits on some guy. The guy takes offense. Ballard returns to see Victor has knocked the guy out. Victor sees Paul and rushes to him.

Back to the caged women. They’re trying to break out when Echo comes in. Echo hits a woman with a croquet mallet and informs the women that she is “him”. The women are confused. Echo holds her head. She seems to be getting confused too. Echo accuses “Mother” of doing this to Terry. She starts beating the women. Just as she is about to bludgeon one, she appears confused. She stops herself and muses “Did I fall asleep?” Cut to commercial.

We return to Topher and Ivy, trying to fix the computer. Ballard returns with Victor, still as Kiki. The system comes back up. Everyone is relieved. They immediately use her GPS strip to locate Echo. She’s in Beverly Hills.

Back to Echo. She is very confused. She seems to be part Echo and part Terry. “He was here…he’s still here,” she mutters. “He wants to kill you. You have to kill him first.” She drops the mallet and grabs her head. Robin grabs the mallet. She tells Echo to move away from the door so they can all escape. Echo tells Robin “he” will not let her get away from the door. She says they have to kill “him.” Robin says “No problem” as she raises the mallet above her head. She begins beating Echo, but another of the women stops her. Echo tells the women he is coming back. He’ll never stop—he can’t. They’ll have to kill her in order to kill him. Robin tells Echo it doesn’t make sense. Echo describes how Terry stalked the women before taking them. She warns them he’ll do it again. She tells the women that they need to stop “him”. Robin raises the mallet to bludgeon Echo, just like Terry bludgeoned Aunt Shelia. Luckily, a group of men from the Dollhouse rush in just as Robin raises the mallet above her head. One grabs the croquet mallet from Robin as Ballard rushed in to protect Echo. Ballard asks Echo if she’s okay, and she replies in the negative. He asks her if she wants a treatment as he leads her away.

Back to the Dollhouse. Adele is by Terry’s hospital bed. Ballard says he never really got inside of Terry’s head. Adele informs Paul that Bradley is having Terry moved back to a regular hospital. She comments it would be nice if Terry never woke up.

Echo is a doll again. So is Victor. They pass each other in the hall. Echo stops outside of Terry’s room. “I think he dreams,” Echo says. “Not anymore,” Ballard responds. Terry flat lines. Echo says “Goodness gracious.” The credits roll.

Like I said, not a lot to analyze here. We learned very little to advance the overall story arc. We did get to see the seeds of the remote wipe technology, the end result of which was a big part of Epitaph 13. We also got out first glimpse of programming being used for no beneficial reason whatsoever. Idealistic Adele seemed repelled by what they had to do for one of their major investors. She had no real idea of the true depravity contained within Terry’s mind, as his family had managed to cover up all of his criminal past, save for a few misdemeanors. She seemed horrified when she fount out the extent of Terry’s true nature, almost determined to undermine their efforts in any way she could. We also saw her mother hen side come out when she realized Bradley was using one of her dolls for something of which she did not approve. Adele continues to try to draw a line when she sees her assignments beginning to get out of hand.

We also saw Topher question the ethics of his scientific misdoings for the first time in his life. Even Boyd was amazed that Topher had misgivings about the current assignment. Topher’s humanization continues, if only in baby steps. We also learned that, for all intents and purposes, Claire escaped. Although as the doctor, Claire was free to come and go as she pleased, it was obvious that Adele thought she’s never leave the Dollhouse. We learned that Claire had approved the removal of Victor’s GPS strip. They implied she probably had her own removed as well, as Adele was unable to locate her. So we saw a second doll that the Powers that Be cannot keep completely under control. But that’s as far as the layers go.

In terms of Echo, I guess we saw a little moral development on her part as well. We saw the re-emergence of the uber-doll. When the imprints transposed, Echo was somehow able to control the Terry inside of her, where Victor could not. She stopped Terry from using her to bludgeon the women. Instead, Echo somehow interpreted the Terry inside of her, using the part of herself she retains to instead warn the women. She was seemingly willing to die herself, rather than let the unsavory implant use her to kill others. We also saw that Echo’s retaining bits of all of her imprints, intentional or not, when she closed the episode by repeating Terry’s tagline. The sardonic manner in which she repeated the tagline seemed to imply she can control the darker sides of the memories she retains.

We have to wait two weeks to see if episode 4 is better than episode 3. The coming attractions promise us Sierra’s back-story, and in my opinion, episode 4 shows promise of returning to advancing the overall tale. Episode 5 will introduce Summer Glau as some sort of counterpart to Topher. These episodes appear to be a return to the multi-layered Dollhouse we’ve come to know and love. I hope they will give me an opportunity to analyze again, rather than to merely recap.

I seem to be in the minority when it comes to not liking Belle Chose. Was there depth there that I missed? Why did the rest of you think this was the best episode of the season so far? Please use the comments section below to enlighten me on your viewpoints. I’d love someone to say something that will change my opinion of this episode and make me want to watch it again to catch what I missed.

Recap & Review: Dollhouse, Season 2 Episode 2: Instinct

Thanks for coming back. My analysis is after my recap. If you're only interested in the analysis, please scroll down the page to the next header, or use your browser's find feature to search for the word "analysis".

RECAP:

The episode opens with Ballard sneaking around the treatment room. He’s just kind of wandering, looking at the chair and the controls. As he sits in the chair, Topher enters. He sees Paul sitting in the chair, and asks him if HE wants a treatment. Ballard says he’s just tired, and he can’t sleep. Topher comments that the life of a handler is exhausting and best left to others (i.e. not Topher.) He also tells Paul to “leave the tech to the grownups.”

Yes, the egotistic Topher is back. They begin talking about Echo’s latest assignment, and Topher is amazed at what he was able to accomplish this time. He says he’s figured out how to make the brain change the body at a glandular level. He tells Ballard to imagine the possibilities. He could program the brain to fight cancer, to not have a gag reflex when eating sea urchin—anything is possible now. He doesn’t want to label himself a genius, but Paul is free to do so. Paul asks Topher if he could change him too, but Topher reminds him that he can only program a wiped brain. He uses a classic line to explain things to Paul:

“The mind is like Van Halen. If you just pull out one piece and keep replacing it, it just degrades.”

Paul comments that he doesn’t get it. Topher doesn’t expect him to. He’s back to being the “I’m better and smarter than you” Topher.

The scene shifts to Echo, waking up next to her latest “client”. She quietly gets up and sneaks down the hall, being careful not to wake her man. We see her open the door to another room. It’s a nursery, and Echo reaches into a crib and picks up a baby. Apparently, the glandular-level changes involve lactation, as Echo begins to breast feed the baby while singing him a lullaby. The credits roll.

We return to Echo in bed again, this time alone. She is awakened by the sounds of a crying baby. She retrieves the baby, and takes him down to the kitchen, calling for Nate (the client) all the while. He comes out of his office and locks the door behind him. He seems indifferent to both Echo and the baby. Echo asks him to hold the baby while she makes coffee, but he just hems and haws. He reminds Echo that he doesn’t do that. She hands off the baby anyway, and Nate holds him at arms length. Echo asks Nate if he will be home for dinner, and he replies in the negative. He tells her not to wait up as he leaves. Echo watches him through the window and notices a black van in the drive.

Flash to Echo and the baby walking in the park with a girlfriend, who just so happens to be “played” by Sierra. They begin discussing Nate and his apparent lack of interest in the baby. Sierra (Kelly) reminds Echo (Emily) that Nate has always been a workaholic. Echo responds that it’s more than that. She says when she hands Nate the baby, it’s like she’s handing him a live grenade. She tells Sierra how much she loves that baby, but she says she doesn’t think Nate even likes him. She wonders why Nate was in such a hurry to have a child. She tells Sierra that she thinks maybe Nate’s doing something illegal and that they’re being watched. She tells Sierra that there’s a black van parked outside every day. Sierra tries to reassure Echo, and tells her that she just needs a good night’s sleep. She tells Echo to make Nate take Jack for a while so that Echo can rest up.

Echo returns home and decides to rifle Nate’s office, trying to find evidence of what is distracting his attention from his wife and baby. Flash to Nate returning home to a dark house. He calls for Emily. She confronts him with some pictures she found in his office of him and another woman, (obviously, the baby’s real mother.) She recognizes one scene as the place Nate took HER for their honeymoon. She asks him if he’s having an affair, and demands to know who the other woman is. Nate confesses the pictures are of someone he knew and loved before he met Emily. He says the woman died, it was very painful, and in some ways, he’ll never be over it. He apologizes for not telling Emily, and admits it was a mistake. Echo apologizes for rifling his office, rather than talking to Nate about her suspicions.

Flash to Echo in bed, waking up. It’s still dark. As she walks down the hall, she hears Nate on the phone with some unknown party (the Dollhouse). She overhears him saying that they promised something they could not deliver, and it’s just not working. He says he’s calling it off, and that they need to get “rid of her.” A look of panic crosses Echo’s face as she hears Nate say he’ll “get rid of the baby.” Cut to commercial.

As the show returns, we see a caption telling us we’re at Senator Perrin’s house in Alexandria, Virginia. He’s talking to Cindy, asking her if she thinks the Press Conference was a mistake. He says they have anecdotal evidence proving Rossum Corp is involved in performing illegal experiments. They have a file full of financial data, and Cindy comments that they could prove some sort of money laundering. Perrin replies he’s not interested in proving that. As a doorbell rings, he comments that Rossum crossed a line. He posits that they must be leaning on folks to keep them quiet. Cindy returns from answering the door. She says there was no one there, only a file.

Flash to Adele, visiting Madeline/November. Madeline tells Adele she is now happily living the life of the idle rich. She says she feels like she should travel or something, but somehow, she just wants to stay close to home. She says she can’t get over the irrational fear that if she says the wrong thing, men in a black van will appear and take her away. Adele reminds November that her obligation to the Dollhouse is over. She’s only there because November has not returned to the Dollhouse for her diagnostic, and that she must do so, and very soon. November accuses Adele of being afraid of November outing the Dollhouse. She asks Adele why she was let out of her contract early. Adele says she can’t discuss that and reiterates that November must come back for a checkup.

Back to Echo/Emily, Jack, and Nate. They’re at home, and Echo is obviously flustered. She tells Nate she’s taking the baby for a walk, and that they’ll be right back. Nate notes she’s holding her car keys. Echo says they’re going to the park. Nate tells her he took her car to the shop, and that the car seat is there. She can’t drive anywhere today. He wants to cook her and the baby breakfast. Echo says she’s not hungry. She asks why Nate is not at work. Nate tells Echo he’ll take the baby for a while, and that she should take a nap. Echo is suspicious. She says she needs to feed the baby and takes him upstairs. There, she calls Kelly and tells her she needs her to come pick them up. She says she thinks Nate is trying to kill them. Echo watches out the window for Kelly to arrive. She sees Kelly’s car pull up, only to be intercepted by the men in the black van. She panics as she sees the men lead Kelly into the van. She takes the baby and hides as Ballard comes through the front door. Ballard tells Nate to let Echo see him first so that things don’t get out of hand, as Echo’s acting paranoid, and she has the baby with her. Ballard knocks on the nursery door, asking Emily if she wants a treatment. He opens the door to find a tape in the crib, playing sounds of Emily comforting the baby. He sees a rope ladder hanging out the window. Echo took the baby and ran, leaving the tape as a fake out. Cut to commercial.

We return to Adele meeting with Nate. Nate is angry because their active took his baby and ran off.

“Your zombie took my Jack, and you’re sitting there, drinking tea?” Nate accuses.

Adele reminds Nate that it’s Echo’s baby in Echo’s mind. She says Echo feels as if she carried that baby for nine months, delivered him, and nursed him. Jack is Echo’s baby at a cellular level. She reminds Nate that the Dollhouse gave him exactly what he asked for—someone to bond with the baby because Nate could not. Echo did just that—bonded with the baby. She tells Nate that babies need love so that they grow up feeling loved and don’t turn out to be sociopaths. Nate asks what happens when a baby is kidnapped by a sociopath. He thinks this whole plan was a mistake. Adele reminds him that his next plan was to put the baby up for adoption. He tells her to “just find him.” Adele reminds him that they know exactly where Echo and the baby are, and they’re retrieving him as they speak.

Cut to Echo, walking with the baby down a street. She glimpses a black van and panics, turning to walk the other way. She comes upon a couple of cops and asks them to help her. She tells the officers that she’s being followed, and that someone is trying to take her baby. She tells them her husband is trying to kill her. They tell her to come with them, and that she’s safe now. They take her to the police station where she tells her story to an investigator, admitting that she knows she sounds crazy. The investigator tells her she did the right thing by coming to the police. She asks what will happen next. The investigator tells her they’ll bring Nate in for questioning and get her a restraining order. She looks up and sees Nate, entering the station with Ballard. They are talking to the Captain. The investigator tells Echo to stay put while she sees what is going down. Echo follows and confronts Nate. Nate is telling the captain that that’s his baby, but that’s NOT his wife. The investigator tells Echo the other man (Ballard) is with the FBI and wants to talk to her. Echo tells them to stay away from her. Nate grabs the baby, and Ballard grabs Echo. She fights Ballard as he drags her away, all the while screaming for her baby. Cut to commercial.

We come back to November, back at the Dollhouse for her diagnostic, and back in that familiar treatment chair. Topher is having her repeat sequences of words and numbers. He asks her how she’s feeling—any headaches, dizziness, nightmares, déjà vu? November answers no. November says “I’m not broken?” Topher gives her a clean bill of health—no glitching, no memory remnants. He comments that they should put her in a recruiting DVD. He also asks her if she wants any additional enhancements, like ventriloquism. November declines.

Just then, Ballard drags Echo in, kicking and screaming, demanding that they give her her baby back. They throw her in the chair as she screams for help. She tries to run, but security catches her and knocks her out. Topher is not happy. He reminds them that he cannot wipe Echo while she’s unconscious. Security drags her back to the treatment room.

November is on her way out, and she meets Ballard in the hallway. He asks November what she’s doing there, and she replies that she just came in for a diagnostic, and that “it was intense.” Paul notices that she’s bleeding. November comments she remembers Paul. He was there when she was signing the paperwork.

Paul takes her to see a male doctor. (I guess Claire has already been replaced? Or they have an alternate?) He assures November that no one took anyone’s baby—Echo is an active just like she used to be. November responds that it was real for Echo. She asks if she was ever like that. Paul says he’s new and wouldn’t know. November assures Paul that Echo will be okay. She’ll forget everything—no more pain or grief. November shares that she had a daughter. Her daughter had a cold, only it wasn’t a cold. It was cancer. Within 6 months, her daughter was dead, and her world fell apart. She was completely alone and non-functional, and then, she met Adele. Adele told her she didn’t have to suffer. She could go to sleep for 5 years and wake up without pain. Paul asks her if she’s happy now. November replies “I’m not sad.”

Cut to Echo in the chair. She’s begging Topher to help her. He says he will, and he gives her a treatment. We see the montage of backwards memories. Topher wipes Echo, or so he thinks. As he parrots the familiar script to Echo, she cold cocks him, saying “shall I go now?” Cut to commercial.

We come back to Senator Perrin and Cindy, looking at some records, ostensibly what was in the file they received in the earlier scene. They contain wiretap transcripts. Perrin says they document more than mere medical malfeasance and ethics violations—they seem to document prostitution and human trafficking, maybe even murder. He says he read about it when Mom was sick. Perrin says something about Rossum having had the means to help his mom, but they refused. (It’s obviously personal for Perrin.) Cindy wants to unify all of the data and find proof that will bring Rossum down. Perrin says they have something better than proof. They have a name.

Cut to Echo in a car. She seems baffled. She can’t remember how to get it to start. “Go, please,” she says. She finally turns the key and gets behind the wheel.

Cut to Adele yelling at Topher. Topher is nursing a bloody nose, insisting that he wiped Echo. “I remember wiping her, and then my face exploded.” Paul says GPS has her going back for the baby. Topher reiterates to Adele that he wiped Echo. Adele asks if it’s another composite event, and Paul replies that he thinks they’re looking at a genius. They changed her at a glandular level, so that the body was too strong for the mind. Topher acknowledges that maybe the maternal instinct is too strong for a normal wipe. “I outplayed myself,” he brags, “like in chess.” Ballard admonished Topher that he didn’t think it through. Topher acquiesces that maybe lactation was “a bridge too far.” Adele sends Ballard after Echo.

Flash to Nate and the baby. He’s caring for Jack, and they finally seem to be bonding. He puts Jack in bed and goes down to fix a bottle. He’s mixing formula when lightning flashes, and he thinks he sees something outside. The phone rings, and he drops the bottle. It’s Adele. She tells him it’s imperative that he take the baby and leave the house IMMEDIATELY. She tells him Echo is on her way back, and that they’ve dispatched a team to intercept her. But they must get out. The phone goes dead. Nate races to the nursery, only to find an empty crib. He races around the house, looking for the baby. He enters the living room and encounters Echo—baby in one hand, huge knife in the other. “Mommy’s home,” she says as we cut to commercial.

Echo confronts Nate about taking away her baby. He apologizes and tries to placate her. She says she loves her baby and doesn’t want to give him back. It’s HER baby. Babies need their mothers. He tells her she’s not his mother. He says he knows she loves him, but he doesn’t belong to her. When he says he’s afraid she’s going to hurt the baby, she lunges at him with the knife. He asks her if she remembers that they turned her into somebody else. He tells her she’s not real, that he had her programmed to love Jack. When his wife Karen died in childbirth, he couldn’t handle it. He blamed the baby. He needed a surrogate until he was ready to care for Jack himself. He apologizes for putting Echo through hell. Echo asks if she can be his Mommy, and Nate says no. Karen is a part of Jack—Echo is not. Jack is all Nate has left of Karen. He begs Echo not to hurt the baby. Echo is confused. She reluctantly hands the baby back to Nate and drops the knife. Ballard arrives just then, and she leaves with him.

Flash to a park. Echo is sitting in the darkness. Paul asks her if she is okay. Echo says: “I had a baby. I don’t have him anymore. I feel sad. Paul says he’s sorry. Echo says: “All of these things that happen to me, I feel them.” Paul tells her he knows that she remembers everything. She corrects him: “Not remember…feel.”

Echo continues: “I was married. I felt love and pain and fear. It’s not pretend for me. They made me love my little boy, and they took him away. They make it so real. Every time, they make it so real. Why do they do that?”

Paul tells Echo he knows she wants to help him bring down the Dollhouse, but he can do it on his own. He’ll save them all, with or without her help. He assures her “I can tell Topher what is going on with you, and he can fix it. You won’t have to feel sad any more.”

Echo replies: “Feeling nothing would be worse. That would be like before…asleep. I’m awake now. I don’t want to go back to sleep.” The credits roll.

ANALYSIS:

I liked this episode, although it was much more plot-driven than last week’s. The focus was back to Echo, as an active on assignment. Topher was back to being the holier-than-thou genius. Boyd, Victor, Ivy and Dr. Saunders were noticeably absent. (We did learn there is another doctor on staff--whether or not he’s an active too is yet to be seen.) But despite the plot-focused nature, we did get to learn more about several things relevant to the big picture.

First, this episode featured the return of Madeline/November. We got to see the perspective of life after the Dollhouse from a former active. November really felt as if the Dollhouse had saved her life. Being an active erased her pain and suffering. She awoke several years later, and she was no longer sad. Her experience allowed her to move on with her life, to become a part of the “idle rich”. November seemed to be at peace, grateful for what the Dollhouse had done. And her chance meeting with Ballard helped him to develop as well. Despite the fact they met while another active was freaking out, November seemed to be curious, rather than disturbed by the scene. She could tell Paul cared about Echo, and reassured him that Echo would be fine, and probably better off, having experienced life as a doll. Paul seemed to take their conversation to heart. I think for the first time, he realized the Dollhouse was not black and white, but rather, had many shades of grey. It was as if he had an epiphany—not everyone is being held there against his or her will. Not every active was being used for nefarious purposes. To some, the Dollhouse was salvation, something that allowed one to interrupt the dysfunction for a while, and then return to the living as a healed, capable being.

This was more apparent later in his interactions with Echo. Paul was beginning to see the dolls as people, rather than just empty shells. He began to realize how real each assignment was for the active, that they really became the people they were programmed to be, and they weren’t just pretending. Before, he kind of viewed the wiped dolls as nothing but empty shells. He acknowledged how the Dollhouse took folks’ personalities, but never really realized the depth that existed in the personalities they assumed. Somehow, Paul has managed to find the person within each of the dolls.

This episode also further developed the concept of Echo as the uber-doll. Echo is continuing to evolve as Echo, leaving the remnants of Caroline behind. Whether it’s what is within herself or the effects of what Alpha did, Echo no longer seems to be able to be completely wiped. Yet it’s not so much the memories that she’s retaining, but rather, the feelings. At first, Echo was asleep during and after each of her assignments. Now, she feels awake, even in her doll state. She is becoming an amalgamation of everything she’s ever felt, rather than everyone she’s ever been. Her savior complex seems to exist at the cellular level, and despite Topher’s best efforts, they cannot wipe THAT away. Whether she’s Caroline, an empty doll, or a programmed active, Echo seems to exist to be good and to do good. Whatever her circumstances, she’s determined to do her best. She is caring and selfless in all situations, and they cannot wipe away her instinct to do what is right. I’m not so sure Caroline was ever as selfless as Echo is.

As Echo is growing more assured, Ballard seems to be getting more confused. As he becomes more and more integrated into the Dollhouse, he is realizing it’s not what he had painted it to be. It’s not all bad. Maybe the Dollhouse is a haven for the actives, rather than a prison. Maybe he needs to save the dolls by looking after their best interests as they fulfill their contracts, rather than just focusing on outing the scheme to the world. Maybe he needs to realize that people’s lives are at stake, and taking care of them while they are inside is just as important as trying to free them. Maybe that empty state can help save a life, rather than just destroying one.

I found the scenes with the senator to be kind of extraneous, not really fitting into the flow of the episode. They were thrown in merely to advance the plot, and to introduce the personal grudge the Senator has against Rossum Corp. We learn he had some prior knowledge or association, and that he hates Rossum because they refused to save his mommy. It was almost inferred that he was fine with what they were doing until they wouldn’t do it for HIS benefit. It seems as if his campaign strategy is really revenge, and Perrin still has a lot of mommy issues he needs to resolve. As literature has shown us, time and again, revenge in the guise of saving the world usually fails. I have a feeling that going up against Rossum will prove to be the senator’s downfall. I wonder what “name” he’ll drag down with him.

I think we’re supposed to think that Paul is the mole that delivered the file on the Dollhouse. But if so, I’m pretty sure that’s a red herring. My money is on Alpha or Boyd, who was noticeably absent in this episode, and who is not off filming some other show. As the other characters develop, Boyd remains an enigma. He’s almost doll-like in maintaining his poker face at all times. I’m still thinking that Boyd is going to be the wild card thrown into this mix.

Finally, we learned that Adele is a woman of her word. Once you’ve completed the obligations of your contract, you’re free to resume a normal life. No one is watching November/Madeline. She did her time, and emerged all the better for doing so. But Adele is still interested in the scientific aspects of her lab rats. She insisted Madeline return, not just to see if she was physically and emotionally okay, but also to study the physiological effects of a doll returning to her former state. Did the programming leave any lingering effects? Adele seemed pleased that Madeline was able to resume a normal life, with no ill effects. She truly cares about her subjects, just as much as she believes in her overall mission in leading the dollhouse. Adele is the maternal figure for everyone in the house, admonishing her children when they misbehave and celebrating when they have success. She remains protective of her subjects, even after they leave her employ. After all, they have become her family as well as her subjects.

I am hoping we continue to see these glimpses of character even in these plot-driven episodes. We’re seeing how Echo is evolving. Now, I hope we see similar evolution in Victor and Sierra. I can’t wait for Saunders to return, and I wonder how creepy she’ll be the next time we see her. Will Ballard’s protective feelings extend to the other dolls, or are they reserved for Echo? How will they bring down the senator? And when will Alpha reemerge? What will happen to Topher’s ego when he realizes Echo is unpredictable, unable to be thoroughly erased? When will Topher begin to see the dolls as more than lab rats (the only type of lab rats that don’t scare the pants right off of him)? How will Echo’s maternal experience effect her next assignment?

The scenes from next week indicate Victor will be back, programmed to be a serial killer. I cannot imagine why they would do this, unless it was somehow related to efforts to curtail the senator. What part will Echo play, and how will this effect her overall evolution? I guess we’ll just have to wait until next week to see how events unfold. I hope you’ll come back here for my thoughts on the episode. And please, add your thoughts to mine in the comments section below. I look forward to watching this season of Dollhouse with you all and hearing what you all think.

Season 2, Episode 1 Recap, Review, and Analysis

Wow. What can I say about the season opener of Dollhouse? It certainly did not disappoint, and it nicely set up several threads for continued exploration throughout the rest of the season. The episode was heavy on character development, especially those of Topher and Whiskey, and we got to see how Ballard was integrated into the Dollhouse. We also glimpsed this season’s probable new adversary: a WASPy Senator looking to use Rossum Corp as the sacrificial lamb in his healthcare-centric campaign.

RECAP:

The episode begins with Echo in "the chair," having a treatment. Her handler tells her to get ready for her "big day." This turns out to be a Wedding Day, and Echo is the bride. Ballard is there while Echo is getting imprinted, asking Topher for reassurance that everything will be all right. Topher assures him that all 39 personalities have been successfully wiped. Curiously, a scene from what appears to be "The Bride of Frankenstein" flashes on the computer screen during the imprinting process. Topher mutters the shot is the work of Dr. Saunders. Evidentially, she's been messing with Topher ever since she found out that she too is an active. (Later, she fills Topher's snack cabinets with lab rats, and evidentially, Topher is rodent-phobic.) Saunders is coming out of her shell, now that she knows she isn’t the REAL Saunders, she’s tormenting her hated creator.

We see Victor, and he is in the process if having the remnants of Alpha's attack erased by plastic surgery. DeWitt affectionately feels Victor’s face to gauge the success of the procedures, and she smiles at the results. Boyd is there too. We find out that Ballard is not Echo's handler--he is the "client" for Echo's next assignment. Apparently, this is part of the "deal" he made with DeWitt when he was caught trying to expose the Dollhouse. He gets to have Echo imprinted to order, to help him to solve those crimes he was unable to while with FBI, the crimes that made him a laughing stock amongst both his peers and the criminals. Boyd expresses his misgivings about said deal to DeWitt. She reminds him that the alternative involves doing "something rather extreme" to Ballard, or risk Ballard exposing Dollhouse. She says she has plans for Ballard. She knows he has ulterior motives, but Ballard is obsessed with Echo. She intends to use this. DeWitt feels their "deal" is the best way to handle the Ballard situation.

Flash to a scene of Echo in a wedding dress, walking down the aisle. Roll credits.

Break to Topher and Ivy, discussing how they're "backed up like LAX at Christmas". Sierra comes in seeking a treatment. Ivy takes care of Sierra while Topher gets a snack. His snack cabinet has been filled with lab rats. Ivy comes to the rescue and rounds them up. Topher calls Saunders to confront her about the "prank". She taunts him. Boyd enters Saunders office to chat. He asks her why she doesn't pursue the same surgery Victor is having. Saunders informs Boyd she likes her scars. They keep DeWitt from remembering what an asset Whiskey was, and prefers being Saunders. Saunders reminds Boyd that he barely looked at her before they both knew she was a doll. Boyd asks Saunders to dinner. Saunders replies that she's afraid to leave the Dollhouse, afraid of people, afraid to go outside… and she was programmed that way for a reason. Boyd replies that everyone has issues, and sooner or later, those issues all just become excuses.

Back to Echo's wedding. She’s Roma Klar. The bride and groom are ecstatic. They enjoy their first dance as a couple, and then they enjoy their wedding night even more. Ballard listens in from afar. Echo must be wearing a wire. (Anyone know what song was playing during the Wedding night montage? I thought the snippet was quite haunting and beautiful.)

The next morning, Echo meets with Ballard. We find out she has been imprinted to think she is Ballard's partner of 3 years, and is working with him to take down an International arms dealer. But they don't seem to be making much progress. She’s now inside, but they really don’t have anything more than they did before. It’s clear that Echo has been programmed to be a cold professional who can convincingly play the role of woman in love. Echo's new handler interrupts conference to take her back to Dollhouse for a checkup. Ballard protests, and insists Echo return as soon as she is checked out. "You're the client", the handler responds.

Echo returns to the Dollhouse, and Dr. Saunders gives her a physical exam. Echo has a flash of a previous engagement and calls Saunders "whiskey." This does not seem to make Saunders very happy. Echo comments that she remembers Saunders used to be number one, but she doesn't remember the rest. Saunders tells her that Alpha cut up her face so that Echo could be number one. She asks Echo if she remembers that. Echo says that she tries to be her best, but later comments that no one is their best "in here".

Flash to a new politician, giving a speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in DC. He begins dissing Rossum Corp, accusing them of some sort of conspiracy related to withholding healthcare. Flash to Boyd and DeWitt watching and discussing this press conference in her office.

"How is it he wasn't on our radar?" DeWitt asks.

"We weren't on his," Boyd responds. "I'm sure he was looking for a cause, someone gave him us."

"Any idea of who?" DeWitt queries.

Just then, Ballard walks in, and Boyd says "We were just about to begin talking about you."

Boyd leaves, and Ballard accuses Boyd of outing them to the senator. Each seems to be pointing the finger at the other to DeWitt, implying the other is only there for nefarious purposes. Ballard tells DeWitt that he knows why he's there: he can't beat them, and he got kicked out of the FBI for trying. Now, he's just focused on doing "what is right", like taking down an international arms dealer the FBI couldn't touch. When DeWitt asks Ballard to consider becoming Echo's handler, Ballard reminds her that he doesn't work for them. DeWitt then brings up Mellie/November, saying she thought Ballard really cared for her, but he hasn't asked about her once since he negotiated her early release. She theorizes he was just "done with her", but she guesses he's not done with Echo. She reminds him that Echo is both special and only a hair away from being sent to the Attic. With 3 years left on her contract, DeWitt wants to ensure Echo has a handler who REALLY cares about her. She implies it’s the best way to save Echo from the Attic.

Back to the Klar mansion. Echo as Roma Klar is returning from a shopping trip. She lays a big lip lock on him, and they go off to continue the wedding night. Meanwhile, Klar's associate is staring at a picture of Echo with Ballard.

We return from commercial to a scene of Saunders in bed with Topher, spooning him as he sleeps. He awakens, jumps out of bed, and exclaims "What the hell?" He tells Saunders he doesn't want THAT, especially from HER. After a little verbal sparring, Topher tells Saunders that he didn't program her to be a slave. Saunders theorizes he programmed her to hate him so she'd love him. He responds he programmed her to be better than that, to be better than him. The real Saunders was dead, and Whiskey was recently out of service, so he designed a "whole person" as a replacement, someone who would challenge his every notion so that as a team, nothing would be overlooked and the actives would be safe. He programmed her to challenge, to fight for her beliefs, but not to hate him. Hating him was a choice SHE made. Whiskey questions how she is supposed to live, knowing she's not real and that everything she is comes from something she cannot abide. When Topher asks her why she doesn't ask DeWitt to imprint her with her "original" identity, Saunders responds that she doesn't want to die. She isn't even real; she's a person borrowing someone else's personality. She doesn't want to give it up. "I'm not better than you; I'm just a series of excuses," she muses. "You're human," Topher counters. "Don't flatter yourself," she coldly replies.

Echo awakens, and her new hubby is no where to be found. She quickly dresses, and takes his absence as an opportunity for spy duties. He catches her as she is trying to break into a locked desk drawer, and slams her head against the desk. He confronts her with the picture of her and Ballard, demanding to know who she really is. She feigns ignorance. Her head is bleeding. She momentarily has a flash of another assignment. Echo claims the photo is a fake, but Klar doesn't seem to be buying it. Echo tries to cover by going on the offense, calling him a wife-beater. Then she slips when trying to reassure him. "I am, and I always will be Mrs. Eleanor Penn." She looks confused, realizing her duff, and adds "Wait...who did they make me this time?"

Cut to Klar and Echo in a limo, inside of an airplane hangar. Klar is showing Echo a case of dirty bombs. Ballard is watching via binoculars. He calls Topher. Echo's handler reported weird brain activity a couple of hours ago, but didn't check into it, thinking it was just wedding night activities causing the spikes. Can Topher pull it up on the computer? Topher does, and notices a complete lack of serotonin. He reports that the spikes weren’t hot monkey love, but rather real pain, panic and fear. Currently, he says, her brain waves are all over the place. She appears to be concussed. Topher says he's calling her in, but Ballard says that would mean certain death. Instead, he walks into the hangar and tells Klar to release Echo. Klar taunts Ballard for being a pathetic failure as an FBI agent. While this is happening, Echo seems to be having flashes of other selves. She's confused. She starts slipping back into other imprints. She flashes back to other interactions with Ballard. Ballard works this confusion until he brings back the personality from the Chinese restaurant, the kung-fu super assassin. Echo springs into action, kicking everyone else out of action and into oblivion. Klar manages to get inside a car, and he tries to escape. Echo clings to the windshield, thwarting him. She manages to grab one of the bombs. She throws it into the car and rolls off. Klar jumps out as the car explodes. She takes Kler down just as Ballard runs on to the scene.

We come back from commercial, and Echo is in the chair, getting a treatment. DeWitt is telling Ballard that they successfully nabbed the bad guy. She reminds Ballard that Echo only remained safe because Ballard saw what her handler failed to.

Boyd walks into Saunders office. He finds a note on the desk. It says "I'm running out...of excuses." Flash to a scene of Saunders, out driving a convertible somewhere, in daylight, obviously out of the Dollhouse. Flash to Topher, deep in contemplation. Flash to Victor and Sierra meeting in passing, then tenderly walking off together. Echo is sitting alone in the background. Ballard approaches. Echo tells Ballard that she remembers everything.

"Sometimes I'm someone else, and then I come back. But I still feel them...all of them...I've been many people. I can hear them, sometimes suddenly. I'm all of them, but none of them is me. Do you know who's real?"

"Caroline," Ballard replies.

"I want to find her. I want to find all of them...real them. They can be found.” Echo broods. “We are lost, but we are not gone. Will you help me?"

Ballard tells her he's with her, no matter what, and that everything will be all right." The episode ends with Echo in the treatment chair, with Ballard next to her, repeating the handler script.

ANALYSIS:

I can't say I love loved this episode as much as some, but I felt like it was a good lead in to the second season. Several things were established. First, the powers that be recognize that Caroline is somehow special. They recognize that she is evolving differently than the average active. Still, they are completely unaware that Alpha's little escapade had any lasting impact. They are sure they wiped Echo of all remnants and returned her to the proverbial tabula rasa. Only Ballard and Echo have any idea that she can feel every imprint she's ever had. And it doesn't seem to be the result of the head injury she suffered at the hands of her most recent assignment, but rather something that is unique to Echo, and perhaps a result of not being able to completely erase all remnants of Caroline.

The episode also developed the character of Ballard much more fully. We learn that although he is supposedly motivated by "doing what's right," it's really more about saving face. On the outside, Paul is the modern day superhero, fighting for truth, justice, and the American way, and not letting anything get in it's path--marriages, personal relationships, nothing. Instead, we see he's a man who's been pitied, ridiculed, and laughed at for failing at almost everything he's ever tried. He sees himself as a modern day Don Quixote, the world thinking he’s only chasing windmills while he’s really saving the world from all the scum. Now, he’s going to use some of that scum to bring down the others.

Paul Ballard is a man looking to salvage his reputation, to prove to the world that they were wrong about him, that all of those windmills were really dragons. He wants a chance to laugh at everyone who has ever laughed at him. He is a man obsessed all right. He's obsessed with proving to the world that he was right all along, that the bad guys exist, and that in the end, he is the golden boy who will save humanity. He cares about the people he's saving along the way only so much. Once he's done saving them, he loses interest and moves on.

DeWitt has pegged Ballard perfectly. She is in charge because she is so good at convincing folks that what SHE wants is what THEY want. She lets all of her employees think they are making independent choices, controlling their own destinies, all the while pulling their strings from up in the catwalks, directing their every step. But she and Ballard are similar in that they justify their own misdoings by convincing themselves its all in the name of the greater goods. The end justifies the means, especially if it makes me look good along the way. Olivia tells herself that she is only controlling lives to fund research that will revolutionize lives. Like Ballard, she paints whatever picture will make her feel good about her day-to-day activities. They're both superheroes in their own minds, controlling others from afar for the good of humanity.

Finally, we learned more about the full impact being a doll has on ones consciousness. Claire Saunders is a very changed woman since discovering that she used to be Whiskey. Now, she's just someone who doesn't really know who, or what, she is. If she goes back to being “herself”, the one she was born as, or even goes back to being Whiskey, then Claire Saunders ceases to exist; it's like suicide, or murder. But as Claire Saunders, she's just someone else's creation in a body that isn't hers. She feels like a real person, but knows she’s just a fake. She can't go back to being herself without killing herself. How does one exist like that?

Through his interactions with Saunders, we see Topher evolving. In season one, Topher was nothing but an arrogant geek, proud of himself for being able to create better people than nature seemed produce, condescendingly looking down on anyone that was not as perfect as himself or as one of his creations. Already this season, we see Topher beginning to examine the impact of his actions. Topher is beginning to become more self-aware, self-actualized. He realizes that he's not necessarily better than anyone, and in fact, is more flawed than any one of his creations. He's starting to realize that he does not, in fact, live in a vacuum, and that all humans are inter-dependent, that everything he is doing is impacting lives. It's not all just data. Mother Nature is a stubborn woman, and data will never be able to completely overcome her. You cannot completely wipe all of her influences and effects.

I can't wait to see how Topher develops when he finds out Echo has a highly resistant consciousness, and can never be completely and totally wiped. How will this impact other actives? What will this do to Whiskey's psyche? Is the ongoing affection between Sierra and Victor another signal of Mother Nature's persistence? How will DeWitt react to Saunders' newest personality quirks? Is that what leads her to become the vapid, ghostly Whiskey we saw in Epitaph 13?

I am looking forward to seeing these themes develop as the season progresses. I hope we get to learn more about some of the other actives in upcoming episodes. Will DeWitt and Ballard continue to convince the other that he/she is really leading this dance? Will DeWitt continue to explore and exploit Ballard's weaknesses to keep him under her thumb? When will Topher really begin to crack? And what is Boyd's real deal? I've wondered THAT since he first joined the Dollhouse. He's one character who has remained an enigma thus far. When will his motivations be revealed? Why is he really there? How will a Senator making Rossum a campaign issue effect their operations? When will Alpha return, and how will Dollhouse react?

I only wish Dollhouse was not on Friday nights. Because of its timing, I will be recording most episodes. I will continue to recap and review episodes. But my reviews will always be a few days behind the latest episode. I will try to faithfully post them by Monday morning, but if life interferes, my reviews may be late. I hope you'll feel they are worth the wait, and you will use the comments section to expand on my own analyses. Do you agree with my characterizations? Are there important things I've missed?

I look forward to sharing Season 2 of Dollhouse with you.