Dollhouse ep by ep; rewatch and reviews

ECHO

The good;
A solid introduction to the workings of the Dollhouse and the various characters we will encounter over the course of the series. Love Echo at the wedding reception and Victor being a doll is sure a shock. Interesting debate between Topher and Boyd, they seem closer here than in Ghost.

The bad;
You can see why the network demanded a reshoot, very little action and kinda hard to like the characters, especially when Echo shoots Agent Ballard. Also stretches credibility that there's no sex involved, reminiscent of the holosuites in ST;TNG

Best line;
Victor's "People are mostly crap!" just beating Topher's "Morality is programming" (or do they mean the same thing?)

Packing heat;
Echo shoots Ballard with his own gun.

Kinky dinky;
Astonishingly in this first ep there's no sex whatsover except for a little kissy kissy at the wedding reception. Addy remarks to the client about hiring girls to dress as cheerleaders for him. Topher justifies him being in the Dollhouse because it is "Cutting edge science in a house full of hot chicks". Personally all the naked showering scenes do little or nothing for me, when the actives don't have their personalities implanted they act like stoned children and I just find it extremely creepy (nudity in itself is seldom erotic, the context is everything).

Capt subtext;
Addy's client is a little too eager to turn down the offer of a male doll. Victor says that he wants to be Doris Day (cut to Sierra looking just like her or actually a little more Jackie O perhaps?)

How'd they get away with that?
The sociopath assassin Echo is programmed with is hard to take, she's loathsome but your heart bleeds for a girl who's been running from the police since she was 5. Still hard to watch Ballard threaten her though but this being a Joss show she turns the tables. Boyd seems pretty callous just abandoning a wounded Ballard but in fairness the police are on their way.

This weeks fantasy;
Echo is a vengful streetwalker, besotted fiance, damaged goods assassin and rehab girl. Sierra is Jackie O, Victor is a Russian gangster

Total number personalitites;
Echo; 4
Sierra; 1
Victor; 1

Total dolls;3
We meet Victor, Echo and Sierra

Addy is a bit British;
Likes her tea

Topher is a bit geeky;
His lab is an ubergeeks playground complete with gumball machine and whack-a-mole arcade machine

Subverting the Hollywood cliche;

Bondage;

Knocked out;

Kills;

Dolls injured;
Sierra with an unexplained cut on her face

Happy hookers;
Essentially the Dollhouse is the ultimate fantasy brothel, amazing that Joss was able to get that onto the screen but I guess The Sopranos, The Shield etc led the way. Here we actually have Echo beating up a pimp and packing his latest working girl off home, rather hypocritical given the nature of the Dollhouse, is what Addy and co do that different to what he does?

Know the face?
2 Joss Whedon regulars, Amy Acker and Eliza Dushku.

Guantanamo;
The conspiracy starts here, the power and reach of the Dollhouse is truly terrifying

Fanfic;
Plenty where Echo and the girls get to dress up as cheerleaders and 'Bring it on'.

Missing scenes;
Interesting missing scenes with Echo saving the girl in a spiral of self-destruction but the Dollhouse seems a bit TOO altruisitic

Reminds me off;
The dolls sleeping pods are very Alien whilst the Dollhouse itself is reminiscent of the Wolfram and Hart set in Angel.

Questions and observations;
Gotta say I prefer Echo to Ghost although I can see why the network didn't. Do we ever meet Ballards ex? Addy seems to imply they're all dammed.

7 out of 10, good enough, intriguing but not brilliant

 

Previous Dollhouse thread not good enough?

 

Apologies, didn't know there was one

ECHO

The good;
More involving plot, more drama and excitiment and more realistic depiction of the reality of the Dollhouse.

The bad;
The bike ride is stupid, such a Hollywood cliche that they turn out to be racing. Boyd is the worst sniper ever, demonstrating why you should always use a semi-auto rifle. Her client is also way to handsome as Joss and ED comment but if she'd turned up with an ordinary looking guy would we not know something was up? Plenty of pandering to the studio frankly. How does Sierra fire 3 rounds from her pump action shotgun without working the action?

Best line;
Addy "Nothing is what it appears to be" (how true that will turn out to be!)
also like Tophers
"Everybody who's running to something is also running away"

Packing heat;
Sierra with a shotgun and pistol (although she has a carbine in the chopper?), Boyd with a pistol and sniper rifle.

Kinky dinky;
ED dancing is always a treat. especially in her 'decent by half an inch' dress. She also does a twirl around the stripper pole move when she gets into the van (check out her film The New Guy for more in that vein). We also get to glimpse her having bondage sex with her client. On the other hand her sexy librarian look is also quite something. Giles says he has a thing about libraries/librarians, wonder if Tony Head knows?

How'd they get away with that?
All the stuff with the kidnapped girl and what happened to Echo's personality as a kid is horrific. Sierra's first treatment is hard to watch.

This weeks fantasy;
Sierra is a SWAT team commander, Echo is a bike-riding party girl and hostage negotiator.

Total number personalitites;
2 for Echo making a total of; 6
1 for Sierra making; 2
1 for Victor

Total dolls;3
Echo, Sierra and Victor

Addy is a bit British;
It's the tea again

Topher is a bit geeky;

Subverting the Hollywood cliche

Bondage;
Echo ties up her client during sex

Knocked out

Kills;
Sierra kills 2 of the kidnappers

Dolls injured;
Echo slapped around by the kidnapper

Capt subtext
Dr Saunders offers Echo a massage. One wonders how she danced so wonderfully after dropping a motorbike on her leg?

Happy hookers
This time Echo explicitly does have sex with her paying client

Know the face?
Recurring Joss Whedon stars 3 ;Amy Acker, Eliza Dushku and Ballards sparring partner was the 'walking action figure' Spike had to fight in season 6 of Buffy to get his soul back. Also look out for Tim Kellehen who was also in Dark Skies, another conspiracy-fest series where he played a similar character (his Dark Skies co-star Conor Farrell also turns up in Buffy as the soldier who takes over The Initiative)

Guantanamo

Fanfic
Plenty of bondage sex in fanfic

Missing scenes

Reminds me off;
Adele is very Lilah like whilst Dominic is very Marcus. The relationship between Active and Handler very reminiscent of Watcher and Slayer. Ballards FBI contact is called Loomis which may be a Halloween reference.The boat sequence was so Miami Vice I had to check that Boyd was wearing socks. The kidnapped girl stuff is reminiscent of the Angel ep 'Damage'.

Questions and observations;
Caroline remarks 'Like she always said', is this Mrs Dundee whom she refers to in her video? Obviously it's not ED doing all the bike work but can she ride at all? You wonder what the Faith on a motorcycle spinoff would have been like especially with ghost-Spike as sidekick? The first time I ever actually heard Lady Gaga was watching this ep. Caroline says 'Hello mom' in her video, is her family still out there? The kidnap victim's dad refers to 'That reality crap', Joss putting the boot in? ED refers to her first movie with period cars which was presumably 'This Boys Life'. Joss is a fan of BSG AND Millers Crossing, he sure has taste! Obviously the budget is pretty tight to judge by their comments. What does Echo mean when she babbles 'Is it bigger than your thumb?'

7 out of 10, combine this and Echo and it would be much better

 

THE TARGET

The good;
Lots of it, exciting story and some great background. This may be the pivotal ep of Dollhouse as it's the first to suggest Echo is really moving beyond her programming and Alpha is set up as this big bad bogeyman.

The bad;
?

Best line;
Boyd (handing Echo a gun)" Know how to use that?"
Echo (handling it confidently) "4 brothers, none democrats"
Very cheeky for trendy lefty Joss

Packing heat;
Echo with a S&W 9mm. Boyd has exchanged his automatic for a .357 revolver perhaps in keeping with his backstory as an ex-cop.

Kinky dinky;
Echo and client play the naughty Girl Scout together.

Notches on the Dollhouse bedpost;
Echo; 2

How'd they get away with that?
Echo being hunted is horrible but nothing compared to Alpha slaughtering everyone in the pool! Amazing how much blood they got away with.

This weeks fantasy;
Echo is a fun loving outdoor girl and a sweet girl who loves fat guys in flashback

Total number personalitites;
2 for Echo making a total of; 8
Sierra; 2
Victor; 1

Total dolls;3
Echo, Sierra and Victor

Addy is a bit British;

Topher is a bit geeky;
He asks for a gun but no one trusts him with one

Subverting the Hollywood cliche
Hello Mellie, proving that women of a fuller figure can be attractive on US tv. Her real first name is Miracle? Were her parents hippies? Speaking of which in the flashback Echo is hired to be the girlfriend for an obese man as you would expect dolls to be but we never see him.

Bondage;

Knocked out

Kills; Boyd's driver and the Ranger killed.
Sierra; 2 kills
Echo kills the psycho; 1

Dolls injured;
Echo and Boyd badly injured

Capt subtext
Topher expresses 'Big, big man love' for Boyd and describes his eyes as 'dreamy'. Boyd is protective of the actives from the start and Topher tells him it's all about trust.

Happy hookers

Know the face?
4th Whedon alumni-Mark Shepherd was Badger in Firefly (and the 2nd BSG star for Jane Espenson to bring with her)

Guantanamo;
Boyd tortures the fake Forest Ranger to save Echo (Jack Bauer/Dick Cheney would be proud)

Fanfic

Missing scenes

Reminds me off;
Joss bascially reuses this storyline from the 3rd season Buffy ep Homecoming, it's derived from the famous short story 'The Most Dangerous Game' (one alias in even Richard Connel) which in turn inspired real life serial killer Robert Hansen who hunted and murdered over twenty people after kidnapping them, releasing them into the Alaskan wilderness and giving them a head start. Also reminiscent of ED's horror movie Wrong Turn. Addy uses the term Tabula Rusa which was the name of a 6th season ep of Buffy.

Questions and observations;
Got to admit when Dominic walks away from Echo at the end I thought she just gave him a 'screw you' gesture. It wasn't until I rewatched that I realised she gives him the psycho's 'shoulder to the wheel' action. Is the drug in the canteen the catalyst for Echo's specialness or was there something before? I think if they'd have kept stories at this level Dollhouse would have been much more successful than it was.

8/10 MUCH BETTER

 

STAGE FRIGHT

The good;
Not much. Ballard is one tough nut to take on the Russian mobsters. If you never watched the ep 'Echo' then Victor's true identity is a heck of shock

The bad;
Such a weak story, you wonder if Joss had to take a week off sick? Must also have been hugely expensive?

Best line;
Rayna (of Echo); "Did they grow you in a lab?"
and
Echo; "Bitch, you can fire me but don't ever think you can take me!"

Packing heat;
Echo takes the villain's Walther PPK

Kinky dinky;
Rock chick ED and scantily clad Rayna is stunning. Rayna's manager apparently uses twins (male or female?) from the Dollhouse to relieve tension (better than valium?). Topher likes the idea of Rayna and Echo getting romantic

Notches on the Dollhouse bedpost;
Echo; 2

How'd they get away with that?
The diva is so blatantly Beyonce it's a wonder she didn't sue?

This weeks fantasy;
Bodyguard and backing singer for Echo, No1 fan for Sierra.

Total number personalitites; 1 each for Echo and Sierra
Echo; 9
Sierra; 3
Victor; 1

Total dolls;3
Echo, Sierra and Victor

Addy is a bit British;
Faced with another British actor her accent goes into overdrive

Topher is a bit geeky;
Keen to know the inside scoop on the gorgeous music superstar

Subverting the Hollywood cliche
The successful Hollywood diva is actually suicidal

Bondage;
Sierra tied up; 1

Knocked out

Kills;
Sierra; 2 kills
Echo; 1

Dolls injured;
Sierra roughed up

Capt subtext

Happy hookers

Know the face? Jim Piddock who plays Rayna's manager was memorable as the Valet in The Trial episode of Angel (also a screenwriter now).
5th Whedon alumni-Mark Shepherd, Amy Acker, walking action figure, Eliza Dushku, Jim Piddock

Guantanamo;
Rayna's manager slaps her but possibly she deserves it? Echo then knocks her senseless with a chair and uses her as bait to trap the assassin.

Fanfic;
Plenty where Rayna and Echo do get romantic.

Missing scenes

Reminds me off;
The assassin's crutches scene reminiscent of Day of the Jackal. No1 fan is how Mark Chapman described himself to Stephen King at a booksigning before later shooting John Lennon, a story which inspired Misery

Questions and observations;
Does ED do her own singing? If she does it's a pity she missed Once More with Feeling on Buffy. In lots of little ways Echo seems to be breaking her programming and her kinship with Sierra becomes apparent. Why does the Dollhouse seem to use Victor to set Ballard up yet has Mellie trying to get the inside scoop on him?

Marks out of 10; 5/10, actually enjoyed this more when rewatching than I thought I would

 

GRAY HOUR

The good;
Lovely scene where wiped Echo gazes around in wonder at all the beautiful works of art. Interesting to see Sierra and Echo play the same character 'Taffy' in the same ep.

The bad;
The scenes from the ep 'Echo' are repeated. However this means that Sierra has the scar from that ep on her forehead without any explanation and it later disappears. We never get a proper explanation of how Echo and her friend get out of the vault, even with smoke grenades and the other goon distracting the guards with his shooting.

Best line;
Goon 1 (of a suddenly infantile Echo) "What's wrong with her?"
Goon 2 "I don't know, hysterical woman syndrome?" (un-PC but FUNNY!)

Packing heat;
Boyd shoots the Professor in the kneecap. Echo with a pistol again

Kinky dinky;
Hooker Echo, mini-skirted and black PVC thigh booted in true Pretty Woman style. She considers her own breasts 'spectacular'. The Sierra version of Taffy says that after nearly getting killed on her first job she learned how to lapdance.

Notches on the Dollhouse bedpost;
Echo; 2

How'd they get away with that?
Accomplice slapping Echo is nasty

This weeks fantasy;
Midwife Echo and safecracker Echo/Sierra (the two skills not dissimilar, just one normally involves a lot more noise)

Total number personalitites;
Echo; 11
Sierra; 4
Victor; 1

Total dolls;3
Echo, Sierra and Victor

Addy is a bit British;
She's at the tea again.

Topher is a bit geeky;
He seems to eat nothing but junk food to judge by his shopping list. Also worries about a rival programmer from Tokyo

Subverting the Hollywood cliche

Bondage;
Sierra tied up; 1

Knocked out

Kills;
Sierra; 2 kills
Echo; 1

Dolls injured;

Capt subtext;
The baby girl Echo delivers has 'linebackers shoulders' which her father takes to be a sign that she'll be a lesbian.

Happy hookers
The hotel security guard is used to dealing with distraught hookers and offers Echo hush money

Know the face?
5 Whedon alumni-Mark Shepherd, Amy Acker, walking action figure, Eliza Dushku, Jim Piddock

Guantanamo;
Topher, at the heart of the conspiracy freaks out about the much larger conspiracy now attacking the Dollhouse

Fanfic;

Missing scenes

Reminds me off;
Echo's alias is Taffy, one of the teen Angels from Captain Caveman. Dollhouse does heist movie just like Buffy in Choices and Angel in Ground State.

Questions and observations;
Good ep, the scene between Addy and Topher at the end where she takes him into her confidence and they both look scared as hell at the idea of Alpha raises it to a better level. Adele seems to drink Tequila, Vodka and Johnny Walker whiskey to judge by her drinks cabinet.

Marks out of 10; 8/10

 

TRUE BELIEVER

The good;
Pretty good story and some nice political campaigning from Adele. The start of Victor and Sierra's relationship is sweet and Topher's reaction to it hilarious. Also like the gag where Ballard asks Mellie to describe the guy who gave her the letter only for her to describe the mailman. Also love Echo/Esther hitting the cult leader with the candlestick.

The bad;
Rather odd that Boyd uses his real name when dealing with the ATF?

Best line;
Topher (on the phone, upon seeing Victor's 'man reaction' to naked Sierra) "I gotta go, somethings come up"
also like
Echo/Esther "God brought me here with a message. That message is MOVE YOUR ASS!"

Packing heat; Boyd/Dominic with an SMG. Oddly in an ep full of guns Echo never uses one
Echo;3
Boyd; 6
Dominic; 4
Sierra; 1

Kinky dinky;
Victor and Sierra, some impulses obviously stronger than brain wiping

Notches on the Dollhouse bedpost;
Echo; 2

How'd they get away with that?
Can't watch Echoes eye surgery, very Clockwork Orange. The cult leader has a penchant for underage girls.

This weeks fantasy;
Echo is a blind religious zealot

Total number personalitites;
Echo; 11
Sierra; 4
Victor; 1

Total dolls;3
Echo, Sierra and Victor

Addy is a bit British;

Topher is a bit geeky;
Prefers the term 'man reaction' to errection.

Subverting the Hollywood cliche

Bondage;
Sierra tied up; 1

Knocked out;
Echo by Dominic

Kills;
Sierra; 2 kills
Echo; 1

Dolls injured;
Echo roughed up and slapped around again

Capt subtext;

Happy hookers

Know the face?
5 Whedon alumni-Mark Shepherd, Amy Acker, walking action figure, Eliza Dushku, Jim Piddock

Guantanamo;
Big goverment kicking in the door and storming inside...to discover enough illegal weaponry to take Iwo Jima in the hands of those seeking the end of the world. Hard to know who's right or wrong?

Fanfic;

Missing scenes;
Very nice dinner scene on the deleted scenes, actually makes the cult members much more likeable.

Reminds me off;

Questions and observations;
Hard to know what to make of the rights and wrongs of this ep, the ATF agent plays a dirty trick although ultimately he's proven to 100% right and avoids another Waco. The irony that the cult members have sacrificed their free will much more by choice than the Dolls have (or have they?). The difference is that the cultists pose a threat to the outside with their arsenal whilst the Dollhouse doesn't...yet? Dominic shows his dislike of Echo whilst the affection developing between her and Adele also becomes evident
In many ways these eps remind me of early eps of Angel, that it was supposed to be an anthology show with the case of the week but eventually became more a story of Angel Investigations themselves with the cases as incidental. The problem is that with the Doll's wiped every week it's difficult for the characters to develop. Also whilst it's a slick series it lacks the humour and and joi de vive of Buffy and Angel (and even Firefly) it feels too sterile.
Marks out of 10; 7/10, again, enjoyed this more in the rewatch than I thought I would

 

Man on the street

The good;
Wow! Mellie is a Doll! Did ANYONE see that coming? Excellent ep with loads of character development, first meeting of Ballard and Caroline (excepting 'Echo') and a heck of a dust up. The subplot with an abused Sierra is horrible but very well written and acted, you just knew that this would be a problem sometime as Herne says (CHEERED when Boyd punched him through the glass, great stunt from Mike Massa). And Echo has paid sex with her first realistic and sympathetic client.

The bad;
Not much, very good ep. You do think that Adele takes a hell of chance with November by not activating her about 30 seconds earlier?

Best line;
"Perhaps I need to give it to you" Adele gives Boyd a bonus, not because he wants it but because she needs to give it to him to salve her conscience.
also like
"PORN!" (all in the delivery)

Packing heat; Echo takes Ballard's gun off him, Dominic pistol-whips Herne
Echo;4
Boyd; 6
Dominic; 5
Sierra; 1

Kinky dinky;
According to Joss when they asked casting for extras to play the Dolls they were inundated with pictures of porn stars. Must have been hell. Why do we all bother to pay for porn? Why don't we just phone up a casting agency and pretend we need attractive background players for our TV show? Echo's personality thinks her fiancee has suddenly become rich through internet porn.

Notches on the Dollhouse bedpost; November beds Ballard (and she's a heck of a screamer) and presumably Echo returns to finish her romantic engagement with her client
Echo; 3
November; 1

How'd they get away with that?
The funny "What a rick!" and the indescribably horrible, Herne abusing Sierra. He's a son of a bitch but November killing Herne makes me wince every time.

This weeks fantasy;
Echo plays the dead fiancee of the Internet mogul and then a hit chick. November plays Mellie and death-in-Laura-Ashley

Total number personalitites; 2 for Echo
Echo; 13
Sierra; 4
Victor; 1
November; 2

Total dolls;4, here's November!
Echo, Sierra, November and Victor

Addy is a bit British;

Topher is a bit geeky;

Subverting the Hollywood cliche;
The client is actually a sympathectic figure and is even concerned about the security guards Ballard knocked out. For once we have a fat client rather than a male model although Mellie actually thinks him kinda cute.

Bondage;
Sierra tied up; 1

Knocked out;

Kills; November kills Herne with her bare hands (never talk flower arranging with HER!)
Sierra; 2 kills
Echo; 1
November;1

Dolls injured;
November badly roughed up by Herne

Capt subtext;
The redneck guy thinks the Dollhouse is a great idea because it allows a guy to be with another guy but means that there's 'Nothing queeny' going on (his wife/girlfriend's expression when he says this makes me laugh out loud every time, just like Echo's 'Porn' line). Dominic punches Herne when he hints that there was something between him and Adele. Jealousy?

Happy hookers
Takana describes Echo as a 'whore with a heart of gold'. Herne makes a good point about Adele hiring out the Dolls to be sweating under 'some Emir' (the difference being they'd signed up for that, they hadn't signed up to be sexually abused whilst in their non-programmed state, Sierra actually saying she doesn't want to). Joss refers to Miracle Laurie as 'Being a pro' but rapidly rethinks his phrasing.
Just idly watching '2 and a Half Men' whilst I'm writing this and Charlie and Alan are being treated to a pair of hookers by their future stepfather in Vegas. It strike me how attitudes to prostitution in TV and movies have changed in recent years, Pretty Woman, Belle Du Jour, Patty the daytime hooker in My Name is Earl, Hung etc. In a recent ep of The Big Bang Theory to cheer Howard up Raj and Leonard hire him a working girl. Times have certainly changed, used to be the only time you ever saw prostitutes on screen was when they were murdered or were informants.

Know the face?
5 Whedon alumni-Mark Shepherd, Amy Acker, walking action figure, Eliza D

 

ECHOES

The good;
So we find out how Echo came to the Dollhouse. Hilarious to watch Dominic bossed around by Victor and the other dolls and lovely scenes between Adele and Topher.

The bad;
Why do they use the NSA as cover? Surely they're involved in intercepting communications, not stuff like this?

Best line;
Toper (of Dominic) "He didn't take any, no way would Dominic have any fun"
plus
Again "Nothing is what it appears to be"

Packing heat; Dominic with his Glock (personally I always found them a bit light for my taste?) Sierra and Victor also get one whilst we also see Victor with an M16 in his flashback.
Echo;4
Boyd; 6
Dominic; 6
Sierra; 3
Victor; 2

Kinky dinky;
Echo's knee socks, high heels and micro-mini dress are spectacular, especially when she's on the bike (but is that ED?). Check out her stumble when she chases Sam from the lab. She engages in bondage sex with her returning client.

Notches on the Dollhouse bedpost; none unless Echo goes back to finish her engagement. Why are Topher's trousers off? What did he and Adele get up to? He says she's his 'Superior in every way"?
Echo; 3
November; 1
Ballard; 1

How'd they get away with that?
The poor kid headbutting the glass, yeeesh! Tophers ode to drugs is also pretty near the knuckle.

This weeks fantasy;
Echo returns to her biker-party-girl persona which we see in Ghost, Victor is a federal agent and Sierra a goverment scientist

Total number personalitites;
Echo; 14
Sierra; 5
Victor; 2
November; 1

Total dolls;4, but we hear of another Doll, Foxtrot? Sam becomes an active at the end but do we ever see him again?
Echo, Sierra, November and Victor

Addy is a bit British;
"Sarcastic? Unfeeling? British?" She uses the British term crisp. Brown sauce is actually a mix of fruit and spices. Topher also refers to his machines that go 'Ping!' which is a reference to Monty Python's The Meaning of Life.

Topher is a bit geeky;
Topher is so excited to meet the Rostrum head guy he might throw up. He quotes Mighty Mouse 'Here I come to save the day'.

Subverting the Hollywood cliche;

Bondage; no but Echo ties up her client
Sierra tied up; 1

Knocked out;

Kills;
Sierra; 2 kills
Echo; 1
November;1

Dolls injured;

Capt subtext;
Adele's interview of Caroline is reminiscent of seduction. Paul wants to take care of Mellie, just like he wants to save Caroline, always the white knight. Topher and Adele begin to share. Adele says she has a good story about Victor. Dominic hints that there's more to him than just a professional heavy, namely his suits, is he hinting that he's gay?

Happy hookers

Know the face?
5 Whedon alumni-Mark Shepherd, Amy Acker, walking action figure, Eliza Dushku, Jim Piddock

Guantanamo;
The press are fed a cover story of a student prank gone wrong

Fanfic;
One theory explored in fanfic is that Caroline is actually Adele's daughter?

Missing scenes;

Reminds me off;
Very reminiscent of the classic 3rd season Buffy ep Band Candy, Adele in particular similar to the wonderful Joyce.

Breaking the programming;
In this ep all the Dolls glitch but Echo starts before she even get's the drug. She actually says 'No' to her treatment.

Questions and observations;
Adele refers to her and Caroline playing this game for 2 years? First return client, the same guy from Ghost. Caroline is an anti-war protester and animal rights activist. My personal theory was that Leo, her boyfriend who was shot was actually Alpha. Boyd plays the piano pretty well. We learn Caroline's full name, Caroline Farrell and Dominic's, Lawerance Dominic.
We find hints of the Dolls previous lives, Victor was a soldier, November is mourning someone

Marks out of 10; 7/10 again, enjoyed this more than I thought

 

NEEDS

The good;
Excellent scenes with the actives planning their escape in true The Prisoner style. Very gratifying to watch Victor beat the stuffing out of the guy abusing Sierra.

The bad;
Seems all very reckless of Adele, Victor throttles one handler and beats up Sierra's client. Echo beats the crap out of another handler before raiding the armoury and threatening everyone with a gun. Perhaps Topher put in blocks to prevent them killing anyone but given how the wipes haven't been working lately this still seems very risky.

Best line;
Dr Saunders; "Let the tide wash in"

Packing heat; Echo with a glock. The Dollhouse has it's own armoury in the handlers room with Glocks, M16 carbines and H&K MP5s.
Echo;5
Boyd; 6
Dominic; 6
Sierra; 3
Victor; 2

Echo kissage;
By request this new topic will be included.

Kinky dinky;
Mike suggests that they've been kidnapped to have sex with aliens, an idea that Mellie is understandably not too keen on (presumably she's seen Alien vs Predator; Requiem or Taboo Comics/Monsters and Angels-internet GOT-fic?). But she's quite ok with the thought of showering naked with both boys and girls unlike Sierra who's more hesitant.

Notches on the Dollhouse bedpost;
Echo; 3
November; 1
Ballard; 1

How'd they get away with that?
Dead Echo is plenty frightening! Check out Eliza as undead Bonnie and Clyde here http://trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=107239
Victor is also pretty hardcore throttling the handler but that suits his soldier mentality. Echo beating up Sophie is also pretty savage.

This weeks fantasy; 1 each for everyone, their own personalities but without the memories. Echo is still the moral crusader we see in Echoes. Victor the level headed military man, November the maternal free spirit, Sierra kinda prickly and damaged.

Total number personalitites;
Echo; 15
Sierra; 6
Victor; 3
November; 2

Total dolls; 6, we meet 2 more, a blonde girl called Tango (who I think we've seen before as a background player?) and Mike who seems to be a conspiracy theorist and finds himself in the ultimate conspiracy. We also meet handler Sophie who like Topher's assistant Ivy will become a recurring minor character. We see another active in military garb (maybe filling in for Victor?) but we don't get a name.
Echo, Sierra, November, Victor, Mike, Tango

Addy is a bit British;

Topher is a bit geeky;
Astonishingly he's afraid of the dark

Subverting the Hollywood cliche;

Bondage;
Sierra tied up; 1

Knocked out; everyone passes out once they've achieved their closure
Echo; 2
November; 1
Sierra; 1
Victor; 1

Kills;
Sierra; 2 kills
Echo; 1
November;1

Dolls injured;

Capt subtext;
Ballard's dream suggests he has a sexual attraction towards Caroline at the expense of Mellie. Victor is appalled by the Village People-style leather chaps he appears to have in his wardrobe (Rid'em Cowboy?). Echo eyes Tango's legs in her stockings and suspenders. Tango closely resembles Liza Minelli's character in Cabaret. Is she off to a hetero client who wants to have sex with her or to a gay guy who wants to sing 'Money makes the world go round' with her as Buffy star Joel Gray (Doc from season 5) did in that movie. Boyd says he would have liked to have seen Echo leading everyone to freedom, he subconsciously wants to free everyone?

Happy hookers
Echo refers to the Dollhouse 'Pimping them out'

Know the face?
5 Whedon alumni-Mark Shepherd, Amy Acker, walking action figure, Eliza Dushku, Jim Piddock

Guantanamo;
Dominic suggests that the handlers think of the Actives as pets instead of children? Mike thinks they're goverment prisoners.

Fanfic;

Missing scenes;

Reminds me off;
The Buffy ep Tabula Rusa (a phrase used in this show), the characters all have their personalities and are trapped somewhere but don't have their conscious memories

Breaking the programming;
They all do so Adele allows them all to partially achieve their secret desires under controlled circumstances.

Questions and observation

 

SPY IN THE HOUSE OF LOVE

The good;
Exciting ep, the first I ever went back and rewatched immediately after again, Very clever mislead in the first scene, we think it's Dewitt getting wiped. The humanisation of Dewitt continues and it's beautifully written and played by all concerned. Good scene too between Ballard and Mellie, your heart bleeds for him.

The bad;
Echo the spycatcher wonders why Dr Saunders doesn't leave the Dollhouse? Possibly HER DISFIGURED FACE?! No commentary which is a real shame. The Sierra stuff is ok but we've seen it all before.

Best line;
Dominic "Sooner or later everyone get's there's" (Here's hoping!)
also like
Echo "I've got a good feeling about you and I've got the whip"
and
Dewitt (on the idea of Victor the imprinted Doll becoming a client of the Dollhouse and hiring another Doll for his pleasure) "I think the universe might just collapse!"

Packing heat; Dewitt pretty handy with her foil, Dominic with his Glock
Echo;5
Boyd; 6
Dominic; 7
Sierra; 3
Victor; 2

Echo kissage;
By request this new topic will be included.

Kinky dinky;
Ramirez wishes to be kidnapped by a pirate (I have a friend with an almost identical fantasy, differs only in that she get's tied to the mast Ulysees style and the whole of Johnny Depp's pirate crew are involved). Suprisingly Dr Saunders says that the actives aren't submissives, I'd have thought that would have been a hugely popular choice for clients (what about Sierra who begs her client to hurt her?).
Ok I'll say it now. Dominatrix Echo is the SEXIEST THING EVER! My god she's gorgeous! Sexier than Mathilda May in Lifeforce, sexier than Athen Massey in Undercover, sexier than Alyssa Milano in The Outer Limits, Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman, than Charisma Carpenter and Mercedes McNab in Playboy, than Ripley at the end of Alien or even ED's own bikini fashion parade in The New Guy. Needless to say it was a sequence that featured endlessly all over the internet, TV and magazines and I earnestly believe was the sole reason that Dollhouse got a second season. If only they'd tried something similar to get a third! (Echo the naughty schoolgirl/stewardess/hot cop etc, we've already had her as a nurse in Tru Calling)
And here it lives forever in cyberspace (plus some interesting comments by ED on how she approached the role and how much she enjoyed playing it); http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gCOGkxg_QA)
Now if you'll excuse me I just have to lie down for a moment!

Notches on the Dollhouse bedpost; Victor/Adele. Not sure if Dominatrx Echo actually had sex with her client or not, some Dominatrixes do, some don't.
Echo; 3 definite, 1 possible
November; 1
Ballard; 1
Victor; 1
Adele; 1

How'd they get away with that?
Dominic getting wiped is hard to watch even after all the things he's done.

This weeks fantasy;
Echo is a dominatrix and a spycatcher. Victor is Roger the romantic, Sierra a spy.

Total number personalitites; 2 for Echo, 1 each for Victor and Sierra
Echo; 16
Sierra; 7
Victor; 4
November; 2

Total dolls; 6
Echo, Sierra, November, Victor, Mike, Tango

Addy is a bit British;
Her ideal lover is called Roger, second name Moore perhaps? She also uses the term 'Crackerjack' which will mean a lot to a Briton of a certain age but little to the rest of the world (does she have the requisite pencil?).

Topher is a bit geeky;

Subverting the Hollywood cliche;

Bondage;
Sierra tied up; 1

Knocked out;
Echo; 2
November; 1
Sierra; 1
Victor; 1

Kills;
Sierra; 2 kills
Echo; 1
November;1

Dolls injured;
Echo roughed up by Dominic, Victor cut by Dewitt. Poor Ramirez hurt for a second time by Echo, this time with the whip (which is probably far preferrable to the fire extinguisher for her!) .

Capt subtext;
In the van dominatrix Echo talks of S&M being about trust and surrendering yourself completely to another. This actually is a good analogy of the handler active relationship and what Topher tells Boyd when he first meet Echo. Dr Saunders comments on the many same

 

Haunted

The good;
Terrific central concept, imagine waking and being told by your friend that you've died and then getting to attend your own funeral and find out what everyone thought of you. Some lovely scenes too with Topher and Sierra and the continued humanisation of Adele. The story of this ruptured family getting back together is actually very touching especially when the drunken brother reminisces about the first night he and his sister spent in the house together and how glad he was they made up, Gatsby and Nick style, just before she died.

The bad;
If Margaret and Adele were such good friends why doesn't Adele recognise Margaret's family? Exactly how did Margaret know that someone was attempting to murder her? The idea that her handwriting would be enough to prove that a note is genuine takes some swallowing.

Best line;
Adele; "Loneliness leads to nothing good, just detachment"
which would have been comfort to Ballard who has rough sex with Mellie even though he knows she's a Doll
Mellie; "Are you looking for a Dollhouse client?"
Ballard (haunted, looking at himself in the mirror) "I found one"
also like
Margaret/Echo; "Elmo"
Jocelyn; "EMO"
Margaret/Echo; "That's not a word sweetie" (her entire character summed up in that sentence)

Packing heat; Margaret doesn't like guns but is quite prepared to riflebutt her son with one.
Echo;6
Boyd; 6
Dominic; 7
Sierra; 3
Victor; 2

Echo kissage;1
Echo/Margeret kissed by her son.

Kinky dinky;
Incestuous vibe between Margaret and her son, his 'mother's bed' line especially. When the son says that Margaret/Echo "Checked out his body" she doesn't deny it but claims it was 'subconsciously' and she'd had 'too much wine'. He also spies on her voyeuristically through the window knowing her nightime routine and she doesn't appear at all disturbed. Adele is also a voyeur, watching Toper and Sierra. Ballard's violent sex with Mellie borders on rape fantasy. She digs it but doesn't want it all the time (a common reaction amongst most people I think). Echo in jodpurs and riding boots, MMMMMMMMMMMM! Margaret seems a cougar, using the Dollhouse for younger men before getting her own. Sierra seems to fantasise about 'Sexy, sexy aliens' is a she a got-fic fan? (http://www.galaxy-of-terror.com/mainsite/ and http://taboo.eroticillusions.com/free/taboomain.html if you're over 18 and VERY open minded)

Notches on the Dollhouse bedpost; does Topher have sex with Sierra? Possibly...
Echo; 3 definite, 1 possible
November; 1
Ballard; 1
Victor; 1
Adele; 1
Sierra 1 possible
Topher; 1 possible

How'd they get away with that?
The nanny story is HORRIBLE! The son murders his mother plus the incestuous subtext. Even though it's all a game and she get's into it you feel for Mellie being treated so roughly by Ballard. Question is would he have stopped if she'd wanted him to?

This weeks fantasy;
A dead woman comes back to witness her own funeral and investigate her own murder. Sierra is a supergeek in a supermodel's body, Victor is a horse expert

Total number personalitites;
Echo; 17
Sierra; 8
Victor; 5
November; 2

Total dolls; 6
Echo, Sierra, November, Victor, Mike, Tango

Addy is a bit British;
Margaret says Adele would keep a 'Stiff back and stiff upper lip"

Topher is a bit geeky;
Huge geekfest right down to lasertag and classic sci-fi debate.

Subverting the Hollywood cliche;
The rich turn out to be just like the rest of us only with more money

Bondage;
Sierra tied up; 1

Knocked out;
Echo; 2
November; 1
Sierra; 1
Victor; 1

Kills;
Sierra; 2 kills
Echo; 1
November;1

Dolls injured;.

Capt subtext;
Topher fantisises about Adele and Margaret together. Margaret expresses her admiration for Echo's body and even gropes her breasts. Boyd warns of the collapse of civilisation. Ballard feels self loathing at having taken out his frustrations about the case by ravishing Mellie, even if she enjoyed it. Adele puts the mind of her old friend Margaret in Echo, the Doll she has develop

 

BRIAR ROSE

The good;
Totally had me fooled with Alpha (partly because his agorophobic uber-geek and Ballard makes such a great team). Stunning performance on both counts. You really feel for Mellie when Ballard dumps her. Great performance from the actress who plays the little girl too. Dominic asking for 'Whiskey' is a masterful bit of foreshadowing and Ballard is one smart cookie with his plan (but not as much as you-know-who).

The bad;
Alpha's plan seems unecessarily complicated? Ballard says he doesn't have a badge any more but then he shows one to 'Kepler' (did he swipe Loomis'?)

Best line;
Adele; "There's indignation enough for everyone to have seconds"
reprogrammed Echo upon seeing Alpha
"My prince"

Packing heat; Both Boyd and Ballard with their pistols again. Ballard also uses a stungun on Topher.
Echo;6
Boyd; 7
Dominic; 7
Sierra; 3
Victor; 2
Ballard; 8

Echo kissage;2
She plants a big old smackaroo on Alpha, so much so it cuts her lip

Kinky dinky;

Notches on the Dollhouse bedpost;
Echo; 3 definite, 1 possible
November; 1
Ballard; 1
Victor; 1
Adele; 1
Sierra 1 possible
Topher; 1 possible

How'd they get away with that?
Watching Alpha slicing up Victor is HORRIBLE! The little girl's plight is also horrific but at least she has a chance to recover. Also hard to watch Ballard cruelly dumping Mellie and her near suicide. Plus Alpha's recycled urine.

This weeks fantasy;
Topher has made Echo into a grown up, healthy version of the damaged little girl in order to counsel her, Alpha turns her into a white trash princess. Sierra is a CSI girl (her technobabble may be a subtle joke on them). Victor is Dominic

Total number personalitites;
Echo; 19
Sierra; 9
Victor; 6
November; 2

Total dolls; add Alpha so 7
Echo, Sierra, November, Victor, Mike, Tango, Alpha

Addy is a bit British;

Topher is a bit geeky;
He actually uses the phrase 'All frakked up'.

Subverting the Hollywood cliche;
Amanda lets Echo sit near her, not because she trusts her but because she has flicknife concealed on her.

Bondage; Boyd puts Ballard in handcuffs (presumably his own?)
Sierra tied up; 1
Ballard; 1

Knocked out; Toper get's tasered into unconsciousness by Ballard
Echo; 2
November; 1
Sierra; 1
Victor; 1
Topher; 1

Kills;
Sierra; 2 kills
Echo; 1
November;1

Dolls injured;.
Poor Victor, traumatised by Ballard and Boyd crashing down on top of him and then cut to ribbons by Alpha.

Capt subtext;
Check out the very caring, maternal way Dr Saunders helps Victor who really comes across as a frightened child. The Briar Rose story has a feminist slant on it similar to Buffy, Amanda and Echo prefer the ending where the Briar Rose saves herself. Echo says that Amanda is "Close to moving forwards but it'll hurt" just as she is. Interestingly when Ballard asks Alpha is he Kepler he replies "Well there are a lot of aspects to that question" . He also refers to the Dollhouse as 'The New Eden' which it just might be. He asks Dr Saunders if she always wanted to be a Dr and when she says yes tells her that's a lie.

Happy hookers
The little girl seems to have been exploited as a child prostitute by her mother's boyfriend. All the Dolls in the Dollhouse are above the age of consent but only those we've seen (and only in LA).

Know the face? Alan Tudyk was Wash on Firefly/Serenity
7 Whedon alumni-Mark Shepherd, Amy Acker, walking action figure, Eliza Dushku, Jim Piddock, Gregg Henry, Alan Tudyk

Guantanamo;
Drugging and torturing Dominic who's on a day trip out of the attic, very hard to watch (great performance from Enver, really nails Reed Diamond in his mannerisms). Sending Echo to help the little girl is everybodys way of living with themselves.

Fanfic;
The adventures of doomed lovers Echo and Alpha disturbingly popular. The little girl's story reminded me of a Buffy fanfic where we learn why Faith is as screwed up as she is and Buffy, Joyce and Dawn help her get over it and adopt her as a new Summers girl http:/

 

OMEGA

The good;
Got to say I didn't see the Whiskey twist (is that a drink?) coming at all. Utterly brilliant, this storyline lifts the series up and helps it go off on a high. Such a dumb gag but it always makes me laugh out loud when Alpha 'watches his step'.

The bad;
How stupid must the Dollhouse be to use criminals as Dolls? Although wouldn't it be wonderful if we could reprogramme paedophiles and psychopaths so they were no longer either?

Best line;

Packing heat; both Boyd and Ballard (the latter switching to a Colt 45 for some reason) plus November and Sierra
Echo;6
Boyd; 8
Dominic; 8
Sierra; 4
Victor; 2
Ballard; 9
November; 1

Echo kissage;2

Kinky dinky;
Lovely though she is I never really thought of Amy Acker as turn-your-head-gorgeous in the same way as Eliza Dushku, Charisma Carpenter, Sarah Michelle Gellar, (they tried to make her into AI's glamourpuss in season 5 but it didn't really work which is why we got more Mercedes McNab as Harmony who IS turn your head gorgeous),but here she is a revelation, I was firmly convinced that it was Eliza doing the slinky dance to Roy Orbison's dreams but WOW! Also Echo's push up bra and Daisy Duke denim short-shorts as part of her white trash princess look. Bounty hunter Sierra seems to have an instant attraction for Ballard.

Notches on the Dollhouse bedpost;
Echo; 3 definite, 1 possible
November; 1
Ballard; 1
Victor; 1
Adele; 1
Sierra 1 possible
Topher; 1 possible

How'd they get away with that?
Killing the girl implanted with Caroline's memories is hideous. Alpha's idea of kidnapping a string of girls, implanting them with Carolines' memories and then killing her over and over again is too horrifying for words. Meeting 'Alpha's' first victim is also very disturbing but not half as much as his bloody rampage in the Dollhouse, especially how he kills his handler. He also refers to Crystal being a 'woman at 13'.

This weeks fantasy;
Sierra and November are bounty hunters, Echo is Crystal and her composite personalities

Total number personalitites;
Echo; 21
Sierra; 10
Victor; 6
November; 3

Total dolls; add some Whiskey to the mix!
8-Echo, Sierra, November, Victor, Mike, Tango, Alpha, Whiskey

Addy is a bit British;

Topher is a bit geeky;
He refers to Solyent Green (Angel also a Charlton Heston fan)

Subverting the Hollywood cliche;

Bondage;
Sierra tied up; 1
Ballard; 1

Knocked out;
Echo; 2
November; 1
Sierra; 1
Victor; 1
Topher; 1

Kills; poor Wendy is killed by Alpha
Sierra; 2 kills
Echo; 1
November;1

Dolls injured;
Echo winged by Alpha's bullet.

Capt subtext;
We finally learn November's real name and she is released from her contract (love Adele's very genuine hug for her). I guess whatever was between her and Ballard was quite real for him to pick her over Caroline? The heartbreaking scene where Dr Saunders tells Victor he's broken and no one will want him any more hardly needs explaining (thankfully the lollipop scene makes up for it). Why did Topher programme Dr Saunders to hate him? Perhaps because of his own self-loathing? Or did the original Saunders already hate him?

Happy hookers

Know the face?
7 Whedon alumni-Mark Shepherd, Amy Acker, walking action figure, Eliza Dushku, Jim Piddock, Gregg Henry, Alan Tudyk

Guantanamo;

Fanfic;

Missing scenes;.
Very important, if you have the DVDs be sure to watch them to find out what happened to bounty hunters Sierra and November and how Alpha got away.

Reminds me off;
Echo/Crystal and Alpha/Bobby on the run are very Badlands/True Romance/Bonnie and Clyde. But above all they remind me of Spike and Dru whom Angel once described as "Bonnie and Clyde if they had 100 years to get it right" The idea of violent prisoners being 'cured' by brainwashing sounds a bit 'A Clockwork Orange'? Ponder the fact that this series has a character called Ballard (and indeed Dawn was reading 'Empire of the Sun' for school in the later seasons of Buffy). Alpha digs out the tracker on the back of

 

EPITAPH ONE

The good;
All of it, just terrific stuff. Gritty opening title rather than the normal dreamlike sequence. Whiskey's appearance is especially good, the scene where Adele confronts an imprinted Victor is awesome (lovely touch that he's enjoying shellfish whilst in Victor because he's allergic in his own body).

The bad;
Couldn't we have Joss doing the commentary and not his brother? How does the little girl reach high enough up to attack the girl in the shower?

Best line;
Topher; "Children with matches!"
but also like
Echo imprinted little girl "Great, puberty all over again"

Packing heat; everybody is armed to the teeth (even Adele for the first time apparently at the request of the actress). Weird to see this little girl running around with guns considering how anti-gun Joss seemed in Buffy?
Echo;7
Boyd; 8
Dominic; 9
Sierra; 4
Victor; 3
Ballard; 10
November; 1

Echo kissage;2

Kinky dinky;
.
Notches on the Dollhouse bedpost;
Echo; 3 definite, 1 possible
November; 1
Ballard; 1
Victor; 1
Adele; 1
Sierra 1 possible
Topher; 1 possible

How'd they get away with that?
All of the stuff with the little girl.

This weeks fantasy;
Victor is the Rossum head honcho, Echo is a Russian immigrant

Total number personalitites;
Echo; 22
Sierra; 10
Victor; 7
November; 3

Total dolls; another Doll, Juliet is mentioned but we don't know which one she is. Also November is mentioned but Victor asks 'Which one?" implying that there was the replacement from the girl who played Mellie in season 1.
8-Echo, Sierra, November, Victor, Mike, Tango, Alpha, Whiskey

Addy is a bit British;

Topher is a bit geeky;
The survivors describe Topher's rumpus room as a nursery. Topher from 2 years back is reminiscent of Michael J Fox.

Subverting the Hollywood cliche;
When Zone teases Mag about regretting killing an imprinted person she replies "I wish it could have been you"

Bondage;
Sierra tied up; 1
Ballard; 1

Knocked out;
Echo; 2
November; 1
Sierra; 1
Victor; 1
Topher; 1

Kills;
Sierra; 2 kills
Echo; 1
November;1

Dolls injured;

Capt subtext;
The first thing Dominic notices when he's freed from the attic is that suits have three buttons again. The commentary also seems to hint he might be gay? Adele and Topher almost seem to be like a mother and son.

Happy hookers
Zone comments that the Dollhouse is a brothel built to make better hookers. Apparently the network gave instructions to avoid prostitution in the series. I wonder what went wrong? Although again, we live in modern times, even Dr Who's new assistant is a stripper and spends her first ep in a sexy policewoman's outfit.

Know the face? Hooray! Hooray! It's Felicia, Felicia Day! Whedon veteran from Buffy and Dr Horrible plus The Guild. Zone remind anyone else of Patrick Swayze crossed with Corey Feldman?
8 Whedon alumni-Mark Shepherd, Amy Acker, walking action figure, Eliza Dushku, Jim Piddock, Gregg Henry, Alan Tudyk, Felicia Day

Guantanamo;
The imprinted little girl describes Mag and Zone as bigots because they killed anyone imrprinted.

Fanfic; more fic than you can shake a stick at to tide you over until the season 2 DVDs come out
http://www.fanfiction.net/tv/Dollhouse/

Missing scenes;.
I like the idea of the scene with the bear in the lift, I wonder if it's the same one from the Angel ep Soul Purpose? Anyone know where I can find that clip on the internet? Do they ask it to press the floor button and then it get's frustrated because it's paws are too big?

Reminds me off;
We have an apocalypse in LA just as we saw in Angel season 6. The evil little girl is reminiscent of the annointed in Buffy. Topher's idea of the cyber-attack via the phone is a feature of the Stephen King novel 'Cell'
Topher's rambling like Wes in season 5 of Angel. The photo wall is very BSG. The commentators are Dr Who fans to judge by their 'Don't blink' remark. The butchers resemble the reavers from Firefly who were also the result of well intentio

 

I knew Victor and Madeline were dolls long before the reveal.
On the other hand, yes, Alpha and Omega were great episodes. Really showed the potential for the series. I was debating continuing after disc 2, but disc 3 was great!