Rayna (Jaime Lee Kirchner) is a superstar singer managed by a long-time client of Adelle's. She has gained a huge fan following... including one insane stalker. The sabotage of a recent performance seriously injured one of Rayna's back-up singers, leaving the star's manager concerned for her safety.
One visit to the Dollhouse later, and Echo emerges as Rayna's new backup singer. She has been programmed to stay close to the girl and to be instinctively protective of her. When she discovers the true nature of Rayna's relationship with her stalker, though, the parameters of the mission are changed, in a way that's a big worry to Laurence Dominic (Reed Diamond).
CHARACTERS
"Echo": She continues to retain something vague after her missions, and it doesn't seem that she's the only girl doing so. She may not recall specific things from engagements, but she has a sense of friendships, and she has a sense that it would be bad for her if those running the house knew that.
Doll of the Week: Jordan is a background singer who has had a reasonable amount of work, but no big break. She is thrilled to get a job on a major tour. She's observant and tough, and grounded enough to have no time for Rayna's self-destructive streak.
The Handler: Langton's protectiveness of Echo takes on a paternal tone. He is not just anxious for her welfare. When she is about to have her first performance, he is genuinely anxious about her doing well, his jitters reminding me (and Topher) of a nervous father. He also appears to have gained a confidante, in the pretty-but-damaged Dr. Saunders (Amy Acker). I haven't really touched on Acker's role in previous reviews, but she's been consistently excellent so far in a role that seems likely to grow more important later.
The FBI Agent: Ballard finally begins to emerge as his own character, rather than just a collection of recycled Bogie cliches. We learn some things about him that cast him in a new light. Chief among them is his track record at the FBI. He apparently doesn't have one. "You can't close," his source Victor (Enver Gjokaj) observes after doing some research on him. Victor goes on to say that Balllard was assigned the Dollhouse case because he couldn't possibly screw up an investigation into something that doesn't exist. Ballard's reflective side is shown by his explanation of why he's so sure it does exist, musing about how when man split the atom, the first thing done with that breakthrough was to create a bomb. For the first time, Tahmoh Penikett actually reminds me of how good he was on Battlestar Galactica, and this episode gives me some hope that both actor and performance may eventually be that good here.
THOUGHTS
After the first two episodes, I'd have never thought that there would be an episode in which the Ballard story was the strongest element. Stage Fright will hopefully be a turning point for both Ballard and his subplot. Not only does he finally begin emerging as a real character, but a genuinely unexpected twist is thrown in regarding his story strand. It will be interesting to see where the show takes this new development.
As to the standalone plot this week, it's another very traditional one. The superstar with the crazed fan is one of those obligatory stories that every private detective or cop show that survives longer than one season will eventually feature. But it does manage to work a little bit better than last week's Most Dangerous Game riff. This is partially because it doesn't have two or three other plots competing for the viewer's attention, and partially because writers Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon throw in a couple of unexpected turns. I was genuinely surprised at Rayna's reaction to her murderous stalker, and that kicked the episode up a notch in the late going.
OVERALL
I feared the worst when I realized this was going to be yet another episode with a stock plot, but Stage Fright largely works, and even manages a couple of surprises along the way. The ongoing elements in the background seem ready to be brought forward anytime now, which is promising for the show's development. There's a sense of something simmering slowly to a boil. Stage Fright in itself is only slightly better than adequate television. But what's good here gives me hope that this show is going to get a lot better before too much longer.
Rating: 6/10.
Previous Episode: The Target
Next Episode: Gray Hour
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