2-12. The Hollow Men.

THE PLOT

After saving Topher's life, Langton reaches the rendezvous point with both the computer genius and Echo in tow. Then all the Los Angeles "conspirators" head off to Tucson, for the final confrontation with the Rossum Corporation and its mysterious leader.  But there's one final twist in store for all of them... a little something to remind them all that no one can truly be trusted!


CHARACTERS

Echo: Caroline is finally made part of Echo's composite, after two years of episodes, and... It's a non-event. Caroline does not appear to become in any way a dominant personality. Echo is exactly who she already was, just with a bit of new information. This is one of several frustrations about an episode that doesn't have time to do character when there's so much plot to get through.

The Security Chief: Langton insists that, even with Echo's mind scrambled, they still need to follow through with the plan to infiltrate Rossum's Tucson headquarters. He uses his knowledge to break himself, Topher, Ballard, and November out of the Rossum cell, allowing them to strike at the corporation from inside the belly of the beast. In private, he admits to Adelle that while he considers the Dollhouse staff as "family," he has never really liked nor respected Ballard and doesn't understand what Adelle saw in him.

The Genius: Topher really can't help himself when it comes to playing with gadgets, can he? In the middle of Rossum's lab, seeing his Apocalypse Weapon being mass produced, he knows with every fiber of his being that the right thing to do is to destroy it. But he also sees that the gadget doesn't work, and he recognizes why. He can fix it in ten minutes and, with no more than a few encouraging words to provide a rationalization for doing so, he honestly can't help himself. He just has to make the toy work, no matter how bad an idea he knows it is.

THOUGHTS

The Hollow Men is to Season Two what Omega was to Season One: The not-quite finale, which nevertheless wraps up most of the arc of this season. The war against Rossum builds to its climax here, as Echo, Adelle, and their group face off against the mysterious Rossum founders. It's all paced at lightning speed, with terrific performances. Harry Lennix, Amy Acker, and Miracle Laurie get the best moments, but everyone gets something to do. We even get a brief return of Enver Gjokaj's Topher impression, which injects a bit of humor into an otherwise all-out suspense episode.

While the pace and performances make this highly watchable, however, The Hollow Men is a disappointment.  In fact, this episode gets worse in my mind the more time I have to think about it. One issue is inevitable: Getting Closer delivered the series' single biggest twist. This episode sees that twist play out, but there simply aren't any surprises on the same level as the one that closed out the previous episode.

I also think it's a bit of a cheat. From the ending of Getting Closer, there were many possible paths to follow. Maybe the Rossum head had lost control of his company (to, say... Harding? Who, after much build-up this season, has barely even been mentioned the past few episodes), and was using Echo to bring things back under control? Maybe the Rossum head actually isn't the villain? Maybe there's some big plan in play?

Well, no. The Rossum head's just crazy. Nothing more to it than that. And as that character is revealed to be a lunatic, this episode becomes vastly less interesting. I know it's hard to wrap all of this plot up in 45 minutes. But there were a lot of pieces on the board that might have been used. Many of those pieces go unused and unmentioned, while the writers - and by the credits, I'd say this one was pretty much written by committee - don't even get the best use out of the pieces they bother to play with.

The Hollow Men is all plot, and I don't mean that in a good way. There's no time for characterization, or to linger on interesting little moments. The long-awaited scene in which Caroline is integrated into Echo comes to pass... and it's meaningless, as Echo remains indistinguishable from who she has been. Why would a moment that the series has been building toward since its first episode get such an absolute lack of acknowledgement? Because there's plot to get through, and no time to do anything save to get through it all.

I'll be interested to see how Epitaph Two ties it all together (if it does). But while The Hollow Men entertains, it leaves the viewer feeling hollow afterward.  Much like a fast food meal, it's reasonably fun to consume - but it suplies virtually no real nourishment.


Rating: 5/10.

Previous Episode: Getting Closer
Next Episode: Epitaph Two - The Return


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2-11. Getting Closer.

THE PLOT

With the L. A. Dollhouse's conspiracy against Rossum now fully assembled, they decide it is time to reintegrate Caroline with Echo, to find out exactly what secret it was that she learned. There's only one hitch: When Ivy goes into the vault to recover Caroline's wedge, she discovers that it's gone!

There is one, fragile hope to recover Caroline. The wedge that Alpha smashed during his infiltration of Rossum still exists, and Topher believes that Bennett (Summer Glau) is skilled enough to reassemble it. Ballard and Victor make a quick raid on the Washington, D. C. Dollhouse and abduct Bennett. But the real challenge is getting her to agree to effectively resurrect Caroline, the friend who so badly betrayed her!


CHARACTERS

Echo: In flashback, the show fills in the backstory between Caroline and Bennett. We discover that, in between her first escape from Rossum and her imprinting, Caroline successfully infiltrated Rossum's L. A. office. She discovered a file on Bennett, whose brilliance attracted Rossum's attention even as she pursued her neuroscience degree. She befriended the girl, then used her to get inside Rossum's labs to blow them up - the action that led to Bennett's maiming and to Caroline's final capture. In the present, Echo dreads the idea of Caroline's return, fearing that she will cease to exist when the original personality is returned. She confesses to Adelle and to Bennett that she considered taking the wedge and considered letting Bennett go - but she knows after what she witnessed in The Attic that the stakes are just too high.

The Ice Queen: Remains very icy, even though she's now revealed to be on the "right" side. Her responses to Bennett's outrage at being abducted are highly amusing, as Bennett attempts to lodge a complaint against Topher for punching her in the face and Adelle responds by gently reminding her that she has been abducted. She is particularly cool after Langton dispatches the Rossum assassins in her office, taking in the scene calmly and then pronouncing that this finishes off her carpet.

The Security Chief: We discover the nature of the "personal business" that had caused Langton to miss work. He's been housing and protecting Claire (Amy Acker), who has returned to L. A. Langton and Claire are now firmly a couple, as Epitaph One indicated they would be. And by developing Langton's "personal" absences in other episodes, it doesn't even feel too forced. We saw the beginnings of Langton's interest in her, and now we bring her back with the relationship having developed over time, just offscreen. It's not ideal, but given Acker's limited availability for Season Two, it does work.

We also get a reminder of Langton's somewhat disturbing skills. When three Rossum officials come to the Dollhouse to "debrief" Adelle (Rossum-speak for "take a ride"), Langton deals with them ruthlessly and efficiently, and his facial expression barely registers a twitch. Harry Lennix is outstanding throughout, in an episode that finally brings his often nebulously-defined character into sharp focus.

The Genius: Receives a shock that precipitates a brief break from reality - reflecting the behavior of the crazed Topher of Epitaph One. He recovers, probably thanks to having a task to focus on, but the joviality is kicked right out of him. Gets a semi-heroic moment, as he urges Ivy not to linger to help him, but instead to escape. "Don't become me," he hisses to her.

The (Ex-) FBI Agent: We learn what was taken from Paul: His deep connection with Echo. Topher acknowledges this to Echo, telling her that he needed to use the most active parts of Ballard's brain for his rewiring, and that those parts were Echo. She seems to forgive him - and honestly, unless she's massively selfish, surely a Ballard who no longer loves her is at least better than a Ballard who is brain dead - but she is clearly hurt at the change.


THOUGHTS

Tim Minear, a veteran of several Joss Whedon shows and particularly noteworthy as the writer of the best episodes of Firefly and Angel, pens this action-heavy installment. Getting Closer crams probably about three episodes' worth of material into 45 minutes: The return of Claire, the "outing" of the L. A. dollhouse's conspiracy, the kidnapping of Bennett, the unmasking of the Rossum head. There's a lot going on. Fortunately, Minear is a good enough writer to take all these threads and deliver an episode that's fast, lean, and intense without making it feel rushed. He juggles all the balls he's been given, and he doesn't drop any of them.

But with so many balls in the air, he can be forgiven one or two slight wobbles. Laurence Dominic (Reed Diamond) is featured again, and this time we get to see both the "new" Dominic and, in flashback, the slickly hateable Dominic of Season One. I particularly enjoyed seeing that version of the character again. However, there's no time to deal with the "new" Dominic, so Minear cuts that plot thread off as cleanly as he can... which unfortunately leaves the arc of one of the series' best recurring characters cut short. Still, it's fun to see the sneering Laurence of the series' beginning again, a reminder that however commendable his actions in The Attic may have been, Laurence Dominic is Not a Nice Man.

Minear does better with the return of Claire. Anyone reading these reviews knows that Claire won me over quickly, and that I found her character arc the most interesting of those on display at the end of Season One/beginning of Season Two. Acker's departure from the bulk of this season meant that Claire's dilemma was never able to receive the attention it was due. But Acker remains splendid, and the way in which she is brought back is effective in keeping the plot consistent with Epitaph One.

The mixing of the present day story with the flashbacks pays off handsomely. We discover the rest of the story of Caroline's harsh abandonment of Bennett, and it casts that scene in a very different light. We also close the episode on a particularly chilling twist - one which makes me re-evaluate some bits from earlier episodes, and also one which makes me wonder exactly what sort of long and twisted game the Rossum heads are playing.

Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: The Attic
Next Episode: The Hollow Men


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2-1. Vows.

THE PLOT

Echo is getting married, to the wealthy and handsome Martin Klar (Jamie Bamber, using his real accent for a change). It's the most bizarre client fantasy ever, right?

Wrong. Martin is not the client. He's genuinely in love with Echo's imprint, Roma. He's also a tremendously successful international arms dealer against whom Agent Ballard was chronically unable to make a case.

As part of his deal with Adelle for his services, Ballard is the client. Echo has been imprinted as an undercover agent, marrying Martin to find evidence against him. But while the arms dealer may be lost in love, he has a lot of eagle-eyed associates looking out for him. When Echo is called in for a treatment, her cover is compromised - leaving her life in danger!


CHARACTERS

Echo: Though Topher pronounces his wipe of her composite personalities "a clean wipe," Echo's evolution continues. In her wiped state, she still recognizes Claire as "Whiskey," and remembers a flash of a past engagement involving both of them. She also shows independent thought. When a tormented Claire tells her to "go out and be (her) best," Echo blandly replies, "No one's their best here."

Doll of the Week: Roma is an undercover FBI agent, who has been Ballard's partner for three years. She is highly dedicated to apprehending Martin, and thinks nothing of sleeping with him and even marrying him in order to get close enough to do it.

The Genius: Topher remains guilt-ridden by what he did to Claire, or at least by her finding out about it. We learn that he created Claire to be someone who would question him in order to better protect the Actives. He didn't want someone to simply back him up, he wanted someone who would act on her own judgment. When she breaks down in front of him, he blurts out that he thinks she's "better than (him)" - which, combined with his generally frzzled demeanor in this season premiere, makes it seem that he's already taking his first baby-steps toward the destroyed Topher of Epitaph One.

The Security Chief: As Claire sharply observes, Langton suddenly has a lot more time for her now that he knows she's an Active. Claire initially takes that as pity, until Langton asks her out. Which is... interesting. Claire's other, half-joking supposition about "curiosity (or) deviant excitement," might not be as far off the mark as she thinks. At the very least, Langton does seem to be obsessed with seeing the Actives as "all broken" and the Dollhouse as wrong, while at the same time dedicating himself to it. I want to see what Langton's story will end up being. We never did probe very deeply into his character in Season One, the steadiness of Harry Lennix's assured presence aside. I'm hoping Season Two will dig a little deeper.

The (Ex-) FBI Agent: Though this episode sees Ballard using his new association with the Dollhouse to "right old wrongs," that doesn't stop Adelle from questioning his motives. She taunts him with the memory of November, idly wondering why he's never asked about her. She theorizes that he asked for her release, rather than Echo's, because he was finished with her, and would have more time with Echo if November was no longer around to distract him. Ballard uses Echo quite harshly in this episode. But he does apologize for it, prompting her to trust him with her forbidden memories which can no longer be wiped away, and the two end the episode as allies.


THOUGHTS

"I was constructed by a sociopath in a sweater vest!"

While I am happy that Amy Acker's work, here and elsewhere, attracted enough attention to get her a job on another show, I'm extremely sorry that it means that she'll only be in a little of Season Two. I was consistently impressed with her throughout the first season. Her quietly excellent performance eventually made Claire my favorite character, even before the revelation in Omega.

She continues to be my favorite character here. Her digs at Topher are quite funny, particularly the quote about the sweater vest. Beneath the humor, though, is the emotional anguish of a very intelligent woman trying to deal with the revelation that she isn't actually "real." In a pair of outstanding scenes, first Boyd and then Topher effectively tell her that she is real, with it striking Topher as an epiphany when he looks at her and breathes, "You're human."

Claire's story in some ways throws Vows off-balance. The Claire/Topher material is so good, it becomes very difficult to generate much interest in the standalone plot with Echo and the gunrunner. Effectively, the episode cuts between two stories. One probes two of the series' most compelling and well-acted characters, examining serious questions about the nature of identity and humanity. The other... is Charlie's Angels with a science fiction twist. Every time the show cut away to Echo, I just wanted it to return to Claire and Topher.

That's not to say that the Echo/Martin plot is bad. It's ordinary, but it's well enough executed. It's not so much a story in itself as a vehicle for Echo's Season Two development. A little over halfway through the show, something happens that brings Echo to the next step in her evolution. Ballard exploits it, leading to a tag involving the two that seems designed to lead to the situation we saw in Epitaph One. She isn't having the headaches yet. But I'm guessing it won't be long before they start coming.

Overall, Vows is a solid season premiere. It tells a passable standalone story, sets up what looks to be an interesting running plot with a congressman (Alexis Denisof) investigating Rossum, and sets the characters on their paths for the season. Ironically, my final score is pushed down a bit by the Claire/Topher material, which is so good that it makes the rest of this very competent episode look rather ordinary by comparison.


Rating: 6/10.

Previous Episode: Epitaph One
Next Episode: Instinct


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0-0. Echo.

Joss Whedon's original vision for the Dollhouse pilot, before FOX intervened. So is this a second case for Whedon of a brilliant pilot being replaced with something watered-down, ala Firefly? Or did the network actually have it right?


THE PLOT

Agent Paul Ballard is investigating the Dollhouse, but he has few leads. His colleagues consider the case a joke. His informant, Victor, tells him that he is certain the Dollhouse does not exist, and urges him to forget it. Then he receives a package in the mail. A photo of a girl, with a name written on the back: Caroline.

When Ballard has one of his few friends run the photo, it immediately raises flags with Adelle DeWitt. Her security chief, Laurence Dominic, urges her to simply dispose of Ballard, but Adelle considers killing him to be a "last resort." She has Echo imprinted, in order to find out what Ballard knows. But when Echo's behavior proves to be less than perfectly predictable, Adelle wonders if the FBI agent is the only person she needs to watch...


CHARACTERS

Echo: We see substantial evidence of Echo retaining things from previous imprints. She clearly recognizes the girl from her "pro bono" job when she goes into the hospital, and she reacts strongly to the name "Caroline." Though imprinted as an assassin, she is a shockingly ineffective one, likely because Caroline's basic makeup is not that of a killer.

Doll of the Week: When her sister disappeared without a trace, "Shauna" came to Los Angeles to search for her. The police had no answers for her, and as far as she could determine weren't even trying to follow up on any leads. Her search for her missing sister brought her into contact with unsavory types, mentions of the "Dollhouse," and finally brought her face-to-face with Paul Ballard... putting her in a perfect position to find out what Ballard knows.

The Handler: Langton displays no real emotional attachment to Echo in this pilot. If anything, he has more of a bond with Topher in this variant, as most of his scenes are opposite Topher. Langton also appears further removed from the loop here. Adelle passes on orders to Topher and Langton, but they are clearly underlings. There is no discussion, no sense that Langton and Topher even could discuss anything with her.

The Ice Queen: Adelle is much harder-edged here than in the broadcast pilot and series. She has no particular bond with or interest in Echo. As far as we can see, Echo is simply another doll to her. Laurence Dominic's harsh pragmatism about both Ballard and Echo? That was apparently given to Dominic in order to soften Adelle. In this pilot, Adelle is quite willing to kill Ballard, and it's indicated that she's willing to do the same to Echo if necessary.  I prefer the series' Adelle, whose idealism is far more interesting, when contrasted against what she actually is involved in, than this more cold-blooded version. But it is interesting to see how just a slight change made such a big difference to the character. Olivia Williams is a splendid actress, of course, and remains outstanding here.

The Genius: Topher, Version 1... is annoying. From his pet names for Langton ("Man-Friend") and Claire ("The Phantom") to his self-consciously Whedonesque style of speaking ("Rules make me feel oogy"), this Topher just makes me want to reach into the screen and punch him in his chirpy little face. That said, Topher's sheer amorality in this pilot is effective. Confronted with the potential wrongness of what they're doing, Topher's response is an emphatic, "I don't care." Unlike in the broadcast pilot, there is no sign that this is anything other than the truth - a character approach that would have made his guilt in Omega and his breakdown in Epitaph One even more powerful than they ultimately proved to be.

The FBI Agent: It explains a lot that Ballard's first really good scene in the series, his thoughtful moment with Victor in which he talks about splitting the atom and making a bomb, was actually scripted and filmed as his introduction. The one-note Ballard of the first two broadcast episodes was filling time until his plot could reach the point at which Whedon had envisioned it beginning. It doesn't make it any less of a shame that Ballard spent two episodes as a painfully hackneyed cliche before finally becoming a character, but at least it explains it.


THOUGHTS

Well, even a broken clock is right twice a day (or once a day, if you're going by military time). While there are elements of Echo that would have been interesting to start with, on the whole I think this is one of those rare cases in which the network got it right. 

In his commentary for Ghost, Whedon admitted one area in which the broadcast pilot was superior to the original. It was stronger, more powerful, to begin the series with Caroline. Just that glimpse of the real Caroline, smart and scared and defiant, made Echo into somebody real. Echo begins with the doll, its lengthy teaser just laying out the series' basic setup, complete with an expository monologue by Adelle. The teaser feels overpacked, with too much cutting between too many elements, and it's there only to lay out the concept.

Ghost managed to convey the same basic information, more tightly and less frenetically, and then even set up its standalone plot as an episode. The teaser for Ghost had my attention from that opening scene, with Caroline and Adelle. The teaser for Echo had me checking my watch - and probably would have done, even if it had been my introduction to the series.

It is interesting to see all the scenes of this pilot that were used, mostly to better effect, throughout the season. The Victor/Ballard scene, and the revelation about Victor, meant more coming a few episodes into the season, because it was one of the first things telling us that "nothing is as it appears." Here, the entire mini-arc of Victor acting as Ballard's informant is squeezed into less than ten minutes' total screentime. It's the same basic subplot, even with the same basic ending, but it doesn't work as well as those scenes being spread out over a longer period.

Lest I sound too negative, I should say that the episode's "plot," with Echo spying on Ballard, largely works. There are some good scenes between Ballard and "Shauna," and an effective twist late in the episode. But too much of this pilot is pure exposition, and there are several scenes that run far too long. Ghost captured my attention instantly. Had Echo remained the pilot, I would have been far less certain about remaining with the series.

An interesting look at what might have been.  But I think Echo is best regarded as a curiosity piece,  a rough draft of a concept that would be more effectively played in Whedon's second try.

Rating: 5/10.


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1-12. Omega.

THE PLOT

Alpha has escaped from the Dollhouse again, this time with Echo in tow. As Adelle pulls her staff together to figure out what has happened and how to deal with it, she learns that Alpha has removed the implants that allow them to track and monitor Echo. She enlists Ballard's aid in locating the madman, and the FBI agent plays a hunch that Alpha's "pre-Dollhouse" persona, may be the key to finding him.

Alpha took one more thing when he left. He took the original imprint of Caroline, Echo's true personality, and smashed Topher's backup copy. If Ballard and the resources of the Dollhouse cannot locate them before Alpha destroys the original imprint, then Caroline will be truly dead.


CHARACTERS

Echo: Before her wipe, Caroline was given a tour of the Dollhouse. She did not like what she saw, comparing the residents to "zombies," and commenting that her trip to Topher's chair felt like a walk to the gallows. Though we never see the final step connecting her flight from Rossum to her signing of the contract, we do get confirmation that she did indeed sign voluntarily.

Alpha: In flashbacks, we see some of the events leading up to Alpha's "composite event." His growing awareness does share similarities with Echo's, particularly his shifting between being a blank slate and suddenly looking up at the Dollhouse staff with a sharp awareness. But it's not quite the same. Alpha fixated on Echo, from the moment she first came into the house as Caroline. That fixation was what led to his violent outburst... and when we find out who Alpha was before, we realize that the core of who he was influenced his development, in exactly the way we've seen certain traits of Caroline through all of her personas.

The Ice Queen: Adelle quashes the squabbling among Ballard, Topher, and Langton, focusing all of them on the urgency of catching Alpha as soon as possible. She uses Ballard's instincts, trusting him not so much for himself, as she tells Langton, as she trusts that she knows what he wants. She does become impressed with Ballard as the episode progresses, which could lead to some interesting future developments.

The Genius: We've seen a lot of sides to Topher, many of them unpleasant. But this is the first episode where we see him feeling truly guilty. His scenes near the end of the episode, first opposite Claire, then opposite Echo, see Fran Kranz's best acting all season - and Kranz has been consistently strong in every episode, so that's saying something.

The FBI Agent: Ballard went into the Dollhouse in order to get himself and Caroline back out again. The last thing he expected was to work with them. But once he learns what has happened - what he's been duped into doing - he leads the investigation. It's his instincts that lead him to follow up on Alpha's original actions, and that ends up being the key to saving Echo.


THOUGHTS

Though there was actually one further episode produced for the season (not counting the unaired pilot), Omega was aired as the season finale, and functions as such. All the threads running through the season are touched on. Ballard gets to rescue the girl, if not quite in the way he had pictured. Alpha's plan comes to fruition, and we learn why Alpha went violently crazy. Echo's evolution intersects with Alpha's story, in a way that's dramatically satisfying. We even learn why Alpha carved up Claire's face but left her alive, when he killed almost every other Dollhouse person he came into contact with.

The episode is compelling throughout, with good moments for pretty much everyone. Amy Acker has been terrific throughout the season as Claire, and did some splendid acting last episode when confronted with Alpha. She is even better here, reeling from the shock of Alpha's attack on Victor and his confrontation with her. The fallout results in some compelling scenes, from her cold treatment of Victor as she treats his wounds to her final conversation with Topher. Given that her story is very much a subplot, making up less than 20 minutes of this 50 minute episode, it's almost surprising how much she does with every moment she has on camera.

I don't think Omega ends up being as strong as Briar Rose. The first half, following up on the previous episode's ending, is terrific. But the momentum comes to a screeching halt around the middle of the episode, as Alpha and Echo debate each other for far too long. Then Echo apparently has her brain fall out when she fails to at least restrain Alpha once he's down. Instead, she effectively forgets about him for several minutes while she (literally) talks to herself. "Gee, what could go wrong in this scenario?"

It all springs back to life for an effective climax, and the tag scenes involving Claire, Victor, Topher, and finally Echo are just splendid. Had the series been cancelled, the story would have felt reasonably complete here - though enough is left open-ended to allow for the series' continuation without it having to start over from zero.

Since I gather that Epitaph One is more of a sidestep, with any direct continuation waiting for next season, I will say that Omega is a terrific "end of chapter," for a season that has become steadily more and more gripping as it's gone. I look forward to the next couple of sidesteps - first with Epitaph One, then with the original, unaired pilot. But I also very much look forward to seeing where these characters will be taken next.


Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Briar Rose
Next Episode: Epitaph One


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1-11. Briar Rose.

THE PLOT

Echo is imprinted to act as a counselor to Susan, a troubled girl who has been returned to a state facility after being rejected by multiple foster families. Susan had a horrific past, prostituted as a child after the death of her drug addicted mother. By imprinting Echo to be an ideal version of Susan's future, Topher hopes to guide the girl away from her hostility toward a productive future.

While Echo engages in her mercy mission, Langton brings a package to Adelle - a USB drive, hand-delivered for Laurence Dominic. The drive is password protected, so the only way to retrieve the information is to retrieve Dominic. But this gift has come from a most unexpected source.

Paul Ballard gains a source of his own. He manages to identify the location of the Dollhouse, and finds Steven Kepler (Alan Tudyk), the man who designed the closed system to allow the house to operate off the grid. Ballard bullies, blackmails, and threatens Kepler until he agrees to take him into the Dollhouse. What Ballard doesn't know is that all of this is according to somebody else's well-laid plans...


CHARACTERS

Echo: When confronted by Langton and Ballard, each of whom tries to enlist her trust, she has flashes of past engagements involving both of them. She recalls Langton trying to save her even when wounded, and she recalls fighting Ballard. Her instinctive trust in Langton wins out and, as a doll who is "evolving," she is able to assist him at a critical moment.

Doll of the Week: "Susan" is a counselor for troubled youth. She is intelligent and very observant. She is able to connect with the troubled young Susan, in large part because her past so closely mirrors the girl's own.

The Handler: Ballard appeals to Langton, telling him that he knows the Dollhouse is "wrong." The words don't wash off Langton, but he retains loyalty to Adelle. However, it is clear there are lines he won't cross. He won't necessarily interfere with Adelle acting in ways that cross those lines, but he won't grant his personal sanction either.

The FBI Agent: Ballard may not actually be crazy, but his obsession with the Dollhouse does drive him to some disturbingly ruthless actions. His treatment of Mellie is painful to watch. She may not be "real," so to speak, but her feelings are real, including her pain as he calmly destroys her in minutes. It's all the more painful, recalling the pain of the real woman behind "Mellie." He is just as ruthless dealing with Kepler, though thanks to Alan Tudyk's performance, those scenes end up being more comical than disturbing.


THOUGHTS

Tudyk, so much fun to watch in Joss Whedon's earlier Firefly, returns to the Whedonverse as Kepler. His scenes with Ballard range from hilarious to merely highly amusing. I love his introductory scene.  As Ballard pushes him into the apartment and sees his prodigious personal supply, Kepler spouts every "the-pot's-not-mine" cliche in the book, not even noticing that each of them contradicts the other. With so many of the performance and writing beats for this character acting as direct callbacks to his Firefly role, Tudyk's casting proves to be superbly well-judged.

Briar Rose is a very busy episode, juggling three separate plot strands. It is also a very good one. You can see the show building toward its season finale, taking all the pieces that have been carefully laid on the board and putting them into play.  By the end, all of the plot strands have been expertly woven together. Two of the plots have converged on a story level. The third strand, the one that grants the episode its title, resonates thematically with the main plot.

"Susan" reads Susan the story of Briar Rose, a girl cursed to 100 years' sleep who is rescued by a prince. Ballard goes into the Dollhouse believing that Caroline is his Briar Rose, and that he is her prince. It's a given that Ballard's extremely simple and naive worldview is wrong. But the episode's final note, which again resonates with the Briar Rose story, is a genuine surprise.

That surprise is coupled with a truly gripping final Act.  The result is another terrific episode, one which more than makes up for the dreary installment that preceded it.

Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: Haunted
Next Episode: Omega


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1-8. Needs.

THE PLOT

The drug the Actives were exposed to has caused problems. They are having memory glitches, going off-mission, and showing signs of memory even in their wiped states. Adelle has decided drastic measures are needed to stop these problems from building into the creation of another Alpha, and she authorizes Topher to experiment with the drug treatment that keeps them without memory.

The next morning, the five Actives in Echo's sleeping hub wake up. They don't remember anything, but they are themselves again, personalities intact. When one of their number draws attention to himself and is taken away, the other four realize how important it is that they are not noticed. They need to escape. Now.

Up in the head office, Adelle DeWitt and Laurence Dominic watch and study their every move. "Like rats in a maze..."


CHARACTERS

"Echo": The series opened with the frightened but defiant Caroline talking about how she wanted to "make a difference." Even with no memory, once Caroline gets a look at what the Dollhouse is, she decides to head back in.  After she sees one of the blank young Actives taken out in a prostitute's getup, and another coming back as a soldier, she determines that the house is a "people factory," and decides that she can't just run away. She has to "try to make a difference."

Victor: The confident leadership skills his imprint displayed in the previous episode? Those appear to actually be part of Victor's own personality. He takes charge almost immediately. He also recognizes that the names the Actives are called by are codes. Given the brief flash of his memories we saw in Echoes, I'm guessing Victor comes from the military. As was the case in the previous episode, Enver Gjokaj seems to really enjoy getting this strong material.

The Genius: Topher is not someone who's generally out of control within his own office. This episode sees the experiment get out of control, allowing Fran Kranz to show a different side to Topher's character: fear. He is very good in the scene in which Echo holds him at gunpoint, demanding answers from him.

The Ice Queen: Topher still believes all of the Actives are volunteers. It's on that basis that Adelle defends the Dollhouse, that the Actives all volunteered to escape from memories too painful to continue carrying. We do know that Caroline had at least one horribly painful memory, and we learn this is the case for November, too. Adelle desperately wants to believe that she's doing something good. But is she aware of cases like Sierra's, where enough money or power was applied to take someone against her will? It seems inconceivable that she doesn't know, but even one case like that - and you'd have to assume that there would be more than just one - seems to break down her entire defense.

THOUGHTS

Needs isn't really a big plot episode, though I expect at least some of its revelations will be revisited. It is mainly a character episode, one that sheds some light on who the principle Actives were, before they became Actives. We get some key backstory about November and Sierra, we see Victor's true nature. And we get our first sustained, episode-long look at Caroline in action - not Echo, not some random imprint, but Caroline herself. The Actives have been more plot devices than people, with the strongest character material carried by either Ballard or the people running the Dollhouse. This episode allows the Actives to become characters.

Which isn't to say the Dollhouse staff are neglected. Laurence Dominic has recovered from his drug-induced remorse over trying to murder Echo, and he is back to being his usual, cold self, comparing the "dolls" to "pets." Topher and Adelle each get an outstanding scene opposite Caroline. This is also the strongest episode yet for Amy Acker's Claire, who has become probably my favorite secondary character. She is extremely compassionate, absolutely sincere... and yet at the end, it's clear that Langton doesn't trust her. Given the strength of Langton's instincts, and given how sympathetic Claire has been played, I can't help but wonder what twist is in store.

The episode is wonderfully directed by Felix Enriquez Alcala.  It features a strong score, and is closed out by a haunting, thematically-astute song about how they're all there because they "have nowhere else to go." The final image, of the pods closing up again, shutting the "pets" back in their cages, is beautifully timed and photographed. It's visually gorgeous, haunting, and chilling all at the same moment.


Rating: 10/10. My favorite episode to date.

Previous Episode: Echoes
Next Episode: A Spy in the House of Love


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1-5. True Believer.

THE PLOT

When the members of a religious cult run by ex-con Jonas Sparrow (Brian Bloom) make their montly trip to nearby Parker, Arizona to buy supplies, the shopkeeper finds a note scribbled on the back of the shopping list. Just two words: "Save Me."

Those two words are enough to buy ATF agents a narrow window in which to peek inside the compound. But they need some idea of what they are looking for, and where they might find it. An influential senator makes a call on Adelle... and soon the compound finds a new member joining them, a girl who is blind - but whose eyes have been surgically fixed to transmit images to the ATF.


CHARACTERS

"Echo": In addition to instinctively recognizing and "flocking" with her friends, she also seems to instinctively recognize her enemies. Notice her reaction to Sierra's handler in Stage Fright, or the final look she gives Dominic at the end of this episode. Dominic explicitly states that she is exhibiting some of the same behavior that preceded Alpha's breakdown. Since I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that we don't have a 2-season show centered around a character who goes crazy and kills lots of people, I suspect something different and probably more interesting will end up happening with Echo.

Doll of the Week: Esther Carpenter was struck blind when she was 9 years old. She is fervently religious, having determined her blindness to be "God's will." Parts of Echo's other personas survive here, particularly when faced with a situation where self-preservation becomes a priority.

The Handler: Langton remains a very good investigator. When frozen out of the ATF raid, he looks into the original tip and quickly determines the source. His protectiveness of Echo continues to be an overriding drive for him.

The Genius: Topher and Dr. Saunders have some amusing scenes off in "B" plot land. These two will either become a couple, or Dr. Saunders will get so fed up with Topher's extremely immature behavior that she will resort to violence. Right now, my vote is for violence. Fran Kranz is doing a good job of playing the role as written, but I'm finding Topher more annoying than amusing at this point. Meanwhile, I'm really liking Dr. Saunders. Could the consistently terrific Amy Acker be the regular, and Kranz the recurring guest star? Not that the billing seems to mean much, when Acker and fellow recurring guest star Reed Diamond appear to have far more central roles than at least three of the billed regulars.

The FBI Agent: Ballard's investigation is finally bringing him closer to the actual Dollhouse. Very little of this is due to any great investigative work on his part. But a combination of clues literally dropped into his lap (by Alpha, I assume) and the blind luck of staring at a television at the right time gives him his first genuine lead. He's now just one step behind Echo. Now past the 1/3 mark of the season, I suspect it won't be long before he catches up.


THOUGHTS

And it's back to canned storylines again, with the obligatory "religious cult" episode. The script, by Angel and Firefly veteran Tim Minear, is well-crafted, and the episode ends up being a great deal better than the cliche-ridden teaser indicates it will be. Brian Bloom is convincing as Jonas, and the actors playing the members of his cult are equally good, which goes a long toward selling a potentially hackneyed situation.

Still, while good performances and a well-judged storytelling pace keep True Believer watchable, I can't help but feel let down by it.  I can see the wisdom in using tried-and-true standalone plots to carry viewers along while the concept and characters are established, but True Believer is at least one too many of these "canned plots" for my tastes. Gray Hour hinted that this series was ready to move on to something more. True Believer ends up being a step back into safe territory, right at the time the show needs to be moving out of its safe zone.


Rating: 5/10.

Previous Episode: Gray Hour
Next Episode: Man on the Street


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1-3. Stage Fright.

THE PLOT

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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1-2. The Target.

THE PLOT

Echo's latest persona is designed to be the perfect date for Richard (Matt Keeslar), a wealthy outdoorsman in search of a genuinely adventurous woman with whom he can share a camping trip. A simple enough engagement, which Adelle readily agrees to with an extra fee to cover potential accidents. But once the trip is underway, Richard shows a more ruthless side.

Richard is actually a psychopath, who wants a worthy adversary to hunt. He gives Echo a 5-minute head start and then pursues her with a bow and arrow, determined to kill her. Of course, Echo has Langton watching over her. But Richard appears to have planned for that, too, leaving Echo all alone to face her pursuer.  And there's another player in the mix, one whose presence no one is expecting...


CHARACTERS

"Echo": We continue to see bits of her past coming through the conditioning under stress. This time, she is drugged by The Kinky White Hunter and sees flashes of herself as Caroline, and flashes of Alpha's massacre at the Dollhouse. The combination of drugs and stress breaks down the conditioning enough that she does not instinctively respond to Langton's "trust" phrase. It's fairly obvious that at some point, these flashes will become more lasting, and Caroline's words from the premiere about always being able to see what was on the slate before it was cleaned seem likely to be a signpost for the series' direction.

Doll of the Week: Jenny is a sporty girl. She's athletic and loves the outdoors. She has four brothers, "none of them Democrats," and has no problems with using firearms. Her characterization is slimmer overall than Ellie's was, but the character is adequate to the demands of the plot, and it's a character type that suits Eliza Dushku's acting strengths quite well.

The Handler: Langton was hired after one of the "dolls," a man known as Alpha, had a violent reaction to the treatment and slaughtered several people within the house. It was decided that a more serious security background would help to minimize future risks. Langton regarded his new charge with contempt early on, seeing her as an "empty hat until (the agency puts) a rabbit in it," but quickly connected with her.  Topher's trigger phrases, designed to build trust in Langton from Echo, appeared to also have an impact on Langton.

The FBI Agent: Unfortunately, Agent Ballard continues to seem like someone who's wandered in from another show - a much worse one. We see that he's apparently the only agent in the bureau capable of sharply observing a crime scene. When he goes back to his office, and is of course harassed by his every co-worker with a speaking part, I half-expect the rest of the agents to start eating donuts. The powdered kind. While sipping bad coffee.


THOUGHTS

The Target is much closer to the quality I expected of early Dollhouse than Ghost was. There are several problems, but the biggest one is the main plot. A mere two episodes in, and the show is already pulling out the time-honored Most Dangerous Game riff. Yes, it acknoweldges what it's doing by naming Richard after the original story's author.  But just because you're acknowledging unoriginality, that doesn't somehow absolve your story of unoriginality.  Many series get around to riffing on The Most Dangerous Game - but most of them at least wait a season or two before doing so.

More promising is the introduction of "Alpha." This subplot has potential to become something interesting.  The flashbacks setting up the incident with "Alpha" and Langton's hiring provide the episode's only genuinely good material. It's just a shame the scenes seem inserted into the episode at often random-seeming points. They are good scenes, and in an otherwise weak episode are extremely welcome. They just don't feel like they belong in the same show with the rest of it.

The subplot surrounding FBI Agent Ballard remains the series' worst single element. Ballard's every scene is characterized by endless cliches. This even extends to scenes where Ballard is only discussed. I actively felt sorry for Reed Diamond and Olivia Williams as they struggled gamefully with hoary catch-phrases about how many bones a blind dog might dig up if he keeps digging holes, and so on. The show needs to do something very interesting with Ballard, very fast. Right now, I'm finding myself in agreement with Reed Diamond's Dominic about neutralizing the threat... because while Ballard doesn't seem like much of a threat to the dollhouse thus far, he doe seem like a threat to this series' potential as good entertainment.


OVERALL

As strong as Ghost was, that's about how weak The Target is. A hackneyed standalone story with a cartoon villain is given no real relief by cutaways to the even more hackneyed FBI plot. It's left to the flashbacks to try to salvage some interest out of this episode. Those flashbacks do promise better to come. But I hope there aren't too many more time-wasters on this episode's level before we get there.


Rating: 3/10.

Previous Episode: Ghost
Next Episode: Stage Fright


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