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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1-6. Man on the Street.

THE PLOT

After casting a surreptitious eye over the money trail from the Crestejo kidnapping, Agent Ballard manages to get a solid lead: Joel Mynor (Patton Oswalt), a pudgy Internet billionaire who manages to turn up at social events with a different "glamorous nobody" on his arm every time. With another likely event coming up, Ballard breaks into Myner's home... and finds himself face-to-face with Echo, who believes herself to be her "client's" wife.

Meanwhile, after Sierra screams when Victor touches her, Dr. Saunders gives her a check-up. She finds evidence that Sierra has been raped. Given the attraction he's demonstrated toward Sierra, Victor is the immediate prime suspect. But Langton isn't sure it's as simple as that.


CHARACTERS

"Echo": Even in her "wiped" state, she seems to take on the leadership role among the trio of herself, Victor, and Sierra. Victor checks with her before acting on his assumption that "Sierra always eats with (them), right?" She is the one who is able to remember that Sierra has been crying at night, and is the one who reports that to Langton and Dr. Saunders. She may be a clean slate, but her reasoning skills are intact.

Doll of the Week: Two dolls. First is Rebecca Mynor, the Internet mogul's loving wife. Second is an apparent assassin. Neither role really has any depth, but I'll mention them for the sake of being complete.

The Ice Queen: An outstanding episode for Olivia Williams. I love the way Adelle reacts to situations without fully reacting. She always stays composed, she's always poised, always "on stage." But there's also just a hint behind the eyes, just a slight pull to her expressions, to let you know when something is seriously bothering her. When the rapist is identified, Adelle faces the man down in chilling form.

The FBI Agent: When Ballard confronts Mynor, you're expecting the upright, if unorthodox, FBI agent to batter the scuzzy client into telling him something. Chances are, you're not expecting the thoughtful conversation that ensues. Joel Mynor's observations indicate that Ballard may not be as purely upright as he thinks he is. This doesn't come across as Hannibal Lecter-style mind games. Mynor's words carry a ring of truth, and are likely to color my perceptions of Ballard from this point out.


THOUGHTS

"They're all broken," Langton says of the dolls. When Mynor tells his story to Ballard, it seems that the dolls aren't the only ones who are "broken" in this arrangement. Mynor has been broken by the tragedy in his past. Mynor sizes up Ballard as a man who's broken in his own way. The entire structure of the Dollhouse is broken by Sierra's rape, a violation that no one can explain... and yet, once Langton finds the explanation, it seems clear enough that in a place such as this, such a violation would inevitably happen, no matter how tight the security.

It was clear throughout Dollhouse's first five episodes that there was a much more interesting series waiting in the wings than the one those episodes represented. All of those episodes, even the weakest of them, provided postcard glimpses of that potential. The Man on the Street finally delivers on those promises.

The real heart of the episode comes early on, in the scene between Mynor and Ballard. It's not only the best scene of the episode, it's the best scene of the series so far. It's already hard to remember how one-dimensional and uninteresting Ballard was in the first couple of episodes. From Stage Fright on, Ballard has become a character with depth, and even a bit of darkness... all of which brings out the best in Tahmoh Penikett, who is finally delivering a performance of the same intensity he displayed in Battlestar Galactica.

The episode offers one ending twist that I saw coming a few episodes back. But that twist is folded within at least one inverted cliche and one new mystery. The Man on the Street is highly successful in that it stands alone as a piece of drama, but opens up avenues for future storylines.


Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: True Believer
Next Episode: Echoes


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1-1. Ghost.

We start with a girl and a name.  It will be interesting to see where we go from here.

THE PLOT

When an industrialist's daughter is kidnapped right out of his home, he is warned not to go the police. He does as told, dismissing the police as "useless anyway." But he does call on other connections. The "Dollhouse" is a part of an unspecified agency, which has procured several girls. This agency uses technology to wipe away their personalities and implant them with new personas - ones specifically tailored to a client's needs. They do the job, and then their persona is erased, wiped clean, "like a slate."

"Echo" (Eliza Dushku) is imprinted to act as an expert in hostage negotiations. When she arrives at the client's home, she lives up to that imprint. She is sharp, confident, and knows exactly how to deal with the missing girl's father, his security chief, and the kidnappers. Until something happens which no one could have been prepared for...


CHARACTERS

"Echo": We start with a girl and a name. Caroline. She's frightened, but trying not to show that too much. She's obviously smart, and equally obviously in over her head. We don't know what happened, we don't even know exactly what kind of trouble she's in other than that it's serious. We know just enough to see that something went wrong in a way she wasn't prepared for, and that her "actions have consequences."

Doll of the Week: Ellie Penn is an experienced hostage negotiator. She is crisp and as confident as she is competent. Her dealings with both the client and the kidnappers are expertly done, and she would be the perfect persona to deal with this situation - but for that one, unforeseen twist. Even then, she is able to play on what she knows of the case to gain a good result and has the chance to face down the ghosts of a past that she never knows isn't actually her own.

The Ice Queen: Probably the best performance in the episode comes from Olivia Williams. As Adelle DeWitt, the apparent head of this agency, she is not unlike a more jaded variation of the Ellie persona. She is very confident, and deals coolly with people ranging from Langton to the client. We are told that she likes to convince herself that her agency is doing good, but she probably doesn't entirely believe that. Williams dominates every scene she's in, even when opposite the excellent Harry Lennix. A particularly strong touch in her performance is the way in which her character smiles - a smile that never reaches her eyes.

The Handler: Harry Lennix is terrific, as always. We get some basics about Langton. He's an ex-cop, and hasn't been with the "Dollhouse" for as long as the more jaded employees. He seems to have a basic code of honor that doesn't necessarily apply to his employers, and which seems likely to end up putting him at odds with them.

The Genius: Topher (Fran Kranz) is the man responsible for wiping the girls and putting together their new personas. The first half of the episode sees him as an almost entirely despicable character. He talks to Echo as if speaking to a very slow child, and has no qualms about the painful treatment given to a new girl or about sending girls on operations that sometimes amount to glorified prostitution. His reaction when he learns something about the background of both this particular case and of the Ellie persona, however, indicates more layers than just "sleaze."

The FBI Agent: Tahmoh Penikett, who was very good in the new Battlestar Galactica, is Paul Ballard, an FBI agent assigned to investigate the "dollhouse." His superiors don't believe it even exists, but somehow his investigation has been shielded by people with influence. He is convinced of its existence, though we don't know what has him convinced since he appears to have no evidence whatsoever.


THOUGHTS

The amount I wrote under "Characters" should indicate that Ghost is a far denser premiere episode than it at first appears. The kidnapping provides a nice, traditional suspense story around which to structure these characters and concepts. But a lot gets packed into the hour. Major characters are established and each are given enough character beats to allow later episodes to flesh them out. A couple of likely ongoing threads are established. The episode even manages to tell a pretty decent standalone story, all without feeling desperately rushed.

The traditional kidnapping story is well-designed to provide a lot of exposition about the "dollhouse" that forms the series' centerpiece. Through the kidnapping plot alone, we learn several important things. We learn that the personas are modeled after real people, that they have pasts which they can remember and which can affect them. We learn that Echo's handlers can monitor her condition at all times. We even see hints of where her conditioning can break down under certain types of stress. It's a lot of information, and none of it feels force-fed, because it all occurs organically within the plot.

Equally interesting is how much information is withheld. We see the scene in which Caroline is presented with the choice to become "Echo." But we aren't told what happened to her, what she did, or how much she knows of what she's agreeing to. We are given a vague idea of what the dollhouse does. But we aren't told exactly what kind of corporation controls it, if it's part of something larger. We don't know if it has government connections, or if it's a purely private venture.

Even within the FBI story, we aren't told exactly why this FBI agent is so certain the dollhouse exists. He must have some kind of connection to it; otherwise, why not simply sit back and enjoy having an assignment to investigate something everyone is convinced doesn't exist? We're given hints and snapshots, and quite a bit of starting information. But a lot is withheld, creating questions, leaving the sense of staring at a puzzle with several pieces missing.


OVERALL

I had been warned that Dollhouse got off to a slow start, and I braced myself for a mediocre first episode. In Ghost, I was surprised to find a very well-crafted premiere. It's not perfect, with the FBI scenes barely feeling like part of the same show as the rest of it. But it's a visually stylish, well-paced hour that does a solid job of presenting the characters and concepts while telling a story in itself. On the whole, I'd say it was rather good. Certainly better than I was expecting.


Rating: 7/10.

Next Episode: The Target

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