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


Search Amazon.com for Dollhouse

2-6. The Left Hand.

THE PLOT

Echo is held captive in a Rossum lab, presided over by Bennett (Summer Glau), a brilliant but unstable scientist.  Bennett has a personal grudge against Echo - or rather, against Caroline - and tortures her mercilessly before imprinting her with a particularly vicious memory. But Adelle has no intention of letting Rossum claim Echo. She has set up a meeting with a Rossum executive (Ray Wise), while directing Topher to meet with Bennett. Adelle uses her particular blend of directness and feminine wiles to get Echo released, while Topher uses his own technical wizardry to figure out what Bennett's been up to.

But Bennett's grudge leads to an unpredictable turn. Soon, Echo and Senator Perrin (Alexis Denisof) are on the run, with Rossum's finest in pursuit. And there's one final twist to Bennett's revenge, one which could turn everyone's plans upside-down!


CHARACTERS

Echo: Before she became an Active, Caroline apparently got into this Rossum lab, sometime after her first foray into Rossum. She was friends with Bennett, whom she probably used to get into the lab. Something Bad happened, resulting in Bennett's arm getting pinned, and Caroline was rather callous about leaving the other girl to her fate rather than trying to help her. In the present, Echo has pretty much become fully aware, as she pushes Perrin to use his position to expose Rossum while at the same time making her own escape. The episode ends with Echo on the loose, with no way for the Dollhouse to track her - a situation that presents a lot of interesting possibilities...

The Ice Queen: Adelle may have been out-manipulated by Harding and Rossum, but she's still a formidable woman. With manipulation no longer an option, when presented with a weak-willed Rossum executive (Ray Wise), she opts for brute force. She's quite skillful at it, and the only reason she doesn't get everything she wants out of the exchange is Bennett's personal baggage taking her off-script.

The Genius: This episode gives us a double-dose of Topher. There's Fran Kranz's usual, entertaining performance, as Topher goes out into the field. His nervous fidgeting in Adelle's limousine is quite funny, as he alternates between behaving like a small child with ADD and admitting, with nice vulnerability, that he is "outside (his) comfort zone" when out of his lab. His attraction to Bennett (Summer Glau) is convincing, and I enjoyed every moment Kranz and Glau shared on-screen. We also get Victor-as-Topher, Topher having duplicated himself in order to work on the problem both in his lab and in person. Scenes in which Topher literally talks to himself are hilarious, as Enver Gjokaj does a fantastic job of imitating Kranz's mannerisms.

THOUGHTS

As a resolution to the cliffhanger posed by The Public Eye, The Left Hand does its job well. It's entertaining, particularly when Topher is center-stage (in either guise), and it moves the plot that little bit closer to the future we saw in Epitaph One.

Really, that's becoming one of the great strenghts of Season Two, now that the season's properly underway. Having seen the future, there is a sense of steadily approaching doom over all of the proceedings. With each new step, from Topher's well-intentioned inventions to Rossum's manipulations, the possible paths for the characters to turn away from disaster are steadily closing down. Now each episode closes off another opportunity to prevent the future, turning a maze of possibilities steadily into a one-way tunnel... one that's heading for a collision with an oncoming train.

The Left Hand is not as strong an episode as The Public Eye, however. It's less compelling, with less of the sense of a thriller hanging over it. It gets where it needs to go, and it's a fun journey to take. But even the ominous note struck by the ending doesn't have the same gut punch to it as the revealtions in the previous episode did. It's a good episode, make no mistake, and yet another episode that leaves me anticipating what's going to come next.  But it just lacks that certain extra "something" that the strongest episodes have, limiting my score to a solid and enjoyable:

Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: The Public Eye
Next Episode: Meet Jane Doe


Search Amazon.com for Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

2-5. The Public Eye.

THE PLOT

Senator Perrin (Alexis Denisof) is proceeding with his investigation of Rossum and the Dollhouse. He has found a witness, someone who can testify to the existence of the Los Angeles Dollhouse: Madeline Costley (Miracle Laurie), the woman formerly known as November. After Perrin parades her in front of a press conference, Harding (Keith Carradine) comes to the Dollhouse to upbraid Adelle and to tell her to do nothing - Rossum has the situation in hand.

Neither Adelle nor Ballard much like the sound of that. When they do some research on Perrin, they uncover discrepancies in his wife (Stacey Scowley)'s background, leading them to conclude that she is an Active. A "sleeper," who will doubtless be used to permanently silence Madeline. Topher produces his latest gadget, a device that will take out any Active within a 50-foot radius. But when Ballard arrives on the scene to use the device to retrieve Madeline, he discovers that the situation is far more complex than they had realized...


CHARACTERS

Echo: Recognizes November on the news feed that Topher and Ballard are watching, and wants to help her. This causes her to initially resist when Langton offers her a treatment. Langton actually has to pause to explain that Topher will turn her into someone "who will help November" before she will consent to the treatment. We also discover a bit more about the gap between Carolyn's escape from the Rossum medical center and her enlistment in the Dollhouse. Somewhere in between those two points, she was taken deeper into Rossum, encountering at least one person who seems to be far higher up the Rossum chain than anyone at the L. A. Dollhouse.

Doll of the Week: Bree is an escort, an upscale prostitute who enjoys her job, but isn't particularly troubled at the thought of being used in the blackmail of a U. S. senator. She's not unsympathetic to Perrin when he realizes she is a Doll and expresses a desire to "save" her, seeming content to go along with a potential fantasy... but he does warn him that it may not be wise to introduce his "hooker mistress" to his wife.

The Ice Queen: When Adelle decides to stop Rossum from murdering Madeline, Ballard echoes Harding's words about her going soft. Adelle replies pragmatically, that she wants Madeline silenced just as much as Rossum does - just using less extreme methods. When she discovers enough to guess at Rossum's full game, she finds her interests in direct conflict with her employers' agenda, and coolly announces her intent to stop them.

The (Ex-) FBI Agent: Ballard continues to feel a strong connection with November, whom he can't help but think of as "Mellie." He has saved her once, and very much wants to do so again. When directly confronted with her, he is able to explain himself in a way that seems to satisfy her. However, she is also able to give him pause by pointing out that if she's free, then she's free to "make mistakes," prompting Ballard to let her go - which I suspect will prove to be a major tactical blunder on his part, though the scene works very well emotionally.


THOUGHTS

The Senator Perrin plot finally gets moving, with a few surprises along the way. I figured there would be a twist in the tale, but I genuinely did not see some of the plot turns coming. I was particularly surprised by the ending, which sees a major shift in the tone of the series. The situation in which the episode ends is not one that can be easily reset, and I suspect the show is now building momentum toward the series' final Act.

The episode itself is a good one. Eliza Dushku's performance, both as "Bree" and as the re-awakened Echo, is her best so far this season, and she is matched by a terrific performance by Alexis Denisof. The episode is well-paced, and I suspect this may have been the last real chance for new viewers to "jump aboard" and still follow the plot.

The direction is as polished as you would expect from David Solomon. There's a particularly interesting fight scene, with Echo flashing to fights from earlier in the series and matching shots from those fights in this episode's fight. It really conveys the sense that she's reliving those moments even as she replicates them. There's also a brief, but nicely creepy, performance by Summer Glau, as a character whose story I suspect will prove to be an interesting one.

Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Belonging
Next Episode: The Left Hand



Search Amazon.com for Dollhouse