Episode Discussion 1.04 "Grey Hour" - Aired 3/6/09 (FOX-USA)

Here's the scene in text.

Boyd
They're eating lunch.

Topher
They're eating lunch together, man-friend. Same three. Even the-same-table. They're grouping.

Boyd
Are you saying they remember each other?

Topher
No, no, no. No, the wipes are clean. This goes deeper than memory into instinctual survival patterns. Flocking. Whole mess of sparrows turning on a dime. Uh, salmon trucking up stream. This isn't a book club man-friend. This is the herd.

Boyd
They're not bison Topher.

Topher
They're a little bit bison.
 
I need to clarify something though, Buffy.

My gut premonition has always been the same as yours.The grouping of the trio is unique, and never seen before.

Nevertheless the way it's presented here appears to suggest that's not necessarily the case. This grouping thing could be a common, instinctual, and previously observed phenomena Topher is hyped to explain to his new buddy.

I don't think it is, myself. I think it's going to turn out to be something unique to those three, and I suspect the more it becomes evident to Dollhouse upstairs, the more danger they are going to put themselves in of being neutralized, or sent to the attic.

Still...at this point you do have the 2 possibilities, I think.
 
Im wondering if Topher slighty modifies the personalities so they dont go against Dollhouse. Since I was surprised that a personality like Taffy would go for a check-up or whatever so easily. And how all of the identities they take on always go back so willingly.
 
This Show. Is getting SOO boring.
this one I started to sleep half way through it.
I just finished it because I felt like I had to.

Next week looks SO GOOD though so I'm excited! 😀
 
Harm's Way said:
This Show. Is getting SOO boring.
this one I started to sleep half way through it.
I just finished it because I felt like I had to.

Next week looks SO GOOD though so I'm excited! 😀
Click to expand...

You fell asleep during THIS one?
 
nerd4hire said:
I need to clarify something though, Buffy.

My gut premonition has always been the same as yours.The grouping of the trio is unique, and never seen before.

Nevertheless the way it's presented here appears to suggest that's not necessarily the case. This grouping thing could be a common, instinctual, and previously observed phenomena Topher is hyped to explain to his new buddy.

I don't think it is, myself. I think it's going to turn out to be something unique to those three, and I suspect the more it becomes evident to Dollhouse upstairs, the more danger they are going to put themselves in of being neutralized, or sent to the attic.

Still...at this point you do have the 2 possibilities, I think.
Click to expand...

Definitely a possibility. I'm just saying I didn't read it that way when I was first watching it. I definitely need to watch it again lol 😉

It would help explain why Alpha seems a little obsessed with Echo, though.
 
That's really all you got from this episode? Lack of "action"?

* Buffy is concerned about the youth of America. *

We saw so much going on with Echo's mental state, and the injured thief's dialogue with her.
 
Bluebird
Bluebird
Subtlety is lost on some people. ;)
B
Blondie Bear
I teach people his age. I am right there with you.
It was really good. I loved Echo interacting with the techie. And her thinking about some of the paintings. It really added to her character. And I knew they were gonna wipe her, but i was holding onto some hope that they wouldn't. Cause now, she's just gonna be a blank slate again. But I do think this is going to set off some memories for her. And it's all part of Alpha's plan, whatever that may be.

I'm also hoping we'll get to hear what Adelle tells Topher about Alpha.

And I'm still a bit confused on what the Dollhouse guys are doing with the Agent. If they're just pulling his strings to find out what he knows and what not.

Oh, and I missed Amy in this episode. I hope she's back for the next episode.
 
I really liked this ep! Much better than last week. I watched it with my non jossy sister (which I'm sure I rambled on about last night in IRC but the whole night is a little fuzzy now😉) and she really liked it and followed the story well even though she hasn't seen previous episodes and I gave her little information. So I taking that as a good thing that someone with little prior knowledge can still follow it easy enough. And enjoy it! 😀

The midwife thing was weird but it did repeat thru the show like you all mentioned. Then when she was playing the hooker running away from the guys I was just thinking "wheres Boyd?" took me a while to cotton on that she was just down there to get thru to the vault. When the security guard first put the money on the table I thought he was guna ask for 'favours'. I'm glad that didn't happen though! It made me a little worried that my sis would think its a show about girls programmed as hookers for hire! I think Eliza did well with the mind wipe thing on the phone, we knew what happened straight away just by the look on her face. And then I did expect them to get out, I kept thinking that something would trigger her to remember. When they brought Sierra in I was sure they would have a chopper waiting the whole lot, but I liked how it played out even if it was a bit unrealistic being able to drag a guy thru thick smoke surrounded by guards. But oh well I still really liked it.

We pretty much already knew all that Alpha is plotting against them, so its no surprise that it is him. But then again it cold be a redirect... but I kinda doubt it 😛 I was glad that we got to see the head lady (her name slips my mind in my hungover state) talk on the phone to the big bosses, I didn't think she was as high as they go. Also I don't believe Boyd would have taken out Echo if ordered too but we do know there is a 'clean up' team (sending in the cleaners, where have I heard that before 😉 )

I always got a like-able vibe from Topher even though he is kinda evilish.. he reminds me of a cross between the Trio and Lindsey. Maybe that will change as I watch it, I thought I was a bit strange liking him but now it seems its not a bad thing 😛

One more question, the Asian girl that had Tophers shopping list stuff, is she from Dexter season 3? My sister thought she was from NCIS (guest star as the baddy) but I couldn't be sure on either as I don't know her name.

Of course I love seeing Amy but I didnt miss her in this episode. I didnt see anywhere she could have been needed. Also the FBI storyline is pretty boring, I think that Ballard might know victor is a doll that is why he is sending him out without protection cos he knows he wont be injured. If Victor disappears then Ballard knows he was right. But yeah I wish that would unfold a bit quicker or fade to the background for a while.

So far this would be the episode I would use to try and hook my mates (sw)
 
Friendly Lurker
Friendly Lurker
Oh you did ramble about it. We rambled about a lot of things. (sw)
This episode was fantastic, and it is definitely my favorite so far out of all of the ones that have aired. If I was to get someone to watch the show, this would be the episode that I would show them. Topher and the Asian girl had great scenes together, they were absolutely hilarious and he was very geekily cute. Echo as Taffy was great, and Sierra instructing her was pretty cool as well. And the part when she painted herself in the mirror! Fantastic. I really liked the guy who got stabbed, he seemed like an *** at first, but then we saw that he was like a good guy, in a way, and he really cared. I wish we could have more of him. :"( The only thing that I wished for from this episode was Amy Acker, I was a tad disappointed to see that she wasn't in it, but it was great otherwise! 🙂
 
Buffy Summers said:
Definitely a possibility. I'm just saying I didn't read it that way when I was first watching it. I definitely need to watch it again lol 😉

It would help explain why Alpha seems a little obsessed with Echo, though.
Click to expand...

Check out from 2:03 of this old promo (I think it's one of the first). This is where I first got the idea the grouping of the 3 actives was unique, and would create a problem for them. When we see the whole scene in Grey Hour though, that isn't what it says. It could still happen, but that isn't exactly what the actual scene says.

YouTube - Dollhouse Trailer
 
I liked this episode a lot. It had a lot more snappy dialogue than the previous episodes and a ton of subtle Echo development. I can't wait until she understands how she's being used by the Dollhouse, and she came closer to that than ever when she looked at the painting of the mountains and mentioned having a different name while she was there.

I'm also interested in seeing where Topher goes as a character. I can see him turning pure evil just as easily as turning good at this point. He has a god-complex, but he also shows geniune concern for the dolls' well-being. And I think his comments about the herding showed positive enthusiasm, like he was fascinated by the social experiment taking place in front of him.
 
So, here's what I thought about this one. First of all, while watching it, I felt a bit dissapointed, especially about the end, how easily they got out and all that.
But now, after I thought about it, it's starting to amaze me more and more how subtle and cool this episode was. There's the midwife thing that, like n4h pointed out, is being refered back to in the episode, the flocking of Echo, Sierra and Victor, the remote wipe and how on Earth anyone could have done that, and wiped Echo in the safe, talking about art, and even though being supposedly harmless, and clueless, not being so harmless and clueless at all. And did someone pick up on what she said when talking about that one painting with the mountain scene? "When I'm there, my name is something else", or something along those lines.

I'm actually surprised no one has pointed that one out, yet. Could it refer to when she was in the mountains earlier, being a midwife? Or what? (Now I'm trying to remember every scene taking place in mountains..) Or maybe it's a memory that goes even further back.

Furthermore, the end, where Topher talks to Adelle (that's her name!) about how he suspects that Alpha is still alive.. that was a cool one, with some good acting from both of them. And I liked labcoat girl. Hope to see more of her. I'm also beginning to like Boyd, more and more. He's awesome, and a great actor. FBI guy, however, I still don't get him. And I don't like him either, But I do like how he doesn't suspect Victor is in fact a doll. (Or maybe he does.. Maybe he knows everything.. Maybe he's some incarnation of God... Or maybe he's just bloody stupid. I really have no clue where his character is going, and whether we should like him or not)
But geee, I'm really looking forward to the next one 🙂
 
A lovely episode. I'm getting more into it. The Ballard-Lubov scenes were a bit meh, but the main storyline was interesting. Topher was really cool in this one, as was Adelle.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom