Episode Discussion 1.08 "Needs" - Aired 4/3/09 (FOX-USA)

[Lou]

After she, Sierra and Victor awaken in the Dollhouse as their original selves, complete with their own memories, Echo leads the Actives in an escape attempt. Ballard, meanwhile, learns more about the location of the Dollhouse.

Time to discuss "The Awakening"

 

[AndrewCrossett]

Well... that was a great episode, until the last 5 minutes.

 

[The Chosen]

It's time to start poking poop, 'cause HOLEY SHIIIII...



Wow. That's all I can say right now. That was...just wow.

I'll have to post more later, after I process everything.

 

[Crazy Flakes]

OH MY GOD, MY MIND!

IT HAS BEEN RAPED!

I might post something later once my thoughts are more coherent, but for now, all I can say is OMGWTFBBQ.

 

[charmingslayer]

I know I say this everytime time but oh my god was this episode perfect! it was so greatly edited, written, and played out. There's to much to say about it.

I wanna say this episode was an amazing mix of action & drama espicially on November's heartbreaking story including Sierra(I think her name was Brea? something with a B) who I felt really bad for.

Echo was just great but even better with the scene of her with Topher and Adelle.
I loved the Vierra scenes! they're so cute together.
Sierra's scene with Victor talking about "I don't know whats worse" was just so well acted out.
But Mike was just pointless plus I was expecting Mike to be Sam but I was wrong 🙁

I'm really confused now about Saunder's character now cause of her scene with Boyd at the end cause now I dont know if she's kinda like Topher now.

Overall this episode amazed me with a 5/5 rating.
Next week look's great and it looks like we get more into Adelle looking from the shot of her looking out the window I think tearing up a bit.

 

[AndrewCrossett]

Can't say I'm a big fan of the "back to square one" ending. If I see anybody going on another "engagement" next week I'm going to be seriously annoyed. The show won't survive with that format and it's time to decisively move beyond it.

 

[WhiteHat]

Hmph.
I just posted an hour ago, but it ate my post. 🙁

I thought it was a solid ep.
Loved that French-speaking Tango in that outfit!
And it was good to see Miracle/November again!

 

[Lou]

hmmmm....not sure what I thought.

I can say this. There was Buffy, and Buffy was my least favorite character. Then there was Angel, and he was my least favorite character. (Everyone in Firefly rocked.) But, now there is Dollhouse and Caroline is my least favorite character.

I think I like everyone else a LOT more than her. I started to get really iffy about her last week, but this week was worse.

I really care more about the other dolls, Claire, Boyd and even Paul and how he's gonna fix everything in his apartment than Caroline at this point.

And okay, when he takes the bug to the guy. Was that guy, Alan Tudyk?
I'm gonna have to freeze frame because he seems to intentionally be in the shadows. But, we're having a vote. And it's hard to see!

 

[Randy Giles]

Can't say I'm a big fan of the "back to square one" ending. If I see anybody going on another "engagement" next week I'm going to be seriously annoyed. The show won't survive with that format and it's time to decisively move beyond it.

There HAS to be engagements, that's a major part of the concept.

I would say the engagement shouldn't be the main focal point of every episode but there wouldn't be much show if we didn't see the actives do them. And I personally find them interesting to a point anyway.

 

[Sweetescape]

I LOVE IT! only seen the first 15 mins but I had to post something

woman "I like pancakes"
Victor "we're all gonna die"

😀

/me goes back to watching

 

[LaneMeyer]

Great episode... probably my second favorite. Possibly my first favorite. I think there was great drama with Victor, Sierra, November.

Sierra's situation fills me with anger. Essentially, she's murdered and then raped by any scumbag that has the means to. She's so helpless about it... and I think that helps me root for her and Victor since he instinctively tries to protect her while no one else can/does... something I imagine most of us would love to do if we could. I just hope we get to see some real vindication for her before the end of the series. Jail is too good for Nolan. Actually, I think just getting killed would be too good for him.

As for Mellie, I always thought her character seemed a little sad. Not sure if that was intentional or not, but it meshes with the rest of the backstory perfect now. Of all the scenarios that could conceivably convince someone to REALLY volunteer for the Dollhouse, this is the one that's most believable. Losing a child would be unbearable, especially if she was all she had in her life.

Anyway, lots of mix feelings about the actions of the Dollhouse. On one hand, Saunders might have saved all of them from going to the 'attic' with her plan, but at the same time, they're all back to square one in terms of finding their own identity, and that's a HUGE price to pay... especially if Saunders really DOES care about them. Hard decision to make if that's the case, and one that would fill someone with guilt. Maybe she'll have her moment of redemption. Anyway, my heart sunk a little when they were all walking towards their sleeping chambers at the end and Victor didn't even acknowledge the presense of Sierra.

 

[Five]

Did you see that 6.45 millions people watched this episode ?! I saw this on Wikipedia... The show had never had more than 4.75 millions (pilot) !! That's great news, isn't it ?!

 

[Sweetescape]

I loved the twist, when Adelle turned around and said "right on time" or something I was like Ohhhh clever!
November's thing mad me sad and now I can understand why she'd go in to the Dollhouse. But yeah great episode and Victor and Sierra were so cute!
and does anyone know what the song was at the end, I liked it 🙂

 

[Friendly Lurker]

Did you see that 6.45 millions people watched this episode ?! I saw this on Wikipedia... The show had never had more than 4.75 millions (pilot) !! That's great news, isn't it ?!

Hm? I don't see anything like that on wikipedia. The ratings usually aren't out this early anyway.

Anyway, I'm not sure why but I wasn't overly excited about the episode. 🙁 I'll have to ponder about it some more!

 

[definition of insane]

Okay...I did like this, but not as much as say "Man on the Street".

I was annoyed that suddenly everyone knows Alpha is still alive and in hiding. Aren't they supposed to believe that he's dead (everyone other than Adelle, Dominic and Topher...well with Boyd just speculating). That just rang out to me with the lack of continuity.

I'm not a huge fan of either Echo or Caroline either. I get Caroline was this dream big activitst. But she obviously screwed up somewhere along the line (my guess is that her and Adelle have been dancing about each other for years before she became Echo with Rossum and probably other connections as well) and until that gets cleared up, I do find it difficult to like Caroline. Echo I have more paitence for because it's more interesting to see her "evolve". But then, I have much more of a preference for Victor (love his innocent puppy dog look when he's looking out for Sierra) and Sierra.

Felt very sorry for Sierra and November, learning about their pasts and how they came to be in the Dollhouse. I think the idea of closure was quite good on Claire's part. Nice twist that it was her that thought of it. I think she does care about the dolls (in that she doesn't want to see them sent to the attic), but it might be out of fear than compassion. She doesn't want to see another composite event like Alpha happen.

Yeah...it was good, but I feel like I liked other episodes more.

 

[AndrewCrossett]

There HAS to be engagements, that's a major part of the concept.

At the beginning of the series, yes. But if the whole show, episode after episode, is going to be these hapless dolls doing exactly what Adelle and Topher and Laurence want them to do, with occasional glitches, then the show doesn't move forward and everybody (including me) stops caring.

In this episode, we finally got real personalities to latch onto and identify with. Then they got taken away again and we're going to be back to "Did I fall asleep?"

With all the progress we've seen Echo make since episode 1, she's now right back to square one and completely helpless until Ballard comes to rescue her. She failed, completely. Laughably, even. After all that, the dolls fall asleep and get taken away by men in suits.

It was a backward step, and this show can't afford any backward steps.

The most surprising realization I got from watching this ep: Echo is not the protagonist of this show at all. Ballard is.

Anyhow, I thought this was a waste of an absolutely brilliant episode.

 

[teentitan]

This episode was not a season 1 episode. It was a season 2/3 episode. There was an attempt to give background info on too many dolls in one episode and it made the show sloppy.
The background story on any of the dolls, other then Echo, is not important to the series...they are stories that can be told later in the series. What is important is to lay out the Dollhouse to the fans and the writers missed a huge opportunity to introduce the fans to some more info on the Dollhouse like the attic. I thought that when the dolls were in the halls they were going to work their way to the attic and we would finally get a glimpse of it. Personally I would have preferred seeing the attic over anything else shown in the episode.
Also Ballard finding the camera was a huge disappointment. If the damn thing is so advanced why doesn't it have a warning bell/buzzer/light to the user that it has been found and is being taken apart? Come on insulting or what?
Have to say it's a bad show for season 1 of a series on a network that has itchy cancel fingers.

 

[Five]

Hm? I don't see anything like that on wikipedia. The ratings usually aren't out this early anyway.

Oh wow, it's gone... I guess it was false info and it got erased by someone. It was too good to be true. Sorry I didn't check my sources...

 

[Blondie Bear]

I hate to tell FOX, but this wasn't "The Awakening [I've] been waiting for." That one probably won't happen for awhile. It was a fun episode, but like others have said, to just take it all away at the end is kind of mean. But, then, it's JOSS. Of COURSE it's mean. He's a meanie!

I think Victor/Sierra is my new favorite ship. 😀

 

[Tsquared]

Oh no! I'm totally torn between Echo and Victor, in my current favorite character status. I mean Echo's personality is so fierce, and Eliza is hott. Then I see Mr. Victor, he's totally badass mehn. I don't know, and Blondie! Come on! I would totally rather see some Echo/Victor shipment going on. I like Sierra, but she'd totally be better... with uh, Topher? Lol, oh guys check out my Merrick Member of the Month button! See see, Victor with all his badness, mehn he's so cool. Gotta love it. 😀

I was actually confused with MYSELF on this one kiddos. I mean, in my mind I was kind of glad that they were escaping and we were finally seeing some serious reactivity going down in the Dollhouse. In my heart though, I know can we say ironic, I was hoping that they'd just get caught and rewiped! I really was praying for it, I didn't want any of the Dolls to be released. I actually enjoy the Dollhouse, I love Boyd, Topher, Adelle, Dr. Saunders, and wiped Echo/Victor. I don't know if I can handle the coming change, but I know everything is surely going to be different. This is definitely just a taste. The ending was cool though, they totally Punk'd them bihs. Mehn. 😀