Meet Jane Doe
The good;
The subtle struggle for power within the Dollhouse is truly nailbiting stuff, especially the final scene between Topher and Adele. Some lovely little touches showing how much the Dollhouse has changed since Adele is no longer in charge, cigars in Adele's office, Boyd's security guys with their feet up.
The bad;
Do we really think a girl as gorgeous as Echo needs to shoplift or scrounge from bins? Couldn't she just charm her way through life in the manner of 'The Sexless Innkeeper'? Personally I don't find the jail storyline all that involving, it just doesn't seem much of a challenge to our girl when we've seen her do so much more. Also it seems unecessarily complex, why not just have Ballard take the Mexican girl into custody as his FBI witness? In many ways the Dollhouse reminds me of early Angel, supposed to be about the 'client of the week' but the viewers wanted more and more arc and interaction with the central characters instead.
Best line;
Echo; (putting the moves on him) "...just the two of us?"
Ballard; (turning her down)"Is it really just the 2 of us?"
plus
Rossum honcho; "Did you ever think of imprinting a Doll to kill me?"
Adele; "I like to think I'd have the honesty to do it myself"
Packing heat;
Echo;8
Boyd; 8
Dominic; 9
Sierra; 4
Victor; 3
Ballard; 10
November; 1
Echo kissage; 4
Kinky dinky;
The latest client seems to be a sadist who quotes the Marquis de Sade. Echo comments that sometimes a girl 'likes to be chased'. She implies that she's done a 'sister act' before but never with 'cooking food'? Ballard and Echo's training seems akin to foreplay, 'getting all sweaty' as Xander would say.
Capt subtext;
Adele tells Topher she cares for him, reinforcing their mother/wayward son vibe. She also calls Echo 'love', English slang or something more? Echo comments that she's been 'gay' 7 times and that occasionally there is some 'noise from the chorus girls'.
Notches on the Dollhouse bedpost;
Echo; 5 definite, 2 possible
November; 1
Ballard; 1
Victor; 1
Adele; 1
Sierra 1
Topher; 1 possible
How'd they get away with that?
Can we please have an ep with no needles? Also the prisoner's bruising is nasty, again because it's more real than any sci-fi injury
This weeks fantasy;
The Dollhouse is now renting out Dolls as submissives to a sadist.
What do we think of the client?
Hard to know, how far does he go? The stern headmaster or Pinhead from Hellraiser? You could argue that it's better for him to do this with actives as they'll be unhurt and have no memory of it afterwards.
Total number personalitites; Echo refers to now having 36 personalities in her mind
Echo; 36
Sierra; 12
Victor; 10
November; 3
Total LA dolls;
9-Echo, Sierra, November, Victor, Mike, Tango, Alpha, Whiskey, Kilo
Addy is a bit British;
She call's Echo 'love' (see Capt Subtext)
Topher is a bit geeky;
He actually refers to Cylons on a show with numerous BSG stars!
Subverting the Hollywood cliche;
Bondage;
Sierra tied up; 1
Ballard; 1
Echo; 2
Knocked out;
Echo; 6
November; 1
Sierra; 1
Victor; 1
Topher; 2
Kills;
Sierra; 3 kills
Echo; 3
November;1
Dolls injured;
Happy hookers;
Know the face? Glenn Morshower, another great character actor who also played Cassie Newton's dad in the Buffy ep 'Help'
15-Whedon alumni-Mark Shepherd-2 (Dollhouse/Firefly), Amy Acker-2 (Dollhouse/Angel), walking action figure-2 (Buffy/Dollhouse), Eliza Dushku-3 (Buffy/Angel/Dollhouse), Jim Piddock-2 (Angel/Dollhouse), Gregg Henry-2 (Dollhouse/Firefly), Alan Tudyk-2 (Dollhouse/Firefly), Felicia Day-2(Dollhouse/Buffy), Alexis Denisoff-3 (Buffy, Angel and Dollhouse), Kristoffer Pohala-2 (Dollhouse/Angel), Stacey Scowley-2 (Buffy/Dollhouse) Clyde Katulas-2 (Buffy/Dollhouse), Maurissa Tanchon-2(Dollhouse/Dr Horrible), Summer Glau-3(Angel/Firefly/Dollhouse) Glenn Morshower-2(Buffy/Dollhouse)
Guantanamo;
Brutality from the police towards illegal immigrants, keeping 'the scum off the streets'.
Fanfic;
Missing scenes;.
Reminds me of;
Adele suffers the 'death of a thousand cuts' also experienced by Lilah at the hands of Lindsey and Gavin in Angel. Echo and Ballard's training routine appears to have been inspired by Clouseau and Kato from the Pink Panther films. ED as a nurse as she was in Tru Calling and her medical pilot that didn't get picked up.
Whedon cliches;
Maimed characters. Rich and powerful famillies who cover up the evil deeds of their wayward sons. Top security installations which aren't secure at all. Loving self-sacrificing mothers who risk all for their children. Corporate politics literally played with deadly seriousness.
Breaking the programming;
Echo seems to imply that rather than being a composite of all her 36 personalities that the Echo character is actually a seperate entity and can access the other's skill and knowledge at will, like a filing system. Does this mean she also keeps Caroline filed away, afraid to let her loose?
Questions and observations;
With the addition of a new house in Dubai there are now 23 Dollhouses around the world. Boyd is very honest with Adele, informing her that they'd always placed the actives at risk, they're now just more blatant about it. We now have Adele at her most sinister ever, seeming to come aboard with Rossums blatantly insidious plan. Topher seems increasingly conflicted and Boyd, Echo and Ballard are now in cahoots. I'd like to see Topher be a bit nicer to Ivy, he seems unecessarily snide to her. Very clever concept, the Dolls imprinted into helping in the Dollhouses research.
Marks out of 10; 7/10 would like more Dollhouse and less jailbreak
A LOVE SUPREME
The good;
Great to see Alpha back (NICE suit! Dominic would approve), also glad they spared Joel, he was by far my favourite of all of Echo's clients. Gorgeous scene at the end where he says goodbye to Echo and she assumes the Rbecca personality for him, one last time, telling him that his dead wife wouldn't want him to be alone. Really is a rollercoaster that kicks in and never stops. Once again a great performance from Enver as the shrink but Alan Tudyk is the unquestionable star.
The bad;
If Alpha is a Doll why not use Topher's gizmo we saw in The Public Eye to knock him out?
Best line;
Topher; (upon learning that Terry Karens is still in Echo's mind) "So she's a serial killer?"
Boyd; "Only a little"
plus
Echo; (as Topher introduces himself) "We've met Topher, don't you remember?"
and
Topher; (realising the quantum shift in Echo's abilities) "I'm obselete. This must be what old people feel like. And Blockbuster"
also like
Joel; "It's just this morning I was engaged to a great girl and this afternoon I'm hiding out with my dead wife"
not to mention;
Boyd; "You have to put it together?"
Topher; "It's called the manufacturing room, not the 'It's finished' room!"
Packing heat; Boyd and Ballard with their pistols. Bit surprised Adele doesn't have a gun stashed somewhere. Apparently the staff have tranquliser guns but not in the house itself.
Echo;8
Boyd; 9
Dominic; 9
Sierra; 4
Victor; 3
Ballard; 11
November; 1
Echo kissage; 4
Kinky dinky;
Sierra's personality is naughty and aware of it. She's been done wrong 10 days to Sunday and it's still Tuesday.
Capt subtext;
Dr Victor wonders if Adele is actually jealous of Echo the virgin/whore, much to Topher's amusement? Alpha is quite the dandy, he cites famous Georgian-era socialite Beau Brummel. One of Echo's past engagements was a lesbian who married her in San Francisco in what Boyd describes as a 'lovely ceremony' (YAY!) but was killed by Alpha (BOO! Why do so many lesbian characters die on TV?). At least one other of her past romantic clients was a woman called Angie Demeron. Alpha asks if Ballard is gay. Echo tells Adele that they'll 'Hug it out later'. Alpha declares one of his personalities was an Eagle Scout and the other a sailor which must combine to some form of dirty joke?
Notches on the Dollhouse bedpost; Frank Pierce, Echo's repeat romantic engagement
Echo; 6 definite, 2 possible
November; 1
Ballard; 1
Victor; 1
Adele; 1
Sierra 1
Topher; 1 possible
How'd they get away with that?
Somehow Alpha's knife is all the nastier for having that fish-gutting mini-hook at the front. Poor Matt Cargill (motorbike/bondage guy from the very first episode) get's blown to smithereens with Boyd and Ballard picking their way through his viscera.
This weeks fantasy;
. Frank Pierce who wants his sister-in-law to fall in love with him
What do we think of the client?
.Once again, if you lust after your sister in law it's probably quite a moral option to hire a proxy so you can live out your fantasies without wrecking your brother's marriage.
Total number personalitites; Sierra is a glammed up Ava Gardener style film noir femme-fatale, Victor is a psychiatrist, Echo is Rebecca for Joel and Susan for Frank Pierce
Echo; 36
Sierra; 13
Victor; 11
November; 3
Total LA dolls; There are now a couple of hundred Dolls in the house and Echo is the most popular active they have.
9-Echo, Sierra, November, Victor, Mike, Tango, Alpha, Whiskey, Kilo
Addy is a bit British;
Alpha says he loves Addy's British knack for understatement, Monty Python and uses the hunting call 'Tally-ho'
Topher is a bit geeky;
Subverting the Hollywood cliche;
Adele confesses to Alpha that she's scared out of her mind and tries to bargain with him, offering Echo and Joel. She says her chivalry has been overcome by her sense of self preservation.
Bondage; Echo in a straightjacket and Ballard tied to the chair
Sierra tied up; 1
Ballard; 2
Echo; 3
Knocked out; Topher and Ballard by Victor
Echo; 6
November; 1
Sierra; 1
Victor; 1
Topher; 3
Ballard; 1
Kills;
Sierra; 3 kills
Echo; 3
November;1
Dolls injured;
For once it's the Dollhouse staff who get the stuffing beaten out of them, at least one being killed.
Happy hookers;
Dr Victor states that Echo is a virgin/whore and is celebrated for the fact. Ballard describes himself as Echo's pimp. Alpha wants to tally Adele's ho's.
Know the face?
15-Whedon alumni-Mark Shepherd-2 (Dollhouse/Firefly), Amy Acker-2 (Dollhouse/Angel), walking action figure-2 (Buffy/Dollhouse), Eliza Dushku-3 (Buffy/Angel/Dollhouse), Jim Piddock-2 (Angel/Dollhouse), Gregg Henry-2 (Dollhouse/Firefly), Alan Tudyk-2 (Dollhouse/Firefly), Felicia Day-2(Dollhouse/Buffy), Alexis Denisoff-3 (Buffy, Angel and Dollhouse), Kristoffer Pohala-2 (Dollhouse/Angel), Stacey Scowley-2 (Buffy/Dollhouse) Clyde Katulas-2 (Buffy/Dollhouse), Maurissa Tanchon-2(Dollhouse/Dr Horrible), Summer Glau-3(Angel/Firefly/Dollhouse) Glenn Morshower-2(Buffy/Dollhouse)
Guantanamo;
Fanfic;
Missing scenes;.
Reminds me of;
Victor does a great Woody Allen and rather reminds me of Dr Joel Fleischman from Northern Exposure. Topher makes reference to Return of the Living Dead and Harry Potter whilst Alpha refers to Stephen Sondheims epic 'Send in the Clowns' and 'Nothing more than feelings' , maybe he spent the summer on Broadway, hence the suit? He also refers to Yogi Bear and sounds a little like Snagglepuss "Who doesn't love a pun?". He describes Echo as his 'immortal beloved' which is a reference to Mozart.
Whedon cliches;
Maimed characters. Rich and powerful famillies who cover up the evil deeds of their wayward sons. Top security installations which aren't secure at all. Loving self-sacrificing mothers who risk all for their children. Corporate politics literally played with deadly seriousness. Monty Python quoting villains. Offices full of zombies.
Breaking the programming;
Even Topher doesn't know what Echo is any more. She can resist Alpha's signal which sends the other Dolls crazy.
Questions and observations;
You always figured people would get addicted to the Dollhouse and like all addictions lead them to ruin. A truly stunning ep, easily the best of season 2 and possibly the best so far. I'd never actually watched Firefly until after I'd watched Dollhouse Season 1 so I had actually no idea of who Alan Tudyk was or his performance as Wash. Amazing how effective you can be with the simple device of taking an actor everyone associates with funny and heroic characters and casting them as absolute villains, as Nic Brendon recently proved with his amazing performance in the rapist story arc on Private Practice. Some great dialogue, this ep co-written by Joss himself . Nice music too.
Marks out of 10; 9/10, excellent ep, Alpha always ups the game, the first ep I went back and watched again straight after
