Dollhouse ReWatch: "Man On The Street" (1.6)

[VisionGirl]

Sorry I'm so late with this guys! I'm going to start 2 threads this morning, so that we can get caught up.

Echo is engaged by Internet billionaire Joel Mynor (Patton Oswalt), who hires her annually on the anniversary of his wife's death: Once he finally made his fortune, he purchased a house and invited Rebecca to the address as a surprise, only to lose her to a traffic accident three blocks away. Mynor's fantasy is disrupted by Agent Ballard, who is shaken at the sight of Caroline. His interrogation of Mynor reveals that Paul is obsessed with her. Paul defies this by beginning a relationship with Mellie, but is further shaken when Echo is sent to assassinate him"”only to go catatonic and recite a message from a spy inside the Dollhouse. Meanwhile, Sierra begins to show signs of sexual abuse, and Victor is implicated as her assailant. However, Boyd stages a sting operation and discovers that it is Sierra's handler, Hearn, who has been raping her. DeWitt sends Hearn to kill Mellie, whom Ballard has told everything he knows about the Dollhouse and who needs to be removed. But while Hearn attacks her in Ballard's apartment, DeWitt reveals that Mellie is a "sleeper Active" by engaging her latent combat training, with which she easily disposes of Hearn. Finally, Ballard is relieved of duty for reckless behavior while Echo completes her engagement with Joel, at last allowing him to show his flabbergasted wife their new home.

Source

---------- Post added at 10:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:06 AM ----------

This is such an amazing episode, and the first one written by Joss since "Ghost".

Joss: "writing 'Man on the Street' was a very simple thing. I wrote it faster than anything I've ever written. It just poured out of me. All of that brewing we'd been doing became the soup for that episode. It really was a game changer for us on set and in production. The cast and the staff read it and a lot of tumblers fell into place. That's how we felt about the episode. There may be a negativity associated with hyping it. But a lot of the following episodes really work on the model of 'Man on the Street. It was a big moment for us. We found a new level and were really proud of it. Other people may feel differently, but we walked away from shooting that episode going OK, we've just added a layer and we feel pretty excited about it."
http://dollhouse.wikia.com/wiki/Man_on_the_Street

My random thoughts:
-Paul tells Mellie she's gorgeous. Be still, my heart!
-Joel Mynor really nails Paul- he gets him, & tells him things he probably didn't even realize.
-"You figure she's broken?" "They're all broken"
-Mellie: "And you kissed him?" LOL, I love her!
-Where do the handlers live? Do they live at the Dollhouse?
-Poor Sierra. 🙁 I'm so glad it wasn't Victor!
-Dominic beating on Hearns: I think I'm finally starting to like him
-Adelle sets Hearn up, wow.
-Mellie: "My God, you're so...neighborly" That whole scene is so freaking adorable. I love Paul & Mellie.
-The Paul/Echo fight was badass
-There are over 20 Dollhouses! That was a huge reveal. Who is the leak from inside the Dollhouse?
-Echo asks to back to Joel, and Adelle let's her. The ending made me cry. Seriously, amazing.

For me, as wonderful as this episode is, I have to admit that there's a lot going on, a lot to wrap your head around: the interviews (which I loved- would have liked to have seen a whole episode just on that!), the Joel Mynor engagement, Paul & Mellie, Hearns raping Sierra, Mellie as sleeper agent, Echo as assasin who also has info imprinted by a leak, Paul turning in his badge. Honestly, they could've narrowed the focus and it still would've been gone.

The idea that the general "man on the street" knows about the Dollhouse (or at least the rumors) is so fascinating, and so different from the Buffyverse, where the citizens know about the existence of vampires & demons but don't publically acknowledge it.

Patton Oswalt, another BSG alum (well, technically Caprica, but same universe). He is so great, I love his insight into Paul, and as creepy as his engagement is, he comes across as very human and relatable. He's operating out of grief, and really who wouldn't want to do the same if they had the chance: relive those last or favorite moments with a loved one who has died.

Oswalt on Mynor:
I couldn't sense how important it was in the grand scheme, because I hadn't seen the other episodes. I could sense that the episode itself was so important, just because [creator Joss Whedon] took sort of this clichéd trope"”this chubby, unattractive dude hiring a young hottie to do his bidding"”and then he reveals this whole other level to the guy. And what I love is, you don't walk away from it and go, "Oh, now I feel bad for him." He's still an awful guy, and kind of sleazy. But the fact that he has reasons for his horribleness? It reminded me of John Candy's character in Planes, Trains And Automobiles. At the end of the movie, he's still fat and obnoxious, but you sort of realize why, and you thought he was just an easy checkmark, like "Oh, that's what that guy is." Oh no, he's this whole other thing, where there's a reason behind it. So the fact that that much was getting put into it, and I could just tell that they were starting to f^ck with the mythology"¦ I could sense it was really something special.
http://dollhouse.wikia.com/wiki/Man_on_the_Street

---------- Post added at 10:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:29 AM ----------

Great review on AV club. I love reading all the comments. I so wish I had watched this show when it was first airing. 🙁 So here's to hoping we have another Whedon show to watch together in the future!
http://www.avclub.com/articles/man-on-the-street,25543/

---------- Post added at 10:52 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:43 AM ----------

Oh, and don't forget that if you're watching via DVD, there is a commentary with Joss for this episode. I'm going to go back and watch it later on and report back. 🙂

 

[Washburne]

I love this episode. In my mind the one where I started to get excited about the show.

The interviews: Different reactions of course and some funny moments. Love them all.

Victor now remembering that Sierra, Echo and him usually sit together. Not so bison anymore then huh. If they aren't supposed to remember day to day in the dollhouse Echo shouldn't remember that Sierra cries in the pods. More than once.

Sierras reaction to Victor. 🙁

Paul sure share a lot about his job with Mellie.

Rebecca seems to be very concerned about porn. You got to love it when she sees the bedroom.

Paul being bad ass again. Got a shot wound, get tassered and still defeat 3 security guards which looked like they were in pretty good shape.

There's no way that Dollhouse can have Rebeccas imprint so they have to had mer made from scratch.

I enjoy the talk between Joel and Paul. What's wrong and what's right isn't as easy as black and white. I mean it's easy to say that what the dollhouse do is wrong and I do think that. That's my outside perspective. Not sure how I'd feel if I was involved directly. I mean what's the harm if you truly believe that the dolls won't remember or get hurt...

"That wasn't quiet." "Wasn't meant to be." Go Boyd. Hate Hern. Obviously. Not that he's ever seemed nice.

Second date for Echo and Paul. The first being when she was Rebecca I guess. Not much of a date. 😉

I'm vary about the Paul/Mellie relationship. It just don't feel right. I want it to for Mellie but sorry.

Second date = fight time. 😀 With everything he's going through Paul is still going strong.

The message from inside the Dollhouse. Very interesting. Who can it be from. Must be someone with a knowledge of imprinting the dolls since it must have been happened while Topher was talking to Boyd and that didn't take that long. Unless it's Topher himself of course.

20 houses around the world. This is getting big.

Anyone else first thinking that Mellie was supposed to be killed or messed up properly? I hate the beginning of that scene. I have a hard time looking at scenes like that. The the twist. "There are three flowers in a vase. The third flower is green." Hello bad ass doll Mellie. Love it.

 

[Vamp Jenny]

I'm way too addicted to Supernatural. Everytime I see Mark Sheppard I'm like "Crowley!!!!" XD

I love badass Ballard!!

Am I right? I'm right, right?

extraordinary vocabulary, Paul! 😛

awww Paul/Mellie moment... They're cute together.

Rebecca and porn. Hilarious!!!

Joel's speech, about Rebecca's death and getting to see her face when she sees the house every year, was touching. Plus, at least Paul listened. Didn't really care I guess, but he listened.

Paul shirtless 😀

While they were taking Victor and his handler away, I was pointing at Hearn and saying "Take him!!! It's him!!!" So when Boyd punched him man it felt good!

"I don't need a bonus."
"Well I need to give it."

Shut up Boyd, nobody turns down a bonus 😛 Especially from the Dollhouse!

I love Topher, I'll never say it enough!

When I see Mellie and Paul together I just go "awwwwwwwwww" every time.

Paul and Echo... Hottest fight scene yet!!

20 Dollhouses... This is big...

Mellie's imprint. That's some unexpected twist!!!

Funny fact, my home phone started ringing at the same time Adele was calling Mellie XD

The professor's speech to the camera at the end is a very good insight of what is yet to come.

I know it's for the best on the big picture, but I was sad to see Paul being suspended.

 

[VisionGirl]

I'm way too addicted to Supernatural. Everytime I see Mark Sheppard I'm like "Crowley!!!!" XD

I'm not a Supernatural watcher, but I swear Mark Sheppard is in everything! And i love him in everything. I'm watching Medium, and he has a small reocurring role in there too. And of course he's in BSG. 😀

Paul shirtless 😀

You can never have too much shirtless Paul.

When I see Mellie and Paul together I just go "awwwwwwwwww" every time.

Me too- total Paul/Mellie shipper here. I can't wait until July when we're done with our current banner themes and I can wear my Dollhouse banners that [MENTION=9799]Taake[/MENTION] made for me last year. 🙂

Funny fact, my home phone started ringing at the same time Adele was calling Mellie XD

And...did the person on the other line say "There are 3 flowers in a vase..."?

---------- Post added at 11:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:44 PM ----------

I re-watched this episode with the commentary (which I highly recommend!), and here are some thoughts:
-Joss does the commentary by himself which is slightly boring, always more fun with another cast or crew member.
-Mark Sheppard's character was supposed to be Asian- when they cast him they kept the Asian-sounding name.
-2nd time he's referred to Amy's "mood scars"- they had a hard time getting them to look the same so in some episodes they stand out more than others.
-scene with Paul & Loomis were talking at the FBI office: Joss says "everyone knows my weakest point is detective work"
- Mellie's and Paul's apartments were the same apartment- just painted differently.
-Joss has a man-crush on Tahmoh. Who doesn't?
-They never had to double Tahmoh's fight scenes. Because of his expertise in Muy Thai (sp?), he did all of his own fight scenes.
-At this point, "Boyd is the moral center" of the show.

Spoiler

Oh my how that will change!

-Joss jokes that some people have said that Topher is a surrogate for Joss- they both create and destroy personalities.
-Heavy use of reflections- this is about perception.
-"Fighting is much better in Dollhouse than Buffy". I agree!
-Paul and Mellie: The hero comes to save the day & the girl has already saved it for him.

 

[Vamp Jenny]

And...did the person on the other line say "There are 3 flowers in a vase..."?

I can't remember... but when I "woke up" fter it, the appartment was destroyed...

j/k 😛

It was my mom, wanting to know what I wanted for dinner XD

 

[brinkster130]

This is one of my favorite episodes! IMO, its the first episode that really gets me excited for the show, up until this point I was entertained but still on the fence about whether or not I thought it was a good show.

I loved Paul in this episode. His excitement and dedication to the case, him finding the trails on money and kicking ass was awesome.

Go Mellie for standing up for herself, I loved her line "Don't kiss me and think of her". I like her and Paul together, its sad but she really is the perfect spy for the Dollhouse to keep tabs on Paul. Her being a Doll was a great twist, I totally didn't see it coming the first time around.

The way the interviews were cut in through out the episode was great.
Poor Victor. The whole situation with Sierra is heartbreaking and creepy but I loved that Boyd pieced things together and came to Sierra's rescue.

Echo's fight with Paul was intense....it was a neat way for her to get him a message too.

 

[Taake]

Here I am, catching up!!

Okay, firstly / this was the episode that truly sold me on Dollhouse, finally it's living up to it's potential. There's so much good here to mention! First a quicky funny "he'll throw the kindle at you" ... lol, love it.

So to the episode, I adore Paul and Mellie together, really I do. They're just... I don't know, I think they're adroable when they interact with each other and have great chemistry.

The Sierra plotline is so disturbing, I'm glad they took it there, but it is truly truly frightening and it tugs at my heartstrings, both her and Viktor who doesn't understand what he's done wrong... I kind of (even though it's somewhat bloodthirsty I'll admit) like DeWitt's revenge on him...

Okay, I know it's an engagement, I know it's creepy like all the rest but... I feel for Joel Mynor and Rebecka. I enjoy ED's acting as Rebecka and her fear of her husband doing porn is hilarious. Their story is heartbreaking though and I very much enjoy the end even if it's technically "wrong"

I'm gonna say it loud and proud - Paul is a superstar. Seriously when he fights... I love it. He's just so cool. The fight with Echo is bloody brilliant, one of Joss' best ever. Also brilliant (!!) twist with Mellie!

And last but not least, a comment on Boyd;

Spoiler

when he comments to VIktor's handler, distractedly "They're all broken", it wasn't something I read much into before.

But now, after seeing season 2 I do feel like it is a comment fitting of his character later because it doesn't feel to me as if he's speaking out of compassion or even about the dolls really. I felt as though, in his tone, he's talking about them as people. The people who become dolls. As if they're broken scraps, more or less garbage, not really worthy of keeping their personalities. It's said without emotion, without thought really, and appears - in hindsight - as a slip of tongue. Just my random thought

🙂

 

[Jules]

I really did enjoy this episode. I liked the interviews, but wished they'd kept that to just the beginning. Like someone has already mentioned, this was a very busy episode and the interviews throughout just made it more so.

I loved Paul in this episode. He's an amazing fighter!! I must be the only one who doesnt like the Mellie/Paul relationship. I just think Paul has more chemestry with Echo than he does with Mellie. That one look he gives Echo when he first see's her as Rebecca was so full of emotion.

I felt so sorry for Sierra and Victor, Sierra because of what happened and Victor because they thought he'd done it and he was so confused.

I was so shocked that Millie turned out to be a Doll! That was a good twist.

 

[VisionGirl]

I'm a Paul/Mellie shipper, but in a bittersweet sort of way. I do agree that Paul & Echo have more chemistry, but I'm never sure how much of that is Paul's obsession with Caroline. It's funny, he's so obsessed with someone he doesn't even know (an idea, really), that he ignores the flesh and blood woman in front of him. And I get kind of resentful and Paul/Echo because of that. Then again, I have to remind myself "Geesh, Steph, she's a Doll!" LOL!!