Dollhouse Rewatch: "The Target" (1.2)

[VisionGirl]

A man requests Echo as his companion on a camping trip, but his true intentions are far more deadly. More back story on the Dollhouse, Alpha, and Boyd's first encounter with Echo.

http://m.imdb.com/title/tt1216523/

I really like this episode. Very action-oriented. I'll admit that even though every minute of the show doesn't need to be action, when were talking about engagements, well, I want to SEE them! I also like the juxtaposition of the Alpha/Boyd storyline with the current engagement

I really, really hate this client! 1st time we've seen an engagement that's cruel & sadistic- the ones so far have been for fun, companionship, love, & to help others.

Saunders is hanging by a very, very thin thread!

Mark Sheppard is in this episode! What is he NOT in lol?! He's in Firefly of course, & I watched BSG last winter & he guest-starred in that; I'm currently watching Medium & he has a juicy recurring role as a killer. I love him!

And Oh, it's Mellie, I love Mellie!!

Favorite quotes:
"Because I love you. A deep, deep man-love"
"So, Alpha's one of your achievements?"
"You want to speak English? *I'm kind of bleeding to death here."
"Do you trust me?". "With my life"
Richard O'Connell: [chuckles] That's it, shoulder to the wheel! Prove you're not just an echo.

Some interesting trivia I found:

When asked why they didn't start out with "The Target" as the pilot, he replied: "That episode was meant originally to be around episode five, or possibly even eight, and it was the network who said, excuse me, did you say bow hunting?"

http://dollhouse.wikia.com/wiki/The_Target

The name of the character played by Matt Keesler is "Richard Connell." The actual Richard Connell is the author of the famous 1924 short story, "The Most Dangerous Game," in which a shipwreck survivor is forced to run for his life from a murderous game hunter who has become bored with mere animal prey - the plot of this episode.

http://m.imdb.com/title/tt1216523/trivia

 

[Washburne]

Tabula Rasa. Should make evey Buffyfan smile.

Is there anyone that don't like Mark Sheppard? No matter where I see him I always enjoy it. Doesn't have to do much besides just being there. Weird.

Ballard on the Crestejo case. Bad or bought cops? Having a theory about a fifth man is one thing but as Ballard points out there's so many things that don't add up.

Richard proves to be a real psycho. Hunting people. Although I guess there's some that see it as cruel as what we do to animals.

Boyd flashbacks.

Spoiler

So need to look for clues that intentially can't have been there.

Finding and getting him to the dollhouse before they've cleaned up the mess of the dead bodies? Fast work indeed.

Talk about Saunders being cut and then seeing her face is quite disturbing. Slaughtered people as bad as they are don't affect me the same way.

Anyone have any guesses as to why Alpha needed to know exactly where to cut to do the most harm? A doctor? Adding the knowledge to other damaged personalities. Which brings the question of how much they know about the imprinted personalities. Or why they've needed to imprint him with such flawed ones. Maybe we'll be told later. Don't remember.

So, silly thought. When Richard alarm goes off and he starts chasing Echo we see the smoke from the fireplace. Did the fire burn unattended through the whole night, "only" during sex or did Richard get dressed, start and put out the fire within 5 minues. Yeah that's me and my logical thinking again. 😉

Topher "“ We're still working out the kinkies.

So the procedure isn't 100% yet. Lets work it out as we go...

Who plays Alpha in this episode, still a stand in?

So who is behind it all, who wants to kill Echo? Because lets face it. There's way too many margins that went her way leading to her survival. Boyd coming to rescue, turning at the right moment and just getting scratched by the arrow and not drowning in the river.

Spoiler

I know, I know. You don't have to correct me. Just a huge gamble is all.

The drugs.

Spoiler

Made by Alpha with a specific purpose or just a coincidence that Echo sees Caroline while affected?

Jenny: You'll let me go?
Richard O'Connell: Sure. No harm, no foul.
Jenny: You poisoned me! And tried to shoot me with arrows!
Richard O'Connell: Okay, so maybe a little bit of harm.


I miss Sierra.

Anyone liking Dominic at this point? Gah!

 

[VisionGirl]

Anyone liking Dominic at this point? Gah!

No!!! I can't remember if I ever did like him lol! The good thing about only having seen Dollhouse once & the fact that as the least popular of the Whedon shows it is not discussed as much, is that things are still a surprise to me. And that's nice.

And yes I do miss Victor & Sierra and I do want to see them again.

 

[Taake]

I'll be back with more soon but I love Dominic already 🙂 Just wanted to squeeze that in there

 

[November]

This ep scared me! I hate even thinking about people like that client in the world, scares the crap out of me!

 

[ashleigh]

- This ep taught me what tabula rasa means! 😛
- Why is she wearing those tiny shorts and flimsy top whilst on an... expedition?
- I love Topher! And...apparently he loves Boyd. 😉
- How did the FBI even find out about the kidnap?
-Those agents are annoying. Why can't Joss choose to kill people like them rather than characters that people like? 😛
-Why do I get the impression this guy is a cannibal? 😵
-So now she wears appropriate clothing!
-'You're standing in him'
-Somehow this episode has made me look forward to going on holiday. 😛
-

Spoiler

Did Dominic plant Richard for some reason? :S Or was Boyd right in thinking it was Alpha?

Another random thought I had - did 'Alpha' and 'Echo' know each other before they went into the dollhouse?

 

[Vamp Jenny]

Human hunting has been quite a reccuring subject on TV shows... There was one episode about it in SPN, another in CSi:Miami and this one... Seems like people like to see humans being hunted by others... I personnally find it very disturbing...

Haha!!! Tabula Rasa!!! Mega Buffy geek moment XD

I love Mark Sheppard!!!!!!!! I love him as Crowley (SPN), I love him in Firefly... He just has that capacity of always being loveable by the audience no matter who he plays XD And the way he talked to Ballard. He hates him for finding evidences he missed 😀
[MENTION=8013]Washburne[/MENTION] about Alpha cutting Samuels, Boyd said it was almost surgical so I can only guess a doctor or a neurosurgeon... Someone who knows their way around the human body and tissues....

Ballard: And I'm the Easter Bunny. Dollhouse, start hopping

That just made me LMAO!!!!

I love how they switched the script so that at the beginning Boyd asked Echo if she trusted him and at the end it's Jenny asking him. And always the same answer: "with my life" 🙂

I just love the scene where Jenny

Spoiler

kills Richard. She looks so strong compared to the fragile girl who was running to save her life.

And I think the visual of that scene is just perfectly done.

I agree with everyone, I hate Dominic.... Can't wait 'till

Spoiler

he winds up in the attic. At least there he is okay...

And I don't know if it's the book I'm reading, but the idea of wiping off someone from their body is kinda scarying me more now than it did when I first watched Dollhouse...

 

[Washburne]

- How did the FBI even find out about the kidnap?

Since the father was shot I'm guessing he went to a regular hospital and not a dollhouse facility. They need to report all gun wounds.

-Somehow this episode has made me look forward to going on holiday. 😛

You're going camping? I like camping but in this case I agree with [MENTION=7738]OccaQuokka[/MENTION] It's like a horror movie. Not what make me want to go out in the woods. If not camping how did it make you think about going on holiday?

 

[brinkster130]

Here are my jumbled thoughts on this episode:


Alph leaves Echo alive, I wonder why; especially if he is the one who poisoned her and hired Richard to hunt her. Perhaps he is intentionally pushing her to the edge in hopes that she will somehow be able to connect with all the imprints that have been used on her? Maybe he knows more about the dolls and the technology used than the Dollhouse staff does?

Topher is such a little kid, eating his pop tart, gum ball machine and sipping his juice box. He is funny too, I really enjoyed his exchange with Boyd – “ I love you, deep deep man love”. 😀

Are the drugs in Echo’s system making her hallucinate and messing with her imprint or is this the first sign of Echo remembering her past imprints?

Dominic is a bully, the way he was talking to Echo at the end of the episode...he is one angry person. There has to be more to his character...

What is the connection between Alpha and Echo?

 

[Jules]

Seeing all those dead bodies at the beginning was such a shock. Also Alpha leaving Echo alive is an interesting thing. That scene again shows how child like Echo's personality is when she's sitting there surrounded by dead bodies saying none of them will wake up.

Yay for the Tabula Rasa comment.

I really enjoyed the Paul part of the episode. I'm surprised that not many of his work collegues believe in Dollhouse. It seems like everyone in the FBI knows about it but no ones willing to look further into it.

Richard was a crazy person. I think the Dollhouse need to do better back ground checks. Maybe they should do psyche analysis on clients as well.

The scene were Ballard gets the picture of Caroline is from the unaired pilot.

I thought Topher's comment to Boyd about him being more than just a friend to Echo, he was going to be the person she trusted the most was quite deep. It reminded me a little of Buffy and Angel and when she says to him in Lie To Me: ''I love you. I dont know if I trust you.''

I dont think Alpha wants Echo dead, if he did he'd have killed her when he went crazy and killed everyone else. I think he knew that whatever drugs he gave Echo wouldnt hinder her. I think he's testing her.

 

[Taake]

I really enjoy this episode. I think it's rather well executed and thrilling even if I don't find the plot line all together original (with the hunt of Echo in the woods).

What can I say.... well I was truly moved by the Echo and Boyd parts, I really loved that. I mostly wonder though why Alpha wants Echo at this point, it doesn't feel as if there's a clear connection there so it makes me curious about him!

I loved the shoulder to the wheel reference at the end of the episode. Echo is already Echo... and I love her last face-off with Richard, this episode is far stronger than the pilot.

 

[VisionGirl]

I just love the scene where Jenny

Spoiler

kills Richard. She looks so strong compared to the fragile girl who was running to save her life.

And I think the visual of that scene is just perfectly done.

But see, that's after the hallucinations, right? So, it's not just Jenny anymore, is it? Echo's own personality is shining through. Everyone has that survival instinct, and for her, it kicked in.

And I don't know if it's the book I'm reading, but the idea of wiping off someone from their body is kinda scarying me more now than it did when I first watched Dollhouse...

Me too! I've said this on another thread, but I think that Joss delves deeper into some really important issues in Dollhouse than he has in any of the other shows.