Dollhouse

If you were disappointed by Dollhouse’s early episodes and walked away, please do consider a return visit this Friday, when Fox airs episode six, "Man on the Street," which is a vivid and thrilling turning point for the series.

In the way episode seven of Buffy the Vampire Slayer unveiled Angel’s series-altering secret, episode six of Dollhouse completely reenergizes the series and reveals some huge character secrets (The remote activation of Actives is key). And, oh yeah, there is also a brutal, totally badass and blatantly passionate fight between Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett) and Echo (Eliza Dushku) that marks the beginning of their adversarial and exciting relationship.

Bottom line: "Man on the Street" is crazy awesome craziness. Look for the kind of dramatic and wordy excellence that makes us all love Joss Whedon.

Speaking of Joss, we just caught up with him by tellyphone, and he spilled some very juicy secrets about what’s to come from the denizens of the Dollhouse. Read on for news about the sex, violence and comedy to come...

Love Among the Actives: Despite Paul and Echo’s radioactive chemistry at their first meeting, the true romance of the show is about to become Victor and Sierra, despite the fact that both characters are largely trapped in childlike emotional comas. Without spoiling too much, it turns out to be true for Actives as much as for garden-variety humans that love conquers all. As Joss notes, "For certain people, there could be some romance, but it’s never simple." P.S. Mad props to Enver Gjokaj and Dichen Lachman for bringing so much charm and depth to their roles—they’re rapidly becoming new Jossverse faves.

Man on Fire: Don’t except to find out in season one why Paul (gorgeous, gorgeous Paul) is so obsessed with the Dollhouse in general and Caroline in particular. Instead, says Joss, "We don’t go back into his story, but that’s because we are about to send him forward. There’s a thorn in his side, and we feel that we can push it further, twist it and possibly hit a vital organ. We want to challenge him [in this obsession] and make it as hard for him as possible."

Holler: What happens Friday with Paul’s neighbor is stunning. Shoulda seen it coming, and heck, slightly suspected, but the spoiler-free surprise was wonderful. Suffice it to say, she’s at the center of the most harrowing scene of Friday’s episode.

Who Watches the Watcher? Something cool is coming with Harry Lennix’s character, Boyd. Says Joss, "Boyd definitely cares about Echo more than his job requires. Their relationship is going to have to shift." Hmmm...in the meantime, on Friday, when a crime goes down inside the Dollhouse, it’s superhandy to have a readily available badass mofo with finely honed cop instincts.

Cut From the Sane Cloth: Look for a multitude of reveals about the mysterious and beautiful Claire Saunders in the weeks to come. Says Joss, "I love that character, not just because it’s Amy Acker, but because she wears misery and torture on her face literally, and we definitely learn how Claire came to this fabulous career. In the last few eps we get to turn the Acker up pretty high." Yay!

Now, where do you stand on the Dollhouse right now? Hot, cold or lukewarm-like? Which characters have caught your fancy the most? Post in the comments!