Dollhouse

(S01E08) For a second ... for just a second ... I thought Ballard’s dream was actually happening. Is that what Ballard actually wants? To do the nasty with Echo or Caroline or whomever? If the situation with Victor and Sierra is proof that true love circumvents the programming of the Actives, then maybe Ballard is Alpha and the reason he escaped was because he fell in love with Echo.

The show is gaining a sense of urgency. Once Joss took reign and the network backed off from their "Echo episode of the week," I suddenly feel as if something bad will imminently happen to the Dollhouse. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is anybody’s guess. From what has been shown, the season is leading to a final confrontation with Ballard and/or Alpha with the fate of the Dollhouse at stake. Based on experience with Joss Whedon’s style, that’s probably the last thing that will happen.

At least Joss’ sense of humor was obvious in this episode: "I like pancakes." "We’re all going to die."

I wasn’t certain where tonight’s episode was going while watching it. It was pretty obvious from the relative lack of security that the Scooby Gang was still in a controlled environment. The interesting part was learning why it was done and how the Dollhouse was going to get them back (because it was pretty obvious even after they drove the SUV out of the building that they weren’t going to escape). And for all we’ve learned about Echo, Sierra, Victor and November, we still don’t know anything about their true selves. Not even their real names (except for Caroline’s).

Okay, we know that November joined because her daughter died. After something like that, it’s no wonder she’d want her memory erased. How Eternal Sunshine.

They never properly explained why Mike was included in the group. Were they having problems with him, as well, or was he just to serve as an example to the rest about the situation they were in?

This episode had a lot of talking heads explaining the philosophies behind the show. The characters were pontificating so much, I was confusing them for a Bond villain.

Echo, in her natural personality, is a hell of a fighter. She can take out a handler all by herself.

Anybody catch the callback to a previous episode with Sierra’s phrase "deranged millionaire serial killer"?

With Victor’s situation, are the writers saying that love is instinctive and goes beyond memory? Food for thought.

Can the Dollhouse even restore an Active’s memories once their contract is up? And why should they? It’s not like the Active would even remember signing anything. Why not treat them like any slave and work them to death? Given the behavior of Adelle, I’m going to guess that they honor their contracts. It’s tough to prove, however, when you consider that the organization is illegal to begin with.

With tonight’s enjoyable episode, the series is getting better. Particularly since it has become more of an ensemble show rather than just about Echo. Do I think it’ll go past the first season? No. I think Fox is going to go all Genghis Khan and burn down its Friday night lineup like it was a peasant village. But I think Joss has planned accordingly and will give the fans a good sendoff.