Dollhouse

April 2, 2009 - Advance Review: For those concerned with Spoilers, note that I’ll be going into the basic plot of the episode (as seen in the network descriptions and commercials) and some of the set up from the first few minutes – but there won’t be specifics on where the episode goes.

Thankfully, Dollhouse does rebound this week from last week’s particularly poor episode – which was especially frustrating coming on the heels of the solid "Man on the Street", which seemed to mark an improvement for the series.

"Needs" has a pretty major element as its set up – Echo, Sierra, Victor, November (the Doll we knew as Mellie) and a newbie named "Mike" wake up in the Dollhouse sleeping chambers with their original personalities returned. They don’t have their full memories, and have no idea how they got there, but they immediately react with understandable confusion and panic over finding themselves in this strange place. This leaves them with a couple of pressing questions, namely "Where the hell are we and how do we get out of here?"

One of the biggest issues this show has faced is having a blank slate as the central character, with several other blank slates among the supporting cast. This episode goes a long way towards remedying much of that – for the first time, I found myself caring about Sierra, Victor and November, as we get to know who they really are and see how they react in such an extreme situation. Hell, Sierra actually gets a funny, clever line – on a show that’s been lacking in that regard in a big way (I don’t want to give it away, but it begins with the word "deranged"). In a fun touch, Dichen Lachman also gets to speak in her natural Australian accent, which we learn is Sierra’s natural accent too.

You might notice I said I found myself caring about Sierra, Victor and November – but didn’t mention Echo. Last week, we actually got a pretty big look at who her true identity, Caroline, was and it wasn’t a very strong impression, only defined by her righteous animal activism. Well, we get to know Caroline more this week and… she’s a pretty unlikable character. At one point, she makes a stupid, ill-conceived decision that may be driven by vaguely good intentions, but is incredibly idiotic. She just seems stubborn and foolish, which only adds to the overall issue of having a central character who is one of the least engaging parts of the show.

That notable issue aside though, this is a very compelling episode – one I liked even more than "Man on the Street", thanks to the stronger characterizations. There are a couple of big new revelations given regarding the Dolls we know, and some interesting twists and turns along the way. Even more than in "Man on the Street", there is genuine tension at work in "Needs" and I found myself getting nervous for them as the awakened Actives worked to escape the Dollhouse. I’ve been so rarely involved in this show, it was a pleasant surprise to find myself caring.

I have no idea whether this means anything in the long run, as far as a potential sign that this show has made an overall change for the better. I wanted to think that after "Man on the Street", only for "Echoes" to show a series still floundering in a big way. And let’s face it - There are only five episodes left for the first season after this, and the show overall has been disappointing. But if nothing else, and if it doesn’t get renewed (and it’s not likely to), it would certainly be nice if Dollhouse could go out on a high note. I’m crossing my fingers...