Dollhouse

(S02E01) For those who have seen the DVD-and-iTunes-only episode of Dollhouse ("Epitaph One") which deals with an apocalyptic future, we’re not there yet. Instead, this episode (written and directed by Joss Whedon) deals with Paul Ballard using his connections to the Dollhouse to go after an arms dealer that he couldn’t put away as a simple FBI agent.

We see the beginnings of the Boyd Langton/Doctor Saunders relationship hinted at in "Epitaph One," but once again, considering that Amy Acker has a limited appearance this season in order to go to Happy Town, she was the highlight of this episode. I honestly hope that show fails, so that Amy will be around this one more for next season. Is that wrong?

It seems like the world of science fiction television always employs its own (Whedon even confessed in his phone interview that he was a fan of the recent version of Battlestar Galactica). That being said, it was nice to see Jamie Bamber employ his natural British accent for his role as the bad guy. Ironically, Alexis Denisof was also there employing his natural American accent. I know we’ll be seeing more of Denisof, and I hope Bamber becomes a recurring character as he now has the motivation to bring the Dollhouse down and, given his social status, he must be in the know about it.

Another interesting aspect is how Echo became "a Doll within a Doll" as an FBI double-agent. Talk about screwing with her programming and identity issues. The episode also dealt with Ballard’s obsession with Caroline/Echo. Is he in love with her? Is it something else? Stay tuned, dear viewers, to find out.

A lot of haters didn’t like this series as much as Whedon’s previous ones. I figured the series would be the sort to grow into its own, and I’m seeing evidence of that in this episode. Fingers crossed that it makes it to season three. What do you think?