Dollhouse

Suppose you were the head of a real-life Dollhouse that wiped volunteers’ personalities, downloaded new ones into their brains, and rented them out to the super rich and privileged. Would you let your Dolls walk away, no strings attached, after they’ve honored their contract?

Yeah, me neither.

The last episode of Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse, "Instinct," featured the newly liberated November/Madeline (Miracle Laurie) returning to the Dollhouse to undergo a "diagnostic." According to Adelle, the procedure is necessary to make sure Topher’s tech didn’t permanently blow a fuse inside Madeline’s pretty head. Madeline was understandably cautious when Adelle came to visit her and prod her into getting the check-up. "I have this irrational fear that if I say the wrong thing, men in suits are going to throw me in a black van and take me away," she said.

Can you blame her?

What’s to keep Adelle and Rossum from controlling Madeline’s actions from afar to make sure she doesn’t expose the Dollhouse? It’s likely that Topher was ordered to make it so she loses her ability to speak — or feels the need to do nothing but hunker down in the basement and watch twelve straight hours of Babylon 5 or something — every time she thinks about telling someone about the Dollhouse.

During her chat with Adelle, Madeline mentioned that she felt the need to stay close to home. It’s possible that this need was implanted to make it easier for Rossum to keep an eye on her.

Bottom line, it’s silly to think that former Actives would be allowed to run free in the world with full knowledge of where the Dollhouse is and what it does. Once a Doll, always a Doll. At least this means we’ll probably get to see more of the talented Miracle Laurie later this season. I doubt the Dollhouse is done with Madeline, and I’m sure Whedon is ready to take her to places we’ve yet to imagine.

What do you think? Can Actives really earn their freedom?