Dollhouse

Miracle Laurie Returns to Dollhouse

After being prematurely released from her Dollhouse contract in the season finale, thanks to Agent Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett), we weren’t sure if we would ever see November/Mellie//Madeline on the sci-fi hit again. Also not sure of her return? Actress Miracle Laurie, who played the three-in-one character. TV Guide Magazine caught up with Laurie to discuss her return to Dollhouse this Friday, and her future on the show.

So I’m watching the premiere, and you’re not in it. I didn’t know that you were going to be back. Did you know?

You know it was rough, because I knew how the season ended, too, and I was like, “What did I do?” I had been hopeful that I would be coming back, and Joss, he likes to tease, and be like, “Oh yeah, you’re coming,” and then he would joke around that I’m not. So it was kind of going back and forth, but I kind of always knew that I was. I didn’t have any idea in what capacity I was coming back, because it was left so open. I didn’t know what kind of purpose I’d serve in the story, or if it was even going to be Madeline, or if it would be November or someone else. I had no idea. So, at my birthday party, Joss told me how it was going to all go down, and I started shooting a week later. So it was really down to the wire. So I was in the dark just as much as everybody else.

So who comes back into the fold? Is it November, Mellie or Madeline?

It’s Madeline.

How does she come back?

I want to say everything, because I think it’s so amazing! We get to meet her really for the first time, and see who she is after the experience of being in the Dollhouse. It’s very interesting. It’s different, and I hope the fans like Madeline as much as they [liked November/Mellie]. And I think the theme is, whether we meant to play this out or not, that everyone has the same soul. It’s their minds that are being wiped and replaced, and different personalities that are put in, but I think, there is an essence for everybody that is the same throughout. I think that’s the same with me. It’s still [the same] November/Mellie, that we fell in love with.

Are we going to see Madeline’s universe? Can she just slide back into that life?

That’s what we explore. We kind of pick up and really see what her life is now. There aren’t any flash backs to before. We got that from last year, that her daughter passed away and that’s why she volunteered to be part of the Dollhouse. So we get to see how she exists, now that that is over for her and the contract is over and she has to live a normal life again. I think it’s really brilliant. The thing about all these scripts so far, is that I’m constantly surprised and blown away at how brave and smart and funny and witty and exciting they are. Our writers didn’t waste a minute. Everyone’s relationships are tested immediately. I’m just blown away by the season. We’re not even in halfway yet. So I think the fans are going to be really, really happy.

Are you a series regular?

I’m still technically guest cast. I’m in the first 6, and they all tell me that I’m not going anywhere, and the way 6 ends, it looks as if I’m not. So we’ll see.

Do you get to interact with the folks in the Dollhouse again?

I do, yeah. I actually have a scene with Paul (Tahmoh Penikett). It’s very odd, having that scene with Tahmoh. I adore him as a person, and Mellie loved him all last season. So to go in and not really know who this guy is after spending a year with him? It’s a little challenging. So that kind of stuff is odd, but if I’m being true to Madeline in that space, it’s just what it is. She doesn’t know who he is. It’s just really interesting to play that, and I think the fans are really going to love seeing that dynamic play throughout the season. We’ve never seen a doll after they were a doll. We’ve never seen a contract up. What do they do with all that money that they get after the contract is up? What is their connection with the Dollhouse? Do they even know where it is? It’s just really fun that we all get to explore that for the first time, and that I get to be that part of the puzzle is really exciting for me.