Previous threads on Dollhouse: Premier 2/13, 2/20, 2/27,
The Just A Hat plotline was interesting, partly because I’d assumed Topher had to imprint the blank personality into the active after wiping the previous personality.
This was my least favorite of the four episodes. A little disappointing, because I did like the last 2. But, not every episode is wine and roses. Continuing to stick it out.
The back story moved along really well. I like the implication that Alpha was a programmer like Topher. It makes sense to try to put together the ideal programmer for a job like this. I can’t wait to see if he was a programmer that tried to enhance his own abilities or if he was just a doll like the rest.
I think that this may have been the first time that we have heard of any acknowledgment that Adele is not the top boss. I wonder who she answers to?
I thought it worked primarily for backstory, of course, but I think the episode worked nicely. There were hints, for instance, that Echo wasn’t completely helpless when wiped; she let the other guy shoot at the cops.
It was also good plotting that they could download the same personality onto Sierra. It’s logical and I’m glad they thought of it.
I also liked the twist – you thought that Echo was being hired as a hooker for the night, and it turns out that was just a ruse.
I thought it was a “holding” kind of ep. Didn’t advance the meta story very much – we know Alpha can do remote mind wipes, that’s about it – and the story itself wasn’t all that. I’d say the worst so far. The only saving grace was the part where we thought she was a hired hooker, though that made little sense – you can hire traditional hookers for much, much less money and at much less risk and get pretty much the same experience. The thing that makes the Dollhouse actives different is you can program them to really, really love you. Hookers don’t really, really love you. Still, it was nice to see them playing with that aspect of the Dollhouse a bit.
We missed the last episode, but I have to say I liked this one much better than the first two. The writing seemed to hang together better and have more wit. It also played with our expectations very well:
I loved how the opening shot seems to be of another sex assignment, with a woman in bed moaning, and then turns out to be a labor scenario. Echo also acted like the midwives I have known, so that was nice.
Another show would have had Sierra and/or the handler charging in physically, just making the rescue before time ran out. I like that we saw time run out and they had to go to plan B.
The aforementioned abused hooker angle.
I also liked that Britchick assured the client only the computer knew his actual request, and then clearly everyone working on the case knew about it.
This isn’t from this episode, but I was also glad that the active they have working the FBI agent is the CI, not (or not solely) his neighbor.
Dushku also seemed to have some good range (compared to previous episodes) this time.
Based on this ep, I will continue watching.
I liked the plot turn with Taffy 2 and the jury rigged resin + boot device misdirecting the audience into thinking a ludicrious twist would save the day. Glad the show didn’t go down the McGyver route.
Who needs a customized midwife?
Based on the “she jumped me at the frat party” exchange, I’m guessing a very wealthy family that wants to make sure the bastards of the next generation are born safely, but in circumstances that allow for complete deniability.
This raises the question that if the organization is willing to engage in criminal acts like this, why not just do it themselves? Assemble a crack squad of bank robber profiles and optimize them for your bad ass actives and just do the crime yourself. It’s not like they have to maintain clean records for the government - their business is secret anyway.
I don’t understand how they could imprent Sierra and Echo with a personality that was able to instantly know how to do that specific job.
I got a different impression - the opening shot showed a large building high up in a remote mountain area during a blizzard. I assumed that it was some insanely rich couple (possibly married) who just wanted to ensure that they could get the best possible midwife to deliver their kid in a remote location. But with an Active, you could get an amalgam of many great midwives, so you know you’re getting the best treatment.
Not to in any way put down midwives, but if I had all the money in the world I would also want a top midwife, a top OB/GYN, a full NICU available, etc.
In other words, I wouldn’t be having the baby in the Overlook Hotel in the middle of winter.
Without some further explanation for those very odd circumstances that opener just seemed really stupid.
The rest of the episode felt really slow. At the 40 minute commercial break I actually pulled up the channel guide to see what was on next because I thought I’d just sat through the whole hour and they’d ended with a bit of a cliffhanger for the next episode.
I don’t know what to say about the midwife thing, except that I agree it is pretty dumb without more explanation.
What I would like to point out is that we’re starting to see some more classic, Whedonesque subversion of expectations:
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The seemingly badass actives are prone to some really, really serious flaws, which an outside malefactor can exploit.
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Time was short, so no way was anyone going to get to the caper in time from their office to spring Echo. Thank Og some show finally figured out that getting around in LA takes serious time. (I’m looking at you, 24.)
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The classic, explain-it-over-the-phone-and-save-the-day routine FAILED. Taffy 2 then simply had to go back to her treatment. No saving of the day.
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The obsessed good-guy agent on the assignment doesn’t show mercy when the bad guy (yes, who is also an active) begs for some. It seems that the company was expecting that he would do the opposite.
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The incredibly clever but incredibly annoying genius scientist’s failure doesn’t mean that he gets fired, or murdered, or beaten up by a bunch of angry bad company guys looking for a scapegoat. He gets promoted.
So this Alpha guy. I take it he doesn’t have an agenda beyond bringing down the company. Interesting that he spared he before when he murdered the actives all around her, but this time left her in the lurch in a very, very vulnerable way.
Yes, what Knorf said. I love subversions like this.
I don’t think the scientist is annoying though, I think he is rather likable, especially considering his questionable morals.
I don’t find him annoying, either, but it seems clear that some of the people in the company do. He has a difficult character to represent: he has to be credibly annoying to some of the people around him, but he has to be likable to the audience. I think this is working.
I don’t like him because he seems to confident for a nerd. He has very little humility and he’s too self centered. That doesn’t seem right for a computer geek that drinks juice boxes.
Maybe they’ll add some humility later.
Many programmers that I know are hugely arrogant in their own areas of expertise. So when they are talking about their creations, there is very little humility.
I was thinking the same thing. Perhaps the nerdy kid in high school was very quiet and modest around bullies and jocks who could make his life miserable. But in their own element, geeks can be cocky, competitive trash-talkers.
I speak from pretty close experience - 'Phoenix’s license plate used to be “[technical tool] GURU,” and I recall one occasion when he caught a hacker attempting to rummage around my harddrive, and he basically hunted him down electronically and . . . well, made him regret that. And he did it not just to protect me, but clearly also because it was fun and to show he could. 
And I thought the “jumped me at the frat party” thing was going to turn out to be another “flashback” to her college days - that she was trying to help a friend keep everything quiet.