Echo has an unusual engagement (in more than one sense of the word) and Claire/Whisky comes to some conclusions
Grade : B
Stars : Eliza Dushku, Enver Gjokaj, Fran Kranz, Dichen Lachman, Harry Lennix, Tahmoh Penikett, Olivia Williams, Amy Acker, Jamie Bamber
Writer(s) : Joss Whedon
Director : Joss Whedon
Release Date : Sept. 25th, 2009
Rating : PG_14
It’s ever so slightly odd to return to DOLLHOUSE after what could be termed the summer of “Epitaph One.” The first-season finale, which was to all intents and purposes intended as the series finale, jumped ahead 10 years into the future to show what the long-term effects of a culture influenced by the Dollhouse technology would be. One whopper of a creative problem is that the episode never aired, though it’s available on the DVDs, so people who’ve seen it have a somewhat different view than those who’ve only been watching the show on Fox and Fox.com.
To be fair, the second-season opener, “Vows,” written and directed by series creator Joss Whedon, doesn’t bring up anything that might be confusing either set of viewers. We know that former FBI agent Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett) is now working at/for the Dollhouse, though he still disapproves of it mightily. In this episode, we see some of what he gets out of what he sees as a deal with the devil. We also see that Echo/Caroline (Eliza Dushku) has a bit more going on under the surface of being an Active – someone whose personality has been wiped clean to accommodate whatever sort of personality a paying client desires – than Dollhouse chief Adelle DeWitt (Olivia Williams) believes. Echo has an assignment with a big twist to it, involving a love-struck, major league drug dealer (Jamie Bamber, who here is reunited onscreen with his old BATTLESTAR GALACTICA colleague Penikett).
However, the really cool stuff in this episode, which is where Whedon seems to have invested his heart this time around, is in the interactions between the haunted souls of Doll programmer Topher Brink (Fran Kranz) and Dr. Claire Saunders (Amy Acker), who already hated Topher even before she found out that she’s actually an Active herself, programmed to replace the house’s murdered doctor. Claire is wretched that she doesn’t know who she really is and Topher is wretched that his creation is a) so unhappy and b) despises him. Their interactions, along with Claire’s simpatico relationship with house chief of security Boyd Langton (Harry Lennix), are the highlights here.
DOLLHOUSE has switched from film to videotape this season (actually, it made the switch on the aforementioned “Epitaph One”). Some people find this visually jarring, but one can successfully argue that the rawer look gives the show a greater sense of immediacy, so that there’s less danger of some of the engagements seeming as though they primarily exist to showcase the physical attractiveness of the (admittedly very good-looking) cast. Other upsides here include Ballard’s endgame strategy when his original plan goes downhill (FIREFLY fans may see shades of something that might have worked, with obvious adaptations, on that series) and Bamber’s lively guest turn. Downsides include a whopping great question about the timeline once we understand the plot twist, not to mention us having to accept that Bamber’s character is perhaps one of the most trusting drug kingpins ever depicted on TV.
“Vows” isn’t a perfect DOLLHOUSE episode, but it’s a good one, and it gets Season Two off to a generally engaging start.
I felt a little uncomfortable with the pacing of tonight’s episode of Dollhouse. As the task of a second season premiere isn’t just to start the ball rolling on the new season but also to hopefully draw in new viewers, I thought they might have crammed a bit too much into this first episode.
Tonight’s season opener followed Echo as she played two roles as an active. On the surface, she was the blushing bride of Martin, played by Battlestar Galactica’s Jamie Bamber who sported his native British accent for the role. Echo’s true mission was to play an undercover agent posing as the love interest of Martin while she investigated him and his arms dealings. Ballard was working with her, playing the role of her partner of three years and friend. Echo went through the act of marrying Martin and even consummating the marriage while Ballard brooded and did pushups as he kept an eye on the situation. Echo’s “character” had a Faith-esque attitude about sex and teased Ballard about his romantic notions about the act of two bodies rubbing together. Then she went back to the Dollhouse to get a treatment and have her lady-business checked out.
While Ballard’s continuing on with the deal to work for/at/with the Dollhouse and serve as a sidekick to Echo’s job, he’s not her handler and this is something DeWitt wants to change. She sat down with Ballard and talked to him about his attachment to Echo, pointing out that he seemed ok with letting go of November/Mellie, who was released of her contract with the Dollhouse thanks to the deal Ballard made (trading himself for her freedom). Ballard didn’t seem that receptive to the idea of taking over as Echo’s handler but he did continue to monitor Echo while she was on her assignment with Martin.
When Echo was attempting to break into Martin’s desk to find proof of his weapons dealings, her husband caught her and confronted her. After being tipped off by some of his people that she might be an undercover agent and now finding her trying to break into his antique desk, he proceeded to yell at her and beat her up. She kept the act up, even after Martin showed her a photo of her with Ballard. She was very convincing as she told him that she knew he wasn’t just a financier but that she married him for him and not his job. Just when it seemed like Martin was willing to believe her, the injury Echo sustained when he smacked her head against the desk caused her to glitch and she went back to being semi-wiped Echo.
While Echo’s handler was off doing who knows what, Ballard called in to Topher to check up on Echo’s brainwaves. He saw some activity on the screen that led him to believe she was in trouble. Ballard then allowed himself to be apprehended by Martin’s people and brought into the airplane hanger where Martin and Echo were about to board the plane. During the confrontation, Ballard did the only thing he could think of to get Echo to remember some of her old personas. He started to punch her, while also reminding her of certain things she’d been through, including the time she beat him up in the Chinese restaurant (last season). The violent tactic worked and triggered Echo’s fight-mode. She proceeded to attack Martin’s men, with a little help from Ballard, who brawled with Martin until Martin managed to get to his car. He might have gotten away if Echo hadn’t ended up on the hood of his car as he drove from the hanger. She chucked one of his bombs into the front seat, resulting in Martin jumping from the car just before it exploded. The action sequence seemed a bit dramatic for my taste but again, first episode of the new season. Gotta throw in a car chase and an explosion, right ?
Echo restrained Martin and the mission was over with her and Ballard still in one piece. Their portion of the episode ended back at the Dollhouse where Echo told Ballard she wanted to find Caroline and also find the rest of the dolls’ original identities. Afterward, Ballard took her to the lab for her treatment and held her hand, which leads me to believe he’s going to accept the role as her handler. Given that her own handler, who I don’t think we ever saw managed to miss the fact that her life was in danger, it’s probably best if someone with better observational skills take over this glitchy little doll for now.
While all of that was going on, Ivy’s been handling more of the treatment responsibilities while Topher’s stalked by a very unstable Saunders. Seeing Ivy have to put up with Sierra, still in active-mode, stating she’s not comfortable with “orientals” and then offering her the opportunity to spank her was probably one of the most amusing moments in the series to date.
A lot happened with Saunders in tonight’s episode. When it came out that the scars Victor sustained due to Alpha’s attack could be healed, Saunders stated that she wasn’t interested in having the procedure done on herself. In a later scene, she was examining Echo when Echo had a flashback of an almost-makeout scene between herself and Saunders aka Whiskey. She mentioned it to Saunders, adding that she knew Saunders was number one. Saunders reminded Echo of what Alpha did to her face but Echo, being in post-treatment mode didn’t really respond to that.
Saunders also had a conversation with Boyd about all of the excuses she had for why she didn’t leave the Dollhouse. She, unlike the other actives, wasn’t on a leash. Her confinement was self inflicted. Well, sort of. Now that she knows she’s an active, she also knows that her fear of the outside world is all part of her programming. Still, that doesn’t make it any easier to want to brave the sun, crowds and open spaces that exist beyond the underground sanctuary that is the Dollhouse.
After spending too much time being the creepy stalker-lady that haunted Topher’s work environment (messing with his monitor, releasing rats into his office and inevitably climbing into his bed), she and Topher had a heart to heart where it came out that while Topher did make her into the person she is now, which filled the job-opening for a staff physician, he never programmed her to hate him. He made her the type of person that would question things and fight for her beliefs but hating him was a choice she made on her own. Struggling with her own fake-identity, which she clings to despite knowing she’s trapped in a body that isn’t really hers, Saunders inevitably decided to take the leap and at the end of the episode, she left a note for Boyd that said, “I’m running out… of excuses.” Cut to Saunders driving a convertible out in the open road.
Personally, I think all of the Saunders stuff is what screwed up the episode, which is unfortunate as I thought it was the best of what the season premiere had to offer. The problem with it wasn’t so much the story arc itself as it was ill-timed, considering the season is just starting. It might have been better if they held on to this bit of character development for a while or at the very least, introduced it in this episode and brought it out fully in a later episode. Just my opinion but jumping between that and the stuff Echo was going through felt a bit forced to me and it made it a little hard to keep up with everything that was going on.
In other news, the latest threat to the Dollhouse comes from a Senator who’s making claims that the Rossum corporation is withholding valuable medical advancements from the public (the kind that could be helpful to Alzheimer’s victims). Given the way the technology that programs the dolls works, I think this is a very interesting twist to add to the series. And what’s more, the Senator is played by Buffy/Angel alum Alexis Denisof (yay ! Wesley and Fred in the same episode… unfortunately, never on screen together but still… yay !)
So yeah, call me a bit underwhelmed by this first episode of season 2. I’m not saying I’m ready to walk away from the series. There are so many reasons to hang on but I’m hoping they’ll slow the pace down just a bit and build up a little more momentum before they continue pushing the overall story arc forward.
(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 ?
Despite low ratings, the dreaded Friday night timeslot, and rumors about being cancelled, Dollhouse made it to a second season after debuting in February 2009. That’s good because Fox can allow it to find an audience, which is very rare in today’s market. I’m not only talking about the economy, but the fact that network television isn’t just competing with the other networks, but cable and so on.
Plus, Fox probably figured it owed Dollhouse creator Joss Whedon – who also created Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel – for making a crap-tacular mess out of the short-lived yet beloved Firefly in 2002. Well, it does. Kudos for Fox for letting this happen.
For the uninitiated, Dollhouse revolves around operatives of the Dollhouse, a clandestine operation where its “Dolls” (a.k.a. “Actives”) have their memories wiped and downloaded with memories and personas of other people. They can be the ultimate assassin or the ultimate sexual fantasy, whatever the secret desire of its high-paying client. However, one of its main Dolls named Echo (Eliza Dushku) is becoming self-aware, retaining memories of her various identities. Pursuing the urban legend that is the Dollhouse is FBI agent Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Pentikett).
The Good
The fact that Dollhouse has a second season is good in and of itself. In “Vows,” the second season opener, Ballard is now part of the Dollhouse and becomes Echo’s handler. Echo is downloaded with the personality of an undercover agent who infiltrates the camp of an untouchable arms smuggler (Jamie Bamber of Battlestar Galactica fame) and marries him. Her various personas come to the surface after a bump on the noggin, which climaxes in a cool fight sequence that is classic Whedon.
There’s also a sensuous and erotic dream sequence between Echo and Whiskey (Amy Acker), which will kick many fanboys’ hormones into overdrive.
Bamber is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to well-known guest stars. Another BSG alumnus Michael Hogan is slated to appear this season, as well as Firefly and Terminator : The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Dollhouse’s former lead-in show) alumna Summer Glau. Whedon alumnus Alexis Denisof (Wesley from Angel) joins the cast as Sen. Daniel Perrin, who wants to expose the Dollhouse.
The Bad
If you didn’t follow the first season of Dollhouse, the second season premiere does not have the feel of a good “jumping on” point. The subplot about Whiskey remembering that she used to be the premier Doll before Echo made the scene is confusing if you don’t know the character from the last season. Thankfully, it’s not like Lost where if you’ve been AWOL for a few seasons, then try to pick it up again – game over – you’re screwed. However, keep in mind that done-in-one TV episodes are becoming a thing of the past.
The limited commercial breaks during the first season that allowed for a few extra minutes of an episode instead of commercials have gone the way of the dinosaur. Dollhouse now has a regular hour-long format for its second season, no doubt part of the budget cut the series had to undergo in order to make it to this point. Sigh.
All said and done, Dollhouse has a solid lead-off for its second season. Fox is smart to allow Whedon this second chance in order for him to achieve the vision he has for these characters.
Season 1 of Dollhouse1 ended with a kind of emotional train-wreck : Echo (Eliza Dushku) was exposed to all the imprints she’d ever been given, Paul (Tahmoh Penikett) tracked down Echo only to end his FBI career, and Claire (Amy Acker) was confronted with her past as a star active, Whiskey. The effect of all of this was the complete the show’s own process of self-deconstruction. By breaking down its own formula, Joss Whedon and the creators of Dollhouse hoped to free it from the bonds of the conventional action drama. This season is now the test : can Whedon fulfill his own gut feelings about this show’s true potential ?
New Levels and New Directions
The season 2 premiere, "Vows" (airing Friday, Sep. 25, 2009 on Fox), may not be the ideal episode to being answering that question. After all, a sophomore premiere has to at least gesture in the direction of introducing the show to new viewers while reorienting past viewers to dramatically altered realities and characters. Not only are Echo, Paul, and Claire/Whiskey powerfully transformed by the climactic events of season 1, which all reverberate backwards to the rampage by Alpha that took place before the show’s narrative began ; but the other Dollhouse characters are affected as well. Topher (Fran Kranz), the overconfident wunderkind who designs the personalities, is unnerved more than he cares to admit by Claire’s agonizing conflict and Echo’s abnormal behavior.
These escalations of characterization and premise require complete investment by the performers, and Dushku, Penikett, and Acker are more than up to the task. Dushku, called on to create an Echo who can be seen to underlie her personality imprints, is strikingly effective, particularly as viewed over time ; Penikett has a real handle on Paul’s disconcerting obsession and occasionally rudderless behavior ; Acker is always even better at adding shades to fear and vulnerability than you remember. Even Kranz, easily the show’s greatest liability in its earliest episodes, is finding levels to his character that only Whedon had ever suspected before.
Wedding Bells and Memory Flashes
In this season premiere these performances are matched by a flawless outing for Jamie Bamber, as an arms dealer Paul has been tracking for years. Bamber fits so naturally into the show that it’s a shame that the episode has to end ; in fact you get the sense that all concerned share this feeling, and the final confrontation between Bamber’s character and Paul takes place only because someone remembered Bamber was only a guest star and his storyline needed to be wrapped up before the closing credits. (It’s also a nice bit of fun to see Bamber and Penikett, both Battlestar Galactica shipmates mere months ago, facing off as bitter enemies.)
What’s really striking about the storyline itself is that Paul, who went to such lengths to expose Echo’s real identity, has now become one of the people who use Echo for his own ends : he has her imprinted as his own FBI partner who’s going undercover as the arm’s dealer’s new bride. This amounts to doing a number not only on Echo but on himself, since he has very mixed feeling both about using Echo and the intimacy of her mission. On top of that, Adelle (Olivia Williams), for her own reasons, is pushing Paul to immerse himself even deeper in the Dollhouse by becoming Echo’s handler. The clear message is that this 13-episode season is going to involve Echo and Paul going on a journey they cannot control.
Trying to Break the Rules
Some other aspects of "Vows" are more of a question mark, mainly because they’re placeholders for later development. Boyd (Harry Lennix) seems lost in his new role as security chief, and his phlegmatic line readings leave his motivations even more opaque than the needs of suspense might require. And new nemesis Alexis Denisof (another Whedon alumnus from Angel), as a crusading senator with his sights on the Dollhouse, looks dropped into the episode, delivering a clumsy character-establishing speech on the steps of some CGI government building, as seen on a TV screen that Adelle is watching in her office, followed by clumsy dialog between Adelle and Boyd identifying him, yes, as a threat. Presumably both men will be better served in future episodes as their stories are developed.
"Vows," written and directed by Whedon, is clearly an enthusiastic effort to solidify Dollhouse as a series that isn’t primarily about this week’s adventure. The compartmentalized episodes of the early first season were duds compared to what came later, because Whedon realized that the weekly assignments, while necessary to engage new and casual viewers and to create new conflicts, needed to be leveraged most of all to push the larger stories enmeshing the characters. As a result Whedon is finally navigating in the waters he knows best : building a long-term story through a carefully produced show that’s still fun to watch every week.
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