seraphcelene | Dollhouse 1.03

OMG!! Finally an episode that I can get behind. Dark, twisted in a good way. A little too much exposition. It beat you over the head just a bit with the Freedom/Doll theme. I thought that the comparisons were a little too obvious to require that much focus. Sierra's damsel in distress routine was a ham handed way to introduce Echo's growing self-awareness. Trying to play Echo going semi-AWOL as serving two-fold doesn't actually work, not even for a second. DeWitt is also working really hard to justify Echo's continued presence in the Dollhouse. Although I agree with Langton that DeWitt is a business person, as such I would think that she would be more cautious about Echo's motives and performance on this particular mission. However, there's obviously more to the story than we're getting at the moment.

coffeeandink has an interesting theory about all of that.

Victor turning out to be a Doll is to no one's surprise, I trust. As is the Asshat Handler. You knew there had to be at least one.

However, as much as this episode was a bit heavy handed, it's still the best so far and gives me reasons to look forward to next week. Questions about Ballard are starting to squiggle to life especially after that blank eyed stare at the wall at the end of the episode. And that closing nod between Echo and Sierra was exactly what I was looking for in terms of allowing us, the audience, a place to connect. Suddenly Echo has a personality and she has memories and we can identify with that. Her awareness that what she remembers of Sierra, their association as friends, is dangerous and something that should be kept secret is what I was waiting and hoping for. Although Sierra may not be as cognizant as Echo, she is aware. The way that she changed paths to join Echo as opposed to continuing on that blank walk of nowhere that all the Dolls seem to do is proof of that.

So, I'm finally excited to see the next episode.

I'm also totally confused as to why The Target wasn't episode one and Stage Fright episode Two. Ghost remains completely unnecessary to me.