Dollhouse: "Man on the Street" (episode 6)

[SinglePurpose]

This episode provides yet more evidence that the Dollhouse makes no financial sense. The software mogul guy could have hired a dream date from any reasonably upscale escort service to put on the act he required - no brainwashing or added expense was required for that gig. And Ballard holding his own in a fight with Echo proves that there's no point in the Dollhouse's fight training, if they can get just as good a fighter for a government wage. And once again, no brainwashing required. There are plenty of guys willing to do dirty work for a price, and that price would be a whole lot lower than required to support the Dollhouse facility.

The boo hoo story from the software mogul was sappy and trite. Who couldn't guess his wifey would end up killed before she set foot in her new dream house? Shitty writing.

I agree that the software guy's story was overly sappy but it was clear that he didn't hire Echo just for sex. He payed for the expense of the Dollhouse because he wanted the reaction that he thought he was going to get from his wife. Sure there are lots of prostitutes that he could pay a lot less for but how many of them could totally believe that they are his wife even down to having her memories? And of course the expense is stupid but someone like Larry Page is worth $18.5 billion. With that kind of money why not pay ridiculous amounts of money for incredibly stupid stuff. I don't know why the super rich pay for things like solid gold toilets but they do.

As for the rape plot, I got the feeling that they were trying to call attention to the allegory just in case people didn't understand that the Dollhouse was a thinly veiled metaphor for prostitution. But I'm also very cynical I guess.

That was my biggest problem with the episode along with the man on the street stuff. It's just spelling out to the viewer what any halfway intelligent person should be able to get on their own.

 

[LaxScrutiny]

Yeah, I think the original meeting was the payoff. The second meeting was just an exposition-fest that really didn't mean anything to me. I mean, I'm sure it's important - just like the Blue Hand group with River and all that - but I guess I'm not invested enough in the mythology to find that kind of exposition all that interesting.

As for the rape plot, I got the feeling that they were trying to call attention to the allegory just in case people didn't understand that the Dollhouse was a thinly veiled metaphor for prostitution. But I'm also very cynical I guess.

I haven't made up my mind whether the show is clever and deep or not. It's easy to create a mystery, or ambiguous characters, it's harder to follow through and make it a good mystery, or ambiguous characters that are interesting.

That said, you're short selling the rape subplot. A rapist isn't all that deep. If you have a rapist he's going to be a piece of shit. Whether he's a prison guard, or a camp councellor, or a step dad, or boss, or who ever. The fact that the rapist was a piece of shit who came up with petty rationalisations isn't the point. You expect him to have a deep, interesting motive?

The point is that they are on the one hand carefully protecting the dolls, and keeping them from being abused, but on the other hand renting them out, sometimes for sexual purposes. Now, if the Internet Millionaire was into sexual torture, would they have agreed to it? Why not? As was revealed in the show, what the dolls do as dolls does have a long term, ongoing effect, they are still people and the wiping isn't 100% perfect.

Or it is intentionally not 100% perfect. At the very least, Adelle is aware that Echo is carrying things away with her. Boyd is aware that they are "all broken". Topher and Claire know that they are being more socialized than they should be when they are wiped.

The intial premise that we were given at the start is false, and the characters all know it. The juxtaposition of the rape and the wife fantasy is what spells that out, it is both plots together, not just each one separately.

 

[Forbin]

"Caroline" said it herself in the very first scene, when she was volunteering, before her she was wiped: "You ever try actually wiping a slate clean? There's always something left."

This is the first episode that I actually got the "Whedon vibe" from. Abnd I loved it. I hope Fox gives the show at least a full season to develop. Considering some of the utter crap shows in TV history that have lasted multiple seasons, I don't think it's an unreasonable request.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I'm not sure how much of last night's revelations can be taken at face value and how much are pure fake-outs.

I think we're clearly on the cusp of something phildickian here.

Which is unfortunate, in a way. I have doubts the series is going to last long enough that we'll get the payoffs.

I also think the episode last night worked better than any previous episode because Eliza Dushku's appearances were kept to a minimum. The episode wasn't about her, so her limitations as an actress weren't front and center.

I was on the fence about sticking with the series. I'll stick around a few more episodes.

 

[Samurai8472]

What happened to this show? Was this the same show I've been watching for the past five weeks? Not that I'm complaining though, big improvement. If it can keep this up and built upon this, then this show might be going places.

The show will be going through a reboot and half the cast will die. Echo will be paired with a talking Mustang and do more field work

 

[Hermiod]

No poll, I see, but I would have given this an average. So much for the "this show will be awesome from episode six" line.

45 minutes of the usual Joss Whedon stuff, snappy dialogue, guys getting beaten up by women a third of their size blah blah blah.

One more episode of this and I'm gone.

 

[Lumen]

Much improved. I feel like there's a story and a plot now.

There was some interesting stuff on a more thematic level -- the rape plot, the documentary/urban legend thing, all those conversations about fantasy, and all that stuff about the dolls' lives. Too lazy to write at length, but it should be fairly clear, anyway.

There were also some interesting plot twists -- Millie (who I was totally expecting to die) & the message (which I absolutely did not see coming).

This was definitely the best episode yet. If they can keep up this level of quality, I'm in.

 

[J47]

Loved last night's episode - it completely lived up to the hype for me, and gave the show a focus that has been sorely lacking. It also gave us more topless Tahmoh Penikett, something else that the show could use more of. That said though, I do think one of the major reasons this episode brought it for me was the lack of Eliza Dushku. She was relegated to supporting role status, and it helped quite a bit to not be distracted by her "acting."

The Millie being a doll thing was something I had been expecting for a while, but the damn producers still had me convinced that she was going to die right up until we heard DeWitt's voice.

I loved the interviews interspersed throughout the episode - the guy who wanted to hook up with other men, and his girlfriend's reaction, was hilarious. I think the interview to pay attention to, though, was the one with the scientist (or whatever the heck his job was). He was talking about the potential for enslaving the human race - is that what the dollhouses are there for, research to perfect the mind wipes?

As for who sent the message, I'm guessing DeWitt. That scene at the end made it clear that DeWitt was taking an interest in Echo; while that could probably be justified by recent events, it just felt like something more.

 

[Hicks]

This was far and away the best episode so far. If it can stay up at this level, it might just survive and grow.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

What happened to this show? Was this the same show I've been watching for the past five weeks? Not that I'm complaining though, big improvement. If it can keep this up and built upon this, then this show might be going places.

Maybe Joss thought that twist endign there would be a surprise, but considering his M.O., did anyone actualyl think that Handler was just going to "get away with it"? Come on.

Considering this is a Whedon show (and this one was even written by Joss I believe?) I was expecting the neighbour to be killed off. After all, who ever heard of a happy relationship in a Whedon show? Well, there's still time for agony and death in Ballard's real life fantasy I guess. Especially with the neighbour being a doll and all.

Yeah. In a way, that was Whedon subverting the expectations his own fans would have about how he likes to torture happy people. (There are even t-shirts now that say, "Don't fall in love. Joss Whedon will kill you.") Seeing her suddenly kill that other guy was an unexpected twist.

I don't know if anyone else noticed but that crooked handler was Kevin Kilner, a.k.a. William Boone, the lead from the 1st season of Earth: Final Conflict.

This episode provides yet more evidence that the Dollhouse makes no financial sense. The software mogul guy could have hired a dream date from any reasonably upscale escort service to put on the act he required - no brainwashing or added expense was required for that gig.

I dunno. Considering this guy was looking for more of an emotional connection than a cheap physical experience, the brainwashing makes a bit more sense than usual.

But I thought that Echo's message to the FBI guy at the end implies that this is just how the Dollhouse generates some extra revenue. The true purpose for the technology is something else entirely.

 

[Hermiod]

Considering this is a Whedon show (and this one was even written by Joss I believe?) I was expecting the neighbour to be killed off. After all, who ever heard of a happy relationship in a Whedon show? Well, there's still time for agony and death in Ballard's real life fantasy I guess. Especially with the neighbour being a doll and all.

Joss' desire to see tiny women beat up huge men overrides that.

 

[LaxScrutiny]

As for who sent the message, I'm guessing DeWitt. That scene at the end made it clear that DeWitt was taking an interest in Echo; while that could probably be justified by recent events, it just felt like something more.

I don't know what to think, because this may be a point where we have to suspend our disbelief.

How many people knew Echo was being sent after Ballard that night? How much time did they need to prep this message and know they could slip it into the programming? If they watch Topher regularly, they could probably guess that at some point he would step out of the room, but they would have to know he was doing Echo's program and what she was being sent out to do. That wasn't common knowledge around the office.

Who ever it was would have had very few minutes to prepare the message... unless it was already prepared and they were waiting for the right moment.

So it could be DeWitt, and it could be a fake message to draw Ballard in. Or it could be Dominic, who would have known what was up.

Topher's asian assistant is too adorable to be anything but a fantasy chick placed in the show to appeal to geek fans.

 

[Lumen]

I dunno -- my money is on Topher's assistant. I think Dominic is genuine in his dislike of Echo, although I've no real case against it being DeWitt.

 

[Trent Roman]

And there's the possibility that the "inside man" is no longer on the inside per se--it wouldn't be the first time that Alpha has contacted Ballard, or demonstrated his ability to screw with actives at a distance.

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

 

[LaxScrutiny]

No!!! She's too adorable to be anything but adorable.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

While I'd agree that Dushku's acting is uneven, she did have one of my favorite moments of the entire episode. I loved her reaction when she thought that her "husband" was dealing in internet porn!

 

[tharpdevenport]

First time I saw the neighbor, I knew she was a plant. And I knew when the Handler went there to kill her, that he would be dead, but I thought it would be at the hands of Dollhouse security -- the only twist here, for me, was that she was a doll too. But I don't quite see the necessity in making her a doll.


In hindsight, I should have realized the line about the flowers hadn't been used yet and the episode was almost over, so it would have been a key moment to have a phrase that "activates" a sleeper.

 

[Mr Light]

That was a good episode. Though Helo angrily beating the snot out of the poor girl he's trying to save was very disturbing, particularly since this isn't Buffy where the girls are superheroines. Between that and Boone raping Sierra and almost raping/killing neighbor girl... overload. At first I was assuming that Echo's "confession" to Helo was just a cover story from the Dollhouse to make him drop the story, that it was all bull. But then at the end evil security guy mentioned there ARE other Dollhouses around the world like Echo said! So I guess she was telling the truth. I'm assuming the mole is the Asian girl who assists Topher. And hey, Patton Oswald!

 

[Mr Light]

When did they mention the flowers line before using it? ... Well the BSG series finale didn't take as big a chunk out of Doll's ratings as I thought it would. The rating fell to 4.13 from the previous week of 4.30 (the week before that was the low point of 3.55).

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

As to the software billionaire's sob story being a bit trite, I would agree with that but I think that Patton Oswald's performance really sold it. Hell, he just seemed to out-act all of the regulars this week.

It was refreshing to finally see an episode of this show where the dialogue feels like genuine Joss Whedon dialogue. Really, I think that's the only reason why people were giving this show a chance in the first place.

Really, this was the first episode of the series that truly grabbed me. I think that it might have been best if they had worked it into the series earlier. It reminds me of Dushku's previous series, Tru Calling, in that way. Tru Calling was a decent show with a bunch of lame stand-alone episodes. Things really started getting interesting around episode 13 when they introduced Jack Harper. But by then it was too late. FOX, surprising everyone, renewed the show for a 2nd season. But then they cancelled Season 2 midway through shooting it, cutting their original 13 episode order down to 6.