Writer: Joss Whedon
Grade: A
This episode beat the living snot out of anything from last season. The only ones that came close were “Needs” and “Epitaph One” (and of course, much of “Echoes” was just plain fun). It's pretty rare for me not to think the Joss-penned episodes are season highlights, so I’m glad he kicked ass with this one. Granted my glowing praise may be because I re-watched most of the first season before the season premiere, and the amount of show I have fast-forwarded through is appalling. For the most part, if it wasn't taking place in the Dollhouse, it wasn't holding my interest. So many of the engagements last season were throwaway trash with nothing to savor.
I wasn’t completely enthralled with Echo’s engagement in this episode, but a) Ballard’s involvement at least added an interesting new layer, and b) Eliza’s acting didn’t make me cringe. She had a level of conviction and commitment in selling that imprint that I feel was sorely lacking in the first season, so I hope she can keep it up. I thought she was particularly good in her first undercover FBI agent scene with Ballard (they even had nice chemistry!) and during her argument with Klar after getting caught.
Toper and Claire made the episode for me, though. I was shocked we got as much as we did about what’s going on with them, but I can understand Joss wanting to use Acker while he’s got her, and it was typical brutal, Jossian brilliance (and kind of disturbingly hot). I was also surprised and pleased that their big scene was allowed to run its course for about four and a half minutes without cutting away to another scene, and I think that’s part of what gave it so much emotional resonance.
Topher is even more self-flagellating than I would have believed, taking one of the few things he wants and stacking the deck against ever getting it. There are so many weird layers of desire and disgust between he and Claire that it’s hard to figure out what the truth is. That only makes it more interesting, although it seems pretty clear even now that nothing good will come of it (other than some great chemistry and acting).
There were a couple of particularly sharp but easy-to-miss moments in their scene, as well. For example, when Topher says, “If you agreed with everything I said, then we would miss something and someone would get hurt,” the emphasis on those pronouns indicates that Topher considers them to be a team—her opposition actually complements his own style of running things. She’s there to catch what he doesn’t see. This reasoning makes his attitude toward her in “Needs” make a great deal of sense in hindsight.
His comment about her “choosing” to hate him is also somewhat questionable—you didn’t make her hate you, you just made her hate the way you smell, so you’d never hook up? And that seemed like something he did just for her, which is kind of odd. Why on earth would he need to go that far? What role did they play in each other's lives prior to our entry to the story for him to need to make her repulsed by the very smell of him?
On a different but related note, I thought Boyd asking Claire on a date was deeply creepy. First of all, that body does not belong to “Claire Saunders,” so what would happen when the contract is up? Boyd is willing to enter into a relationship with someone he knows will essentially “die” in a few years? You could compare it to entering into a relationship with someone who is terminally ill, but in that scenario, the individual’s mind and body are in concert, so to speak. What about sex? Boyd would have sex with “Claire” without the body’s original owner’s permission? And there’s also the fact that Boyd is willing to go where even TOPHER fears to tread. Granted there may be back story that we don’t know as to why Topher is so determined not to have his way with Claire/Whiskey/whoever, but still. Disturbing.
I am still not entirely convinced that Topher/Claire/Boyd isn’t just Wesley/Fred/Gunn all over again with the same actress in the middle and a few minor tweaks, but we shall see…
I stand by my opinion that this episode was better than just about anything last season, but I do hope some of the other characters and storylines begin to catch my interest, because I don't want to feel like I'm just watching the show for Topher... More Victor and Sierra would probably help in that regard.
Other Stuff
-Some fans complained that this episode was inaccessible to new viewers, but I think they could have written the most new viewer-friendly episode ever and not seen much of an improvement in the numbers. And besides, better a good episode that leaves new viewers wondering what’s going on and wanting to catch up than an awkward “accessible” episode that holds the viewer’s hand through everything.
-The “Dushku’s greatest hits” opening titles are still fucking annoying, considering that she’s as much the show’s weakest link as she is its star (though as I said above, her acting seems to have improved considerably over the hiatus.)
-I haven’t completely decided how I feel about Adelle’s new hair, but I can say that I don’t hate it…
-Was that doorway to the server room where Topher sleeps always there? I do hope it was…
-When and how did Boyd find out that Claire is a Doll who knows she’s a Doll? That seems fairly significant, so perhaps we’ll find out in a flashback?
Quotes
Victor: “You’re touching my face.”
Boyd: “You know, after that news anchor-“
Adelle: “Which one?”
Boyd: “The one who wanted to be rolled in eggs and flour and dipped in-“
Adelle: “Ah, Tempura Joe… such a lonely soul.”
Ivy: “So… do you wanna know what I’ve been doing while you overslept?”
Topher: “If you tweaked an imprint, I’ll throw you through that window.”
Sierra’s Imprint: “I suppose I’m at your mercy. In fact, if you were to tie me down and spank, I could hardly be expected to resist, could I?”
Ivy: “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Claire: “My Entire existence was constructed by a sociopath in a sweater vest. What do you suggest I do?”
Paul: “I don’t work for you.”
Adelle: “No, you work for the betterment of mankind, fighting crime by listening to Echo have sex—it’s terribly noble.”
Paul: “You’re a sick lady.”
Adelle: “Well I’m not asking you to handle me.”
Topher: “We need a new doctor. One who’s committed to our cause, who’s kind and efficient and will look after our actives.”
Claire: “So why didn’t you stop there?”
Topher: “Because I was creating a person, not a Roomba. I needed you to be whole! If you agreed with everything I said, then we would miss something, and someone would get hurt.”
Claire: “You don’t care if people get hurt.”
