Writer: Tracy Bellomo
Grade: B+
In the previous episode, Glau’s performance felt sort of awkward, and it was very hard to follow Bennett’s thought process, especially during her little monologue. Seeing her with Topher, though? That is probably the WEIRDEST successful chemistry I have ever seen, and I think having someone so engaging to bounce off of really helped her get comfortable with her performance. Watching them made me feel awkward and uncomfortable because there was such a strange, kooky, manic, giddy, googly-eyed vibe between them, compounded by the fact that she was way creepy and up to no good. So there’s me thinking, “Wow, they’re so adorkably giddy together, and Topher needs some interaction with non-imprinted females, but this one is bad news, and I don’t want him to get played…” As oddly enjoyable as their brief flirtation was, I’m glad Topher’s infatuation with her didn’t make it past the end of this episode.
Oh, and I loved him punching her in the face. Yes, I know, punching women in the face is bad, but I can’t blame him. My first thought was, "Hee, Topher just punched a girl!", which was then followed by him exclaiming, "You were so close to perfect!" (paraphrasing). He was so excited to have met a pretty, non-Doll girl who actually shared similar interests and seemed to like him, then he found out that she's kind of nuts and wants to hurt Echo. Between his shocked displeasure at discovering Bennett's true nature and the need to get her out of the way quickly, the knock-out punch worked for me. Indignation + need + adrenaline boost = Topher instinctively punching her hard enough to knock her out.
I was mildly disturbed by the idea that Bennett might be an underhanded attempt by the writers to whitewash Topher. As in, “You thought Topher was crazy and amoral? Get a load of this chick! Topher’s downright cuddly compared to that, eh?” I think Topher's plenty cuddly without the comparison, though, and I doubt anyone who didn't already like Topher suddenly found him more palatable by comparison, so I'm probably just being paranoid.
And of course the Topher Twofer (coined by a lovely soul over at TWoP) was awesome. At first I thought it was stupid because I didn’t realize that Victor-as-Topher knew he was Victor-as-Topher, but once I understood that, I was all in. It made perfect sense that Topher would program himself into a Doll with full knowledge. Enver was great—not great enough that I’d give up the real Topher for Victor-Topher, but still, Enver’s an amazing mimic.
And now I’m going to spend too much time bitching about a box:
During the hearing, an aide walked up and placed a file box in an alcove near the podium. Perrin stopped mid-sentence, then started again with a completely different sentence. There was a close-up on the box.
Many viewers wondered what the hell was up with that box. Did it contain some sort of remote trigger? Personally, I didn't even notice it until I started reading message boards after the episode, so if I was supposed to see it and sit up on the edge of my seat with suspense, it didn't work on me. Because it was a BOX. But on a show with this much scheming, and where the human brain can now be altered with essentially a neurological wireless network, I can't blame anyone who thought the box was a trigger. If they put that much emphasis on a box of papers, and I actually bother to notice it at all, I'm going to think it's more than a box of papers...
