Dollhouse, 1x02, “Target”

Episode Title: Target
Writer: Steven S. DeKnight
Director: Steven S. DeKnight

Originally Aired: 02/20/2009
Grade: A-

This was certainly a vast improvement over the first episode. I’m a bit concerned that FOX is already screwing with the episode order, given that this was supposed to be episode three and it was bumped up to two. What this means is that viewers saw both the flashbacks and Ballard’s interest in the kidnapping incident one episode early, and also that whatever we were supposed to learn in episode two has been pushed back to episode four. Whedon has said that the first six episodes are largely stand-alones, however, so hopefully shuffling things around won’t hurt too much.

This episode’s engagement played to Dushku’s strengths a bit better than the Eleanor Penn imprint in the finale, which made her acting seem much-improved. (I don’t necessarily think it is improved, especially since this episode was filmed before the new pilot, but playing to her strengths camouflages her flaws fairly well.). Naming the client “Richard,” i.e. “Dick,” was maybe a little heavy-handed, but only if people actually noticed it (which I didn’t until a second viewing). Though the engagement was gripping, I think the more interesting aspects of the episode happened in the flashbacks, and in the way they connected to what we saw during the engagement.

For one, we learn that Alpha had a “composite event,” which I’d guess is what we’re seeing beginning to happen to Echo. We also saw the initial handler/active bonding process, which is later reversed during Echo’s present engagement when Boyd tries to tell her that everything is going to be all right, and Echo responds with, “No, it isn’t” and asks Boyd if he trusts her.

Richard’s dying words to Echo were certainly ominous: “He was right about you—you really are special.” He who? The obvious choice would be Alpha, simply because we know he killed Richard’s flunky, which could be considered a way of covering his tracks.

We also saw a slightly more complicated side of Topher in the flashbacks. He wasn’t sobbing with regret, but he looked upset about the Alpha anomaly and his own role in it, though he was doing his best to shove his feelings aside. He seemed bitter and conflicted about Boyd’s analogy, in which Echo is an empty hat “until you stuff a rabbit in it.” Topher strikes me as someone who knows on some level that what he’s doing is wrong, but buries those feelings because he’s infinitely curious, because he likes playing God, and because he doesn’t actually believe in a real God, so who’s going to punish him for his actions?

Ballard didn’t have much to do in this episode other than show the audience that he’s inching closer to finding “Caroline.”

I usually love Mark Sheppard, but I wasn’t impressed with him here. He seemed to be phoning it in with his go-to asshole persona, and I couldn’t even tell if he was trying to speak with an American accent or just softening his real one.

Lastly, the episode’s title works nicely. Beyond the arrow metaphor and the fact that she was Richard’s target, Echo is also being targeted by Alpha and Ballard (by way of Alpha).