|
|
| Thursday, March 19, 2009 06:13 AM |
| On the Viewer - Dollhouse (Episode 5 - "True Believer") |
 by Fëanor |
The show goes off in yet another new direction this episode by introducing us to a peaceful religious cult in a small town. They seem happy, until you see the words "SAVE ME" scrawled on the back of their shopping list. Which segues directly into a conversation about whether the actives at Dollhouse are happy. Always with the interesting parallels. Dollhouse has a senator as a client, and he's been keeping them clear of entanglements with federal agencies. Huh. That explains some things. Looks like Echo's going to be inserted into the cult as the perfect undercover agent: a true believer.
Dominic, of Echo, to DeWitt: "It's not that I don't like her. It's that sometimes I worry you do." Huh. He might have something there.
Holy crap. They're going to temporarily blind Echo in order to turn her eyes into cameras that the ATF will be able to see through. That's crazy! But in a good way. I was just reading about real technology similar to this.
Saunders: "One good sneeze could bring on a seizure."
Topher: "Or worse, a sneizure. *snort*"
Langton is actually working directly with the ATF. He's having to sort of dance around who he really is and who Echo really is, because obviously he can't tell them the truth.
ATF agent, of Echo: "Did she escape from a cult?"
Langton: "No. She didn't escape from anything."
You're goddamn right about that.
Langton: "Do you want to become a new person?"
Echo: "More than anything."
It's amazing how often they can work in those clever little metaphors.
They've worked it out so that even blind, she can recognize the face of Jonas, the leader of the cult. This is very clever. They're making her appearance here into a miraculous event that will actually cement Jonas' position as leader of the cult, so he'll have almost no choice but to accept her in.
Okay, this is creepy - doll-state Victor confused by his physical reaction to being attracted to Sierra in the showers. Topher sees what's going on on the camera and tells the person he's on the phone with, "I gotta go. Something came up." Ha!
Apparently they've been imprinting Victor with the same gigolo personality repeatedly, and Saunders suspects Victor's "man reaction," as Topher puts it, is a result of these repeated imprints. So now Topher and Saunders have to watch three months worth of tape of the showers looking for erections. Ha!
Echo really is the perfect undercover agent, because she doesn't even know she is an undercover agent. The only problem is, she might end up protecting the person she's meant to be investigating...
Holy crap. Jonas has built himself up a serious stash of weapons.
Argh. Ballard forgot his drugs and had to have the stalker neighbor bring them down to the office for him. So naturally she brought a casserole, too. Man, she creeps me out. She's so weird and pathetic.
But she also brought him another breadcrumb from Alpha - a home video of Echo before she was Echo. Hmmm... did the neighbor really just get the envelope from the mail guy, like she says, or could she somehow be working for Alpha?
And we cut to Saunders and Topher on the hunt for erections! Hilarious.
Interesting. Victor's erection is not a result of residual imprinting; he's just got a thing for Sierra. What does that mean?
Langton wants to get Echo out before the ATF sends their guys in, but Dominic sees a chance to get Echo eliminated and denies his request. Bastard!
It's very sad. Echo really thinks she's found happiness, salvation, and a place to belong. But she's actually here to destroy all of this. And just as she's being accepted, it all starts to come apart.
Echo: "It's a miracle. I can see."
ATF agent: "We're blind."
Funny how that works.
This could turn into another Waco really fast.
Jonas has decided Esther/Echo was sent to them as a demonstration of God's power, and he will not require his people to take up arms. He's an interesting character. You get the sense that although this whole cult thing may have started out as a con, he really does have some level of belief and faith.
Will Ballard see Echo's face on the news and recognize her?? Why yes, yes he will! This'll be a big step forward for him, if he can get in there and get to her before she disappears back into the Dollhouse. But the chances of that happening are pretty slim.
Wow. The ATF guy wrote the note. I didn't see that coming, but it makes perfect sense in retrospect.
Uh oh. Jonas is having Echo read the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. That doesn't bode well for what he has planned! Yep. He's setting the house they're in on fire. Insanity!
And now ATF guy has worked out a way he can eliminate Langton. Everybody in this show is a crazy bastard!
Echo: "God brought me here, and he has a message for you. And that message is, move your ass!" Ha!
Echo: "I don't think God let me see again so I could just watch."
Here's another thing I didn't see coming at all: Dominic wasn't content to just sit back and leave Echo in danger, hoping she'd be taken out; he came in personally to do the job himself! Dude is crazy!
Ah ha! ATF guy says, on camera, "We don't think there are any more survivors," as Langton and Echo crawl out of the burning house right behind him. Good one, dummy. Thank God, he says. Thank God, indeed!
As I suspected, Ballard got there too late. And he had the misfortune to talk to ATF guy, who was primed to not want to help him.
The parallel is driven home again: the Dollhouse as a weird, celibate, quasi-religious sanctuary.
Victor must be scrubbed? What does that mean?
Dominic: "Echo has been exhibiting the same signs Alpha did before his composite event." Ooh, that's an interesting line right there. Did Alpha gain the knowledge and abilities of multiple imprints simultaneously? Is that why he's so dangerous and so insane?
Dominic: "If you're not willing to send her to the attic-"
DeWitt: "Don't gamble on what I'd be willing to do, Mr. Dominic. [presses floor button on elevator] Take the stairs."
Eat it!
Saunders: "Echo, how's your vision. Can you see everything okay?"
Echo [looks down and sees Dominic]: "I see perfectly."
Woah. Now that's an ending.
I do enjoy this show. There's always something different and new going on each episode. Fascinating ideas, twisty plots, and an intriguing over-arching story with plenty of mysteries to keep you going. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jim Genzano's books on Goodreads
