|
|
| Monday, November 30, 2009 03:15 PM |
| On the Viewer - Dollhouse (Season 2, Episode 4 - "Belonging") |
 by Fëanor |
Ah, we get a look at Sierra's backstory finally. She was a starving artist who hit the big-time thanks to a rich dude named Nolan who's connected with Rossum. At her show, she meets Echo and Victor - they're there to help push her into Nolan's arms. He wants her to really fall for him; he doesn't want a doll. But she tells him, "Nothing in this world could ever make me love you." Cut to present day, and she's leaping into his arms. Ugh. Another really disgusting use of the doll technology.
Oh hey, this is the episode directed by Jonathan Frakes! Cool.
Echo to Topher: "You're not looking hard enough. You never do."
That conversation between her and him, where she tried to tell him about Sierra's issues with her recurring client through riddle-like language, was a little too... something. Obvious? Unsubtle? And how did Echo even know about that anyway?
Topher's actually trying to help one of his actives? What's gotten into him?
It looks like Nolan made Sierra appear crazy on purpose, to get her turned into a doll so he could have her for his personal use. It's horrific, of course, but I'm really kind of surprised DeWitt is so upset about it. I mean, they do horrific stuff all the time! It's their bread and butter. But here she is, trying to deny Nolan any further use of Sierra, despite the fact that he's a Rossum VIP. Seems like an odd and dangerous move for her. I'm glad to see this guy Harding is pointing all this out to her, and making it clear what a hypocrite she's being. Ouch, he even knows about her fling with Victor!
Harding: "But he's the least of your indiscretions. I think we both know that. If feeling you're somehow decent and moral gets you through your day, that's your business." He tells her she wouldn't like the early retirement plan. I'm guessing in this case "retirement" would be like what they do to replicants in Blade Runner.
Now they actually have to give Sierra over to this Nolan dude forever. So Topher's investigation didn't exactly help, huh?
DeWitt really sticks the knife in Topher and turns it: "The cold reality is that everyone here was chosen because their morals have been compromised in some way. Everyone except you. You, Topher, were chosen because you have no morals. You have always thought of people as playthings. This is not a judgment. You always take very good care of your toys."
Ugh. Totally heartbreaking. Victor wants to come with Sierra. He's going to wait for her.
Woah. Echo is reading a book, and also keeping notes scratched on the inside of her pod.
Topher gave Priya her revenge. Which is awesome. But he really didn't think ahead here. Why not give her the personality Nolan wanted, but hide a secret assassin routine inside it that he can turn on and off with a code phrase or something? He's done that sort of thing before.
Langton: "Some people are not ready to wake up."
Echo: "I don't care. Something bad is coming. Like a storm. And I want everyone to survive. They need to wake up."
Langton: "Echo, you stir things up, you might bring the storm on yourself."
I feel like this is probably foreshadowing for the events of the episode set in the future that I still haven't gotten around to seeing. I really have to check that one out!
Why do they think they can just erase a Rossum VIP? Isn't someone going to come looking for him?
Langton: "You had a moral dilemma. Your first. And it didn't go well."
Topher: "Priya does not belong in the Dollhouse."
Langton: "She does now."
Priya: "Are we happy here?"
Topher: "I- you- most of you... I have no idea."
Priya: "This secret we have. Can you keep it?"
Topher: "I can keep it. But I don't know if I can live with it."
Priya: "I know I can't. But I don't have to."
Langton gave Echo an all access pass!! That seems... dangerous.
I definitely buy Langton and DeWitt's willingness to clean up after the murder of Nolan. I mean, they hated him, and they didn't want to give Sierra to him forever anyway. But I'm not sure I buy the cover story being effective. I mean, DeWitt already expressed her hatred for this guy and for this plan to somebody higher up in the organization. And then Nolan suddenly disappears and conveniently forgets to take the active with him that he just said he wanted to have forever? Of course, maybe it'll turn out later that this cover story is not effective, and Rossum will come down hard on DeWitt. But I find it hard to believe it's the best cover story Langton could come up with. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jim Genzano's books on Goodreads
