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| Sunday, January 31, 2010 03:47 PM |
| On the Viewer - Dollhouse (Season 2, Episode 13 - "Epitaph 2: The Return") |
 by Fëanor |
Spoilers ahoy!
I was wondering how much connection there'd be between this episode and the unaired "Epitaph 1." Looks like a lot! They're playing clips from "Epitaph 1" in the opening, and it looks like we're picking up right where that episode left off. I'm glad I got around to watching it when I did!
They've been captured and taken to Neuropolis, the city of minds, once the headquarters of Rossum. Crazy.
Zone: "And you just didn't think to mention that Safe Haven was parked right next to the frickin' Death Star?!"
Caroline: "It had to be. This is where we got the vaccine."
So they did get that vaccine eventually.
Harding's here! Although of course in another body. Apparently he's enjoying the finer things in life as much as he possibly can. He's picking out yet another new body - one of the options is Ballard!! Looks like he and the real Echo are already here, breaking in.
Echo points a gun at Harding.
Harding: "Please. You know I'm backed up. Why even bother?"
Echo: "Ask me again some time." Shoots him. Nice.
Looks like Echo and Ballard came to break out crazy Topher, who's been here working on something for the remains of Rossum, against his will. Topher is close to figuring out how to get everyone back the way they were. "Like an echo.... I can bring back the world."
Sierra's got a kid!
Echo: "Thanks for the insight, mini-me."
Ballard: "Topher thinks he can flip it. Create a pulse to restore all the wiped minds."
Zone: "Yeah, he also thinks he's a little teapot, short and stout."
DeWitt: "Topher Brink is a genius, and you will keep a civil tongue in this house or we'll put it in the stew."
Mini-Echo: "Good to see you've mellowed."
Sierra: "We don't really eat people's tongues."
Zone: "Cool."
Man, the writers (Joss Whedon mostly, I assume) were on fire for this episode! Figures.
Topher's "fix" is a double-edged sword. It would reset everyone. They'd all forget everything that happened, go back to how they were before this all started. To escape the effects of the pulse, they'd have to go underground for a year. Wow.
Ballard: "This is where it gets interesting."
Mag: "It was dull?"
For Topher to finish his work, they have to go get him stuff from the Dollhouse.
Zone: "Oh, c'mon! We just left that party! That party was on fire!"
Ballard: "The world still needs heroes, kid."
Everyone laughs.
Echo: "Did you really just say that?"
Ballard: "What? I was being inspirational."
Echo: "You are so corny."
Ballard: "You're... fat."
Mini-Echo whispers in Ballard's ear: "She loves it when you're corny." That's so cute!
Holy crap! Victor shows up in a giant truck with a bunch of foreigners, all in Mad Max-style garb. Apparently they're all "tech-heads" - all wired up with "mods." Clearly Vic and Sierra have gone their separate ways - although they seem to agree that their kid, T, should be free of technology.
Zone: "C'mon, it just takes me some time to process things, during which I yell. I know what's at stake. Besides, who doesn't want to spend some quality time with these awesomely normal people."
Mag: "Little Asian's kinda cute."
Zone: "She's a tech-head, Mag.... She's a girl, Mag!"
Love this. The "little Asian" tech girl has a bunch of what look like USB drives around her neck. One is labeled "weapons expert." Another is labeled "mercy." She took the latter out to make room for the former, apparently.
Ballard dead (again). Mag crippled. Jesus.
Back in the Dollhouse. It's full of mindless actives again. Alpha is here - and he's their buddy now?? He lost his stomach for the fight? Wha??
Alpha: "Victor! Why would someone do something so horrible to your face?"
Victor: "Psycho."
Alpha: "Lapsed."
Holy crap, that was funny. And twisted!
Victor's tech-heads turn on our heroes. They realize that what our heroes are trying to do would destroy their world and their way of life. They'd rather be masters of a wasteland than servants in a frightening new world.
DeWitt: "I'm very glad you didn't clean up."
Alpha: "It spoke to the schizophrenic in me. Well, both of them, actually."
Echo's grief and regret over Ballard finally comes out while she's yelling at Sierra about Victor. A very powerful scene. Echo's and Ballard's relationship was a classic Whedon romance - totally fucked up and heartbreaking.
Topher's watching an instructional video starring his old flame, Bennett. He's going to sacrifice himself to set off the pulse. DeWitt embraces him. Another powerful scene. Man, this episode is killing me. Like, stabbing me in my heart. Now Sierra finally introduces her son to his father. They have the same name: Anthony. *sniff*
DeWitt will lead the actives into the light.
Echo: "Ever the shepherd."
DeWitt: "Funny the last fantasy the Dollhouse should fulfill would be yours."
Echo: "I don't have any fantasies, Adelle."
DeWitt: "More's the pity."
I have to say, I find it unlikely that a mind as brilliant as Topher's wouldn't be able to come up with a way to put a timer or a remote detonator on a bomb. But I'll accept the plot device because it works emotionally. I like that when the moment comes, he's looking at the wall of photographs labeled: "To Remember."
Alpha left Echo Ballard's chip. He's in her head now. Perfect. She'll never be alone again. She goes to sleep in her little pod.
Wow. I wasn't sure how Whedon was going to end this series, but he did it magnificently. A world reborn, and a tough road ahead, but some have found little pockets of happiness. A beautiful piece of television. Bravo, sir! |
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