Dollhouse Episode Review
In which there is Alpha.
What Happened
Someone keeps killing off Echo's old clients, primarily clients she was programmed to be in love with. All signs point to Alpha, who promptly pops out of the woodwork wearing a truly indescribably horrible shirt and tie combo and takes credit for the massacre.
All this has been his way of getting back into the Dollhouse so that he can get his hands on Paul Ballard. Having observed Echo and Ballard all summer, Alpha is sure that Echo's feelings for Ballard are love, true love, and Alpha wants to know why.
The attempt to pry Ballard's brain open and see what makes it tick, however, ends with Ballard being rendered brain dead. With no other ideas, Alpha downloads Ballard's imprint into his own head, picks a fight with Echo and then...
...Well. Then, it's time for the episode to be over, so he just kind of leaves.
The Good
Alan Tudyk. Always good. Even when wearing that ridiculous outfit. He is, as usual, the perfect way to shake things up and I would have been a little disappointed if we hadn't gotten one more chance to play with Alpha before the end.
The Bad
That said, the plan? She makes no sense.
All that fuss to get your hands on Ballard? You couldn't have just snatched him while he was out on a Starbucks run?
The Cliche
And with that said, I must admit that Alpha's Batman-villian flavor of crazy isn't so unique as it was ten years ago. Nor his obsessive "love" that dictates an annual storming of the castle just because there's nothing better to do.
What Did I Think?
But the ending? Sweet.
Oh, not the bit where Echo and Alpha rip off the Buffy-Angel smackdown from "Innocence." I mean the bit where they leave Ballard brain dead. With no other option but to use the Dollhouse technology to bring him back, that will put quite the dent in his moral high ground.
