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Dollhouse Episode Review

In which we meet Anthony.

What Happened

With Victor's contract up, Adelle sets up one last Miss Lonely Hearts assignation with "Roger," only to listen to him admit that there is someone else. Topher can't account for it, but it becomes clear that what she encountered was Victor's hang up over Sierra.

It's a rather ugly break up - emotionally speaking.

The next day, Topher brings Anthony Ceccoli back to himself - five years just like that - all the PTSD cured. Boyd tells Anthony about the exit program, his trust fund and follow-up routine. Which goes kind of haywire when armed men break into Anthony's hotel room and kidnap him.

Fortunately for him, Topher has been monitoring Anthony's vitals and informs Boyd when the "squigglies" go off the charts. Boyd and Echo investigate and discover that a lot of former Actives who are in the armed forces have been snatched in similar ways. It's a super-secret army implanted with Rossum tech that connects them in a Hive mind.

Adelle is still nursing her broken heart, so Boyd turns to Topher, whose predictions about the group mind are rather bleak. After getting some mad skillz downloads from Topher and Ivy, Echo asks them to wake up Sierra and turn her back into Priya.

Echo hopes that Priya will jog Anthony's memories if necessary. It works - barely - so Echo leaves Priya and Anthony to fend for themselves and goes off to rewire the Hive. Injecting herself with an implant, Echo starts giving orders to the soldiers: she sends them all home.

That problem solved, Echo suggests that Priya and Anthony run rather than go back to the Dollhouse. But it's too late - Adelle has them remote wiped and brought in. Deciding that there is no way to control Echo, Adelle condemns her to the Attic.

The Good

Adelle getting her groove back. She's been on a bit of a roller coaster the past few episodes, personally and professionaly. Watching her spit, "If you're so powerful, why are you still my house, sneaking around, trying to find your comotose boyfriend?" at Echo is priceless. I do wish we'd gotten more of Adelle's backstory in order to really connect her different levels, but Olivia Williams sells what she has to work with.

The Bad

Plastic wrap? The best they can come up with in the Attic is tucking people in Tupperware covered in plastic wrap? They couldn't even come up with some sort of snazzy lid?

The Cliche

Super soldiers. Why does no one ever turn their swanky Hive mind into a way to build a better doctor? Or teacher? Or meter maid? Wouldn't using the technology to create menial workers be just as morally wrong and creepy, but less cliched?

What We Learned

• Topher can barely keep a belch to himself.
• All we have left is naughty pirate wench.
• Save the small talk until after the gun fight.

What Did I Think?

I appreciate the focus on Victor/Anthony. The parts of him readjusting to the real world were strong. I'm also fascinated by the logistics of the Dollhouse routine, so that was kind of neat.

Equally strong was his and Priya's weird little relationship. It really works for some reason. I think because they are both so calm and not melodramatic about it. Echo's wide-eyed stares at Ballard as if he's the Only One in the World For Her just bore me. Melodrama much? (Her picking fights with Adelle, however? That I like.) Anthony and Priya have a sweetness to them without being cutesy and cloying.