What did you think of Episode 2x02: "Instinct"?

[Iceeh★]

I CHOOSE YOU, PIKA- er, DOLLHOUSE!

[AndrewCrossett]

The last 15 minutes boosted this from "okay" to "liked it."

[hitnrun017]

It was okay...

Some great stuff, but mostly filled with nothing.

[Wyndam]

The story was better than last weeks, but the lack of Boyd was upsetting, especially considering how morally gray the science went this week.

[FiveByFiveFVS]

I loved this episode. Eliza Dushku killed her performances. I get amazed every episode at what a truly amazing actress she is. I'm really loving how self aware Echo is becoming. This is going to be an amzing season!

[Beaumonde]

i thought it was okay
there was some killer moments with Eliza, mostly during the last 15 minutes, but that wasn't enough for me to like it that much

it was too focused on the engagement for me this week

[wytchcroft]

Liked it. But liked it as in a LOT, ok? You could pick it apart but the overall was interesting* and pretty exciting, the acting was great and there was a lot of possible foreshadowing...

a little too much exposition for me but every time i think that i read more comments from people saying they were "confused" by this or that episode - so i'll put up with flashcards if it's necessary to keep the damn audience.

*sparking some great debates on the net.

[Midnight Butterfly]

I think its my favourite Dollhouse episode. It was pretty intense, emotions ran high and the best acting yet.

I loved it, amazing episode and if future episodes are this good I will be a pretty happy guy

[buffyfan21]

Loved it!

[BenTaylor3907]

Was anyone else mad jealous of that darn baby?

[missharmonykendall]

I love Dollhouse, but I thought this was the worst episode of Dollhouse, no offense. The recent ones have been good so far, but this one was boring because it was only revolving around Echo and her little baby trying to escape her husband. Because of this episode, my dad doesn't like the show because he thought this episode was like soap opera. Also, I like the episodes about the other dolls, like Sierra, because to me they're more interesting.

[joxerlives]

INSTINCT

The good;
Very clever concept, that the maternal instinct between a mother and her child is so great that it can overcome virtually anything (anyone else read Stephen King's short story The Breathing Method?) Echo breaking into the house is so sinister she might as well be wearing a Michael Myers mask. Contrast that to the awwww factor of Echo with the baby. Lovely to see Mellie back.
The bad;
Nothing really bad, just not that remarkable.

Best line;
Ballard; (to Topher)"You're a genius"
Topher ; "I'm not as comfortable with you saying that as I thought I'd be"
plus
Echo; (baby in one hand, carving knife in the other) "MOMMY'S HOME!"

Packing heat; no but Echo with a great big carving knife.
Echo;8
Boyd; 8
Dominic; 9
Sierra; 4
Victor; 3
Ballard; 10
November; 1

Echo kissage; 4 her 'husband' Nate

Kinky dinky;
Nursing mother Echo looks noticeably more buxom, the wardrobe department obviously breaking out the wonderbras and padding for this role.
Capt subtext;
Topher repeats to Echo that he is a good man, trying to convince himself. Echo says that feeling nothing would be worse than before, possibly alluding to Mellie and her grief.
Notches on the Dollhouse bedpost; almost certain Echo has sex with her client, naked in bed together and Topher speaks of 'romance protocols'.
Echo; 4 definite, 2 possible
November; 1
Ballard; 1
Victor; 1
Adele; 1
Sierra 1 possible
Topher; 1 possible

How'd they get away with that?
Upsetting to watch Echo so distressed about being seperated from her child, also not good if you don't like needles.

This weeks fantasy;
Grieving widower wants his dead wife back to care for their newborn baby. Cleverer still Sierra is inserted as a supportive best friend for her.
What do we think of the client?
Undoubteldy the most sympathetic yet, a guy devestated by the loss of his wife and unable to accept his own child because of the memories that stirs. In the end almost losing his baby finally makes him appreciate what he has in his son.

Total number personalitites; Echo as the mother and Sierra as her best friend Kelly
Echo; 25
Sierra; 12
Victor; 7
November; 3

Total dolls;
8-Echo, Sierra, November, Victor, Mike, Tango, Alpha, Whiskey

Addy is a bit British;
In response to a crisis Adele sits down and has tea. Keep calm and carry on!

Topher is a bit geeky;
He has developed an 'app' for ventriliquism. What next, barbershop quartets?

Subverting the Hollywood cliche;
The panicked woman fleeing the bad guys actually has the good fortune to walk around the corner and stumble across a police car.

Bondage;
Sierra tied up; 1
Ballard; 1

Knocked out; Topher KO' again
Echo; 2
November; 1
Sierra; 1
Victor; 1
Topher; 2

Kills;
Sierra; 2 kills
Echo; 3
November;1

Dolls injured;
Poor Mellie, not even a Doll anymore and she still gets cracked on the head.

Happy hookers;
Perrin refers to Rossum being involved in prostitution.

Know the face? Kristoffer Pohala seems to make a habit of appearing with Whedon alumni, guest starring in the Angel ep Billy, in Tru Calling with ED, in Mad Men with Vincent Unspellablesurname and in Life Unexpected with Emma Caulfield. Stacey Scowley who plays the senator's wife is also a Buffy Alumni, the girl whom Spike picks up and sires in the bar in Conversations with Dead People.
9 Whedon alumni-Mark Shepherd-2 (Dollhouse/Firefly), Amy Acker-2 (Dollhouse/Angel), walking action figure-2 (Buffy/Dollhouse), Eliza Dushku-3 (Buffy/Angel/Dollhouse), Jim Piddock-2 (Angel/Dollhouse), Gregg Henry-2 (Dollhouse/Firefly), Alan Tudyk-2 (Dollhouse/Firefly), Felicia Day-2(Dollhouse/Buffy), Alexis Denisoff-3 (Buffy, Angel and Dollhouse), Kristoffer Pohala-2 (Dollhouse/Angel), Stacey Scowley-2 (Buffy/Dollhouse)

Guantanamo;
Kinda scary the way panicking mother Echo has no place to go, the police can't help her against Rossum.

Fanfic;

Missing scenes;.


Reminds me off;
Echo can now just walk out of the Dollhouse at will. Much like The Initiative and Wolfram and Hart organisations with impenetrable security never live up to their hype.
Whedon cliches;
Top security installations which aren't secure at all. Loving self-sacrificing mothers who risk all for their children (Joyce, Darla)

Breaking the programming;
. Echo's desire for her baby is strong enough to overcome anything Topher can do to her.

Questions and observations;
This time Topher has not only changed Echo's mind but was able to actually alter her body. Ballard and Topher spar but seem to be developing a workable relationship much as he and Boyd did. For the second time in 2 eps Echo plays a wife rifling her way through her husband's desk. Was Perrin's source at the NSA actually Dominic? We finally find out what happened to Mellie and her daughter. No Victor at all this ep.

Marks out of 10; 6/10-ok, very much a standalone, surprising that Joss bothers with eps like this knowing that he has a short time to play with.

[henzINNIT]

The dullest episode of season 2. There are a couple of deleted scenes on the DVD that I found very interesting, showing how Madeline is dealing with life after the Dollhouse.

Madeline has thrown a party and there are lots of friends there. People question how she is and what she has been up to, to which Madeline gives fairly cagey responses. Away from the party, Madeline catches a friend rummaging through an old box of children's toys. The two discuss the baby that Madeline lost. She seems hollow and emotionless about it.
A later scene shows Madeline has returned to the box of toys to seal up the box and donate them. She is contacted by Senator Perrin.

These two scenes add a new layer to the motherhood theme of the episode, give November far more meat in the story, and explain why the episode felt so flat (imo)