Haunted
The good;
Terrific central concept, imagine waking and being told by your friend that you've died and then getting to attend your own funeral and find out what everyone thought of you. Some lovely scenes too with Topher and Sierra and the continued humanisation of Adele. The story of this ruptured family getting back together is actually very touching especially when the drunken brother reminisces about the first night he and his sister spent in the house together and how glad he was they made up, Gatsby and Nick style, just before she died.
The bad;
If Margaret and Adele were such good friends why doesn't Adele recognise Margaret's family? Exactly how did Margaret know that someone was attempting to murder her? The idea that her handwriting would be enough to prove that a note is genuine takes some swallowing.
Best line;
Adele; "Loneliness leads to nothing good, just detachment"
which would have been comfort to Ballard who has rough sex with Mellie even though he knows she's a Doll
Mellie; "Are you looking for a Dollhouse client?"
Ballard (haunted, looking at himself in the mirror) "I found one"
also like
Margaret/Echo; "Elmo"
Jocelyn; "EMO"
Margaret/Echo; "That's not a word sweetie" (her entire character summed up in that sentence)
Packing heat; Margaret doesn't like guns but is quite prepared to riflebutt her son with one.
Echo;6
Boyd; 6
Dominic; 7
Sierra; 3
Victor; 2
Echo kissage;1
Echo/Margeret kissed by her son.
Kinky dinky;
Incestuous vibe between Margaret and her son, his 'mother's bed' line especially. When the son says that Margaret/Echo "Checked out his body" she doesn't deny it but claims it was 'subconsciously' and she'd had 'too much wine'. He also spies on her voyeuristically through the window knowing her nightime routine and she doesn't appear at all disturbed. Adele is also a voyeur, watching Toper and Sierra. Ballard's violent sex with Mellie borders on rape fantasy. She digs it but doesn't want it all the time (a common reaction amongst most people I think). Echo in jodpurs and riding boots, MMMMMMMMMMMM! Margaret seems a cougar, using the Dollhouse for younger men before getting her own. Sierra seems to fantasise about 'Sexy, sexy aliens' is a she a got-fic fan? (http://www.galaxy-of-terror.com/mainsite/ and
taboo.eroticillusions.com/free/taboomain.html if you're over 18 and VERY open minded)
Notches on the Dollhouse bedpost; does Topher have sex with Sierra? Possibly...
Echo; 3 definite, 1 possible
November; 1
Ballard; 1
Victor; 1
Adele; 1
Sierra 1 possible
Topher; 1 possible
How'd they get away with that?
The nanny story is HORRIBLE! The son murders his mother plus the incestuous subtext. Even though it's all a game and she get's into it you feel for Mellie being treated so roughly by Ballard. Question is would he have stopped if she'd wanted him to?
This weeks fantasy;
A dead woman comes back to witness her own funeral and investigate her own murder. Sierra is a supergeek in a supermodel's body, Victor is a horse expert
Total number personalitites;
Echo; 17
Sierra; 8
Victor; 5
November; 2
Total dolls; 6
Echo, Sierra, November, Victor, Mike, Tango
Addy is a bit British;
Margaret says Adele would keep a 'Stiff back and stiff upper lip"
Topher is a bit geeky;
Huge geekfest right down to lasertag and classic sci-fi debate.
Subverting the Hollywood cliche;
The rich turn out to be just like the rest of us only with more money
Bondage;
Sierra tied up; 1
Knocked out;
Echo; 2
November; 1
Sierra; 1
Victor; 1
Kills;
Sierra; 2 kills
Echo; 1
November;1
Dolls injured;.
Capt subtext;
Topher fantisises about Adele and Margaret together. Margaret expresses her admiration for Echo's body and even gropes her breasts. Boyd warns of the collapse of civilisation. Ballard feels self loathing at having taken out his frustrations about the case by ravishing Mellie, even if she enjoyed it. Adele puts the mind of her old friend Margaret in Echo, the Doll she has developed an affection for. Adele indulges Topher his fantasy in the knowledge that she allowed herself her tryst with Victor. The sons jealousy of the mother's new young husband is pretty clear.
Happy hookers
Know the face? Gregg Henry played a Sheriff in Firefly (and every other show you've ever seen! Check him out on IMDB, 132 credits in 34 years)
6 Whedon alumni-Mark Shepherd, Amy Acker, walking action figure, Eliza Dushku, Jim Piddock, Gregg Henry
Guantanamo;
Rather sinisterly Sierra wants to interfere with the other sleeping Dolls and make them fight for each other's amusement. Her idea about having them perform comedy skits is a lot more reassuring. That the Dollhouse is able to remotely cyber-wipe the FBI computer is scary beyond belief.
Fanfic;
None for Dollhouse (although they do offer twins) but huge amounts of incestfic on the net, normally Buffy/Joyce/Dawn or the Charmed sisters. (http://buffy.adultfanfiction.net/authors.php?no=7021 and
buffy.adultfanfiction.net/authors.php?no=5134 again if you're 18+ and VERY open minded)
Missing scenes;
Great scene where Adele and Echo/Margaret look at Margaret's body in the coffin and she complains she doesn't like the dress she's being buried in.
Reminds me off;
Topher imprinting Sierra is very Dr Frankenstein right down to the flashing blue lights and his 'It's alive!' schtick. The incestuous subtext is reminiscent of both Oedipus and Hamlet. The whole idea of implanting your memories in a younger person and living forever is reminiscent of an old British horror film 'Nothing but the night' (Christopher Lee is the good guy for once). In Angel we had the father killing the son, here we have the son killing his mother.
Breaking the programming;
None this week, very much a standalone ep but a pretty good one
Questions and observations;
Adele is clearly dismayed at the thought of how people would remember her if she died, she's ashamed of the Dollhouse or just thinks people wouldn't understand? She states that 'Illusions aren't pointless. Note Topher doesn't just want a sex slave, the girl he creates for his birthday is sparky and challenging, beating him at lasertag.
Call me a sap but I was really touched by the ending, despite all appearances to the contrary Margaret was loved by her brother and daughter and is able to tell them that she loved them in return from beyond the grave, the uncle and niece are reunited and are a loving family once again.
Is Margaret really living on? The real Margaret died with her body, surely it's only a copy in Echo? It reminds me of Sheldon's question about the Star Trek transporter, are you really transported or does the real you die and a clone assembled at the other end? When Ballard looks up Novembers prints she seems to have multipile identities, her Dollhouse characters or was she some sort of identity thief? Is it really Eliza on the horse? Adele holds Margaret's hand as she is wiped, does she experience Margaret's life as well?
Marks out of 10; 7/10
. At the start I thought it was him, then I didnt, then I did again and then I didnt again lol