Dollhouse - Episode 1x08: Needs

[Tyler Austin "tiewashere"]

Apr 3, 2009 22:13:37 GMT -5 hitnrun017 said:

The only part I didn't love was the dream at the beginning. The acting was laughingly bad, especially from Tahmoh.

Agreed. But I looked over it because I knew it was a dream and had that "dream" feel to it.

[AndrewCrossett]

Apr 3, 2009 22:11:38 GMT -5 snizapman6294 said:

just out of curiosity, what was the 10% that was bad?

The ending. To see Echo & Co. go through all that, only to fail... absolutely, completely, and comprehensively. Not even a single glimmer of non-failure. Demeaning failure, even. Oh, but Echo got off a phone call to Paul to tell him stuff he already knew. Lovely. That's a real game-changer.

And it's back to doing the Zombie Shuffle through the Wolfram & Hart atrium while the Appropriately Conflicted Masters look down upon them and bitterly self-question their actions.

Bored now.

The episode was so utterly brilliant... until the Reset Button came and made it all not matter. That just made me... angry.

It's become clear to me that Echo is not the protagonist of this show. Paul Ballard is. Echo will succeed only because the hero comes to rescue her.

I find that unsatisfying.

But more importantly, I seriously question whether viewers will tolerate a return to the "engagement of the week" format, even momentarily. I know I sure don't want to see it.

I really, really, really hope Joss knows what he's doing here. If next week's episode doesn't leave me tipped over backwards in my chair, staring at the ceiling in amazement, I'm going to start referring to Dollhouse as a miniseries.

Could it be I'm discovering that the premise of this show just isn't really working for me?

[hitnrun017]

I don't think it was totally 100% a reset, we knew the game plan in the first 15 minutes of the episode. Why they were doing it wasn't clear, but it was pretty much obvious things would go back to normal afterwards. But even then, we found out a lot more about the characters: Why Sierra is at the Dollhouse, her real name, Victor/Sierra relationship and November's past. I think it was worth it.

[AndrewCrossett]

Apr 3, 2009 23:07:56 GMT -5 hitnrun017 said:

I don't think it was totally 100% a reset, we knew the game plan in the first 15 minutes of the episode. Why they were doing it wasn't clear, but it was pretty much obvious things would go back to normal afterwards. But even then, we found out a lot more about the characters: Why Sierra is at the Dollhouse, her real name, Victor/Sierra relationship and November's past. I think it was worth it.

I knew the episode wouldn't end with all the dolls free and clear... the show would kind of be over then. But they should have taken something away from it. Now they're back to being walking clothes-racks again, like at the start of episode 1, with all control in the hands of Adelle & Co. and all initiative now in the hands of Ballard.

Yes, it was a very revealing episode... but I think it needed to be more than that.

I dunno... I've just had just about the worst week of my life, so maybe this isn't the best time for me to be writing TV show reviews.

[hitnrun017]

I can see where you're coming from, though.

Hope everything is better for you soon!

[Just Willow]

I think this episode may have taken the place of The Target at the top of my list for favorites.

awesomeawesomeawesomeawesome!!!! love it so much!

only one nit to pick, though: Tango? weird name, even for an Active.

[Wyndam]

Apr 4, 2009 0:03:18 GMT -5 Just Willow said:

only one nit to pick, though: Tango? weird name, even for an Active.

Well all of the Active's names come from the NATO Phonetic Alphabet, and Tango stands for T.

I want to know who got stuck with the name Hotel or Uniform. That would be pretty lame.

It would be cool if whoever is named Whiskey would appear in an episode though, and that name > all the rest. Except for maybe Xray. Or Zulu. Or Golf.

[hitnrun017]

Nothing beats Zulu.

[Nicholas]

Can some please give me a complete rundown about what happened throughout this episode. My DVR screwed up and I would love to know bc the sound went crazy in some parts. I want to know exactly what happened in each scene and what it means. Please! You can post it on here or PM it to me. Please!

[Joe]

You can still watch it on Hulu, Nicholas!

I love this episode... as I do all the rest. We didn't find out much more about Caroline but we got to see her do some activist-type things. I think the realization that November's child was dead was the most depressing thing in the episode. I knew it from the moment she entered the grave yard. I still think that she's actually Mellie, though. I think she gets imprinted with herself when she does her Paul-engagements. So we find out Sierra was forced against her will to come to the Dollhouse. But why? And how would Adelle allow that when she's 'good'? What did Nolan say her name was again? I wish we could find out more about Victor but sadly we didn't except for that he loves Sierra and he will go where she goes. I didn't expect Claire to be the one to come up with that idea. I'm sure she has a lot of guilt afterward. Great episode! I'm hoping for good ratings!

One question. When did Caroline deliver the phone call to Paul?

[AndrewCrossett]

Apr 4, 2009 7:59:12 GMT -5 Joe said:

One question. When did Caroline deliver the phone call to Paul?

And where did she get his number?

[hitnrun017]

We saw her grab a file from Claire's office, presumably hers. When she calls Paul she said he was in her file, so I guess we can just assume that his number was in there too.

[AndrewCrossett]

Apr 4, 2009 10:06:04 GMT -5 hitnrun017 said:

We saw her grab a file from Claire's office, presumably hers. When she calls Paul she said he was in her file, so I guess we can just assume that his number was in there too.

Hmm. I wonder what she did with the file? Seems like mailing it to Ballard might have been a good plan. Maybe that's how he finally finds the Dollhouse?

[snizapman6294]

the one problem i did have with this episode, Echo, Sierra, November, and Victor may be predictable dolls, but Dr. Saunders, Topher, and Adelle would have no way to ensure that they would seek "closure"... Which is why i thought that Topher imprinted them with personalities like thier own, but with... not necessarily false information, but a specific task at hand, so they were imprinted to sneak out of the Dollhouse, go their separate ways, and seek their own "closure"

by the way, my theory is that Boyd is gonna kill Claire. I don't know why, but at the end, i just got that vibe.

[Spiked]

This episode was awesome! Probably my second favorite so far (although it did come very close to Man on the Street). I think for the first time, they were able to really realistically blend humor and drama without having one completely overpower the other. I especially loved the bit with the Active saying, "I like pancakes," and Victor replying with, "We're all gonna die." Another moment that made me laugh a lot was Laurence's "Actives are like pets" speech..."Your child starts talking for the first time, you feel proud. Your dog starts talking, you freak the hell out!"

Then, of course, the dramatic moments. My stomach dropped as soon as I saw all of the Actives collapse...the whole "moment of closure" thing was such a neat twist. And I totally called November's daughter being dead when she was going to find her (also, um, what was up with her dress?! It's like the wardrobe people said, "You know what? She has boobs and hips, so let's put her in a goddamn mumu!" They did the same thing with Tara a lot on Buffy.) My only real problem with the episode was Caroline...she was easily the least likable Active there. Still, I know she's not going anywhere, so I'd better get used to her.

Also, does anyone else just LOVE Victor and Sierra together? They are so cute! I got such Willow and Tara in Tabula Rasa vibes from them, especially in the scene where they're hiding in the clothing rack (the way they looked at each other was exactly like the scene with Willow and Tara in the sewers...hell, even the way they breathed resembled it). And it was just the sweetest thing how Victor's moment of closure was "getting the girl."

[jellymoff]

I don't know. I didn't love the episode as much as some of the previous ones. For me, nothing has beat "Man on the Street" yet.

[wenxina]

Just finished watching the ep... missed it last night
For me personally, this episode was just as satisfying as "Man on the Street", even without some of the more explosive moments. It's definitely a step-up from "Echoes", despite the non-funnies.

Let's start with the one thing that disturbed me a little. Mike was essentially collateral; the only reason he was even affected was because he shared a "room" with the other four problem cases. Which is fine... the actor who played him was about as good as canned soup (i.e. does the job when you're desperate, but not quite desirable).

Structurally, the episode took several cues from "Chosen" and "Showtime". What I mean is that the eps take the same format where a scene is shown, but not to its completion, leaving the audience with limited information to make guesses as to where things are going. The final piece of information comes after the climax, during the denouement. I'd call it derivative, but is was executed so well here that it's not something that I can really hold against the episode.

Anyway... that leaves us with two "main" Actives yet whose real names are still a mystery, or at least not yet mentioned in an episode. I know snizapman mentioned that Victor's real name was supposed to be Tim, but I don't remember hearing it, so for now, I'll consider him nameless. The other is "Mellie", which I'm positive is her imprint's name, not her own. Priya... exotic enough, and yet believable, I guess. Nowhere near as exotic as the names of most of the main cast, though.

Back for a moment to the structural commentary. I love that is was Saunders that suggested the remedy to the Actives' problems. The one camera shot at the ventilation duct made me think of Topher's suggestion, which would have made sense, since all 5 Dolls in the room were affected. Have no real idea why Mike really needed to be imprinted with the same basic personality as the rest, unless he was finally vindicated in his belief of aliens, and found his closure that way. Minor detail I guess. The sentimentality behind the idea is what makes it believable that it came from Saunders. But it does paint her in a new gray light. I believe that she cares about the well-being of the Actives, but her plan was still just a "game" as Boyd pointed out. The catharsis allowed by going through the motions may have resulted in the Actives finally getting closure, but more importantly, at least to the Dollhouse, it hopefully results in quieting the more uncontrollable aspects of the Actives' behaviors.

Character analysis: All four portraits of the Actives were quite touching. Echo's especially, after last week's fiasco. It dawned upon me that the Caroline from last week's ep wasn't so much an animal activist than a girl who just wanted to make a difference. So when Caroline runs back into the Dollhouse, claiming that she wants to make a difference, I finally liked Caroline again. It also hearkened back to the pilot, where she says the same thing about wanting to make a difference. The reverb was appreciated, since it was kinda lost in the meh characterization of Caroline in "Echoes". November's need to mourn for her dead child was sweet. What I also took from it was that "Mellie" is definitely an imprint, because what Mellie would have wanted was to resolve her issues with Ballard. Sierra/Priya's closure was pretty straight-forward, but it does cast the Dollhouse in even more morally ambiguous lighting. Before, all we were ever shown of the recruitment was Adelle making an irresistible offer to a desperate soul, which in itself is kinda morally icky. But here, we're presented with the case of a young woman thrown into this life by a spurned wannabe lover, through no free will of her own. To take a leaf from Jennifer Aniston, that's pretty "uncool". Victor's closure was the cutest thing I've heard in a while... all he wanted was to get the girl. The Victor/Sierra romance made me almost get on the ship... but I'm an avid non-shipper... but I will get on the yacht every now and then, I guess.

All in all... this was a really good ep. I'm just hoping the show remains at the high point, without any more dips down the road. Only 5 more eps to go... barring a renewal, of course. *sigh*

[Midnight Butterfly]

I loved it.
Biggest shock was no find out that november has a dead daughter *cries*
Victor = Super Hot
Brilliant episode... shame about the low viewers

[Rebecca]

I loved this episode! I was totally blubbering like a baby when they all collapsed.

Just to add to Spiked and wenxina, I was really surprised as well that Dr. Saunders was the suggester of the whole "Needs" imprint. It does paint her in a gray light, but I'm thinking light gray. I still believe that Dr. Saunders is the mole. From the mole's perspective, the Actives need to be functioning correctly, so as not to draw suspicion while Ballard helps to expose Rossum. From Claire's perspective, the Actives that are glitching pose a threat to be just like Alpha, something she fears first hand. This was even said outright during the episode. Then it would make sense for her to suggest something to keep the glitching Actives from going postal, addressing their Needs.

When Boyd confronted her afterward, I really felt for Claire. If she is the mole, she is working to help them, but as an employee she has to be very careful how she does that. This is illustrated blatantly when Claire tells Caroline "I'm not your friend in here, I'm sorry, I can't help you". I believe this was genuine, that she wants to, but she's is bound by her position and the threat of the dollhouse not to help her. Claire as the mole would allow her to help, something I think she very much wants to do.

[Emmie]

Apr 4, 2009 12:05:12 GMT -5 wenxina said:

Let's start with the one thing that disturbed me a little. Mike was essentially collateral; the only reason he was even affected was because he shared a "room" with the other four problem cases. Which is fine... the actor who played him was about as good as canned soup (i.e. does the job when you're desperate, but not quite desirable).

I thought the same at first, but then I realized that if this was an experiment by the Dollhouse and the crisis cases were Echo, Victor, Sierra and November, then they needed Mike as the control to show those four what was happening in the Dollhouse so they'd react and realize they needed to escape immediately. What happened to Mike jumpstarted their need to get out. And then we immediately cut to Adelle saying "Right on schedule." So I imagine the Dollhouse grabbed Mike specifically to turn him back into a blank slate so that it would jump start the four dolls journey to fulfill their needs and find closure.