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Post by Midnight Butterfly on Mar 22, 2009 14:11:31 GMT -5
Mellie is a sleeper Active. Sleeper used in the same way as Spike in S7 of BtVS. Mellie's trigger is the "three vases" thing, whereas Spike's was the little song his mother used to sing. Sending Sierra's handler off to deal with Mellie was DeWitt's way of covering the entire thing up. To anyone not in the know, it seemed that the Russian mob (the Borodins) that Ballard messed with had sent someone over to hurt/kill him. Dominic commented that Sierra's handler's fingerprints showed up as a Russian floater. DeWitt's plan essentially took care of all the loose ends. Ballard's been suspended, Sierra's handler taken care off, and the "civilian" that Ballard has been spilling his guts to is now identified to be an Active. EDIT: As to who tampered with the imprint, it's the big mystery. It could be Alpha, since he seems to want to take the Dollhouse down. Or it could be someone else. Someone who shares Alpha's agenda. Wait and see, I guess. Thanks. I understand it now  |
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Post by henzINNIT on Mar 22, 2009 18:22:35 GMT -5
This episode brought back all kinds of familiar feelings... to list a few: joy, saddness and a sickening fear for character safety.
Great episode this one. I hope this is a new standard.
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Post by snizapman6294 on Mar 22, 2009 22:27:16 GMT -5
"We're gonna blow this case WIDE open"
i smiled and screamed like crazy when i heard a Buffy quote verbatim on Dollhouse!!!!!
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Nicholas
Descendant of a Toaster Oven
One Good Scare
Tonight I'm Dancing.[Mo0:16]
Posts: 656
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Post by Nicholas on Mar 22, 2009 23:05:07 GMT -5
Episode 6: Man On The Street - QuestionnaireFavorite character: I would have to say either Victor or Mellie. I thought that Victors feelings toward Sierra and how he said that she makes him feel better was just so cute. I wasnt really a fan of Mellie at first, but now that she finally got with Ballard and we found out she was a Doll as well...OMFG. Cool! Least favorite character: Sierra's Handler. Well we were supposed to dislike him, but the man attempted to raise a good point. However, he also poses a question as to whether or not the Actives are aware of what they are signing up for. Favorite scene: I had three. (1) The scene where they ask Victor how Sierra makes him feel: it was emotional, cute and totally made me love Victor even more. (2) The scene where Ballard and Echo fight: It was an excellent scene and it was a scene that I know all the diehard Buffy and Angel fans had been waiting for simply because Joss is king of fight scenes. However I thought they could have toned down the shakey cam just a tad. (3) When Mellie was attacked and turned out to be a Sleep Active: The was the most shocking AND moving scenes of the series so far for me. I thought it was going to be this highly emotional scene where just as we begin to like a character, she gets killed! (JOSS STYLE!) With the music overtaking the actual sounds of the scene and Ballard calling to say that he's on his way and for her to get safe just as she dies only to be completely hit from the side when it was Adelle! That was really shocking! :-o She kicks ass too! Least favorite scene: I really didnt have one! Maybe the scene where Ballard talked to the billionare internet mogul guy but even that was good! Biggest surprise: Mellie turning out to be a Sleper Active. That completely took me by surprise and stunned me. I really thought she was going to be killed, which would have shocked me as well as she would have been knocked off so early in, but DAYYUMMMNNN was this way so much better! Thing you saw coming a mile away: Balard finally seeing Echo in person. But then again, everyone saw that coming. Thoughts on Echo's personality: She had more than one in this episode but my favorite was the first one. I was curled up in hysterics when she points to the bed and says, "PORN!". Thats true Joss humor and I think thats what makes the show so much more. The second imprint was badass and totally Faith like. Im assuming that since this show probably has a bigger budget that thats the reason this fight scene was more choreographed than the Buffy/Angel ones. Think of FAITH fighting like that! Thoughts on this week's engagement: Well considering the only real engagement persay as we have normally seen would be Echo going to visit the internet man, it was hysterical. HYSTERICAL! The porn line keeps repeating itself in my mind! Well, Mellie was kind of an engagement as well so that was a huge shocker as well. Question you want answered most: How can this season get any better!? and why is Victor not waiting for me in my room?   Favorite line: "PORN!" AMAZING LINE! Did you enjoy this episode more than the prior one? Oh, completely. It blew everything else out of the water. this is the best episode so far and I cant believe how it could possibly get better! This episode was brilliant. LOVE IT!
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Skeptic
Initiative Soldier
[Mo0:24]
Posts: 344
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Post by Skeptic on Mar 22, 2009 23:18:17 GMT -5
Finally got to see this ep (spent Friday night, all day yesterday, and most of today recovering from the BSG finale) and really liked it! Finally I can say that I like Dollhouse, with a smile on my face. When before, I just kinda laughed and pointed. So, this is a nice change. I really liked it, all of it, everything from the schmoopy sad nerd guy hiring the active every year on his anniversary, to Paul and Mellie hooking up, to shirtless Tahmoh (he's definitely my boy crush), to that flat-out craaaaazy kitchen/alley fight scene which was SO totally Whedon classic, to the forehead-slapping moment when Mellie was activated... I dug it all. Tahmoh has freckles on his shoulders. What else... oh, the big frame-up Adelle orchestrated at the end. It took care of the smarmy rapist, that's fore sure. I'm sure the cops that showed up to take the report have nothing on him (I'm sure Adelle fixed it that way) and just write him off as a John Doe thug that followed the girl home. I don't know who sent Echo to Paul, and whether or not it was a coincidence or planned - because if it was planned, then they had Echo meet Paul at the same time the smarmy rapist showed up to try and kill Mellie, which he would have only done when Paul was out, which makes me think that since Adelle sent him, then Adelle sent Echo. The thing was just too perfectly orchestrated, and Echo was very quick and precise in what she had to say and why. We'll see, huh? Oh yeah... the big plastic cassette Topher used. It did look like an 8-track on steroids. When he popped the tape in, I half expected the Doobie Brothers to start playing. LOL. |
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Post by wenxina on Mar 23, 2009 8:29:06 GMT -5
It was explicitly stated that Sierra's handler showed up as a Russian floater (i.e. no identity) which pretty much ties him to be a hired thug of the Borodins (whom Ballard pissed off quite royally in the earlier eps). It was also explicit that Adelle sent both Sierra's handler and Echo out at the same time. Which would have been easy to orchestrate, since she has Ballard's apartment under surveillance. Hence the perfect timing for the "three vases" deal; Mellie had to be bashed up enough for it to be believable.
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Post by dragonweaver on Mar 23, 2009 14:42:22 GMT -5
Well, I noted that the whole set-up, despite appearing somewhat futuristic does have some retro touches to it. Cartridges are a lot more visible than DVDs or Blu Rays. And hey, maybe Joss likes his Nintendo. See those cartriges don't look plastic at all, to me they look an awful lot like internal hard drives with handles. |
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Post by Wyndam on Mar 23, 2009 14:53:38 GMT -5
Well, I noted that the whole set-up, despite appearing somewhat futuristic does have some retro touches to it. Cartridges are a lot more visible than DVDs or Blu Rays. And hey, maybe Joss likes his Nintendo. See those cartriges don't look plastic at all, to me they look an awful lot like internal hard drives with handles. I agree, I thougth "hard drive" when I saw the imprint cartridge too. Kinda like this:  Only with an entirely black metallic outer shell. |
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Post by wenxina on Mar 24, 2009 12:37:19 GMT -5
More on the 20 Dollhouses here. Click on the spoiler tags for the pertinent part: According to creator Joss Whedon, we won't actually be seeing any of the other dollhouses this season, but we will be meeting some of the people in charge of them and hearing more on the subject. If FOX orders another year of episodes in May though, we'll probably get to peek inside the other DHs down the road. And yes, the plan is to have brand new sets built, not just the set we've seen so far with new people. |
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Post by Rebecca on Mar 24, 2009 12:42:27 GMT -5
What a great ploy to pull for a second season. I guess he did learn from Firefly.
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jellymoff
Ensouled Vampire
Claimer of Funn[Mo0:0]
Posts: 1,174
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Post by jellymoff on Mar 24, 2009 14:10:10 GMT -5
Favorite character: Boyd. He is quickly becoming my favorite character on the show. I'm loving me some Mellie too. Joss has the knack for finding these women who are beautiful but not in the typical "porn star" way. You sort of fall for their character.
Least favorite character: Sierra's handler. Douche.
Favorite scene: Boyd punching homey through the glass. Classic. The fight scene was dope too.
Least favorite scene: Do you want to play the game? Gross. Luckily its right before my favorite scene.
Biggest surprise: Didn't think about the fact that there would be multiple Dollhouses, but now that it has been revealed it seems obvious.
Thing you saw coming a mile away: I knew Mellie was November-Spoilers!
Thoughts on Echo's personality: Eliza got to play 2 different sides; she was both funny and kick ass. She has really become a great actor.
Question you want answered most: Attic?
Did you enjoy this episode more than the prior one?: Best ep. ever (for now)
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Post by hitnrun017 on Mar 24, 2009 15:47:48 GMT -5
More on the 20 Dollhouses here. Click on the spoiler tags for the pertinent part: According to creator Joss Whedon, we won't actually be seeing any of the other dollhouses this season, but we will be meeting some of the people in charge of them and hearing more on the subject. If FOX orders another year of episodes in May though, we'll probably get to peek inside the other DHs down the road. And yes, the plan is to have brand new sets built, not just the set we've seen so far with new people. Yeah, that really would be great for next season, just makes me want a Season 2 even more. Glad to hear the plan is for new sets, they wouldn't have to do that incredibly lame thing they did with Wolfram & Hart in The Girl in Question.  I doubt FOX would want to spend another $950,000 on a set, so they'd probably be smaller. Ooo now I'm getting all kinds of ideas about what they would look like based on cities and countries. |
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Post by Emmie on Mar 24, 2009 22:54:53 GMT -5
Am new to the forum -- Hi! This episode brings me out of lurking mode. Am so ecstatically happen that we get genuine, authentic, 100%, Whedon TV again. I'm thinking Adele is the inside mole. Whether that's the case or not, she's playing a deep game and I can't wait to watch it unfold. And the Dollhouse as pleasure service is a distraction? Want. More. Now. *tackle pounces* Maggie!  |
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deathquaker
Innocent Bystander
Proud geek girl[Mo0:37]
Posts: 33
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Post by deathquaker on Mar 25, 2009 9:35:38 GMT -5
Favorite character: Adelle. She has gone from being bland villain in my mind to quite brilliant. The whole plan to send Sierra's Handler to kill Mellie was amazing, because she killed several birds (well, technically, only one, but she accomplished a lot) with one stone: Handler dead in a just fight, testing Mellie's sleeper programming, making Ballard realize people close to him will be targeted, etc.
Least favorite character: I am not fond of Ballard; this episode did him better justice than other episodes but there's something... I have a lot of trouble putting it into words. I can't relate to him; I know I'm supposed to root for him but he comes off as too cold to me. I find I just don't care what happens to him.
Favorite scene: Probably the Mellie "awakening" scene, with a close second to the ending for OMG-ness. Oh, and Boyd punching Sierra's handler out. That's three scenes, I know...
Least favorite scene: Joel and Ballard expositioning the Dollhouse stuff. Felt slow and detached compared to the rest of the story.
Biggest surprise: The ending. On first viewing, I didn't get it, but on watching again, I realized that Echo was painting a picture of Joel and Rebecca, and stating it "wasn't finished" was her acknowledging that the Engagement went south. Two things about this surprised me: first, that Echo seemed to basically be volunteering to go back on the Engagement to "finish it." And second, that Adelle wasn't surprised in the least that Echo shows evidence of remembering her Engagements even in Doll-state.
Thing you saw coming a mile away: I strongly suspected Mellie of being an Active, but I have to admit the way it was revealed still totally threw me off guard, so "from a mile away" I'm not sure. When Adelle was arranging for her assassination, I totally thought my theory had been Jossed, and then so was totally surprised when her Sleeper Agent persona took over regardless of my earlier suspicions.
Thoughts on Echo's personality: Echo in Doll-state is clearly still observant (she overhears Boyd and Claire's conversation and feels obligated to report on Sierra's state of being) and protective of her friends. The mission personas were fun, for all their differentness.
Question you want answered most: Did Adelle re-send Echo back to Joel at the end only because Echo was concerned that "it wasn't finished" or was she also rewarding Joel?
Favorite line: "You'll be surprised at how cool I am." Oh, I was.
Did you enjoy this episode more than the prior one? Heck yes, though I liked the prior one too.
Other Random Thoughts
Intern Girl seems the most obvious candidate for the Inside-Jobber (who definitely does not work for Alpha, as I'm pretty sure Alpha is the one who sent Ballard the picture and videotape). However, in an intrigue-setting like this, I'm not sure the obvious candidate is actually the candidate. She definitely has the motive, know-how, and opportunity, sure. But that all seems too pat, too convenient. I'm more inclined to suspect Dr. Saunders, who also has motive and probably know-how, and a pulse on when Topher would be prepping a protocol for an Engagement. Also, she is becoming good friends with Boyd, who conveniently showed up to distract Topher at the time the adjustment to the Active Protocol would have been made. Not that I think Boyd is in on it... that seems unlikely if for no other reason that he's actually too vocal that he doesn't like how the Actives are treated... if he were on a more covert agenda, he'd actually probably protest less. But Saunders could have mentioned something to Boyd like, "Hey, if you're upset about being pulled off the job, why don't you ask Topher about it?" or something.
I am ready to be totally wrong about this, mind, but it makes sense to me.
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Post by AndrewCrossett on Mar 25, 2009 9:41:21 GMT -5
Is there a way to remotely delete messages you've left on someone else's phone? If not, I'm wondering what's going to happen when Mellie goes to listen to her recorded messages...
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Post by wenxina on Mar 25, 2009 9:56:24 GMT -5
The thing is, it wasn't at Mellie's place. The voicemail was Ballard's. So yeah, I did wonder how they could have gotten rid of it. But if nothing else, I guess it can be argued that it's kinda prank call-ish, calling someone and leaving them a message about vases and flowers.
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deathquaker
Innocent Bystander
Proud geek girl[Mo0:37]
Posts: 33
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Post by deathquaker on Mar 25, 2009 10:03:55 GMT -5
Is there a way to remotely delete messages you've left on someone else's phone? If not, I'm wondering what's going to happen when Mellie goes to listen to her recorded messages... I wouldn't be surprised if the Dollhouse has hacked into his voicemail/answering machine. Most voicemail services and answering machines enable the owner to access them remotely to listen to and delete messages. The Dollhouse would have to simply get the passcode to break into his answering machine, which they surely have the resources to do. |
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Post by Midnight Butterfly on Mar 25, 2009 11:03:35 GMT -5
If you watch friends there is an episode where Monica uses the phone at her place to delete a message on Richards phone at his place. So it is possible to delete it
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Nicholas
Descendant of a Toaster Oven
One Good Scare
Tonight I'm Dancing.[Mo0:16]
Posts: 656
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Post by Nicholas on Mar 26, 2009 22:52:09 GMT -5
Yeah, I believe there is a way to do it. Besides, this is Dollhouse people! Im sure they would have no trouble doing it.
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vampmogs
Novice Witch
[Mo0:16]
Posts: 208
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Post by vampmogs on Mar 27, 2009 5:29:28 GMT -5
Very late to the game but just wanted to say how much I enjoyed this episode. It was very well done and raised a lot of new questions and story lines that really energised the show. I love the concept of fantasy being the Dollhouse’s service but not their ultimate goal. It suddenly makes the whole establishment far more intriguing. What do we think it is? Enslaving all of man kind? Creating a super army or super society?
The “man on the inside” was another neat little storyline thrown into the mix, Joss certainly loves that at the moment doesn’t he? I’m really hoping it is Adelle. I think she would be the most interesting character to try and bring the Dollhouse down seeing as how she’s in charge of the LA branch. Though the most obvious choice, perhaps too obvious, is Topher’s female hacker friend.
Sierra’s handle was a perverted disgusting human being and I actually cheered both Mellie and Adelle on for what they did there. I love Adelle, she reminds me of Lilah and I just get a delight out of her delicious evilness. I don’t actually agree with Hearn that Adelle is being a hypocrite. It is different because these dolls when not on engagement have the minds of children. They aren’t prepared or ready for sex whereas on engagement they’re imprinted to enjoy it or understand it. She’s a lot like a Madam in that just because her girls may have sex for money, it does not mean anyone can just come in and rape them off the street who isn’t a client. It’s very different.
The fight was absolutely kick ass, I don’t think any show barring ‘Alias’ can do fight sequences like Whedon’s shows can.
What I really found interesting was that Adelle realised that Echo was remembering her engagement. She could have sent Echo straight to the attic after discovering that because Echo isn’t supposed to be that self aware. But instead of harming Echo Adelle granted her wishes and allowed her to complete the engagement. Which just proves we don’t know the full story about Adelle.
A fantastic, mind blowing episode! Can’t wait for tomorrows!
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