Frankly, it’s damn hard to have a coherent reaction to an episode of a show that blows the doors off of your mind as definitively as tonight’s Dollhouse did for me tonight. First it’s a cute little twist that most people probably saw coming. Then that twist slapped you so hard across the face, it took me several minutes to pick my jaw up off the floor, just in time for me to fall right down on the floor with it when the world that they’ve developed was turned upside down.
I can’t warn you enough. Do not click through the rest of the post unless you’ve seen “Getting Closer.” You will hate yourself for it. Seriously. Don’t do it.
So, Boyd is the man, eh (In a “Damn the Man” kind of way, and not “You’re the Man”)? Pulling the strings the whole time means rewatching a lot of DVDs to see if there were clues there we didn’t see. But what is his agenda? It seems that he knew that Caroline’s brain would have the potential to develop into what Echo has become. But, it didn’t seem that he was preventing Caroline’s return there at the end, despite what his supposed cohort/agent Whiskey might have been working towards. His caring feelings for Echo certainly take on a much creepier meaning now, don’t they?
So what is going on with Whiskey? Your first thought had to be of the innocence of her and Boyd’s love, but her gunplay throws the first wrench into things, and Boyd’s true identity makes things so much more confusing. My first thought was that Whiskey was working for Boyd, but killing Bennett doesn’t jive with what Boyd was doing in the final scene. I still stand by the idea, however, that I think that Amy Acker would have been a much better fit (though obviously less marketable) as Echo.
Speaking of Bennett’s death, I guess you can just chalk that up to a Joss Whedon special. Just when you’ve built up a character or relationship, its time to shoot it, turn it into a demon, or, you know, stick a large metal beam through his chest. I really enjoyed what was developing between Bennett and Topher, but of course, someone had to go and ruin it for me.
It was all punch and pie though. I don’t really like Caroline as Neo (Like the idea that Echo just evolved, and but not some preordained savior). And I could care less about Ballard’s “Woe is me, I’m a doll and don’t have a connection with Echo anymore.” Please.
Where do we go from here? Two episodes left, and one of them contains the second part of the Epitaph arc. How does Alpha factor in (because honestly, his importance was greatly diminished tonight, if you ask me, unless he’s the one pulling Whiskey’s strings)? What’s Boyd’s endgame, and how does it play into the glimpses of the future we’ve had? Will Mr. Dominic die in that horrible suit?
Clacked by Ivey West 
on Jan 09, 2010 @ 13:31 EST5EDT
When I watched the episode this morning, the second Topher and Bennett hooked up I thought to myself, “Hmm there are two cutesy relationships on the show now (Victor/Sierra Bennett/Topher) so I wonder which of will Joss kill…” A minute later after thinking that Whiskey shot the back of Bennett’s head off. Coincidence or did I mentally cause her death?
Next week they better do a good job explaining wtf is Boyd up to. And what Mellie is doing with that big ass gun in the previews.
“Coincidence or did I mentally cause her death?” I do know what you mean. During BSG I felt horrible when Dualla killed herself, because I desperately wanted her out of the way so Lee and Kara could be together.
I’m so glad I am spoiler-free on this show! What an amazing episode!
Dorv, I too believe that Acker would have been a better Echo.
My speculation is that Whiskey was working her own agenda when she shot Bennett.
Her back story has never been revealed. Remember that episode in which Topher offered her the chance to read her own file and she refused? There’s something in that file the audience will want to read. I sure do. Topher has some previous relationship with Whiskey. And something came from it that causes her to hate him as vehemently as she does. I hope that comes out in the next episode.
But I think she killed Bennett because she saw Topher had fallen in love with her. She killed Bennett to hurt Topher.
I have my doubts about Whiskey/Saunders killing Bennett for issues over loving Topher — I don’t know why yet, but I think it has more to do with being a sleeper from the way she just walked away after pulling the trigger. I think it was more to affect Topher, condition him somehow for some purpose. Anyhow in the season opener we found out that Topher programmed Whiskey/Saunders to be skeptical of him so that she would be able to notice things he didn’t and she essentially choose to hate him (although he did program her to hate the smell of him).
Back when Briar Rose aired in season one, I thought that at one point Alpha seemed to have a bit of Topher in him. And now Boyd’s partner seems to have a lot of Topher in him (or rather Topher seems to have a lot of Boyd’s partner – who uses “a lot of bodies” – in him). So I’m thinking that we still have some big discoveries to make about who/what Alpha really is.
Just following that vein for a second, I remember Topher looking through a magnifying glass and remarking to himself that he was talking to himself like Alpha.
Re: Echo as Neo –
I wonder if we’re going to find out that Boyd/Rossum did something to Carolina to intentionally make Echo the way she is. IE, she is only special because she was made special.
tozmervo: In episode one, when Topher was referring to Echo he did say something like there was a “weird spike” last night.
Episode one takes on a whole new dimension now. For instance, Boyd’s arrival right after Alpha had his “Echo should be first snap” and started his killing/cutting spree. Was Boyd behind Alpha’s snap….?
Also, Saunders “altruistic” interest in Echo can be seen in a new light. I think she was in on the plan consciously or unconsciously from the first episode.
Laugh out load moment: Bennett commenting on how the dolls roam free just like chicken. I will have to re-watch to get the exact phrasing.
Absolutely did not see the Boyd spin coming.
If Caroline was a special project of Rossum it puts a whole new spin on Dominic trying to kill her pre-Attic.