What I’m Watching: Dollhouse

Dollhouse: Season 2, Episode 9 & 10 “Stop-Loss” & “The Attic” (B+/B)

I had intended to review these two episodes separately, but once I saw the second just after the first, I knew there was no way I could tackle “Stop-Loss” without fully acknowledging the awesome surprise at the end of the second episode. Before we get to that, the first episode was cool as a way to see that Rossum really is a formidable foe, and their attempts to create a group consciousness are even more fearsome than the concept of the programmable dolls. Echo’s ability to infiltrate and defeat the group consciousness was pretty remarkable, and she really is becoming a good lead for the show, now that she’s no longer defective but instead hyperactive in her ability to access her personalities and get quite a bit done. The second episode wasn’t quite that strong because the within-the-mind realities it created were a bit forced, and it all felt like a less thrilling version of Sydney’s search to discover her missing two years during the third season of “Alias.” It was fun to see Reed Diamond back as Dominic, though when Echo thought she saw Whisky, I got very excited and was considerably let down when it wasn’t her. The decision of Clyde and Dominic to remain into the Attic seemed a bit convenient, but I suppose it will be helpful for everyone on the outside once they figure out a way to bring it down. Adelle seemed to be becoming genuinely evil during both these episodes, which of course didn’t make much sense given her status in “Epitaph One.” The revelation of her tasking Echo to find out what secrets of Rossum are hidden in the Attic was fantastic in terms of the setup it provides for the coming episodes, but the secrecy with which she proceeded seems a bit much. Sending Sierra and Victor there also seems quite dangerous but I guess everyone’s okay now. That closing shot of the whole team, including a newly revived and Doll-form Paul and more prominent Ivy, assembled and ready to take down the Dollhouse, was pretty damn exciting. I don’t care as much about finding Caroline, but the next few episodes are going to be spectacularly intense. They’re rolling out one by one on Friday nights starting January 8th, and I so wish there were more than three episodes to go in this show now that it’s finally gotten really good.