EPISODE REVIEW: Dollhouse: “The Hollow Men” (Season 2, Episode 12)
Last week we learned that Boyd was the founder of Rawson, the corporation that runs the dollhouse. What could follow on the heels of a revelation like that? Let’s find out, shall we?
PLAY BY PLAY
Two years ago - 2008 - Caroline has been captured, and is being interviewed by Boyd. He explains that his company first noticed her several years earlier when she had her blood tested to see if she’d be a viable marrow donor for her sister, who had leukemia. She’s unique, or at least very special, on a microscopic level. He wants her as a doll so they can monitor her chemical development - don’t worry, this’ll mostly make sense later - and he promises to protect her.
In the 2010, Victor and Sierra return to the dollhouse, and find the place trashed, with the security cameras wiped so they have no idea who killed all the guys who were invading the house. They find Topher’s chair with a hand written note saying “Press here.” After some debate, Victor sits in it, and turns into…Topher 2.0, the same one we’ve seen before. He’s pretty freaked out since he’s not aware of any of what’s been going on in the last week or three.
Meanwhile, on the roof, a chopper is coming to pick up Adel, Paul, Echo, Topher, and Boyd who’s real nature is still unknown to them. Echo is all wonky and freaking out and incoherent, so they knock her out, and debate their next move. They decide to go to the corporate headquarters in Tucson, and just walk right in, since they have Echo, which is all the company is really interested in for whatever reason.
This they then do, but they’re met at the gate by Whiskey, who’s now Clyde 6.0. She’s evicted Saunders, and Boyd seems a bit upset by this. They’re captured and put in holding cells.
Meanwhile, back in LA, they’ve checked out Topher’s secret camera footage which he installed to find out who was stealing his turkey jerky. They see Boyd dropping a syringe in the garbage in the office, and realize he’s working for Rawson. Topher 2.0 hits on the idea of giving Victor mad killing skills when he vacates the body.
In Tucson, Topher mentions he left himself behind to give Victor and Sierra a heads up. Boyd excuses himself to phone his commandos, but Victor instantly kills them. Paul and Mellie get some weapons, and decide to destroy the mainframe by knocking out the cooling system. A recording of DeWitt’s trigger phrase plays over the PA, and Mellie tries to kill Paul. She resists her programming, however, and kills herself.
Topher and Boyd come to a lab, and discover weaponized dollification guns. Boyd says to get one working so they can use it to escape, and Topher does. Boyd says “An army of scientists couldn’t figure that out, but you did it in ten minutes. I’m glad I chose you!” He starts to pull something out of his waist, when Echo tackles him and beats him to the ground. Then Whiskey/Clyde pulls guns on them all and shuts the whole party down.
Boyd explains that the Doll tech is already out of control, and that the world is doomed, there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it, not even Rossun
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Comments
27 December 2008
7 hours 5 min
>>Unless he plans to "Serenity" the Dollhouse.<<
Joss has said that he's not going to do that. He had plenty of notice to wrap up the series, he says he's resolved everything that he cares about, the story has a firm conclusion, and I gather it's not as personally important to him as Firefly was.
BTW - next week is a Hatian benefit, the Dollhouse finale will air the week after that.
28 March 2009
11 weeks 5 days
You could definitely tell that Whedon entered hurry up and fit in as much as possible in this episode. Alpha being the only real lose end left to tie. Next week will be interesting. Unless he plans to "Serenity" the Dollhouse.
27 December 2008
7 hours 5 min
>>>when Topher fixed the broken doll guns, did he actually say something like "reverse the polarity" as an explanation? Please let me have miss-heard that one. That was a laugher 20 years ago on TNG.<<<
That was a laugher 40 years ago on Doctor Who! It was the third doctor's catchphrase, almost.
I get that Boyd wanted to fake an escape so Topher could fix the wipe-o-matic pistols, but they didn't have to let Echo out to do that, I mean, she was already in a different cell!
27 December 2008
7 hours 5 min
>>So how does the Doll technology bring about the end of the world? Is it like the 1990 anime movie ‘A Wind Named Amnesia’ were everyone’s mind is wiped clean and no one knows how to run the things that make the world work anymore (Aliens did it)? Next if Echo is semi-immune to the Doll effect does that not mean that a percentage of all people would also be immune to its effects? And lastly how does the Doll effect infect the whole planet does it become a virus or something.<<
The show is working under the assumption that once a thing *Can* be done, it *will* be done, because some people will see an advantage in it, and screw the consequences. Doll technology makes slavery not only possible, but self-enforcing. It makes every politician your plaything. It can effortlessly turn voters into supporters or opponents of anything you want, it can drive trends or destroy them. YOu can use it to have someone kill your enemies without implicating yourself, and to build personal armies.
It's far worse than amnesia. The bottom line, as Paul said in a 1st season episode, is that this technology brings about the death of identity itself, and once that's gone, civilizaiton can not survive.
1 June 2009
20 hours 11 min
Yeah, letting Echo run around when she is the sole major reason of his plan to save the world is nutty. Why didn't he have her spinal fluid drained when she was sent to "the attic" and was completely under control and contained. Was she not ripe yet. And when they were all locked up, couldn't security have removed them one at a time to their final ending instead of Boyd's completely irrational excape? He seemed to be sabotaging his own plan. Maybe his silent partners wanted the guns and not the cure?
And when Topher fixed the broken doll guns, did he actually say something like "reverse the polarity" as an explanation? Please let me have miss-heard that one. That was a laugher 20 years ago on TNG.
27 June 2009
3 hours 19 min
I don’t watch this show so I should refrain from asking snarky questions but my arthritis is flaring up, my wife’s a pain and the Ravens lost to the Colts.
So how does the Doll technology bring about the end of the world? Is it like the 1990 anime movie ‘A Wind Named Amnesia’ were everyone’s mind is wiped clean and no one knows how to run the things that make the world work anymore (Aliens did it)? Next if Echo is semi-immune to the Doll effect does that not mean that a percentage of all people would also be immune to its effects? And lastly how does the Doll effect infect the whole planet does it become a virus or something.
I know if I really want the answers to these questions I should watch the show but even though the show has a neat idea every time I try to watch an episode I get bored in the first 15 minutes. It’s the same reason I can’t get into Fringe. I am also lazy so there.
27 June 2009
3 hours 19 min
Whedon keeps going to Fox because they keep buying his pilots and the next 13 episodes. But ya Dollhouse would be an easier sell to Showtime.
27 December 2008
7 hours 5 min
I've never quite understood why Fox keeps greenlighting Whedon projects they have no interest in supporting. Granted, this one was a harder sell than most ("It's a futuristic whorehouse!"), but they
instantly stuck it in the Friday Night Death Slot.
I don't really get why Whedon keeps going back to them, either. Really, if he's going to do TV anymore (Debatable), he needs to start working on one of the premium pay cable channels.
28 March 2009
11 weeks 5 days
IMO this is the best show on TV right now. I realize its probably the friday night death slot, but why not even try it in another slot FOX, and if it still does not meet expetations cancel after the 6th ep of season 3. Cmmon. That is my rant for the evening.