1.9: Spy in the House of Love

[Queen E]

Hmm...who could it be?

[Spaced Out Looney]

Hand held camera.
In an ambulance?

She made a mistake; now she's sad.
huh?

OK, 12 hours later.

Echo as a dominatrix.
Ah, coming back from from an engagement.

Another Lonelyhearts engagement. I smell trouble.

Victors handler is a woman. Interesting. I wonder if that's deliberate. Male-female.

Miss Lonelyhearts is a cougar?


Assistant doing Topher's bit this time.
Ah, she's being trained.

Ah, Echo did do damage in the last episode. Excellent.

Dominic still has a bug up his ass, I see.

Adelle is going to be away briefly and Dominic's going to be in charge. Great.

Echo and November.

You think it has anything to do with need?
Sometimes, yes. Having a desire that you're ashamed of or afraid of expressing can be terribly debilitating. Look how many same sex engagements are called for even today.

And "even today?" How long has the Dollhouse been in operation?

It's all about trust.

Actives aren't sent to be submissives.

Difference of opinion between Boyd and Sanders.

Topher discovered whatever chip the mole put in.

Art class.

I'm thinking holding those scissors is not a good idea.

What is going on with Echo here?

Dominic chewing out Topher, as schedule.

Did Sierra say "kill him" as she was passing Echo?

Why is Topher sharing with Echo?

Huh, is a doll normally supposed to have that kind of awareness and cognitive ability?

[Lola m]

"It's love, show some respect." Ha! ;D Nice dominatrix outfit, by the by.

Topher training his assistant to do wipes now, eh? And they're cleaning up from the events of last week that got a little bit out of hand.

Rossum wanting to have a word with her. "Maybe they'll be cake!"

Echo is still looking rather too interested in what's going on around her while in wiped state. So, the reset of last week maybe won't halt her progress. Also? They should all be watching how they talk around the dolls, I'm thinking. They have gotten too used to thinking of them as nothing and they're spilling info right and left!

"We don't send the actives to be submissive."
"Man, you've really got the pitch down."

Saunders does really seem to believe what they are doing is, well, maybe not "right", but . . . needed? Thinks it's flawed, but not for the reasons Boyd does. That? Is interesting!

"I made a cheerleader, they make a cheerleader that shoots people!" Ha!

Boyd makes a very very interesting point. Why did Topher warn him, if he thought Boyd was a spy?

Art class is not holding Echo's attention. Which of course is now making me wonder if the folks who used her to send a message to Ballard did something that would make her stay a bit more aware even after wipes.

I'm finding all the pretty locations, with yelling and tension tucked and muted behind frosted windows, very effective.

Whoa! Echo telling Topher to make her into someone who will help investigate things. Wiped Echo is learning and changing.

[Lola m]

Apr 10, 2009 20:20:17 GMT -5 Spaced Out Looney said:

Hand held camera.
In an ambulance?

She made a mistake; now she's sad.
huh?

OK, 12 hours later.

Echo as a dominatrix.
Ah, coming back from from an engagement.

Another Lonelyhearts engagement. I smell trouble.

Victors handler is a woman. Interesting. I wonder if that's deliberate. Male-female.

Miss Lonelyhearts is a cougar?


Assistant doing Topher's bit this time.
Ah, she's being trained.

Ah, Echo did do damage in the last episode. Excellent.

Dominic still has a bug up his ass, I see.

Adelle is going to be away briefly and Dominic's going to be in charge. Great.

Echo and November.

You think it has anything to do with need?
Sometimes, yes. Having a desire that you're ashamed of or afraid of expressing can be terribly debilitating. Look how many same sex engagements are called for even today.

And "even today?" How long has the Dollhouse been in operation?

It's all about trust.

Actives aren't sent to be submissives.

Difference of opinion between Boyd and Sanders.

Topher discovered whatever chip the mole put in.

Art class.

I'm thinking holding those scissors is not a good idea.

What is going on with Echo here?

Dominic chewing out Topher, as schedule.

Did Sierra say "kill him" as she was passing Echo?

Why is Topher sharing with Echo?

Huh, is a doll normally supposed to have that kind of awareness and cognitive ability?

Yes! That made me wonder about how long this, or something like this, has been running!

Brainshare again!

[Spaced Out Looney]

Imprint: November.

This must be November's Handler.

Ah, OK, this is a Rashomon episode.

Also, would it even makes sense for Topher to use the chair when he knew that the system was compromised?

Mellie comes back.

And Ballard has gotten Par. A. Noid.

Ballard has a Conspiracy Wall going.

What are the symbols on Ballard's shirt.

Another message from the mole.
Now Ballard knows that Mellie is a doll. Is he believes it.

November tells Ballard not to blab to Mellie about his investigation.
Well, DUH!!!

November is a sleeper. A special kind of doll. Interesting.

Ballard needs to investigate *why* the Dollhouse exists.

The Dollhouse deals in fantasy but that is not their purpose.

Now lets see how long Ballard can keep up the deception.

[Matthew]

HOLY CRAP ON A CRACKER!!!!!!!!!


Ahwhoooogah! Ahwhoooogah!

[Spaced Out Looney]

Imprint: Sierra

Oh, now we see Dominic chewing out Topher but directly this time.

Yeah, Dominic pushing Topher back into the chair made me wonder if he was going to plug Topher into it.

Ah, that's what Sierra said.

Of course, Sierra's not just an agent, she's a sexay agent. Cause god forbid she just look professional.

Whoa. Wait a minute, why the hell are we on a train all of a sudden?
Is this a flashback or huh?

This other Asian chick looks a little like Sun from Lost.

Oh, Sierra actually went into the NSA. And she had to impersonate that other chick.

Diamond in the eye. Ouch.

It's The Intersect!
Or just a set of safety deposit boxes.

I feel like I'm watching an episode of Alias. Like the one where Sydney broke into the KGB.

[Lola m]

Ooooh, memories in Mellie still, too. "Where do I know her from?"

Ballard, dude. You are losing it. "Wow. Guess the neighborhood went to crap while I was gone."

Ballard has a wall now, like Crews on Life.

Beneath LA? So, does the elevator go up to the parking level from the Dollhouse? But, DeWitt's windows are obviously high-rise. So . . . he's been misled? Or . . . ?

Holy crap. Another message from inside the Dollhouse. The look on his face when she tells him she's an active? Damn!

"They did this long before you met me. They've been using the body to spy on you for months." Damn! You know, one thing I'm liking about this show that I liked about Life, too. Just when you think there is a plot line they'll milk for months or even seasons? (Like the guy who really did the killings on Life, or the fact that Mellie is spying on Ballard) Nope, they just out the secret, boom, like that!

They'll kill you and make Mellie do it.

"The Dollhouse deals in fantasy but that is not their purpose. Investigate their purpose." If he's really gonna investigate, he'd better really listen to the message they're sending him and not let his emotions about what he's just learned lead him to a stupid mistake.

"I'm not imprinted with information you're not supposed to have." Ooooh, nice mirroring. He's kept ignorant of important info, like the Dolls are; he has to "act" like the happy lover with Mellie!November now, pretend a role like the Dolls do.

[Karen]

Apr 10, 2009 20:33:00 GMT -5 Matthew said:

HOLY CRAP ON A CRACKER!!!!!!!!!


Ahwhoooogah! Ahwhoooogah!

whoa.....

[Lola m]

So, Dominick has Topher imprint Sierra just like Echo later asked him to imprint her? To investigate? Oh! We're getting everyone's viewpoints from the same timeline!

Cool spy moves, imprinted Sierra! The contacts that make your eye match a retinal scan? Very awesome! And the clear until magically scanned and then it's electronic coolness plastic sheet? Dude!

[Spaced Out Looney]

Imprint: Victor


Roger. This must be the persona for Lonelyhearts.

OK, now I'm confused about the order of these segments.

This must be Miss Lonelyhearts.

And Victor goes off mission?

WHOA. He went to Adelle.
Does this mean that Adelle is the mole?

Or... maybe not and the losing the cellphone thing part of the subversive program.

And does this mean that "Miss Lonelyhearts" was always Adelle? And wasn't there a rule about employees fraternizing with the dolls? And is it any better or worse doing it to a programmed doll or an unprogrammed one?

Fencing! Ha!
I'm getting Smallville flashbacks all of a sudden.

Victor as the most real person Adelle has ever met. Shades of Truman Show.
Real relationships are about hiding, hiding, hiding.

Victor's handler would have to be in on this subterfuge too, right? And what about the older woman that Victor gave the flowers to?

Adelle feels the pangs of conscience? Or... grief?

[Matthew]

Holy freakin' crap on a cracker, book two.

DOMINIC?!?!!?

[Lola m]

Now Victor's story! And he's giving Topher advice about women.

Oh, oh, oh!! And it's all a scam? He doesn't have sex with this woman, but rather goes to DeWitt?! So, is it just a sex thing or is she behind the messages being put into the imprints? Well, I thought something was up with DeWitt's absence, but I did not expect this!

Oh, and the disgust she has for their clients - "pathectic, self-deluding souls" - and she's one of them. That is just terribly informative right there!

Oh, the meta is just bouncing around madly isn't it? Now Doll Victor is telling the woman who bought him, who runs the Dollhouse, that he'd have the Dollhouse create someone like her for him if he was a client. Oy!!

Huh. The Dollhouse deals in fantasy. Like the fantasy of buying him, and the fantasy of running away together they talk about in bed.

"I trust you. Completely."

What happened?!?!

[Spaced Out Looney]

Imprint: Echo.


Oh, imprinting Sierra was Dominic's idea; imprinting Echo was Topher's.

Which means you're either dangerously incompetent (HA!) or your trying to throw us off your trail.
I'm sorry I ever doubted your programming skills (double HA!)

Interrogating Topher. Hey, it's going to be one of those nifty interview montages Joss does, right?! *bounce bounce*

Topher works in the Dollhouse because it feeds his ego.

I don't want to brag. OK, I want to brag. (shades of Spike.)

Interrogating Assistant.
She's got hidden talents and she's under appreciated. What are her hidden talents? Hmm...

Interrogating Boyd.

We're pimps and killers, but in a philanthropic way.

Boyd likes to cut through the bullshit. Sort of.

Interrogating Sanders.

Sanders doesn't leave the Dollhouse. That jives with what she was saying in the last episode about not liking the outside world.


Such intense focus on your work can leave other parts of your life empty and open to exploitation.

Sierra has found the mole.
And it's Assistant.

Assistant is going to the attic. So that's not just for Dolls anymore?


The attic is a mental suck? Like the Death of Personality?

Echo does the whole Sherlock Holmes bit.

Dominic works for the NSA. Like, secretly?

And wait, why would searching through NSA files or whatever reveal the mole?

Ah, Dominic planted the file.

And assistant's name is Ivy.

The office is not in the Dollhouse. OK.

WHOA. Dominic explodes in rage. He's been waiting for this moment for a long time.

Geeks hiding behind the couch. hee.

I'm not broken. Hmm.


Dominic sits in judgment before Adelle.
And you do *not* want to get on her bad side.

I trusted you with a gift.
The Dollhouse is not a gift.
I think the countless people we've helped would disagree with you.
What about the countless people we've hurt?
Name one.
[Echo]
Funny. Coming from the man who tried to kill her. Twice.

And are they in Adelle's house or where ever?

Ah, Dominic was an NSA plant. Not acting on his own. So this is completely different than whatever Alpha is doing. Right?

I'm sent to make sure that you didn't bring yourselves down. Hmm. There's some mutualism going on here between organizations.

If it weren't for me, Ballard would have found you already.
Have you seen Ballard? He's not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Do you know what the world will be like when Rossum lets the Dollhouse slip from its grasp? The technology needs to be reined in an controlled.

By a clandestine organization with little government oversight?
*Ahem.*

Dominic takes Adelle down a peg.

Dominic gets sent to the Attic.
Ah, they're going to turn him into a doll too?

Did you think I'd show you mercy? Or rage?
Nice.

Dominic's been at the Dollhouse for 3 years, (or just working with Adelle for 3 years?)

Dominic and Echo in the van. About being erased.
These two have a really interesting fucked up relationship.

Sooner or later, everyone gets their's.

Now we're back to the scene at the beginning of the episode. And it must be Dominic being erased. I never would have guessed that that's what it was.

This is what they were doing to Sierra in the pilot, yes?
Oh, except of the frying one's brain part.

And that's taking place in the chair room, so I guess the Attic is more of a metaphorical place than a physical one.

Oh, I guess there is a physical Attic. It must be where they keep the bodies until they're needed. Or just indefinitely.

Dominic's life on a disc.

How did I not see this coming?
Um, arrogance? Over reliance on poetic descriptions of your job?

Topher tells Adelle that Echo asked to be imprinted.

Sanders wish fulfillment didn't fulfill anything.
Yeah...

Echo saved the Dollhouse.
Oy.

OK, yeah. Miss. Lonelyhearts was Adelle all along.

Sanders and Adelle.
Does Sanders know something? Or is she just intuiting.

Boyd gets promoted to head of security.
Cool. Sort of.

It seems she's the one taking care of us.
I'm sure Caroline would be thrilled to know that. On the other hand, it would play very well into Alpha's hands, assuming that he was behind all the wackiness. Unless that was entirely a red herring. Although it was him sending info to Ballard and not Dominic, right? my brain hurts.

Echo gets a new handler. I wonder how long he'll last.

[Lola m]

Back to Echo again!

Investigator spy-hunter Echo!

Heh! And she wants to start with Topher.

Suspects. Topher. (I'm kind of a genius.) His assistant. (That didn't sound good, did it?) Boyd. (We're pimps and killers. But in a philanthropic way. Can I go now?) Saunders. (I feel like I can better serve the actives if I'm here.)

Hmmmm. They nab Topher's assistant (Ivy! That's her name!), but I'm thinking this is either a ruse, or she's not the only one. Possibly thrown to the wolves to hide the real mole? (To go completely with animal metaphors.) Also? Once again Echo is in the room as people are talking about stuff. Could one of the "secret" things implanted in her by the people trying to bring down the Dollhouse be something to make her a human recording device? This time it's info about the attic - a brain suck.

Dominick?! Working for the NSA?! (Cut on the arm. Like Victor was while fencing.)

"Shouldn't we help?"
"Yeah, I helped when I imprinted her with kung-fu skills, but be my guest."

Also? This is a very confusing fight when you try to figure out who to root for. The very-much-a-jerk Dominick who is an NSA guy apparently trying to bring down the Dollhouse except he has no problem killing Echo and Topher and Ivey versus our hero Echo who has been imprinted to do the same except now she's imprinted to stop him. Oy!! My brain, she is spinning!

And then she remembers him trying to kill her before but we also remember when he was on the drugs and revealed that somewhere inside of him he also thought that was really bad and was sorry. **brain continues to spin**

And now he is called on the carpet by DeWitt, who talks about how the Dollhouse has "helped" people (like herself, buying Victor's time?) while Dominick talks about how the Dollhouse hurts people, like Echo, who he just tried to kill. **spin, spin, spin**

Huh. And supposedly, he, acting as an agent of the NSA, was trying to save the Dollhouse. And did DeWitt just pose the question "what can the NSA do with it [the dollhouse] that we can't", which is another very creepy spin on things, isn't it?

Rossum will let the Dollhouse slip from its grasp, and the technology needs to be reigned in and "controlled".
"A clandenstine organization with little government oversight".
Whoa. Just like with the fight, who the hell is right or wrong or whoa!

It's all just a business transaction. And when the agency comes looking for him, he'll tell them everything's fine. And then they'll put him back in his box.

"Did you think I'd show you mercy? Or rage? Three years by my side, I think you know me better than that."

"After you beat me to a pulp, they're gonna erase me. But first they're gonna erase you."
"I can take care of myself."
"I know. That's why I'm smiling. 'Cuz one day you'll be erasing them. Even after all this, they still won't see it coming. Sooner or later everybody gets theirs."

Damn! This is One. Hell. Of. An. Ep!