Episode Discussion 1.03 "Stage Fright" - Aired 2/27/09 (FOX-USA)

Echo provides protection to a pop star by becoming her backup singer. Ballard's investigation, meanwhile, takes a wrong turn that may prove dangerous; and Lubov has a secret.

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Dollhouse Episodes

Discuss away!

Just got through watching it (and I do mean JUST 😛) and I loved it. Creepy fan/pop singer relationship usually makes for good TV. 🙂

- Eliza...she was gorgeous in this episode. I mean, she's always gorgeous, but especially so here. Background singer is a good look for her apparently. 🙂
- Loved that little shared moment between Echo and Sierra at the end...made me "Ohhh!" outloud.
- I thought that, last episode, that FBI jerk's reference to "The Attic" was mere symbolism. I didn't know it was an actual "place." How absolutely terrible...it surely means some sort of death for the Doll in question.
- Ukranian guy! (For the life of me, I can't remember his name.) His being a Doll was a huge surprise.
- What was the point of Sierra? Her guardian dude said that she would only be involved in an extreme situation, but she wasn't "involved" at all. I thought she'd whip out some secret ninja skills after being kidnapped, but basically all she did was whimper and cower. Why did they even have her on this mission? I mean, she proved useful in the end, but it doesn't seem that they'd predicted that since Echo acting outside the box was such a shock.

I've just watch it. It's the episode I was waiting for, finally I can say that I didn't want it to end and the story actually suprised me. The last eps were good to but they were just like other shows, this week it really stood out. Now Dollhouse has prooved to me that it's really worthy of a place on TV.

I love how they are starting to built Echo's character, I was afraid at first that we wouldn't get attach to her because of her charcacter personnality swap but I was wrong. Her character his great, and I love how at the end we see that she connects with other dolls and is smart enough to not show it in front of the guy in charge of Sierra. It shows that they are building her character and that she's more than just a doll.

Oh, and I love Victor's plotline, that was great 🙂

-Blaze-

I can't say I was a huge fan of this episode, to be honest. It had its moments, yes, but the main plot was sort of eh-worthy and I didn't really get invested in it until the last 15 minutes or so. But the fan guy who wanted to shoot her was super creepy and I loved the expansion of Echo and Boyd's almost father-daughter-esque relationship (especially him getting stage fright for Echo and being all worried about her singing.)

Also, Topher is amazing.

Another great episode. Not quite what I expected...in a good way.
1) Russian Guy's not Russian (?!). Now, *that* was a big eye-opener!
2) Dichen got a chance to shine a bit. She was good as a geeky uber-fan. I agree with Fly: I don't quite get what her role was. I first thought she was going to get sent in as a back-up (in the event that something happened to Echo), but that's not the way it wound up, IIRC.
3) FBI Dude's got serious skillz. 😀
4) Lasagna Neighbor-Girl is odd. A little too odd.

^^yes I didn't get the point of Sierra???

If I understood correctly though, it was to distract the crazy fan which she actually did so I guess she succeded at her job. I would have given her some crazy kick a** moves though, it would have helped

-Blaze-

That final scene... with Echo warning Sierra away from talking to her... was very interesting. Not only is Echo becoming self-aware, but she's realizing that she's not supposed to be.

This aspect of her storyline seems to be evolving surprisingly fast. I think the writers realized that viewers won't be able to identify with Echo until she gets her own distinctive persona, and isn't just Role of the Week Girl.

Blaze said:

^^yes I didn't get the point of Sierra???

If I understood correctly though, it was to distract the crazy fan which she actually did so I guess she succeded at her job. I would have given her some crazy kick a** moves though, it would have helped

-Blaze-

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But I mean...that seems like they were putting Sierra up as a sacrifice, almost. The FBI jerk (his official name in my mind, heh) for one seemed extremely upset/surprised that Sierra had been kidnapped. Of course, Olivia (that's her name, right?) just responded with "Ah" so perhaps she knew that would happen all along.

Oh, and I love Victor's plotline, that was great

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Victor! That's his name. 🙂

4) Lasagna Neighbor-Girl is odd. A little too odd.

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Yeah, something doesn't sit quite right about her with me. I mean, it's one thing to offer your neighbor that you're crushing on lasagna a few times...but to be, like, waiting and listening at your door for him to come home? That must have been what she was doing, to catch Victor at his door. And then to offer to take a message, as if she's going to continue listening for Paul to come home? That's a little too creepy for me.

Anybody else sense a romance blossoming between Dr. Saunders and Boyd?

Oh, and a little off-topic but..next week's episode looks awesome. 😀

Count me as another that didn't really get the point of Sierra being included in the mission either... I mean it wound up working as a plot device to enable the "trade" in the end but why the Dollhouse initially involved her when she really didn't do anything, I don't understand. Oh and we got confirmation that there has in fact been a previous Sierra, that was cool.. makes me wonder how many of any of the other active's there have been and what makes them go away cause I don't think its as as simple as they just let them go after 5 years. Do they wind up in "the attic" ... or just dead?

I hadn't gotten a chance yet to post on the threads for the past 2 eps so i just want to say now that I'm really loving the show so far, last week's was my favorite... so super creepy and effective with the whole being hunted thing and her being faced with visions of herself... Tonight's episode was good, I definately enjoyed it but I can't say I was exactly loving the whole pop star storyline as much as I enjoyed the previous 2.

Eliza singing... lol... she wasn't awful but yeah... she looked really pretty :biggrin:

Great plot twist with the Victor thing I thought, didn't see it coming! I'm a tad confused by it though cause we saw him come out of the personality wipe and then a few scenes later he was the same personality talking on the phone with FBI guy... did they imprint him with the same personality again, and who hired him to be in the form of that personality and for what purpose? Is this something obvious that I just missed?

Topher, I really liked him the past two episodes, he did the much needed comic relief thing well, but in tonight's episode, I don't know, he came off as an extra big ass, like more just jerk without the funny? Was that just me?

Eliza's singing was better than I would have expected, actually.
Made me kind of wish Faith had been around during OMWF!

Great plot twist with the Victor thing I thought, didn't see it coming! I'm a tad confused by it though cause we saw him come out of the personality wipe and then a few scenes later he was the same personality talking on the phone with FBI guy... did they imprint him with the same personality again, and who hired him to be in the form of that personality and for what purpose? Is this something obvious that I just missed?

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I believe he's been imprinted with this personality time and time again. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that the Dolls cannot have the same personality for too long without receiving their "treatment." The longest that we've seen a Doll go was Echo for a weekend. I think they need to be "re-printed" every few days.
What seems weird to me is that Victor-as-a-Doll doesn't seem to be self-aware. I mean, maybe it's just an Echo thing, but I feel like all Paul's talking about the Dollhouse would trigger something in him. Who knows, maybe it will.

I didn't like it at all. But the exchange at the end between Sierra and Echo was great!

fly on the wall said:

Eliza's singing was better than I would have expected, actually.
Made me kind of wish Faith had been around during OMWF!


I believe he's been imprinted with this personality time and time again. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that the Dolls cannot have the same personality for too long without receiving their "treatment." The longest that we've seen a Doll go was Echo for a weekend. I think they need to be "re-printed" every few days.
What seems weird to me is that Victor-as-a-Doll doesn't seem to be self-aware. I mean, maybe it's just an Echo thing, but I feel like all Paul's talking about the Dollhouse would trigger something in him. Who knows, maybe it will.

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Yeah that makes sense, but I'm still curious as to who needs him consistently in that personality and why? And who is his handler, cause as we've seen the handlers seem to always be around listening in right? So wouldn't Paul's badgering him about the Dollhouse raise a big red flag, like Trouble! Someone's on to us! Unless Victor is a plant put in place by the Dollhouse themselves in order to throw the FBI off....

Airam said:

Yeah that makes sense, but I'm still curious as to who needs him consistently in that personality and why? And who is his handler, cause as we've seen the handlers seem to always be around listening in right? So wouldn't Paul's badgering him about the Dollhouse raise a big red flag, like Trouble! Someone's on to us! Unless Victor is a plant put in place by the Dollhouse themselves in order to throw the FBI off....

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Yeah, I think it's too early to tell the whys and hows.

I too wondered about his handler. But handlers typically keep to the shadows, so that doesn't seem too strange to me.

Olivia (man, I hope that's her name) doesn't seem too worried about Paul's badgering. That's probably partly because she has Victor in place to lead him astray. They're aware that he's searching them out, but they don't seem too concerned. As we've seen, people don't take Paul too seriously. I mean, his story is pretty far-fetched.

I think they're involving Sierra in the plot to break the chain of the Doll's limit on self-awareness. Echo currently constitutes as the only Doll that is experiencing it (it being initiated by herself), but I think they're trying to emphasize more on her being special. You have the main reason, her slow steps to self-awareness. Then, you have her other specialities, being able to alter the personality she's implemented with, the unknown connection between her and Alpha, and now the link with Sierra. I mean, I guess they could probably be involving her too, as a future ally to Caroline whenever the inevitable breaking of the DH chains occur. She's going to need somebody with the same capabilities, or they're planting her as a plot twist.. friend who grudgingly becomes the enemy.

Anyways, I really enjoyed this episode. Eliza was the sweetest eye candy a guy could possibly ask for, and it was even sweeter to actually hear her sing. I must commend the fact that she is not a horrible singer, obviously she doesn't exactly straddle the range of most stars.. but I definitely know shes better than most computer-driven voices in Hollywood. I wonder if they altered her voice much, or if it was entirely natural.

Now.. Boyd and Saunders, can anyone see the, em connection? I really hopes their 'relationship' evolves, they're even on a first-name basis now! I'm really starting to digg Big-Boyd, he's like the odd rebel. And as much as I'm pushing myself to keep comparisons with BtVS & Joss' previous work to a minimum, I must say the Boyd/Echo relationship really reminds me of mid-series Buffy/Gilesness. It's cute.

I could ramble on with this episode, but I'll digress... oh wait - the Lasagna lady! I honestly don't believe she's anything of the undercover sort, I think it'd be a little repetitive in the surprise department .. especially after Victor's character has now been revealed to be a Doll assigned to keep Ballard away. BUT, I think she's definitely going to serve a purpose with Mr. FBI. Possible future romance, or a future path-blocking implement?

Cannot wait for tonight's ratings and yey for next week's episode! 🙂

While I agree about the "surprise" effect wearing off. But, that neighbor IS a doll. There is no way they aren't ALL over this, besides she's super creepy.
If Victor is a doll, then she is too.
In fact, seems like she would be easier to plant than the Russian.

Now, that does kind of bring us to, who hired Victor? Could just be the Dollhouse. But, also COULD be the Russians. He looks like he has some ties to them if he could get the guys to ambush Paul in the hotel. (The one that oddly looked Hyperionesque from the outside.) And you don't just "hook up" with the Russian mob.
Maybe he's kind of with both of them.

I wasn't horribly impressed with this episode. Eliza was great. She sings a lot better than I'd have EVER given her credit for.
But the "twist" left me going, "bleh".
Although, I will admit that the whole "freedom" thing worked out well for both Rayna and Echo. So, that part made me smile.

I was happy to see another handler, for once. And how Echo knew to avoid talking to Sierra with him around.

Topher was just as adorable as he should be. Dominic was just as annoying as he should be. (What IS his job anyway? Wear a suit and then put on gear and a gun and go get the dolls if he has to? Sounds like a glorified gopher to me. He's a bit uppity for having such a crappy job.)
Dr. Saunders and Langdon were their normal fabulous selves. But the PUNCH of the story was lacking for me.

Although, NEXT week looks great. Kinda like Dollhouse meets Leverage. Wonder if Lindsey will show up? 😉

Paul was a bit "Super Hero-ish" when he was fighting. Maybe Joss is having trouble getting used to fight scenes without super powers? He felt comic bookish. But, still, amusing to see him kick their butts. Not sure why. I'm not horribly attached to the guy yet, but I still found it slightly amusing.

On the plus side for a "slower" episode (in my book), I'm not sure I could handle all the episodes being like last week. Not when I have to wait a week in between them. And I DO feel more like I caught a lot the first time through, not like I have to watch it 3 times before I can digest it.

I was looking forward to this one. I wanted to see how Jed and Maurissa would transition as a writing team from Doctor Horrible. They didn't disappoint.

I liked this one. Lots of background stuff, and layers to pick up on a rewatch.

And Fly, since I'm at IMDB right now I can help you out with the "Olivia" confusion. Olivia Williams is the actress. Adelle Dewitt is the character.

Well, we finally got confirmation that Victor is still indeed a Doll! Good. 😀

Airam said:

Unless Victor is a plant put in place by the Dollhouse themselves in order to throw the FBI off....

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That seems to be the most likely case. But I thought Adelle had decided that Paul shouldn't be killed so I'm wondering why they did try it. Maybe someone's working behind her back!

And yes, Paul was quite the ninja!

fly on the wall said:

The FBI jerk (his official name in my mind, heh) for one seemed extremely upset/surprised that Sierra had been kidnapped.

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I think you're confusing the FBI guy (Paul Ballard, AKA ninja) with Dominic, the head of security. Him referencing the attic again is pretty interesting, it sounds like some kind of a holding facility for "damaged goods". 😛

I'm glad Echo is becoming more and more self-aware! They said the first 7 episodes would just be stand-alone without any longer story lines but that seems to be pretty much bs.

I'm watching it now, and so far its great beater than i first 2 episode i think 🙂. There's some humor!!! "you two are gonna get married and have scowly babies" 😛

I think i'm starting to love this show!

I really enjoyed this episode. I like that every ep so far has a different flow. I really liked how Echo and Sierra bonded at the beginning, as well as how you see their "characters" bond as well. LOVED how at the end that Echo was aware of how they shouldn't interact and that Sierra didn't just act like how a 5 year old would act if you indicated they shouldn't speak to you (or maybe that's just when I was 5 😛)

It was definitely quippier this as well, which I was greatful for. I love Victor's role as the red herring doll. My assumption is that for such a lon term assignment, that he probably does need a refresh every so often, which is why we see him back in the chair. I want to be Doris Friggin Day!

The whole symbolism of Rayna and Echo....ahhhh....when Rayna says that she was produced in a lab. Oh the joys. The freedom thing came in real nice. I wish the psycho boy had been less obvious from the get go. Like of course the one who's not running away and just staring at the stage is gonna be the freak. I could have done with not knowing that straight up, letting it build and stuff. But that's just being nitpicky.

Boyd....stage daddy Boyd....I love that he's so invested into Echo's wellbeing, even when she's inactive. I don't see the other handlers being so protective when the dolls aren't functioning. I like how we get bits and pieces from the story. I knew I was right about the whole more than one doll with the same name thing! And I'm guessing that "The Attic" is just a metaphorical way of killing them off....you know....where good dolls go to die.

Topher growing a pair against Dominic....gotta love that 😀 His God complex creeps me out a little, but I do like him.

I can't wait for next week!

OMG I really,really loved this episode! I loved everything about it the pace,the look, the story! and especially the ending!!!!

Its had some laughs in it! I was really wanting that 🙂

"a security guard in a nice suit" & "scowly babies"

I'm seriously impressed. Is it just me or does anyone think Echo seems to be collecting bits from the other personalities and remembering stuff. Didn't that happen with Alpha?

and i was secretly happy wen Ballard got shot 😉 but i did feel sorry for that woman who lives next door to him, she's looking very interesting,even if you liked a person a lot you wouldn't wait by your door would you?

and the boss woman stopping Boyd from shooting that man. I wonder if she's realizing echo's remembering stuff or something.

but yeah i loved it! and i'm really looking forward to watching the relationships between everyone form.