By common consensus in reading around in all the usual Dollhouse internet haunts, last night’s “Belonging” is ranking among the best-ever among fans. How much of this is true, and how much is based on the knowledge that the show is going on a just-this-side-of-cancelled hiatus?
Well, it was a damn good hour, especially if you didn’t care whether Eliza Dushku was in it very much. As an origin-story for Sierra, this was one of the most emotional, and emotionally coherent, entries in the series, written by Maurissa Tanchareon and Jed Whedon, and directed by Jonathan frakkin’ Frakes. It’s always a better Dollhouse when you give Topher something to do besides be a wiseass. And last, he was proud of his molding of the pre-doll Sierra (Priya), who’d been “a paranoid schizophrenic when she came here… a psychotic,” as he put it, when she came to the Dollhouse. Of course, Topher couldn’t claim any fundamental virtue. As DeWitt said to him with her unique chilliness, “Everyone is here because their morals have been compromised in someway, except for you, Topher. You have no morals.”
Sierra’s manipulation by Nolan Kinnard — “a raping scumbag,” in DeWitt’s tart summation — was both repulsive and propulsive for the narrative. This hour sped by, aided by strong support-work from Keith Carradine as DeWitt’s imperious boss. In a sense, DeWitt was as controlled as any of her dolls, given the threats Carradine’s character made.
In the end, Sierra was brought together with Victor (who’s fast becoming my favorite chameleon-character… I know, just when it’s too late), and Echo spoke forebodingly of the coming “storm.” Her discovery of a computer card in her book with the note “For The Storm” certainly left things open-ended and ominous.
All around, a satisfyingly intricate and well-acted hour from top to bottom, from Dichen Lachman to Carradine (is he really dying in Dexter?).
What did you think, and how do you feel about Dollhouse’s removal from Fox during November sweeps?
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It was totally my favourite episode of the season so far. And it greatly annoys me that Fox is sticking it on hiatus, when it’s clearly been improving as the weeks go on!
I agree, they should have had an episode like this before they lost all the viewers. Now it is too late.
It wasn’t too late, it was just the first time it was available. You needed “Echoes” and “Needs” before this, plus some episodes to show the Victor-Sierra relationship, plus some to let the “Echo’s sort of awake” story line set up at the start of the season (to make her intervention make sense). Now that the groundwork’s set, boom, payoff, utterly gratifying. You can’t start out with that note because you have to first make the characters emotionally investing. Props to the other Whedon and Groupie #1 (Jed and Maurissa) for writing a satisfying payoff, and to Frakes for taking a very difficult episode and making it outstanding.
Wait, no! Something’s happening to Victor?! Enver is one of the best actors on Dollhouse!
Ken Tucker is referring to Keith Carradine’s character FBI agent Lundy who was shot at the end of last weeks episode of Dexter.
No he’s not. He’s referring to Victor, but that it’s probably “too late” to start caring for a character when the show is on the brink of cancelation.
Learn to read, LL. Please don’t post if you’re going to be so careless in your responses (especially if you’re trying to correct someone). It amazes me how dumb some people are.
Brian C. You’re the one that needs to pay attention and not be so careless! Or are you just to dumb to read? Ken Tucker was absolutely writing about Lundy being shot on Dexter!!! Dork!
Gotta side with Brian C on this one. The OP was referring to the comment about Victor and Brian C was clarifying.
All around, a satisfyingly intricate and well-acted hour from top to bottom, from Dichen Lachman to Carradine (is he really dying in Dexter?). He is so referring to Agent Lundy on Dexter!!!!!!
The comment about Victor and it being too late is referring to the show most likely being canceled and it’s too late to start caring. Nowhere in the story does it say anything about Victor dying!!!
Kristy – maybe it’s time to go back to school? Take some English classes or something? Just a thought.
Here’s the quote: “In the end, Sierra was brought together with Victor (who’s fast becoming my favorite chameleon-character… I know, just when it’s too late)…”. Obviously the text in parentheses – and the text in question – is referring to Victor. Do we all agree? And Ken’s saying Victor’s one of his favorites, but it’s kind of late. The reason it’s probably too late, as we all know, is that the show is about to be canceled.
Thanks for playing…
I’m with Kristy. The “just when it’s too late” is referring to the probably cancellation of the show, not anything happening to Victor.
I think it was just an misunderstanding between two correct parties and people should chill out and stop insulting each other. How about that?
Seeing as Victor is present in Epitaph One, granted it’s with someone else inhabiting his body, it seems like his removal from the show at this point is all but impossible. Given the context of the article it is clear that the reviewer is referring to the possible cancellation of the show. Damn Brian C. you need to go back to school yourself to learn some manners and/or some social skills, your hostility is totally uncalled for.
It was at least the second-best episode of the series (eclipsed maybe by the episode where Alpha showed up). I think its success is due not only to great writing and direction, but great acting by Dichen and Enver. I just don’t sympathize with Eliza Dushku. This series would have been much better if Sierra and Victor were the leading characters.
I was thinking the same thing. This was my favourite episode by far and Echo was barely in it.
Dushku’s not a bad actress (ringing endorsement!), but this is the most challenging character conceived in the last decade. Always different, requiring a wide range… Even Jennifer Garner on Alias (#2 in terms of difficulty) only had to play someone pretending to be someone else, so she always had that fallback position every episode. Dollhouse requires becoming someone else; I remain unconvinced that Dushku has that range. That being said, I think Dushku takes the brunt of the criticism unfairly: Sierra and Victor were able to thrive in the background, without having to visibly play all the roles. Then when they step up to the front for a second, it’s all kinds of awesome and believable. Switch Echo and Sierra in the credits, everyone’s crying for more Dushku after Belonging… The Dolls, by their nature, are the least relatable characters. Making a show rotate around the least relatable character will always have problems. That’s why Quantum Leap wasn’t told from the POV of Al. People need to have a relatable protagonist. This episode was awesome because it had three: DeWitt, Topher, Sierra. Ordered to do something unseemly on the job, struggling with moral decisions, fighting for identity. That sort of writing will always improve over “Echo becomes a party girl! Woo!” episodes.
Q, exactly! On tv.com the original pilot is described thusly: Agent Ballard’s investigation into the Dollhouse gains momentum when he gets a photo of Echo. Meanwhile Echo and some of the other Actives start to show signs of self-awareness, making Adelle and the handlers nervous. So we would have cared about Ballard right away and gotten some inkling on the actual conflict behind the show. But just like with with Firefly Fox stuck their noses in – like the idea but not the pilot, try again. I’d dare Fox to show the original pilot to a focus group, but only if we were allowed to see the results.
Hmm, not convinced. The feeling I get is that the actors playing Victor and Sierra have a background of training that has allowed them to have an enhanced awareness of voice and physicality, and this makes the distinction between characters very clear. Dushku does not have the training, and so struggles to really shake off herself, no matter who she is playing.
i agree with topazbean, i love how victor can do all those different accents and voices and so can Sierra she has been both british and american as well as her usual Aussie. that’s impressive.
Eliza is not a bad actress she’s just not as good as the others. But she’s still impressive.
Dollhouse is by far one of the best shows at the mo and fox is not doing enough to promote it. taking it off air in Nov is just gonna make ratings worse.
This show belongs on cable.
Great episode, I kept saying ‘how are they cancelling this show’ about a half dozen times.
I’d thought the actress who played Sierra was just a pretty face but she really showed great chops as Priya. Makes sense as all her other characters are cardboard cutouts for fulfilling missions.
Gotta agree wholeheartedly! Dichen absolutely was marvelous!
I’m going to go ahead and say it’s the best episode they’ve done yet. While the end of last season was great, this episode was working on all cylinders. Everyone brought their A game and Jed and Maurissa made up for Stage Fright, the show’s worst episode.
I understand the reasoning of them not showing episodes during November sweeps but then again what else are they going to have on at 9 on Friday’s that’ll make a difference anyways. Um nothing. They’re better off leaving it there. If anything they’ll get worse ratings without it. My opinion. It was a good episode though.
I have a weird crush on Topher and it was nice to see him have his first moral dilemma.
“Best ever episode of Dollhouse” = so, up to actually being mediocre TV, then? Honestly, I know that EW feeds the Whedonites because they translate into web hits, but it’s embarrassing to see Ken Tucker pandering to them by selling an opinion that no other critic, no other mainstream viewers and not even all of the Whedon cult can support — i.e., that this is anything other than absymal storytelling.
The song running through my head as I read this comment, sung to the tune of the Meow Mix jingle: “Troll, troll, troll, troll, troll, troll, troll, troll, troll, troll, troll, troll, troll, troll, troll, troll…”
Ken DID ask what people thought. He didn’t ask for comments only from people who liked the episode. If you’re going to go around shooting people who don’t find Dollhouse worth watching, there’s gonna be a lot of dead people.
I think the troll accusation was less because he criticised Dollhouse and more because he directly insulted fans of Joss Whedon and questioned the very basis of the article – a classic way to start a fight.
yeah, but this person didn’t watch it so his opinion is pointless.. epic troll fail
Actually every single review that I’ve read about this episode (I have Enver Gjokaj on google alert so I’ve read a LOT of reviews on this episode) agree wholeheartedly with this review (and overall consensus). If one is going to disagree with the original commentary, it’s best to get your facts straight first.
I’ve hung out with Enver and he’s a cool dude. I hope for his sake that Dollhouse stays on and he has a job. However, after seeing his strong performances I don’t think he’ll have trouble finding another.
I would definitely call myself a Whedonite and I am definitely watching Dollhouse because it’s a product of Joss Whedon’s imagination. I haven’t loved every episode of the show so far but, yes, this was the best episode of Dollhouse so far to be broadcast on tv (the Alpha storyline is a strong second). I resent the implication that because someone may be a fan of Whedon’s work they are unable to have an unbiased opinion.
wow jeff interesting to see that despite the fact you find this show abysmal, you read the review and commented!
woops sorry lol
This is what the show could have been. But with Dushku in the lead role, it was permanently hampered.
Too little, too late…
Dushku is NOT a bad actress. But with Fox actually airing this one in order, fans need to scapegoat SOMEONE for the show failing in the ratings. Don’t let anyone see that flashback of you in 2003 BEGGING Joss to build a “Faith” series for Eliza.
Hope you are talking to Ken, as I have not ever been a Dushku fan. She was awful as Faith, and remains that same way to this day.
Funny because Faith was my least favourite character on Buffy – except maybe Dawn. I would rather Angel ran for a couple more seasons than have a Faith or a Spike spin off show thank you very much.
Whedon should create a new show starring Eliza Dushku and Michelle Rodriquez and call it “Two Hot Chicks Who Can Play Tough Girls With Street Smarts and Bad Attitudes and That’s About It.”.
Chappel: I agree that Dushku does not have the range as her costars (although her role is the most demanding in the series), but she’s still leagues above Michelle Rodriquez as an actress.
Great episode. There’s nothing else like this on TV. Even with the ups and downs, the storytelling is more compelling and thoughtful than other shows out there. I do realize the ratings aren’t great, but I appreciate EW still covering Dollhouse.
Great episode
A great episode for sure. The actor who plays Victor is also my favorite too. The problem with shows like Dollhouse is that networks no longer give shows the time to find their voice. By the time they get into a flow, it’s too little and too late. Season 2 is what Season 1 should have been to survive longterm.
The episode was heartbreaking. Such great moments for Sierra, Victor, Topher, Adelle and Boyd. The little we got of Echo was done very well toward moving the story forward. Best. Episode. Ever. Indeed it was. I am not surprised by Fox’s decision. They messed with the intended product and who knows if they had left it alone if it would have gotten better rating then the version they demanded. This was the best episode and I think it fell to an all time ratings low so its hard to say if the viewing public would have embraced Joss’ dark journey. I know I have, but I am far from your average viewer, usually preferring the oddball show to the mainstream hit.
I absolutely loved this episode! One of the top of the series in my opinion. The supporting cast really make this show and they were utilized well. I also enjoy origin stories, it helps to know where the characters started and how they got to the place they are in now. I hope we see more of this in the few short episodes we have left of Dollhouse
This episode was probably the best — and what does that say that it didn’t have Eliza in it that much? But I hate that it won’t be on in November – might as well accept it’s over.
The actors playing Sierra and Victor are amazing. They change their tics, accent, moves on command and make everything believable. My problem with Eliza is that, well…she’s always Eliza, no matter what persona she takes. I’m glad those 2 are having more and more to do in the show!
This was an episode I really enjoyed. At least we get a little back story on one of the characters. Also, ED was not the focus. ED usually plays the same character each week, and frankly the show gets boring. Sometimes I don’t even finish watching the episodes because they’re so bad.
Well, to start, Dichen Lachman was absolutely luminous in this episode, as always. She is just a joy to watch, as is Enver Gjokaj. Regretfully, I do agree with others that this episode, like Epitaph One, was better off for Eliza Dushku’s absence. I like her, she has charisma, but the role she’s been given is more than the actress can carry. She plays one kind of part very, very well, and I would happily have seen her do just that on the show, but Lachman and Gjokaj, as the dolls, blow her out of the water, and the non-doll ensemble are all so strong that they often have more presence than she does, undermining this ‘there’s something special about Echo’ notion.
Anyway, loved the episode. The escalating mental breakdown of Topher feels so well managed and coherent that I really believe and care about how it progresses. I know it’s destined for cancellation, but can’t it have a much happier, if more modest and Dushku-free, future on one of the cable networks?
I agree with some other commentators. Show would be better without Dushku. The girl playing sierra is amazing -more screentime for her, please.
Frack. So good that I was suddenly very upset at its dim future.
I can’t believe they may be leaving just when it is finding itself!
Is it the cool thing now to dogg Eliza’s acting? I’ll be the first to admit when she’s doing a bad job, but she’s been solid so far this season. I enjoyed the few scenes she had this ep.
I think it would matter less if Fox’s entire marketing campaign, both this season and last, has focussed exclusively on Echo and Dushku playing Echo, and ignoring the fact that Dollhouse is, essentially, an ensemble drama. It makes it seem like a pretty bog standard wish-fulfillment action show. You know, “Wouldn’t it be cool if I was bionic?” “Wouldn’t it be cool if I was a spy gone rogue?” “Wouldn’t it be cool if I could have any personality and do anything but was so amazing I could rebel against it at the same time?” Joss Whedon’s shows have always been about much more than that – though I do find his love of Dushku’s acting pretty inexplicable, given that it has been clear since Buffy that she is a very charming but limited actress…well, maybe not entirely inexplicable, but that theory would compromise his integrity in a way I don’t want to think about.
Last season, i was totally obsessed with “Dollhouse”. Not a Whedon fan; never watched “Buffy” or any of that. I just loved “Dollhouse”. I honestly haven’t watched it this season. I’ve recorded all of the episodes, but haven’t watched them yet.
I think there are two reasons for this: 1) i think i knew the show wasn’t going to be on after this season. Fox is good for messing up a good thing if it doesn’t run first thing out of the gate. No time to develop a fan base for a creatively thought out show without the threat of cancellation.
2) I saw the last show on the DVD release, “Epitaph One”. I LOVED it, but it gave me the feeling that i was peeking in the back of the book to read the end of the story. I never do that; what’s the point of reading the whole book when you know how the story will end ?
I didn’t know the show was going on hiatus the way it is. Now that i know, i will start writing in to Fox like i did last season when they were talking about cancellation. Just because i’m not as into it as i was last season doesn’t mean i want it to go away. Wouldn’t it be great if SyFy could/would pick it up ? When does Eliza’s developmental deal with Fox end ?
I was wondering about a channel like SyFy, whose demographic fits the programme better and to whom ratings like Dollhouse’s aren’t as catastrophic? It’s a cheap show to make, its already got an audience [small and devoted]. Give it a decent timeslot and some ad time and SyFy might be able to turn it into a small success story which will inevitably kick ass in DVD sales.
Or put it on FX? If AMC wasn’t remaking the Prisoner I would say they should take it to fill in their cult programming. Though really I think they should take it anyway. The real problem there is 1. Budget, moving a network sci-fi show onto cable could cause problems. Just think about the fact that My Name Is Earl coudn’t go cable because they couldn’t make the budget cuts work.
2. Dushku has a contract with Fox. Granted I could live with only giving cameos on the sohw, but I doubt she or Joss Whedon could.
I have to agree, I think this is one of the strongest episodes of the show by far. All around excellent work by everyone featured in the episode. The only thing I questioned was how did Sierra/Pria have Topher’s phone number and why would he be the person she called?
Topher was the only person she had contact with after he restored her personality. I’m guessing he gave her the number in case something went wrong or she needed help.
Dollhouse is certainly inconsistent. However between the last two episodes, “Man on the Street” and the last several of last season it clearly has all the potential of past Whedon shows. Both Buffy and Angel were inconsistent for the first two seasons. Both became excellent shows. As I have said before if the end is coming for Dollhouse then there is nobody to blame but the tv watching public. The network is about making money NOT about quality programming. There is nothing wrong with that. If people would stop watching such horrible television in mass numbers and instead gave ratings to struggling yet quality shoes like Dollhouse then there would be noyhing to worry about. NCIS is the #1 show and reality is not going away. Enough said.
Well, maybe not Buffy’s second season. That’s (fan-consensus-wise) pretty much the best season of Buffy. But I totally agree with everything else. Give Dollhouse some love, Fox!
This episode was really great. I have to admit that I only started watching the show because I knew the Keith Carradine was making a few guest appearances. He didn’t disappoint as usual. Going to miss him on Dexter. I am thankful that other good shows realize his talent and that he’s a big draw.
Loved Belonging. When Victor was sitting and waiting for Sierra to return, it nearly broke my heart. This episode was awesome. I can only hope Fox does the right thing and gives it more time.
Totally agree about the Victor waiting for Sierra part being heart-breaking. You’re the only one to bring it up. Though time seems to be meaningless in the dollhouse, you get the feeling he waited a long time for her to return.
victor and sierra break my heart. love love love victor. enver is a fantastic actor.
This show hasn’t always been stellar, but I think it’s too soon cancel it. Friday night’s episode is proof enough.
I love the show. I can’t wait until December. I like the show because it is unique. Alot of shows are either about cops or hospital these days. Change is nice.
Echo is the core theme of Dollhouse, the story that the show has to go back to so as to continue through some sort of continuity. (Because knowing where you’re going is the new ‘cool’ for tv). But Victor (and truly, Enver’s acting ability) and Sierra (Dichen’s nuanced portrayal) as well as Topher and Adelle – and Boyd quite a bit too – are my favorites, because they’re stories are naturally gripping, instead of Echo’s necessary one. I understand the need for a core story, but if they had more episodes like Belonging (and put Dollhouse on Tuesdays) they would have much better ratings. This show should go to cable if [when] it’s cancelled.
Best hour of Dollhouse to date! So good. It makes me all the more depressed it is going to be canceled. This episode broke the usual campy, fun boundaries and went into a twisted, vengeful terrain. It was great.