Dollhouse: The Purpose

Um, wow? I have certainly enjoyed the previous five episodes of Dollhouse, but "Man on the Street" really took things to the next level. At long last, this finally felt like a Joss Whedon show. We now know for certain that there is a bigger meaning to the Dollhouse than just dealing in the fantasies of the super-rich. We don't know what that purpose is yet, but we certainly know it exists, along with Dollhouses in 20 other cities aside from Los Angeles. This episode was packed full of stuff, from hints about who is pulling the strings to effects that non-actives can have on the dolls.

First of all, the sanctuary of the Dollhouse has been shown to be anything but this week. Dr. Saunders discovered Sierra has had sex in her inactive state, and it turns out that someone has been raping her. But even more importantly to the overall story, there is a mole inside who reprogrammed Echo before her encounter with Ballard. Yes, they finally met this week, and the encounter was spectacular. Wait, that should say that BOTH encounters were spectacular. At first, it looked like Echo's mission-of-the-week would involve being the wife of an internet billionaire, but that mission was quickly scuttled when Ballard burst in and forced Langdon to whisk Echo back to the Dollhouse. Echo's belief that her "husband" made it big with porn never ceased to be hilarious. But the ensuing conversation between Ballard and Patton Oswalt's character was incredible. Oswalt admitted that he was seeking a fantasy, but told Ballard that his quest to free Caroline was also based on a fantasy, in addition to justice.

After we watch Ballard's relationship with his neighbor Mellie develop, we get a second meeting between Echo and Ballard, and this time, she has been imprinted with a kick-ass personality who is supposed to take him down. Unfortunately for the Dollhouse, they have a mole, and Echo was reprogrammed to tell Ballard to lay low for a while. Could this have been a calculated move by the Dollhouse to get him to back off for a while? Ballard obviously poses a threat because they have had TWO dolls tasked to keep him busy (fool me once Joss Whedon, shame on you, but fool me twice, especially after reading that two actors were "originally set" to play dolls before removing those characters from the story, then shame on me). But if the Dollhouse really is as powerful as Echo says it is, how could Ballard be a threat? And what would they gain from telling Ballard that the fantasy business is the means, but not the ends of the Dollhouse? Anyway, my guess is that, if there truly is an informant, it is Topher's assistant. I realize that she is the obvious choice right now, but I have no idea who else it could be. Maybe Dr. Saunders? But perhaps the most interesting development is the idea that the Dollhouse can be used for good in rare circumstances...

This episode absolutely rocked on multiple levels, and I have never been more excited to see the next one.

Up next: The next generation...