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  • TV Series: Dollhouse
  • Episode: The Attic
  • Starring: Eliza Dushku, Olivia Williams, Harry Lennix, Fran Kranz, Tahmoh Penikett, Enver Gjokaj, Dichen Lachman
  • Written By: John Cassaday
  • Directed By: Maurissa Tancharoen, Jed Whedon
  • Network: Fox
  • Series: Dollhouse

Dollhouse: The Attic Review

Echo, Sierra, and Victor Confront Their Own Private Hells

By Kurt Anthony Krug     December 21, 2009


Dollhouse Review(2009).
© Fox/Bob Trate

 

In what has got to be the best episode of Dollhouse, Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon reveal the oft-mentioned yet never-before-seen Attic, where whoever is sent there continuously lives out their own private hells. In the previous episode, Dollhouse matriarch Adelle DeWitt (Olivia Williams) sent Echo (Eliza Dushku), Sierra (Dichen Lachman), and Victor (Enver Gjokaj) to the Attic, deeming them too dangerous.
 
The Attic is a sterile, medical environment where the bad Dolls are placed in a stasis tube filled with a viscous fluid and hooked up to a machine that makes them relive their nightmares constantly. For Echo, it’s escaping from the Attic with Victor and Sierra, only to be recaptured. For Victor, it’s being back in Afghanistan with his old Army Ranger unit in his original Anthony Ceccoli persona, where he battles enemy who is revealed to be himself. For Sierra, it’s making love to Victor, who then transforms into a zombie version of Nolan Kennard (Vincent Ventresca, Prey), the Dollhouse client who raped her from the fourth episode.  
 
Echo realizes that none of this is real and advances to the next step in the dreamscape, which is the interior of the Dollhouse where it’s snowing and there’s a tree (think the World Ash from Norse Mythology) right in the middle of it.
 
There, she encounters Laurence Domenic (Reed Diamond), the Dollhouse security chief who was really an undercover NSA agent that was sent to the Attic in the first season. He is on the trail of a shadow-being named Arcane. This is very similar to “Restless,” the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 4 finale where a primordial being was stalking the Scoobies in their dreams. 
 
Meanwhile in the real world, Adelle takes her nastiness up a few notches. She tells Boyd (Harry Lennix) that he either improve his performance or else he has two options: death or the Attic. She also informs Ivy (Liza Lapira) that she might be in line to take over Topher’s (Fran Kranz) job as head scientist. Further, she tells Topher to turn the brain-dead Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett) into the new Victor upon installing Active technology into his cerebral cortex.
 
Instead, Topher downloads Paul’s brain patterns into him. However, to do this, he has to take something away from Paul. It is not unrevealed what Topher took away from Paul to make this long shot work.
 
In the dreamscape, Victor and Echo overcome their fears and join forces with Echo and Domenic to stop Arcane, who’s revealed to be a little old Englishman named Clyde (Adam Godley, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), one of the Rossum Corporation’s founding partners who has been in the Attic since 1993. There’s a funny line when he asks Echo what year is it. She responds that she thinks it’s 2010, but they keep getting taken off. A nice reference to the Dolls’ disorientation with regard to time between treatments wrapped up in what can be perceived as a dig at FOX for always pre-empting the show and subsequently canceling it.
 
The five are still in the dreamscape but it’s a post-apocalyptic future similar to “Epitaph One,” the missing 13th episode from the first season. This is Clyde’s recurring nightmare. It turns out that those trapped in the Attic make up Rossum’s mainframe because they live in a fear-induced state that’s fueled by adrenaline, reliving their worst fears over and over. In short, Rossum is using human brains as computers. Clyde has been killing people to free them in order to take away Rossum’s CPUs, thus preventing the post-apocalyptic world he predicted. Clyde is shocked to learn – as is Domenic – that Rossum is ahead of schedule having an imprinted politician, Sen. Daniel Perrin (Alexis Denisof), in its pocket.
 
Domenic and Clyde vow to remain in the Attic and help others, while Echo, Sierra, and Victor manage to escape. Echo confronts Adelle, the woman who put her in the Attic in the first place – only to reveal in a big, mind-blowing twist that nobody saw coming – that Adelle sent her to the Attic to find out about Rossum’s grand plan.
 
Finally revealing Adelle is on the side of the angels is just amazing, especially after her deplorable behavior in the last few episodes. Underneath her cold breast, there’s actually a warm heart. Credit must be given to Williams, who is a phenomenal actress in her own right, creator Joss Whedon, and this episode’s brilliant writers Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon (a husband and wife writing team). The younger Whedon has proven himself a brilliant writer with this episode, stepping out of his brother Joss’ shadow.
 
At the very end, Echo, Adelle, Paul, Boyd, Sierra, Victor, Ivy, and Topher vow to bring down Rossum once and for all, leading up to the final three episodes. To do so, they will need the help of Caroline, Echo’s original personality, and then the show fades to black.
 
Now this is a cliffhanger ending to keep the audience coming back for more. Since mid-season finales are becoming commonplace in the TV medium, they must end on a strong note or else viewers will be alienated (for instance, the mid-season finale of FlashForward was a good episode but not good enough for a cliffhanger finale, nor is it enough to sustain the momentum until the series returns in March). Other TV series need to follow Dollhouse’s example. Thankfully, Dollhouse will return Jan. 8, 2010 with its final three episodes and not in March. Joss Whedon was smart to come up with a series finale to wrap up this series, an opportunity he did not have when Firefly was cancelled in 2002.
 
FUN FACT: John Cassaday the director of this episode, is the same John Cassady who was the artist on Marvel’s Astonishing X-Men, which was written by Joss Whedon.
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COMMENTS AND RESPONSES

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DaylightMoon 12/21/2009 12:50:53 AM

This was an amazing episode that really showcased the full potential of this show. It's ashamed the moment where all the characters come together and the sides are clearly drawn comes so late in the shows run.  Based on Whedon's previous shows, I was expecting that this was the sort of point where the first season was going to end up.  Then again, maybe if that had been a full 22 episode season, it might have been.

midwest216 12/21/2009 7:49:16 AM

will the networks please kill this show already?!?!?!?! please!

redhairs99 12/21/2009 7:50:50 AM

The twist with Adelle gathering everyone together at the end was great.  In fact, it was also very similar to what Whedon did in the season five of Angel where Angel is getting deeper and deeper into the dark side of things with Wolfram and Hart only to bring everyone (that he's alienated) together and tell them that he plans to bring down all the baddies in the Circle of the Black Thorn.

I also definitely could see some of the parallels from the Buffy season four finale.  I had to rewind this episode for a second when Echo was describing all the elements of her nightmare to Domenic and they showed some crazy looking dude that Echo didn't know who/what that was.  I thought for a second maybe it was the cheeseman from Buffy.  That would have been hilarious.

I did like the Japanese guy who kept saying that he had to "enjoy himself" only to find out that he really meant "enjoy himself" as he was eating his own legs.

DaForce1 12/21/2009 11:24:16 AM

Let me guess what shows midwest216 likes....American Idol, Gossip Girl, and Survivor. Please go cancel yourself from this reality. You'll be doing us all a favor.

On to this episode...amazing. The last shot of everyone in the room together actually gave me goosebumps. Also, when I saw John Cassady as the director, my first thought was the artist from Astonishing but I kind of ruled that out. Nice to see I was wrong.

Three episodes left until the end of another great series that wasn't given a chance to shine. After this, I hope Whedon just stays away from Fox and brings his ideas out on cable rather than network tv.

WarCry 12/21/2009 7:49:11 PM

Anyone else catch the note that shows they EXPECTED to run the regular season? Clyde asked Echo what year it was and she said "2010", which would have been appropriate had the episode aired when it should have, mid-to-late January. Unfortunately, its getting dumped in the "two-a-week-to-burn-them-off".

I swear, every time Whedon signs a contract with FOX, he needs to sign a "pick-me-up-contract" with SyFy to keep the series running after FOX cancels it.

redhairs99 12/22/2009 2:34:10 AM

WarCry, I think the review mentioned that line, but I think it was more along the lines of "2010, at least I think it is." Rather than the "She responds that she thinks it’s 2010, but they keep getting taken off" line from this review.

midwest216 12/22/2009 5:01:41 AM

for the record I enjoyed Dollhouse when it started, but since then it just doesnt seem to keep a pace and direction. Things may have changed this season, but since Sarah Connor was canceled , I stop watching that night. Bytheway I truly enjoy reading the posts about my opinions, thank you all for so much interest!

Kerrith 12/22/2009 10:28:43 AM

midwest216,

If you stopped watching television on Friday nights, why are you so insistent that this show be killed?  How about showing a little consideration for the people (I am not one of them)  who do like the show?  Especially if it doesn't interfere with your life in any way.

mrBig 12/22/2009 10:08:26 PM

In the immortal words of Jay :"Damn youuzz! Damn youuzz all to hell!!" Fox!!! This season has by far proven to be the best of this show, let alone any show these fall/winter seasons...

This episode A material certainly. The imagery, the writing, the plot, the acting even..superb. I can't wait to see how this turns out...and then...Fox cancels it. Like many other superior shows, of course, namely, you-know-what-I'm-talking-about, Firefly.

Alas, poor Dollhouse, we knew ye well, albeit so quickly...

 

Hobbs 12/23/2009 9:39:21 AM

Too bad this show really found its legs AFTER they canned it.  I've been blown away at how good this has been the last 4 episodes...

If Fox would have given Joss a full 22 episode first season this may have had a chance.  Spread out like it over two seaons and it takes too long to get to where its at.

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