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- TV Series: Dollhouse
- Episode: Belle Chose
- Starring: Eliza Dushku, Olivia Williams, Tahmoh Penikett, Harry Lennix , Fran Kranz, Enver Gjokaj, Michael Hogan
- Written By: Tim Minear
- Directed By: David Solomon
- Network: Fox
- Series: Dollhouse
Dollhouse: Belle Chose Review
Minear Delivers in Best Episode Yet By Kurt Anthony Krug
October 11, 2009
Dollhouse Review(2009).
© Fox/Bob Trate
At last, Dollhouse redeems itself from last week’s lackluster episode with “Belle Chose,” penned by Tim Minear, who wrote some of the best episodes of Angel, another Joss Whedon show. This is head and shoulders better than last week’s “Instinct.”
This episode focuses on Terry (Joe Sikora), a serial killer who happens to be the nephew of one of the major shareholders in the Dollhouse’s parent company named Bradley Karrens (Battlestar Galactica alumnus Michael Hogan). Terry has captured four women and turns them into mannequins. The opening sequence of this episode with the women and Terry playing croquet was disturbing as Terry goes from mellow to achieving critical mass rage lickedy-split, killing one of the women.
Afterwards, Terry needs to find a replacement, but is left comatose after being hit by a car. Bradley takes him to the Dollhouse, hoping its advanced medical technology spearheaded by Topher (Fran Kranz) can revive him. However, once Topher realizes Terry’s a serial killer, he has ethical problems – yes, Topher has ethical problems – about reviving him.
The Dollhouse personnel also learn of the missing women and download Terry’s brain patterns into Victor (Enver Gjokaj), who is then interrogated by Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett). Just as Paul’s on the verge of getting him to talk, Bradley breaks Victor/Terry out of the Dollhouse, hoping that he can sweet talk him into revealing where the other women are. Unfortunately, it backfires and Victor’s on the run with the brain patterns of a serial killer downloaded into him.
Meanwhile, Echo (Eliza Dushku) is downloaded with the personality of a perky college coed named Kiki Turner. Her assignment is to sleep with her professor
Edmond Gossen (Arye Gross), who can’t get laid on his own, apparently. Echo has the B-plot of this episode as she’s hardly seen in the first half. However, be patient – that’s the brilliance of Minear, who’s good at throwing curves.
Without giving away too much more of the plot, Echo and Victor switch personalities. Suddenly, Echo becomes Terry and Victor becomes Kiki. To lighten up the darkness of this episode, you see Victor/Kiki busting a move in a nightclub as Paul comes to his/her rescue. Leave it to Minear to inject the right amount of humor to an otherwise serious episode.
At this point, Paul has to stop Echo/Terry from murdering the captured women. Dushku really got to broaden her acting range this episode. She goes from mind-wiped Echo, who’s docile; to Kiki, who’s ditzy and bubbly; and ends up as Terry the serial killer, who’s deranged and creepy. The same thing applies to Gjokaj as Kiki.
Minear also has fun with Topher and Dollhouse honcho Adelle DeWitt (Olivia Williams), both of whom are morally ambiguous characters. DeWitt admits to Boyd (Harry Lennix) in one scene how the Dollhouse bought off a judge and then refuses to revive Terry, despite the pleas of Bradley, in the next scene because of his deviant proclivities.
The last 10 seconds of the episode add a cool twist that will have implications on future episodes as Minear makes this one a slam dunk.
The only criticism about this episode is that there wasn’t enough Hogan. However, since it was mentioned that he has a major stake in the Dollhouse, odds are he’ll be back.
Additionally, the next episode features the origin of Sierra (Dichen Lachman), while an upcoming one teases at Whedon alumna and former Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles star Summer Glau joining the cast. Fans also have the chance to go online to Virtual Echo.
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another subpar dollhouse review brought to us courtesy of Mania! thanks for sucking at your job so much, mr writer sir. why didnt you point out this time just how stupid the dollhouse security is? they have a serial killer locked embedded in one of their dolls and an old man is able to break him out in seconds? I dont care if he made a distraction of the real serial killer coding, the response team for that situation wouldnt be the same as the team guarding the embedded killer in his cell!! and i think the spoiler of echo and victor switching personalities in the middle of the action is a bigger plot point and bigger spoiler then of HOW they switch personalities. i also think the end tag of echo saying what she said isnt that genius. we've seen wiped echo repeat things her past identities have said/done countless times already. we get it that she retains these identities in some capacity and thats the larger arc at play here. the interesting twist would have been to have not done anything with the echo/professor R scenario. again way to write a stupid review.