I feel like this was a good and interesting episode that makes it clear to me that it's a show I am not going to enjoy.

Agree that Sierra's backstory makes me nauseated. There is no longer anything grey about the Dollhouse; it is utterly reprehensible. (I think the previous comment by Adele about "I believe in the good work we fund." is supposed to deflect this, that I can think the Dollhouse is awful but somehow support it for whatever the yet to be named "good work" is. But awful things fund good things all the time in the real world and that doesn't redeem them.)

I'm offended by the idea of these women needing something that oblivion and abuse can provide. It does not provide a service to a grieving mother or someone suffering a loss of physical freedom to deprive them of their identity and free will, regardless of the sense that forgetfulness would do so.

Lastly, there are abundant remaining gender issues even in episodes that are supposed to quell my discomfort. It turns out that there are female handlers, and yet again, the woman ends up beaten and bloodied on the floor. Sierra's story turns out to be all about the effect of the male gaze on her, and there is as yet little about her other than her status of a victim and a romantic interest that we're allowed to pursue. November's story is about thwarted motherhood, again, little of her own identity available. Echo has a savior complex (okay, that's probably not a gender issue) and is the sexual subject of Ballard's (ridiculous, gross, and unnecessary) dream.

Oh, and Victor has no story, apparently, he just exists to fill a role in Sierra's. All his "closure" was about an in-Dollhouse half experience.

Although I must say I agree with the above about that particular actor's ability. He rises head and shoulders above his coworkers at the moment.

So why does Adele bother to negotiate with some potential actives if she'll accept subjects handed over to her like meat?

Also, is it TV shortcut psychology that people dream what they want to be true? Because I don't, in real life. Nowhere near as much as I'd want.

It seems a cheap way of revealing Ballard's just another saviour-complex guy. I wanted to believe him when he told Mellie he wasn't hung up on Caroline that way. It was more interesting.

I agree with Liese about that episode.

It's a good question. I mean, if there are candidates coming in to avoid presumable prison time, surely there's someone out there going, 'huh, wonder what happened to that person I was about to definitively incarcerate?'

So either Adele's negotiated with some authority in advance and the contract and the time with the candidate is just a farce, or maybe she doesn't care how they come to her? Or...?

I think sometimes people dream what they are afraid is true. And Paul's dream was more of a nightmare than wish fulfillment. So maybe we're not supposed to think that he does feel that way. But it's a roundabout way to show it if so.

But definitely agree that if taken literally, Ballard's definitely saviour complex as well (thank you for using that spelling; firefox red line bullied me out of it). Which, I suppose sometimes I'm afraid Joss is the one with the saviour complex, which is why it comes out in the character writing like this.

we don't know why Ballard is on the path of trying to find the Dollhouse, do we?

He's trying to find his high school sweetheart, who left him at the altar because he was too creepy and obsessive? (He's been obsessing creepily about her ever since.)

if there are candidates coming in to avoid presumable prison time,

I assume that Caroline (and, now, Sam) are in the Dollhouse not to avoid prison time, but because Rossum knows that *they* know the dirty secrets about the experiments with fetuses, etc.

I don't think that Caroline (and Sam) would have made it to prison, or, if they had, that they would have lived very long inside. I think Rossum would have wiped them out.

This way, they serve a term for the Dollhouse, and before they're released back into the world, their Rossum-memories are permanently removed.

Oh, and -- I love you, Liese, for how well you articulated the ick about this show.

Wasn't there an article where Joss said something very confusing about how we won't find out what drives Ballard this season, and leaving that a mystery was somehow the best narrative structure? Dude. We need *something* on Ballard to make us care. Hopping into bed with Mellie to prove that Bouncy the Rat guy was wrong doesn't cut it.