Finally, I realized something tonight: when they're in the dollhouse, the actives talk like lolcats.

This is brilliant.

There must be some reason the Dollhouse higher-ups want Ballard alive aside from simply covering their tracks. Killing him might draw attention, but transferring him to the FBI's New York office and burying him under a mountain of paperwork investigating criminal mortgage firm cases wouldn't raise any eyebrows. They definitely have enough pull to make that happen given that he's already discredited in the Bureau.

Despite being up against the series finale of Battlestar and CBS March Madness, Dollhouse held it's own. According to Media Week, FOX are considering a second series.

second season...right?

I know Brits and US call "seasons" "series"

Good point. Season, even.

Maybe Ballard is part of a brilliant, self-policing, on-going security check process the Dollhouse uses to test public theories and speculations like the man on the street interviews at the beginning of the ep. Ballard is an active and both he and Mellie have their progams renewed as they sleep. Getting them together in the same bed was a labor-saving manuever to save time and money in the shifting economy.

Whoever the higher ups are, use the Ballard/Echo interactions as case studies for seeking venture capital.

Or...nothing like that, but it's where my mind went when I saw the camera in Ballard's vent and speculated on why the Dollhouse wouldn't take some of the fine recommendations upthread to bury him out of reach.

I really enjoyed that. Patton Oswalt was wonderful. I wonder whether there really is someone on the inside trying to undermine the dollhouse or if it was part of Echo's programming to throw Ballard even further off the case.

if it was part of Echo's programming to throw Ballard even further off the case.

I just remembered that she told him to back off his frontal assault, but also told him to investigate the reason/motive behind the Dollhouse. Which, could be a way to keep him quiet while he looked into something even more intangible, or it was a helpful tip to keep his ass out of trouble and therefore be able to continue his search, and putting him on the trail of a more sure way to bring down the Dollhouse.

I'm glad Mellie didn't get killed, but I'm a little disappointed that she's an Active. It's kind of like a plot card they can play over and over again, you know? Victor's an Active! Mellie's an Active!

I am also glad that it wasn't Kellerman...Dominic who was abusing Sierra. That was my fear.

Anyway, it definitely felt like a different show. Hrm.

Yeah, no longer pings with a burning hate. But no real love either. I think I'm going end up as an occasional watcher, with no concern for catching up on missed episodes.