After we found out that Paul wasn't calling Mellie (as the fake-out would've had us believe), I guess I figured he must've been calling 911.
As for deWitt's plan, I suspect the "real" reason was to fake out the audience. However, it makes sense in retrospect. She has a couple of problems: a) Hearn, whom she presumably wants dead b) whether Mellie the sleeper Active's will actually work.
She gets some final use out of Hearn before killing him, and she gets to test out Mellie's programming. If it hadn't worked, if Mellie's programming had been acting up, Hearn would've killed her, which would've been a waste, but hey, if an Active's defective... And then I'm sure she could arrange for Hearn to get killed trying to evade the police or something. Instead, it actually works, Mellie gets rid of the troublesome Hearn, Paul is drawn closer to Mellie out of guilt over putting her in danger, and the entire situation helps get Paul suspended. deWitt has dealt with Hearn, while actually getting some final use out of him instead of having to waste a bullet by Dominic simply executing the guy.
The part that doesn't hang together for me is why she doesn't just kill Paul if he's such a nuisance, instead of this overly elaborate gaslighting plot. Oh, and what the fuck that encounter with Echo was about. Was the imprint tampered with, or was Echo just carrying out deWitt's plan?
I'm starting to like deWitt. Well, LIKE might be an overstatement, but she's got quite the Machiavellian brain. And that 'dangerous as a rattlesnake' quality interacts with her various moments of seeming emotional attachment to the Actives in a very interesting way.
But he didn't know for sure that anything was happening. Chances were yes, but, idk, I'd think he would have called Mellie first and warned her to get out of his apartment.
That's a really elaborate plot re: Hearn & Mellie. DeWitt was placing a lot of trust that Hearn's sadistic streak would keep him attacking Mellie, and not just going in and snapping her neck.
And that's an interesting thought that DeWitt is the mole. That would be quite a twist, that's for sure.
And, yeah, for the first time, DeWitt didn't bore me to tears. And even Dominic didn't grate on my nerves.
As for the gaslighting of Ballard, I'd say a disgraced Federal Agent is easier to deal with than the repercussions of a suddenly dead agent. And they *did* try to kill him via the Russian mob, and that didn't work.
I do think that Ballard's mad ninja skillz are a bit over the top though. No way should he have been able to take out all of Mynor security guards, especially after getting tazed. Joss does love his super folk. LOL
And did you notice that no one really got bruised or bloodied and Ballard and Echo's big Buffy/Spike fight in the alley? *eyeroll*
But he didn't know for sure that anything was happening. Chances were yes, but, idk, I'd think he would have called Mellie first and warned her to get out of his apartment.
Yes, but that would've ruined the viewer's surprise when we realise that it's deWitt on the phone and not Agent Helo. I agree that it doesn't make a huge amount of logical sense, but from a writer/director's POV, it makes just enough sense to allow for a dramatic plot twist.
That's a really elaborate plot re: Hearn & Mellie. DeWitt was placing a lot of trust that Hearn's sadistic streak would keep him attacking Mellie, and not just going in and snapping her neck.
Yeah, but she did instruct him NOT to make it a clean kill. If Hearn had just walked in and simply snapped her neck or shot her in the head, it would've ruined the set-up deWitt had told him she wanted. Hearn thought Mellie's death was supposed to appear incidental to a sex crime, not appear to be an execution. Now, granted, Hearn had enough of a sadistic streak that he would presumably actually enjoy the assignment, but I suspect he went in there with very clear instructions from deWitt as to what order in which to commit the various crimes she wanted him to commit.
What I actually found improbable wasn't that part, it was the huge risk deWitt was taking by relying on Agent Helo's answering machine to communicate with Mellie. I mean, first of all, who has an actual answering machine these days instead of voice mail? And secondly, what if it had been knocked over or unplugged during the struggle?
And that's an interesting thought that DeWitt is the mole. That would be quite a twist, that's for sure.
Oh, I actually didn't mean it that way. Although you're right, that would be awfully interesting. What I meant was that perhaps the imprint having been left unattended in Topher's lab was a red herring, and everything Echo said to Paul was precisely what deWitt wanted her to say. I'm not sure it's especially likely, but it's possible.
And you're quite right that a disgraced federal agent is much less suspicious than a dead one, particularly when he'd already survived one assassination attempt. And if they do decide they need to kill him in future, then much easier to, say, make it look like suicide if he's already disgraced and believed to be suffering from possible mental illness. Also, there's the minor detail that he's in the credits, and thus must not be allowed to die. Sort of like how Mr. Dominic last week merely knocked Echo unconscious and left her to die of smoke inhalation rather than shooting her. It upped the suspense, but ensured the main character didn't die 5 episodes into the show and leave them without a show.
And you're quite right that the number of fights Agent Helo gets into and wins is starting to strain credibility. I mean, yes, he's the size of a redwood, which helps (we grow 'em big up here in Canada), but he's also walking around with a recently-mended hole in his abdomen. If Echo or one of Geek Guy's bodyguards had gotten in one lucky hit, he'd be passed out on the floor a few seconds later. Not to mention the part where he and Echo managed to whale on each other like crazy in the restaurant kitchen, but also managed to avoid giving the other any injuries more serious than a few bruises. Yes, it was a very well-choreographed fight scene, but even if I buy that Echo's fight-y imprint allows her to take on a guy twice her size, he's presumably not imprinted with anything. They're not vampire slayers or itty-bitty ninja psychics, after all.
Ah well, for all my grumbles, at least the show is starting to come together. The first two episodes were virtually unwatchable, so yay on Joss & Co. for rapid improvements.
I mean, first of all, who has an actual answering machine these days instead of voice mail?
Me. LOL
But since she had a camera in the apartment spying on him, she would have known about the answering machine. But again, we go back to the fact that her instructions are left on the machine. And you make a good point that the phone could have been knocked over rendering the answering machine useless. I guess that plus Ballard's Super Mad Ninja Skillz aren't meant to be thought about too closely. ;-D
The first two episodes were virtually unwatchable, so yay on Joss & Co. for rapid improvements.
I would love to one day see the original pilot that Joss wrote in order to compare it with the less than stellar pilot that Fox wanted. While there were moments in the first five episodes that are important to the overall arc, they were uninteresting enough that I think it was only Joss's reputation and the promise that we were going to get Fox-interference-free episodes that kept as many people watching as there were.
And it looks good that Dollhouse held its own, ratings-wise, against both the NCAA playoffs and the BSG finale. So that's promising.
As for deWitt's plan, I suspect the "real" reason was to fake out the audience. However, it makes sense in retrospect. She has a couple of problems:
a) Hearn, whom she presumably wants dead
b) whether Mellie the sleeper Active's will actually work.
She gets some final use out of Hearn before killing him, and she gets to test out Mellie's programming. If it hadn't worked, if Mellie's programming had been acting up, Hearn would've killed her, which would've been a waste, but hey, if an Active's defective... And then I'm sure she could arrange for Hearn to get killed trying to evade the police or something. Instead, it actually works, Mellie gets rid of the troublesome Hearn, Paul is drawn closer to Mellie out of guilt over putting her in danger, and the entire situation helps get Paul suspended. deWitt has dealt with Hearn, while actually getting some final use out of him instead of having to waste a bullet by Dominic simply executing the guy.
The part that doesn't hang together for me is why she doesn't just kill Paul if he's such a nuisance, instead of this overly elaborate gaslighting plot. Oh, and what the fuck that encounter with Echo was about. Was the imprint tampered with, or was Echo just carrying out deWitt's plan?
I'm starting to like deWitt. Well, LIKE might be an overstatement, but she's got quite the Machiavellian brain. And that 'dangerous as a rattlesnake' quality interacts with her various moments of seeming emotional attachment to the Actives in a very interesting way.
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But he didn't know for sure that anything was happening. Chances were yes, but, idk, I'd think he would have called Mellie first and warned her to get out of his apartment.
That's a really elaborate plot re: Hearn & Mellie. DeWitt was placing a lot of trust that Hearn's sadistic streak would keep him attacking Mellie, and not just going in and snapping her neck.
And that's an interesting thought that DeWitt is the mole. That would be quite a twist, that's for sure.
And, yeah, for the first time, DeWitt didn't bore me to tears. And even Dominic didn't grate on my nerves.
As for the gaslighting of Ballard, I'd say a disgraced Federal Agent is easier to deal with than the repercussions of a suddenly dead agent. And they *did* try to kill him via the Russian mob, and that didn't work.
I do think that Ballard's mad ninja skillz are a bit over the top though. No way should he have been able to take out all of Mynor security guards, especially after getting tazed. Joss does love his super folk. LOL
And did you notice that no one really got bruised or bloodied and Ballard and Echo's big Buffy/Spike fight in the alley? *eyeroll*
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Yes, but that would've ruined the viewer's surprise when we realise that it's deWitt on the phone and not Agent Helo. I agree that it doesn't make a huge amount of logical sense, but from a writer/director's POV, it makes just enough sense to allow for a dramatic plot twist.
That's a really elaborate plot re: Hearn & Mellie. DeWitt was placing a lot of trust that Hearn's sadistic streak would keep him attacking Mellie, and not just going in and snapping her neck.
Yeah, but she did instruct him NOT to make it a clean kill. If Hearn had just walked in and simply snapped her neck or shot her in the head, it would've ruined the set-up deWitt had told him she wanted. Hearn thought Mellie's death was supposed to appear incidental to a sex crime, not appear to be an execution. Now, granted, Hearn had enough of a sadistic streak that he would presumably actually enjoy the assignment, but I suspect he went in there with very clear instructions from deWitt as to what order in which to commit the various crimes she wanted him to commit.
What I actually found improbable wasn't that part, it was the huge risk deWitt was taking by relying on Agent Helo's answering machine to communicate with Mellie. I mean, first of all, who has an actual answering machine these days instead of voice mail? And secondly, what if it had been knocked over or unplugged during the struggle?
And that's an interesting thought that DeWitt is the mole. That would be quite a twist, that's for sure.
Oh, I actually didn't mean it that way. Although you're right, that would be awfully interesting. What I meant was that perhaps the imprint having been left unattended in Topher's lab was a red herring, and everything Echo said to Paul was precisely what deWitt wanted her to say. I'm not sure it's especially likely, but it's possible.
And you're quite right that a disgraced federal agent is much less suspicious than a dead one, particularly when he'd already survived one assassination attempt. And if they do decide they need to kill him in future, then much easier to, say, make it look like suicide if he's already disgraced and believed to be suffering from possible mental illness. Also, there's the minor detail that he's in the credits, and thus must not be allowed to die. Sort of like how Mr. Dominic last week merely knocked Echo unconscious and left her to die of smoke inhalation rather than shooting her. It upped the suspense, but ensured the main character didn't die 5 episodes into the show and leave them without a show.
And you're quite right that the number of fights Agent Helo gets into and wins is starting to strain credibility. I mean, yes, he's the size of a redwood, which helps (we grow 'em big up here in Canada), but he's also walking around with a recently-mended hole in his abdomen. If Echo or one of Geek Guy's bodyguards had gotten in one lucky hit, he'd be passed out on the floor a few seconds later. Not to mention the part where he and Echo managed to whale on each other like crazy in the restaurant kitchen, but also managed to avoid giving the other any injuries more serious than a few bruises. Yes, it was a very well-choreographed fight scene, but even if I buy that Echo's fight-y imprint allows her to take on a guy twice her size, he's presumably not imprinted with anything. They're not vampire slayers or itty-bitty ninja psychics, after all.
Ah well, for all my grumbles, at least the show is starting to come together. The first two episodes were virtually unwatchable, so yay on Joss & Co. for rapid improvements.
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Me. LOL
But since she had a camera in the apartment spying on him, she would have known about the answering machine. But again, we go back to the fact that her instructions are left on the machine. And you make a good point that the phone could have been knocked over rendering the answering machine useless. I guess that plus Ballard's Super Mad Ninja Skillz aren't meant to be thought about too closely. ;-D
The first two episodes were virtually unwatchable, so yay on Joss & Co. for rapid improvements.
I would love to one day see the original pilot that Joss wrote in order to compare it with the less than stellar pilot that Fox wanted. While there were moments in the first five episodes that are important to the overall arc, they were uninteresting enough that I think it was only Joss's reputation and the promise that we were going to get Fox-interference-free episodes that kept as many people watching as there were.
And it looks good that Dollhouse held its own, ratings-wise, against both the NCAA playoffs and the BSG finale. So that's promising.
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