A much stronger episode than the faltering pilot, "The Target" is an exciting and tense hour that also fleshed out the relationship between "active" Echo (Eliza Dushku) and her handler Boyd (Harry J. Lennix), while kick-starting a mystery for the season involving a rogue active called Alpha...The crux of this episode circles around Echo's latest mission, imprinted to become the perfect companion for millionaire outdoor-adventurer Richard Connell (Matt Keeslar), who passes the Dollhouse's stringent background checks and takes Echo out to a remote part of the countryside for a day of kayaking, rock-climbing, archery and sex. Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worst when amenable Richard shows a psychopathic side -- turning Echo into his prey, stalking her with his deadly bow as a twisted blood sport. Echo's two-man backup, including Boyd, are also disabled by a man posing as a park ranger in their surveillance van, leaving Echo to fend for herself as the deadly game of cat-and-mouse unfolds.
"The Target" is essentially a slice of high-concept craziness that reminded me of John Woo's Hard Target, with the added perversion of casting Keeslar (last seen as the stiff boy scout Middleman) in an entirely darker role. Dushku may face problems convincing us of certain identities each week (well, we assume), but you can't deny she makes for a plausible outdoors-y type and, thanks to memories of her performance in Wrong Turn, a pragmatic woman being hunted by a psycho. Seeing her slowly transform from hapless victim to avenging angel (a sign Echo can evolve past her clearly-defined imprints?) was great fun to see.It was also a brilliant decision to link the main story to a subplot showing how Boyd and Echo first met. Boyd is actually a recent recruit to the Dollhouse, arriving three months after his predecessor was murdered by an active called Alpha (who, intriguingly, slaughtered her fellow actives but let Echo survive.) We also see Echo having Boyd imprinted on her like a chick meeting its mother, so she'll always find him a trustworthy presence, so he can better facilitate her extraction from engagements. It's a neat way to make us feel protective of Echo via Boyd, even in her childish tabula rasa default.
Dollhouse actually reminds me of two rather poor sci-fi shows that were quickly cancelled: My Own Worst Enemy (secret agents being manipulated mentally) and the Bionic Woman remake (rogue active Alpha already feels similar to Katee Sackhoff's killer cyborg, no?) You can even see a few elements of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles in its genetic makeup -- Dushku's emotionless default is obviously very "cyborg", but also interesting to note that FBI Agent Ballard's (Tahmoh Penikett) quest to find the mythical dollhouse echoes the role of FBI Agent Ellison in Chronicles' first season -- both chasing shadows their colleagues don't think exist.
Ballard's smattering of scenes cement how his colleagues treat him as a joke because of his belief in the Dollhouse -- and was mainly notable to see Penikett share a scene with his Battlestar Galactica co-star Mark Sheppard at last week's crime scene, where Ballard's theories about dollhouse interference is corroborated by the forensic evidence.
Despite its patchwork similarities to other shows, Dollhouse has a much stronger pedigree of talent and it's easier to feel a strong creative arm guiding you through the experience. For me, "The Target" presented enough good ideas and solid performances to have me overlook the disappointing start last week. I was particularly struck by the final sting -- where a wiped Echo remembers a gesture her ex-client made throughout the episode, proving she's retaining traces of memory. And, interestingly, both episodes included a snippet of a scene where Echo apparently agrees to become an "active" in consultation with Dollhouse mastermind DeWitt (Olivia Williams).So, an early theory: Echo is the ex-girlfriend of Agent Ballard, who led a boring life, so opted to become an exciting "active" because of the side-benefit of forgetting her former lover? So, Ballard is essentially a spurned boyfriend trying to find his ex and rescue her from her rash decision? Anyone agree?
20 February 2009
Fox, 9/8c
Writer & Director: Steven S. DeKnight
Cast: Eliza Dushku (Echo), Harry J. Lennix (Boyd Langton), Fran Kranz (Topher Brink), Tahmoh Penikett (Paul Ballard), Matt Keeslar (Richard Connell), Enver Gjokaj (Lubov), Dichen Lachman (Sierra), Olivia Williams (Adelle DeWitt), Amy Acker (Dr. Claire Saunders), Jennifer Segal (Female Active), Erin Cummings (Attendant), Rico E. Anderson (Agent), Omar Adam (Male Active), Tim Conlon (Shaw), Rich McDonald (Park Ranger in Truck), Miracle Laurie (Mellie), Reed Diamond (Laurence Dominic), Alla Greene (Lubov's Girl), Mark A. Sheppard (Tanaka) & Kevin Sizemore (Driver)
