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List of Dollhouse episodes

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Dollhouse is an American television drama which premiered on Fox on February 13, 2009 in the United States.[1]

The series focuses around Echo (Eliza Dushku), a member of a group of people known as "Actives" or "Dolls." The Dolls have had their personalities wiped clean so they can be imprinted with any number of new personas, including memory, muscle memory, skills, and language, for different assignments. They are then hired out for particular jobs, crimes, fantasies, and occasional good deeds. On missions, Actives are monitored internally (and remotely) by Handlers. In between tasks, they are mind-wiped into a child-like state and live in a futuristic dormitory/laboratory, a hidden facility nicknamed "The Dollhouse", run by Adelle DeWitt (Olivia Williams) as part of an international network of similar facilities. The story follows Echo, who begins, in her mind-wiped state, to become self-aware.[2]

Besides Echo, the show revolves around the people who run the mysterious "Dollhouse" and the other "Dolls", including the newest addition to the Dollhouse, Sierra (Dichen Lachman), who becomes friendly with Echo. Although the Actives are ostensibly volunteers, the operation is highly illegal and under constant threat from various entities, such as Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett), a former federal agent determined to uncover the Dollhouse, from one end, and an insane rogue Active on the other.

As of September 15, 2024, 18 original episodes have aired, not including Epitaph One, which has never been aired in the US. It was later made available on DVD and Blu-Ray releases.

Series overview

Season Episodes Season premiere Season finale DVD release dates
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
1 13 February 13, 2009 May 8, 2009 July 28, 2009 September 7, 2009 —
2 13 September 25, 2009 January 22, 2010 — — —

Seasons

  • Season # refers to the order in which the episodes aired in that particular season.
  • Series # refers to the episode's number in the series overall.

Original Pilot

# Title Directed by Written by Viewers
(in millions) 		Original airdate
0"Echo"Joss WhedonJoss WhedonN/AUnaired

Agent Ballard gets new wind in his investigation of the Dollhouse when he receives a photo of Echo. DeWitt and the handlers become nervous when the Actives begin to exhibit signs of self-awareness.

This episode was originally intended to be the on-air series pilot, but after test audiences found it "too confusing and dark," Joss Whedon decided to shoot a new pilot, "Ghost," to better introduce the story and characters to the viewing audience. It was originally reported that "Echo" was going to be aired second, after "Ghost," but when it proved impossible to salvage (even after reshoots), Whedon decided to shelve the episode completely and instead scrapped footage from it for inclusion in later episodes.[3][4] The episode has a different opening with Echo in multiple assignments from overseeing a criminal deal to helping a girl go into rehab. One major change is the revelation of Victor being an Active took place in the pilot rather than put off as in the original episode run, as well as Ballard's first encounter with Echo.

The episode was included on the DVD and Bluray season sets released on July 28, 2009.[5]

Season 1: 2009

Season
# 		Series
# 		Title Directed by Written by Viewers
(in millions) 		Original airdate
11"Ghost"Joss WhedonJoss Whedon4.715[6]February 13, 2009 (2009-02-13)
Echo is introduced as one of the "Actives" in the Dollhouse. The Dollhouse's Topher Brink wipes her mind and reprograms her as a ruthlessly efficient kidnapping negotiator. Echo's new personality incorporates memories from another woman who was molested as a child, and it turns out the molester is one of the kidnappers she must now negotiate with. She crumbles in fear during the ransom exchange, nearly getting their client killed. Allowed to confront the kidnappers, she turns them against each other and rescues the kidnapped girl. Meanwhile, FBI Agent Paul Ballard struggles with his assignment to uncover information on the Dollhouse, which has destroyed his marriage and is wrecking his career; his lead is small-time Russian gangster Lubov.
22"The Target"Steven S. DeKnightSteven S. DeKnight4.22[7]February 20, 2009 (2009-02-20)
Echo's latest imprint has her as the perfect date for Richard, an outdoorsman, who takes her on a romantic wilderness adventure. The experience takes a turn for the worse when Richard indicates he will conclude the "date" by hunting her for sport. Although Echo is imprinted with absolute trust in Boyd, he is unable to do more than deliver a weapon to her, and she must kill Richard on her own. Afterwards the Dollhouse discovers the handiwork of Alpha, a rogue doll, on the corpse of an unknown assassin. It was Alpha who had maimed Dr. Saunders and butchered the handler Boyd was hired to replace. Agent Ballard receives an anonymous package concerning Echo's previous identity as a woman named Caroline, and continues his search.
33"Stage Fright"David SolomonMaurissa Tancharoen & Jed Whedon4.13[8]February 27, 2009 (2009-02-27)
Echo goes undercover as a backup singer to protect volatile pop star Rayna Russell from an obsessed fan. Fellow Active, Sierra, also goes undercover as a fan who wins a contest and gets to spend an evening with Rayna. Getting closer to Rayna, Echo discovers that Rayna is in collusion with her stalker and welcomes death. Sierra is kidnapped when Echo thwarts a shooting and Echo must save Sierra from the stalker and Rayna from herself. Meanwhile, Lubov is revealed to be an Active ("Victor") and Agent Ballard is led to an abandoned basement where he is attacked by three Russian agents.
44"Gray Hour"Rod HardySarah Fain & Elizabeth Craft3.55[9]March 6, 2009 (2009-03-06)
Echo is sent on a high-tech heist to recover stolen art for the Greek government, but the job goes bad when one of her accomplices double crosses them. It gets worse when, during a phone conversation with Boyd, she is remotely "wiped" by an unknown party and returns to her child-like state without any of the skills she had been imprinted with. With help from Sierra and Boyd, Echo barely manages to escape. Topher suspects only Alpha could have managed the remote wipe, and finally DeWitt confides to him that her security had indeed failed to kill Alpha.
55"True Believer"Allan KroekerTim Minear4.3[10]March 13, 2009 (2009-03-13)
Imprinted as a visually impaired woman, Echo must infiltrate a heavily guarded cult in order to rescue someone being held against their will. Echo's eyes transmit what they see to government agents watching the compound, though she herself is blind. Echo's imprint is not someone trying to get into the cult to help agents, she fully believes she has been brought there in a vision by the cult's leader, a former felon. Paul Ballard continues his search for Caroline, using facial recognition software. Dominic begins to reveal how much he dislikes Echo. Topher and Dr. Saunders observe a surprising (and supposedly impossible) reaction between two of the actives in their doll states: evidently, Victor finds Sierra attractive.
66"Man on the Street"David StraitonJoss Whedon4.13[11]March 20, 2009 (2009-03-20)
One of Echo's engagements is disrupted by Agent Ballard. Ballard's interrogation of the client (guest star Patton Oswalt) first makes Paul aware that his interest in disrupting the Dollhouse is becoming obsessive. Paul defies this by beginning a relationship with Mellie, but is further shaken when Echo is sent to assassinate him—only to go catatonic and recite a message from a spy inside the Dollhouse. Meanwhile, Sierra begins to show signs of trauma, and Victor is implicated as her assailant. However, Boyd stages a sting operation and discovers that Sierra's handler, Hearn, has been raping her. DeWitt sends Hearn to kill Mellie, only to reveal that she is a "sleeper Active" by activating her latent combat training, which she uses to eliminate Hearn with ease. Finally, acts are bookended by clips of a TV reporter preparing an exposé on the Dollhouse.
77"Echoes"James ContnerElizabeth Craft & Sarah Fain3.87[12]March 27, 2009 (2009-03-27)
A psychotropic drug is accidentally released in a college research lab owned by the Rossum Corporation, causing the afflicted to behave drunkenly and in one case, suicidally. Rossum, which owns the Dollhouse, mobilizes all of DeWitt's Actives, who should be immune to the drug because they have no inhibitions. This turns out to be false, as the drug causes the Actives to remember past experiences. Sierra relives her rape experiences and Victor remembers a traumatic experience he underwent as a soldier (whether this is his real life or a previous engagement is unclear). Echo, on an unrelated assignment, sees news of the outbreak on TV and goes "off-mission" to "help him", despite having no idea who "he" is (or indeed who she is). Her flashbacks reveal her past as Caroline Farrell and chronicle the events leading directly to her employment at the Dollhouse. The corporate spy who started the outbreak is made the same offer by DeWitt in a similar manner as the episode closes.
88"Needs"Felix AlcaláTracy Bellomo3.49[13]April 3, 2009 (2009-04-03)
Echo, Sierra, Victor and November awake with most of their original personalities intact, and Echo attempts to escape from the Dollhouse with her fellow Actives, reclaiming bits and pieces of their past as they do so. Sierra discovers that she was forced to become a Doll after turning down sexual advances from a well-connected man; Victor is finally able to act on his attraction to her; November grieves over her dead infant daughter, Katie; and Echo, after guaranteeing the other three have escaped, re-enters to the Dollhouse and forces DeWitt, at gunpoint, to release all remaining Actives. Thereafter all four "escapees" fall asleep due to subliminal programming; the entire process is revealed to have been masterminded by DeWitt and Dr. Saunders, allowing their Actives to achieve closure on their personal issues before putting them back to work.
99"Spy in the House of Love"David SolomonAndrew Chambliss3.56[14]April 10, 2009 (2009-04-10)
While DeWitt is away on business, Topher discovers evidence a spy is in the Dollhouse, and four Actives are dispatched to deal with the problem. "Mellie" is sent to pacify Paul Ballard, but goes temporarily catatonic to deliver another warning from inside the Dollhouse. Sierra goes undercover at the National Security Agency, attempting to raid their databases for the spy's identity. Victor is dispatched on another "Lonely Hearts" gig; the recipient is revealed to be DeWitt. Finally, Echo volunteers to undergo imprinting to help with the investigation; after Topher turns her into a counter-intelligence agent, she helps Lawrence Dominic, the head of security, interview employees. She discovers the mole is Dominic himself, planted by the NSA to keep the Dollhouse (and its dangerous technology) from becoming common knowledge, particularly by staving off Paul Ballard. Dominic's personality is downloaded into Topher's database, and his body sent to "The Attic," to be employed whenever the NSA needs pacifying.
1010"Haunted"Elodie KeeneJane Espenson & Maurissa Tancharoen & Jed Whedon2.99[15]April 24, 2009 (2009-04-24)
A wealthy woman named Margaret has been uploading her personality to the Dollhouse every month in case she is murdered. When she actually is murdered, DeWitt, who has since befriended her, imprints her onto Echo as part of her will; Margaret, posing as a pen-pal named Julia, decides to solve the case during her second chance. Margaret's prized horses turn out to be the key; with a little help from Boyd, who imprints Victor as a racehorse-owner, she solves the case and helps her family achieve some closure. Meanwhile, Topher signs Sierra out for an intensive "benchmark" imprint, which turns out to be that of a fellow gamer, nerd and friend. Finally, Ballard brings November's prints into the FBI; when he attempts to ascertain her identity, their computer spews out a multitude of names and then goes blank in the presence of another agent.
1111"Briar Rose"Dwight LittleJane Espenson3.1[16]May 1, 2009 (2009-05-01)
Echo helps a young girl deal with her traumatic past, using the fairy tale of Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty) as a vehicle; a corpse apparently slain by Alpha turns up in Tucson, Arizona, with Sierra imprinted as an FBI forensics expert to investigate; and a thumb drive arrives for Dominic, who is imprinted onto Victor's body for questioning. Ballard's investigation leads him to the Dollhouse's agoraphobic, pothead architect, Stephen Kepler (guest star Alan Tudyk), and with his forced assistance manages to sneak into the Dollhouse. Though Ballard finds Caroline, Boyd manages to detain him; he takes Ballard to DeWitt for questioning, where they learn from Sierra that the Tucson corpse is that of the real Stephen Kepler. Ballard's helper is actually Alpha, who reveals himself by attacking Victor and Dr. Saunders. Alpha imprints Echo as someone who recognizes him; with Sleeping Beauty now awakened, the lovers escape the Dollhouse together.
1212"Omega"Tim MinearTim Minear2.75[17]May 8, 2009 (2009-05-08)
Alpha, with Echo's help, kidnaps a girl named Wendy and takes both of them back to his evil lab; meanwhile, Dr. Saunders tends to Victor, Ballard assists the Dollhouse staff in tracking down Alpha, and a series of flashbacks depict Alpha's time at the Dollhouse, revealing that he has a long-standing crush on Echo and that Dr. Saunders is herself an Active, codenamed Whiskey, who was imprinted with the "Dr. Saunders" personality after Alpha killed the original one during his escape; Saunders becomes aware of this during the episode. Alpha imprints Wendy with Echo's original personality, Caroline Farrell; he then initiates a composite event on Echo, creating a composite being who he expects to kill Wendy/Caroline as part of her ascension to Übermensch, but instead she turns on Alpha himself. Alpha escapes by killing Wendy and then putting the "wedge" containing the Caroline imprint at risk, but DeWitt remains confident that they can catch him—especially with the help of their new security consultant, Paul Ballard. Amongst Ballard's hiring conditions are that November, A.K.A. Madeline Costley, be released from her contract as though she had fulfilled it.
1313"Epitaph One"David SolomonMaurissa Tancharoen & Jed Whedon (teleplay)
Joss Whedon (story)		N/AUnaired (US)
July 26, 2009 (Sweden)
In the year 2019, the technology of the Dollhouse has been turned into a global weapon by the Rossum Corporation, mind-wiping people through technology wholesale. A group of freedom-fighters known as the Actuals breaks in to the abandoned ghost of the Los Angeles Dollhouse, where they find a haunted Active, Whiskey, willing to help them find Caroline, who will lead them to "Safe Haven" – if they can stop the murderer within their midst from taking them out, one by one...

Season 2: 2009-2010

FOX renewed Dollhouse for a 13-episode second season that begin broadcasting on September 25, 2009.[18] Season two of Dollhouse began filming on July 22, 2009.[19] Citing persistently low ratings, Dollhouse was officially cancelled by Fox on November 11, 2009 during production of the 11th episode.[20]

Season
# 		Series
# 		Title Directed by Written by Viewers
(in millions) 		Original airdate
114"Vows"Joss WhedonJoss Whedon2.56[21]September 25, 2009 (2009-09-25)
It has been several months since Alpha's reign of terror. Echo weds a British arms dealer, Martin Klar (Jamie Bamber), whom Ballard had tried to take down during his tenure at the FBI; Ballard is actually the client who hired her, imprinting her with the personality of an agent adept at deep-undercover work. Topher becomes the target of Dr. Saunders' existential angst and anger at being "programmed"; however, Topher states that he made the Saunders imprint a living, thinking person instead of a Yes man. Echo blows her cover, and a head injury causes her imprint to malfunction; at the arms deal, Klar is about to kill both her and Ballard until the ex-FBI agent manages to re-integrate her previous personalities, allowing them to fight their way out and apprehend Klar. Boyd discovers that Saunders has left the Dollhouse, her whereabouts unknown. As the episode ends, Victor (now cured of his scars through reconstructive surgery) and Sierra display affection towards each other, while a now-blank Echo confides to Ballard that she is aware of her many personalities and asks him to help her find herself. Ballard officially becomes her handler.
215"Instinct"Marita GrabiakMichele Fazekas & Tara Butters2.09[22]October 2, 2009 (2009-10-02)
Echo is imprinted with the personality of a mother with a newborn baby, but thanks to Topher’s new programming that actually changes Echo’s body on a glandular level, she becomes paranoid that the father of the child is trying to have her murdered and escapes Ballard’s supervision with the baby. DeWitt pays a visit to Madeline Costley, A.K.A. November, a former Active and asks her to come in for a diagnostic. Ballard tracks Echo down and takes her, against her will, back to the Dollhouse to be wiped. Madeline witness the guards having to sedate Echo, which leaves her shaken. Meanwhile, Perrin receives inside information about the Dollhouse from an anonymous source. Echo is wiped but Topher’s new programming proves too strong and in her blank state, Echo escapes and goes back for the child. The father manages to convince Echo that her feelings are not real and persuades her to give up the baby just as Ballard arrives. He and Echo discuss how she can still feel all of her former personalities and together they reaffirm their conviction about bringing down the Dollhouse.
316"Belle Chose"David SolomonTim Minear2.25[23]October 9, 2009 (2009-10-09)
Terry Karrens, the nephew of one of the Rossum Corporation's shareholders and a would-be serial killer, is knocked unconscious in a car accident following a power struggle between him and one of his victims. As a result of his uncle's connection with the Dollhouse, Terry is taken in by the organization to help him regain consciousness. Various facts come to light forcing the Dollhouse to launch a full scale investigation into Karrens, causing them to imprint Victor with Karrens's personality. Karrens (in Victor's body) escapes, and as a result of a technological anomaly - his imprint is swapped with Echo's imprint: a college student who is programmed as the muse of a university professor. Echo's evolved personality comes into play once again when she manages to override Karrens's imprint, allowing her to safely warn Karrens's victims of the danger.
417"Belonging"Jonathan FrakesMaurissa Tancharoen & Jed Whedon2.15[24]October 23, 2009 (2009-10-23)
Sierra's past connection to the Rossum Corporation becomes clear. Nolan, a Rossum doctor, threatens DeWitt unless she gives him an imprinted Sierra permanently; DeWitt is forced to comply by one of the Rossum Corporation's cold higher-ups, Mr. Harding (special guest star Keith Carradine). It is revealed that Nolan was in love with Sierra in her life as Priya (before the Dollhouse), but she rejected him when he became violent. Using medications, Nolan forced Priya into insanity and put her in a Rossum insitution, where she was discovered by Topher and thus became an Active. In the present, Topher, feeling pangs of guilt about handing Sierra over to Nolan, imprints her instead with the original Priya personality, and she confronts Nolan at his house. A fight ensues and she kills him. Topher and Boyd dispose of the body and, after talking with Topher about her life in the Dollhouse, she is wiped back into her tabula rasa state. Meanwhile, Boyd takes notice of Echo's growing self-awareness when he discovers a book in her sleeping pod and he slips her a security pass in preparation for when "the storm" comes.
518"The Public Eye"David SolomonAndrew Chambliss2.17[25]December 4, 2009 (2009-12-04)
United States Senator Daniel Perrin has been trying to bring down the Dollhouse for months, but he has never been a danger – until now, when he comes into possession of a material witness. Echo is sent on assignment to stop him and his witness from exposing the Dollhouse while DeWitt and Topher are sent to the Washington, D.C. Dollhouse to meet the head of the main American house as well as the D.C. branch's genius programmer, a woman named Bennett Halverson (special guest star Summer Glau), who has a mysterious connection to Echo's past.
619"The Left Hand"Wendey StanzlerTracy Bellomo1.94[25]December 4, 2009 (2009-12-04)
Echo and Bennett have a shocking meeting as DeWitt goes head-to-head with the cold and ruthless head of the Washington, D.C. Dollhouse, Stewart Lipman (special guest star Ray Wise). Topher involves Victor in his own branch of espionage while Senator Perrin struggles to keep control of his investigation and his witness while a seeming house of cards falls down around him.
720"Meet Jane Doe"[26]Dwight LittleMaurissa Tancharoen & Jed Whedon & Andrew ChamblissTBADecember 11, 2009 (2009-12-11)
After her entanglements with Senator Perrin and the D.C. Dollhouse, Echo escapes and finds herself struggling to live within the world at large, even as her multiple personality imprints threaten to consume her. Topher discovers the dangers of the Rossum Corporation's scientific experiments that could have a devastating impact on the future, and DeWitt engages in a power struggle with Harding.
821"A Love Supreme"[26]David StraitonJenny DeArmittTBADecember 11, 2009 (2009-12-11)
When Echo's previous romantic engagements begin to surface as murder victims one by one, the Dollhouse fears that Alpha (special guest star Alan Tudyk) may have returned with his murderous obsession with Echo to seek his revenge. DeWitt begins to grow increasingly suspicious of Ballard as he seeks allies in Langton and Topher, both of whom are struggling with their own growing moral dilemmas within the Dollhouse. But nothing can prepare any of them when the Actives seemingly turn on their handlers, leaving one member of the Dollhouse permanently mind-wiped.
922"Stop-Loss"[26]Felix AlcaláAndrew ChamblissTBADecember 18, 2009 (2009-12-18)
1023"The Attic"[26]John CassadayMaurissa Tancharoen & Jed WhedonTBADecember 18, 2009 (2009-12-18)
1124"Getting Closer"[26]Tim MinearTim MinearTBAJanuary 8, 2010 (2010-01-08)[27]
1225"The Hollow Men"[26]TBAMichele Fazekas & Tara Butters & Tracy BellomoTBAJanuary 15, 2010 (2010-01-15)[27]
1326"Epitaph Two: Return"[28]TBAMaurissa Tancharoen & Jed Whedon & Andrew ChamblissTBAJanuary 22, 2010 (2010-01-22)[27]

References

  1. ^ "IGN: Terminator and Dollhouse Team-Up".
  2. ^ Dos Santos, Kristin (2007-10-31). "Best News Ever! Joss Whedon Spills Exclusive Deets on His New Series". Watch with Kristin. E!. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
  3. ^ Whedon, Joss (2008-10-26). "What happened when the lights went out". Whedonesque. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  4. ^ "Will Fox Air Dollhouse's Final Episode or Not?". EOnline.com.
  5. ^ http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Dollhouse-Season-1-Press-Release/11869
  6. ^ "TV by the numbers: How did Dollhouse and Terminator do".
  7. ^ "Second 'Dollhouse' declines; 'Terminator' steady".
  8. ^ Friday Ratings: Ghost Whisperer dominates, TSCC and Dollhouse continue to slide
  9. ^ Updated Friday Ratings: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles crashes down
  10. ^ Updated Friday Ratings: Ghost Whisperer wins, TSCC and Dollhouse higher
  11. ^ Updated Friday Ratings: Dollhouse foundation holds up against NCAAs
  12. ^ Friday Ratings: NCAA cruises to victory, Dollhouse drops
  13. ^ Friday Ratings: CBS wins with mostly repeats, Dollhouse looks done
  14. ^ Updated Friday Ratings: Terminator: TSCC goes out with a whimper/16547
  15. ^ Updated Friday Ratings: Dollhouse sinks to series lows, Ghost Whisperer wins again
  16. ^ Updated Friday Ratings: Dollhouse sinks again, Ghost Whisperer wins again/
  17. ^ Updated Friday Ratings: Dollhouse sinks to series low in finale
  18. ^ "Dollhouse - Season 2 Premiere Pushed Back 1 week". 2009-07-07. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
  19. ^ "Exclusive - Dollhouse - Episode 2.01 - Vows - Casting Call". Spoiler TV. July 9, 2009.
  20. ^ Schneider, Michael (2009-11-11). "Fox cancels 'Dollhouse'". Variety. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
  21. ^ TV Ratings: Dollhouse, Brothers bomb on FOX; CBS wins night
  22. ^ TV Ratings: Dollhouse dips to a new series low; Medium night’s strongest show on a slow Friday
  23. ^ TV Ratings: Dollhouse rises Ghost Whisperer leads CBS to win
  24. ^ Updated TV Ratings: Dollhouse hits low note; Medium wins with adults 18-49
  25. ^ a b TV Ratings: Dollhouse Returns Quietly, Ugly Betty Bounces Back (33%)
  26. ^ a b c d e f . Dollverse http://www.dollverse.com/2009/11/in-the-calm-before-the-storm-the-sun-is-shining-dark-and-warm-dollhouse-series-finale-details/. Retrieved November 25, 2009. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  27. ^ a b c "Dollhouse - Remaining Episode Schedule". November 11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ "Sex, secrets and 'Dollhouse': Joss Whedon talks about the end of his Fox show". December 3. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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