Dollhouse S2xE2 "Instinct"
I have to give Joss Whedon credit. On Dollhouse's second installment of season two, "Instinct," he created something I have never seen on television before. Topher reached a new plateau in imprinting technology--he can now tell the brain how to affect the body. After enduring Topher crowing about his own "genius" in creating a program that affected Echo with such a profound power that she was physically changed, we come to find out that the physical change was--lactation.
Topher earned a punch in the nose however as his "genius" tech breakthrough had an unanticipated side effect. Though Echo's body's reacted just the way her brain was wired to, even after getting wiped, feelings remained, with instinct picking up from there and taking programming's place.
The most cringe-worthy scene besides just about any scene with Topher, came when the wiped-but-still-ragingly maternal Echo tried to steal "her" baby back. She greets her "husband in a darkened room with the baby in one hand and a large knife in the other, then does her best impression of Jack Nicholson in "The Shining" -- "Mommy's home." That was just bad. No one should make Dushku try to act with that degree of difficulty because she simply cannot do it.
I thought this episode was better than last week's season 2 premiere but it was nothing special beyond Topher's trick. I didn't hate it as I have a number of Dollhouse episodes but that's damning it with faint praise, is it not?
Next time on Dollhouse:
The imprinted Echo and Victor butt heads after Echo is given the personality of a free-spirited coed and Victor is assigned the identity of a Dollhouse shareholder's psychotic nephew. Bradley Karrens: Michael Hogan.
Video thanks to tvonthebrain01!
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