TV Show Review

TV Review: Dollhouse: Season 2, Ep. 11: Getting Closer

Dollhouse: Season 2, Ep. 11: Getting Closer was both surprising and may be the most ludicrous Dollhouse episode to date. How Topher Brink (Fran Kanz) hacked Bennett Halverson (Summer Glau)’s “chair” was great but how Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett) and Boyd Langton (Harry Lennix) just walk into her Dollhouse was complete nonsense. Where is there security response? After all the Alpha break-ins and the reports filed with central, Dollhouse security would have been incredibly thorough yet they just walk in.

The comedy between Topher and Bennett was good:”The lab’s in here. You showed me yours, let me show you mine” but no where near as good as Topher and Victor. Topher motioning behind Bennett’s back, offering her a soda was classic, and seeing him frak up left and right trying to get her alone was hilarious.

Advertisement
 

Shouldn’t Halverson have already lodged a formal compliant with central about Topher after he punched her in the face? Why is she trying to file one with her kid-nappers? Is she that nervous? When Bennett finds out what she was kidnapped for was the biggest problem with the episode. Her secret, primary wish had been completed by Alpha: Caroline (Eliza Dushku) had been destroyed. Wiped out. Her back up personality was destroyed and the original had gone missing. All Bennett had to do was sit back and Caroline would be gone forever and someone else would be living in her body. The deal she brokered with Echo was lunacy: “You help me resurrect Carolina Feral and I’ll let you do anything you want to her. I’ll hold the bitch down.” You’ll be her while your being tortured by Bennett you idiot. It made no sense. Bennett wanted Echo dead. By sitting in her cell, she would get that.

If Bennett hated The Rossum Corporation, why was she going to intern (or whatever) with them years ago? Then she finds out her whole friendship with Caroline is one big lie, that she was being used and decides to blow up the building (Terrorism) of the very people she has started to work for, with no knowledge or proof of their wrong-doing. Right, that makes sense. Maybe you should have made sure their were no people in the building (Fight Club) before you entered the building and set the charges. Surveillance. Research. Hmmm.

I love it. Plot holes galore.

Bennett getting the round to the head was the biggest surprise. Wow. It was as brutal as the head shot that began Prison Break: Season 4. At least the powers that be put Dr. Clare Saunders/Whiskey (Amy Acker) to use finally. I felt bad for Topher. “We can bring her back, we can map her brain.” “There’s nothing left to map.”

Another issue I had with the Getting Closer episode was Topher. When he tells his assistanat to leave the Dollhouse, to not become like him, it rang false. Topher was Topher before he got to The Dollhouse. He was not created there. He was amoral before he was hired. The Dollhouse just gave him a secret outlet for that amoral personality to breathe.

FilmBook's Newsletter

Subscribe to FilmBook’s Daily Newsletter for the latest news!

Thank you for subscribing.

Something went wrong.

Rollo Tomasi

Rollo Tomasi is a Connecticut-based film critic, TV show critic, news, and editorial writer. He will have a MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in 2025. Rollo has written over 700 film, TV show, short film, Blu-ray, and 4K-Ultra reviews. His reviews are published in IMDb's External Reviews and in Google News. Previously you could find his work at Empire Movies, Blogcritics, and AltFilmGuide. Now you can find his work at FilmBook.
Back to top button
Share via
Send this to a friend