Dollhouse (TV Series) Briar Rose (2009) User Reviews

Part one of season finale the best episode yet

[Miles-10 · 8/10 · 3 May 2009]

Rogue FBI agent, Paul, finds a way into the dollhouse by using November/Mellie, but there are more surprises about who is using who to get where. The big bad who has been discussed in hushed tones all season shows up at last. And there are more clues about the company behind the dollhouse, but it is mostly by implication and only grants enough information to move the plot along.

In the climax, Paul and Boyd have an extended fight scene (with an assist from Echo/Caroline). I defy anyone who has been watching all along to root whole heartedly for either one, though, since both Paul and Boyd are essentially good guys. It's a question of whether what each is fighting for is misguided.

There is an otherwise separate subplot about Echo being sent on a rare pro bono engagement to help a troubled girl to turn her life around. Among other things, Echo persuades the girl to take a fairy tale about a prince rescuing a damsel and read it in a new way. As the girl reads the story in voice over, we see that Paul's mission to rescue Caroline follows the fairy tale only so far, but, then, who is really the rescuing prince?

As usual, Enver Gjokaj as Victor comes through with a spot-on performance. During the fight scene, Victor's blank-slate self gets hurt, and when Dr. Saunders asks him what happened, he explains with childlike simplicity, "People were fighting on me." But Alan Tudyk turns out to be the episode's—and perhaps the series'—secret weapon.

What every Dollhouse episodes should have been, but the rush part

[igoatabase · 8/10 · 5 May 2009]

If all episodes were like this one, Dollhouse would be a great show. However episodes like True Believer and Haunted proved that recycled stories and stereotyped characters don't appeal a modern or mature audience. This one focused on the major arc, was really serious and managed to convince us how dangerous technology can be. The chair scene at the beginning was really scary and it was interesting to see how every characters reacted. Moreover flashbacks and fairytale were mixed to reveal how hard it can be to actually change things when you disagree with someone or think what people do is wrong. It was also nice to see all dolls involved, like in Spy in the House of Love.

However it wasn't flawless and a few things disappointed me. For example Paul didn't plan his actions and rushed things like if he knew the end of season was near. It would have been so much more interesting if he planned things like Michael Scofield solved the puzzle in Prison Break during all season 1 episodes. Instead we got breadcrumbs and fillers. More important he managed to succeed anyway, in some way, and that doesn't really make sense.

Otherwise if you gave up on the show I strongly recommend you to change your mind because Briar Rose is a good episode. Last but not least one episode remains so the best is yet to come. I can't wait to see what happens next !

Really, really good

[Joxerlives · 9/10 · 8 January 2012]

The good; Totally had me fooled with Alpha (partly because his agoraphobic uber-geek and Ballard makes such a great team). Stunning performance on both counts. You really feel for Mellie when Ballard dumps her. Great performance from the actress who plays the little girl too. Dominic asking for 'Whiskey' is a masterful bit of foreshadowing and Ballard is one smart cookie with his plan (but not as much as you-know-who).

The bad; Alpha's plan seems unnecessarily complicated? Ballard says he doesn't have a badge any more but then he shows one to 'Kepler' (did he swipe Loomis'?)

Best line; Adele; "There's indignation enough for everyone to have seconds" plus reprogrammed Echo upon seeing Alpha "My prince"

Packing heat; Both Boyd and Ballard with their pistols again. Ballard also uses a stungun on Topher. Echo;6 Boyd; 7 Dominic; 7 Sierra; 3 Victor; 2 Ballard; 8

Echo kissage;2 She plants a big old smackaroo on Alpha, so much so it cuts her lip

How'd they get away with that? Watching Alpha slicing up Victor is HORRIBLE! The little girl's plight is also horrific but at least she has a chance to recover. Also hard to watch Ballard cruelly dumping Mellie and her near suicide. Plus Alpha's recycled urine.

This weeks fantasy; Topher has made Echo into a grown up, healthy version of the damaged little girl in order to counsel her, Alpha turns her into a white trash princess. Sierra is a CSI girl (her technobabble may be a subtle joke on them). Victor is Dominic

Total number personalities; Echo; 19 Sierra; 9 Victor; 6 November; 2

Total dolls; add Alpha so 7 Echo, Sierra, November, Victor, Mike, Tango, Alpha

Topher is a bit geeky; He actually uses the phrase 'All frakked up'.

Subverting the Hollywood cliché; Amanda lets Echo sit near her, not because she trusts her but because she has flicknife concealed on her.

Bondage; Boyd puts Ballard in handcuffs (presumably his own?) Sierra tied up; 1 Ballard; 1

Knocked out; Toper get's tasered into unconsciousness by Ballard Echo; 2 November; 1 Sierra; 1 Victor; 1 Topher; 1

Dolls injured;. Poor Victor, traumatised by Ballard and Boyd crashing down on top of him and then cut to ribbons by Alpha.

Capt subtext; Check out the very caring, maternal way Dr Saunders helps Victor who really comes across as a frightened child. The Briar Rose story has a feminist slant on it similar to Buffy, Amanda and Echo prefer the ending where the Briar Rose saves herself. Echo says that Amanda is "Close to moving forwards but it'll hurt" just as she is. Interestingly when Ballard asks Alpha is he Kepler he replies "Well there are a lot of aspects to that question" . He also refers to the Dollhouse as 'The New Eden' which it just might be. He asks Dr Saunders if she always wanted to be a Dr and when she says yes tells her that's a lie.

(Un)Happy hookers; The little girl seems to have been exploited as a child prostitute by her mother's boyfriend. All the Dolls in the Dollhouse are above the age of consent but only those we've seen (and only in LA).

Know the face? Alan Tudyk was Wash on Firefly/Serenity 7 Whedon alumni-Mark Shepherd, Amy Acker, walking action figure, Eliza Dushku, Jim Piddock, Gregg Henry, Alan Tudyk

Guantanamo; Drugging and torturing Dominic who's on a day trip out of the attic, very hard to watch (great performance from Enver, really nails Reed Diamond in his mannerisms). Sending Echo to help the little girl is everybodys way of living with themselves.

Fanfic; The adventures of doomed lovers Echo and Alpha disturbingly popular. The little girl's story reminded me of a Buffy fanfic "Thanks for taking care of my body, Faith' where we learn why Faith is as screwed up as she is and Buffy, Joyce and Dawn help her get over it and adopt her as a new Summers girl

Questions and observations; So, the headquarters for the whole Dollhouse project is in Tuscon? Can anyone tell me exactly WHY Alpha is hiding naked in a dumpster when he kills the homeless man? Or am I trying to find logic in the actions of a madman? Note when Ballard finally gets into the Dollhouse he says 'It really exists', he'd obviously begun to doubt his own sanity. 'We call that editing' may be a subtle joke on the crew. Alpha thinks the Dollhouse is a good place but with bad people. I hate stairs without risers too, always fear I'm going to fall through them. Note Boyd gives Ballard a way out, he's not going to turn him in if he can help it. Surely consensual slavery is a contradiction in terms, if it's consensual it's not slavery? The Dollhouse we see was only built ten years ago despite the rumours dating from the 80s.

Marks out of 10; 9/10 really good

Carrots!

[gridoon2024 · 8/10 · 14 October 2010]

Although the above word makes for probably the single funniest moment of the show so far, in light of later events in "Briar Rose" you will feel almost guilty for laughing with it. This episode is more about the shocks (there is a particularly nasty one near the end) and the action (a long, exhausting fight between Paul and Boyd inside the Dollhouse!) and less about character; arguably the most interesting aspect, the rare use of Dollhouse's powers for something noble (helping a young girl overcome her tragic past by imprinting Echo with a possible future healed version of her and assigning her as the girl's confidant) remains underdeveloped. Nevertheless, this largely set-up episode does get you very curious about what's coming next, and Alan Tudyk gives a terrific performance. *** out of 4.

The return of Alpha

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 22 October 2017]

Echo has been imprinted to help an abused child deal with what happened to her and move on with her life; part of what she does includes the reading of a story about a Sleeping Beauty like princess who is rescued by a prince… something which mirrors what is happening to Echo herself in a manner of speaking. Agent Ballard splits up with Mellie leading to her return to the Dollhouse; he follows her but despite searching the building he can find no sign of her. He comes to the conclusion that there is a second 'invisible' building beneath the one everybody can see. To get in he investigates the building's designers and finds Stephen Kepler, the environmental engineer, who created the building's systems. Along with Kepler he finally manages to get inside the Dollhouse and even open Echo's sleeping pod… getting out again won't be so easy. While all this is going on a Dollhouse employee has been found murdered in Tucson; Sierra is dispatched to investigate as it looks like the work of Alpha.

When this episode started I thought it was going to be another standalone episode but it turned out to be something far more interesting with the story Echo told the child nicely reflecting what was happening to her... only she has more than one possible Prince Charming; Ballard is obviously trying to get her out, Boyd promised he'd get her out several episodes ago and now it also becomes clear that Alpha is hoping to remove her, or at least somebody imprinted onto her, out of the Dollhouse. As well as a solid main story this episode contains some humorous moments, most notably when Kepler tells Ballard that the cannabis plants that fill his apartment are carrots. There are also some great twists, some fine action as well as some genuinely disturbing moments as one major character is viciously slashed across his face and another threatened. The cast does a solid job; in particular Tahmoh Penikett, who gets to take centre stage as Ballard and Alan Tudyk, who steals the show as Kepler. Overall this was a top-notch episode that left me keen to find out what happens next.