'Dollhouse': Sierra's tragic fight in 'Belonging'

In "Belonging," we're finally able to see what circumstances brought Sierra, one of our favorite dolls, to the dollhouse. It's a pretty tragic circumstance, and Dichen Lachman has a winning performance as a pre-Sierra Priya.

We find Priya, a free-spirited artist type, hanging out on the beach, selling knickknacks, when she's approached by a rich stranger with a generous offer.  If that's not a huge red light, red flag or stoplight, I don't know what is. What followed was very calculated, very evil and just plain mean.

Nolan Kinnard, played menacingly by Vincent Ventresca, tried to court Priya with everything, including a gallery showing of her works. Though Priya has a good head on her shoulders, she may have eventually followed Echo's advice to go ahead and use Kinnard to get what she wanted, but fate intervened. Victor, another doll invited to attend the gallery opening, saunters in to create that initial spark that we now know as true love.

It was here that I question what happened. Did someone at the dollhouse send Victor, who obviously was going after Priya whether it was all-consuming love or an assignment, to mess up Kinnard's plans? He was pulled away to a treatment pretty quickly, but the damage was done. Priya said no to Kinnard, then lost her mind because of medicines given to her covertly. Kinnard, a favorite of the Rossum Corporation, made her lose her mind, get committed to a mental health facility, then turned into a doll by Topher.

Making her visit him over and over again was Kinnard's revenge for her spurning his advances. That's just plain nefarious -- a mangling of morality that even made Topher and even Adelle DeWitt twitch. The company forced them to give Sierra up to this guy, but Topher turned it around.

Sierra was sent to Kinnard not as a loving girlfriend or wife, but instead as Priya. After a confrontation, Priya killed him with a "struggle and stab." Stabbed him four times, actually. Just making sure. Morally ambiguous moment No. 2: Topher gets a call and comes to the rescue, and Boyd Langton drops by with party favors: sharp tools and sulfuric acid for Kinnard. That was a wow moment. Of course, Kinnard is, according to DeWitt, a "raping scumbag one tick shy of a murderer," but Boyd's willingness to make the problem "go away" was jarring given his questioning of morality around the dollhouse.

The final straw? Priya did not want to live with the knowledge that she had killed a man, and wanted to experience life and love with Victor, but she couldn't do that as Priya. So, decisively and voluntarily, she chose to remain Sierra. Thanks for not depriving us of Sierra, but it was a messed-up choice to have to make. Did she actually win? Answer in the comments below.

The episode was great, to say the least. Despite her reluctance to play herself on-screen, Lachman broke out here. The episode also added even more to the lore of the romance between Victor and Sierra. Kind of like this weekend's "Saw VI," the moral choices made in the show continue to drive it. OK, not so much like "Saw," but you get it.

This incident will also definitely have implications for Topher in the future: a momentary slip of goodness makes you wonder what else he's capable of doing when push comes to shove. And Echo's security pass (looked like) seems like it's from Boyd since only she and he were in that conversation. But with surveillance everywhere, who knows who else might've listened in on the conversation. Is Boyd our mole? We'll see.

Next week, we'll talk to Alexis Denisof, and we'll get to learn more about Sen. Daniel Perrin and his connection to the dollhouse.  And Summer Glau!!!!!

-- Jevon Phillips

Photos: Sierra (Dichen Lachman), top, laughs with Victor (Enver Gjokaj) in the "Dollhouse" episode "Belonging."  Below, Nolan Kinnard (Vincent Ventresca) grabs Sierra.  Credit: Fox.

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Comments

[Jay]

It's not on next week, it's being taken off for sweeps. It comes back in December in back to back episodes. Also I loved this episode, it was fantastic. I got chills!

[Rose]

Correction: On December 4th, we'll talk to Alexis Denisoff... and Summer Glau!! The show is benched for November.

[TV Obsessed]

'Belonging' is the best episode of the series -- and Echo wasn't really involved. Dichen Lachman, Fran Kranz, Maurissa Tancharoen, Jed Whedon, and especially Jonathan Frakes did an amazing job for this truly amazing episode. After another great episode, I'm disappointed Dollhouse will be canceled. I don't think there's any debate about it, so I'll watch the next episodes which look to be really good, and then mourn the loss of another great show. Full review of the episode.

http://th3tvobsessed.blogspot.com/2009/10/review-dollhouse-season-2-episode-4.html

[l9h]

Did you think that the poor construction of your plot synopsis would cover over the spoilers you included?

"The episode was great ...." Well, perhaps, but this is terrible review.

If part of the fun of "Dollhouse" is working out the puzzles of each episode while thinking about them in terms of the larger puzzles of the series as a whole, your review seems to take pleasure in simply presenting the points of confusion we eventually work out as the point of the show -- and then to simply accept the "ethical" perspective expressed by characters in the show itself.

You haven't gotten to the point of having a critical perspective, so your writing gets lost, wavering between your wanting to breathlessly give an update about how much you liked the episode (try Twitter) and giving an account of the ethical implications of a society where personality, appearance, and social relations have become largely malleable, and so, subject to the most intimate forms of manipulation for private gain.

The result is that, as you rely on the highly compromised, if not downright villainous characters in the show about for insights about "ethical" consequences, instead of thinking through a critique of the episode in light of the show's larger trajectory, you seem to be fantasizing about becoming a member of the "Dollhouse" instead of analyzing how the show presents contemporary celebrity, media, and medical culture as a "Dollhouse."

It's time you had a "treatment."

[MV]

"It was here that I question what happened. Did someone at the dollhouse send Victor, who obviously was going after Priya whether it was all-consuming love or an assignment, to mess up Kinnard's plans?"

I think both Echo and Victor were "ordered" by Kinnard to talk him up - doesn't Harding say something about an elaborate seduction? Though there's an obvious attraction, Victor's assignment as an Italian art lover is to talk the sleazy doctor up (as Priya invites him to leave with her he even says "yes, we can talk about Nolan some more") but whether in doll state, imprint or original state, Victor will always be protective and in love with Priya/Sierra. When he steps up to defend her and his honour (after Nolan says he's not even real), that was an indication that he was about to go off mission hence the quick call for treatment.

This definitely ranks up there as one of my favourite episodes! Amazing performances by Fran Kranz, Olivia Williams, Dichen Lachman, Harry Lennix and Enver Gjokaj. Even Eliza Dushku (who sadly is the show's weakest link) was good in it and the writing finally moved her "evolving" story forward and not just have her say "I remember everything" and the end. It was nice to see Echo and Boyd scenes again... I think Boyd is what made Echo likable for me.

As for Topher, I knew from day one despite viewers' dislike for his character that if the show made it to 10 episodes, he would be a character that would show so much depth and layers (hello! it's a Whedon show!) and after the season 1 finale, Epitaph One and his conversation with Claire in Vows, he did not disappoint! PS: Topher and Adelle scenes have become my favourite :)

Also it was a good choice not to throw Paul's character in this episode who sadly has also become a weak link for me.

Am I done gushing about the brilliance of this episode? ... I think so...