Echo (28 Jul. 2009)

FBI Agent Paul Ballard searches for Caroline, a missing person, who may be connected to a Dollhouse. A place that people say doesn't exist.

Director:

Joss Whedon

Writers:

Joss Whedon (creator), Joss Whedon

Stars:

Eliza Dushku, Harry Lennix, Fran Kranz

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Eliza Dushku	...	Echo / Shauna Vickers
Harry Lennix	...	Boyd Langton
Fran Kranz	...	Topher Brink
Tahmoh Penikett	...	Paul Ballard
Enver Gjokaj	...	Anton Lubov / Victor
Dichen Lachman	...	Sierra
Olivia Williams	...	Adelle DeWitt
Amy Acker	...	Dr. Claire Saunders
Reed Diamond	...	Laurence Dominic
Ashley Johnson	...	Hayden Leeds
Aisha Hinds	...	Loomis
Maury Sterling	...	Eddy
Clayton Rohner	...	Dollhouse Client
Raphael Sbarge	...	Richard
Rico E. Anderson	...	Agent

Storyline

Echo is an 'active' one of several volunteers who work at the Dollhouse, a secret and illegal international organization that rents out programed people for their high-paying clients needs. Paul Ballard is an ambitious FBI agent whom relentlessly seeks out the existence of the Dollhouse despite interference from his co-workers and superiors that the place does not exist. Adelle DeWitt, the CEO of the L.A. branch of the Dollhouse, becomes concerned that Agent Ballard is onto them when she suspects that someone is helping him, so she sends out Echo in other one of her programed states to spy and eventually kill the persistent agent, despite protests from Echo's handler, Boyd, who wants to follow guidelines the legal way.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

28 July 2009 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

46 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

[first lines]
Adelle DeWitt: The world is a very simple place... at first. Then, as we grow up, it grows around us, a dense thicket of complication and disappointment. Unbearable for some. And even for the luckiest of us, still sometimes more than we can handle. Less than we'd hoped.

User Reviews

Mostly a curiosity item - the "official" pilot is better

"Echo" is the unaired pilot of "Dollhouse", and can now be found as an extra feature on the Complete Season 1 DVD of the series. I've read some people's opinions that the TV network disapproved of this pilot because it was too "demanding" and forced Joss Whedon to make something more "accessible", so he did "Ghost" as the official pilot instead. This, frankly, doesn't make much sense to me: of the two episodes, "Ghost" is certainly the more demanding one, because it attempts to set up this world AND tell a full story at the same time, while "Echo" spends most of its time simply trying to explain the premise and the rules. Much of "Echo"'s footage was actually used in later episodes - and often more functionally: for example, Adelle's enthusiasm and strong belief in the value of the Dollhouse's services makes a powerful contrast with her future disillusionment in "Epitaph One"; the Victor = Lubov twist is also given away too early here, as is the first (altered) encounter of Ballard with Echo. Maybe the longer and more meaningful talks between Boyd and Topher could be considered a good addition, but mostly this episode is of curiosity value. **1/2 out of 4.