The third flower is yellow.

 Reply

Lawrence Dominic: "they imprinted the exact same personality into Victor two weeks later very easily"

Because they make a copy before putting someone in the attic. The episode with Adelle's rich dead friends shows there is no particular problem with putting a complete copy of a real person into an Active.

Boyd Langton: Here's is where I have the least rebuttal, but that's because there's the least to rebut. There just hasn't been much about Boyd to derive anything from. Although for a handler what other choices could you have besides "stoic" and "indifferent".

Topher Brink: "just a little too much of a genius for one so young?"

He's older than Wesley Crusher. Also, some of that genius is really him claiming to be that much of a genius and some is him thinking he's that much of a genius. Only part of him is actual genius. We've seen several asides about him not being as smart as he thought. But also we *have* seen him be that clever (e.g. Briar Rose). He have what some of the highest amount of creative responses that you couldn't depend on programming for, second only to...

Adelle DeWitt: "Would the mysterious forces behind the Dollhouse really place their operation in the hands of anyone who wasn't specifically crafted for that particular purpose?" No, because at that level you can't craft responses because you have no idea what you will need to respond to. This is an arguement I might expect form someone who never considered the difference between "manager" and "boss". However, I would be open to the arguement that Adelle was a former Active and then stayed on.

Paul Ballard: "how else do you explain his ... about-turn?"

How about by it not happening? He doesn't work for the Dollhouse yet, as evidenced by him saying "I don't work for you yet".

"Who's to say that Ballard isn't another Alpha (or, for that matter, an active imprinted with this very purpose)". He's not an Alpha, because an Alpha knows that he's an Alpha. He's not a specifically imprinted infiltrator Active because it would be dumb not to program an infiltrator with information about what they are infiltrating. At most he might be a glitching Active that his originating Dollhouse is trying to cover up, but then there's be other handlers turning up trying to find him and sweep him under the rug.

In all, he's just too dim. If I were to program someone, I wouldn't bother with idiot programs. This ties in with what I think is really his "about turn": Adelle convinced him that there is bigger fish to fry than the local chapter. That could either be true, or Adelle is just that much smarter and out-witted him.

 Reply

So, they programmed an active to work for the NSA, who became the NSA's mole inside the Dollhouse, then spent an episode and a bit on finding out he worked for the NSA..? That's what they did? I can't find a world in which that would make sense of any kind.

EpicLogicalFail.

Also since along with Topher, Adelle and Boyd, he was exposed to the virus we can conclude fairly safely and easily - NOT A FREAKING DOLL.

For the same reason as Mr Dominik, Ballard being an active DOES NOT MAKE SENSE. Program him to join the FBI to hunt them down, know he is doing so, then try to have him killed - twice - for what they programmed him for?

Really... I'm used to a bit more thought and logic from io9. This was just sad.

 Reply

Or he wants first dibs on the Echo.

 Reply