Dollhouse Theories & Speculation

[Hopefulsuicide]

So how did Echo end up in the dollhouse? what consequences?

And who is Alpha? is he the naked man watching echo's video?

any ideas? or any other questions or theories? post em here :)

[Sharingan]

Might as well named him Adam.

Everyone will probably come to some similar conclusion that he was the first prototype doll that eventually went haywire and is now hunting down the organization. Or Whedon can just make us believe that and put some ridiculous twist on it o.O

[Hopefulsuicide]

I really want to know if he remembers who he was before he became a doll...

If all he is remembering is bits of imprints then he is kind of just a psycho without a vendetta against the Dollhouse

However, if he remembers being made to become a doll, he will have a revenge motive, which will be much more interesting.

----- Added 31 Seconds later -----

Oh and i want to know why Echo is special... and whether their pasts link up

[Chlarkrocks]

that's a really interesting question I wonder if he's the detective because the detective killed all those people.

[bobsuncorp]

So he's a "composite" meaning that he has retained the skills of multiple personalities that he has been imprinted with. That is so cool! So this guy is the ultimate assassin, the ultimate gigolo, the ultimate whatever you can think of. Problem is, have all those personalities created a crazy person? It would be a little hard to stay sane if you hadn't been systematically abused by all these people. The latest ep seems to suggest that he is trying to create a new composite in Echo, by drugging her and putting her in a super stressful situation.

[Xanderman]

Maybe Alpha is the "Sylar" of Dollhouse. Except instead of collecting powers, he's collecting imprints. lol

The technology was probably still in its infancy in Alpha's time, maybe their erasures weren't complete and he retained other imprints. And now he's a jumbled mess. I think the difference with Echo (ie. "Neo") will be that she will be able to "handle" all the personalities loaded into her, and reside as master over them.

I can see Echo ending up as something similar to Jadzia Dax from Deep Space Nine. Memories of past lives and "selves" (or past Daxes) live in her, but her "Jadzia" self is dominant. Dax was once joined with a psychopath but he doesn't control the current Dax. Alpha likely does not have such control, so if he ever had an imprint of a psycho put into him, it may be connected to his current state.

[Hopefulsuicide]

Well from what i can tell, it's basically a question of how a confusion of personalities would drive a person insane... i mean if you had the personality of a psychopath, mixed with other personalities, mixed with your origional personalities... you'd become an incredible villain

i have another question

Who was HIS handler? and what happened to them?

we know he killed Echo's last handler, but nothing has been said about his...

[weemanwise]

Maybe Echo's last handler was also Alphas

[Hopefulsuicide]

I don't think that's possible. That would mean that Alpha and Echo could never be on an "engagement" at the same time, which isn't really logical or efficient business :lol:

[mangafreakazoid]

I think there is going to be major themes about thought and how it is influenced. Like, are you thinking the thought you have now because you want to or because I am telling you to think?

I see a lot of allusions(okay, obvious blurting out in the dialouge) about how the actives are like children when they aren't imprinted. I think is is very literal, as in the minds of actives are forced back to a child like state when they aren't imprinted. This means that they have a lot of the psychology of a child. Stuff like the actives' simple speech, comprehension of events, copying of movements(shoulder to the wheel), seeming only interested in self plesure(massages, pools) and attachment to handlers could be tied to the thought process of a child.

They get to it throught the procedure we saw with Sienna. I bet it includes making a copy of their mind so they can use their traits in future actives.

Any inprint they have afterwards becomes like wash out hair color or makeup. It can be washed out or removed, but your skin and body absorb some of the stuff and it affects your body chemistry. So, the memories are always 'washed away', but some remnant of them remains in their subconsious.

Which comes back to the actives being forced into a child-like mindset. Their bodies aren't children, and even if they tried to wipe it, their original, adult personality will try to control their thought process. If an active's original, dominant personality comes thorugh, then all of them will, like with Alpha.

Another aspect about children? In the first episode, Caroline was told it was only for five years. Maybe once they are five, even the children's mindset is to advanced to be fooled/ tampered with wipes and imprints.

I know I said a lot, but I have a TON of ideas, and my family doesn't watch the show. Now to watch episode 3.

[Hopefulsuicide]

They get to it throught the procedure we saw with Sienna. I bet it includes making a copy of their mind so they can use their traits in future actives.

Wouldn't that be a great way to get Ballard off Caroline's trail as well. Programme Echo with her own brain, add a few fake memories about where she has been while she was missing and send her off to his office saying 'i heard you were looking for me'.

Great post btw :)

[mangafreakazoid]

That would be great. Ballard thinking he finally caught up with an active from the Dollhouse, and then whoops! It's just Caroline.:lol:

Also, I saw in the last episode how Echo seemed really aware of her surroundings. She seems more knowledgeable than the other actives, and did anyone else catch the little shake of her head to Sienna? The other actives don't seem as subtle. I think Echo knows a lot more than she lets on.

[Hopefulsuicide]

She is certainly more aware of what the place is, because she recognized that they were being watched and that them being friendly would be considered bad.

Anyone got a theory on what/where the 'Attic' is... and do you think we will meet anyone who's gone there?

[Hopefulsuicide]

Anyone got any ideas on who's playing Alpha? I've read on a couple of sites that's it's Alan Tudyk (Wash, Firefly) but i suspect this is just to throw us off, so that we aren't constantly speculating about every make character, especially since one site mentioned that we may see Alpha before realising we've seen Alpha due to his split personalities.

[Chlarkrocks]

I loved the fact that Victor was a active. That was awesome, I started to laugh because it makes sense now. I think Agent Ballard is going to be hurting for a couple episodes now. I really wish he wouldn't ignore his neighbor she seems sweet.

[Xanderman]

Would be funny if Ballard ends up being a doll himself. After a lot of pain and suffering and finally tracking them down, they'd just go "Welcome home, Doll 7426." And he'd go "I'm...back? I'm...home...? You finally really did it... You MANIACS! You dolled me up! Oh damn you.....God damn you all to hell!! I'll never, EVER, forget what you've done to me! NEVER." Then they'd simply erase the imprint and he'd go "Was I asleep? What's for dinner." lol That would be a cool "Nowhere Man"-esque ending for Paul.

Would also be funny if that Journeyman guy (Dominic?) who bullies Echo all the time is a doll himself and doesn't know it. Kind of like that Danko guy on Heroes who hates mutants but is probably one himself--except he would know it. lol

Would be even funnier if every last person working at the Dollhouse (even boss lady) is a doll and they don't know it. And the mysterious "Alpha" could have stumbled on to this shocking truth and went insane because of it. So in a way instead of being the craziest, it would make him the sanest one of all. lol



we may see Alpha before realising we've seen Alpha due to his split personalities.I hope that doesn't mean it's Ballard....lol. Although that would be funny.


I really wish he wouldn't ignore his neighbor she seems sweet.Doll. :lol: Anybody who's in Ballard's life? Doll. lol

[Hopefulsuicide]

Would be funny if Ballard ends up being a doll himself. After a lot of pain and suffering and finally tracking them down, they'd just go "Welcome home, Doll 7426." And he'd go "I'm...back? I'm...home...? You finally really did it... You MANIACS! You dolled me up! Oh damn you.....God damn you all to hell!! I'll never, EVER, forget what you've done to me! NEVER." Then they'd simply erase the imprint and he'd go "Was I asleep? What's for dinner." lol That would be a cool "Nowhere Man"-esque ending for Paul.

Would also be funny if that Journeyman guy (Dominic?) who bullies Echo all the time is a doll himself and doesn't know it. Kind of like that Danko guy on Heroes who hates mutants but is probably one himself--except he would know it. lol

Would be even funnier if every last person working at the Dollhouse (even boss lady) is a doll and they don't know it. And the mysterious "Alpha" could have stumbled on to this shocking truth and went insane because of it. So in a way instead of being the craziest, it would make him the sanest one of all. lol


I hope that doesn't mean it's Ballard....lol. Although that would be funny.

Doll. :lol: Anybody who's in Ballard's life? Doll. lol

Okay seriously, calm down :lol:

Not everyone is going to turn out to be a doll :p Personally i don't think that any of the staff are dolls for a few reasons. 1. why are they morally questioning the Dollhouse if they are programmed with personalities that want to be working there? 2. Why wouldn't they have had their memory of what happened with Alpha erased? 3. the 'engagements' never last too long... i don't think they do permanent ones, 4. Topher most certainly can't be a doll, because he is the one doing the programming.

Ballard being a doll would be ridiculous, because he is in the FBI. And he didn't just randomly get placed in the FBI with no one asking any questions. It's a career he would have to have worked his whole life to get too. Plus, within this series, there has got to be this outsider in order to provide balance and a sense of the world outside the dollhouse... as well as a sense of hope. If you took that away by having Ballard be a doll, it would mean there were no connections left with the outside world at all... every single character would be contained within the dollhouse.

Ballard being Alpha would also be a little nuts. 1. So one of Alpha's split personalities is sitting watching carolines video and getting to post her picture to the other of his split personalities... ummmm... no

Besides, i thought that eventually Ballard was going to be an at a distance doomed love interest for Caroline.

P.S. i don't think Danko on heroes has powers. i think it's possible that someone in his family was killed by someone with powers, or that he had a brother with powers who always got all the attention because of it, so he killed him and now he's trying to kill them all :lol:

i'd love to see a scene where Nathan says "You are NOT killing my BROTHER!" and Danko replies "Why? I killed Mine!"

[Xanderman]

Ballard being a doll would be ridiculous, because he is in the FBI. And he didn't just randomly get placed in the FBI with no one asking any questions. It's a career he would have to have worked his whole life to get too. Maybe his records/history were faked and nobody in the FBI really knows him. He didn't seem to have a lot of "lifelong friends" at the bureau. Mostly, we just saw other coworkers who ridicule and dismiss him. And/or maybe the person who hired him on at the bureau is part of the conspiracy...oh yes, I'm really on to something here aren't I Becky. lol


Not everyone is going to turn out to be a doll :p Personally i don't think that any of the staff are dolls for a few reasons. 1. why are they morally questioning the Dollhouse if they are programmed with personalities that want to be working there? 2. Why wouldn't they have had their memory of what happened with Alpha erased? 3. the 'engagements' never last too long... i don't think they do permanent ones, 4. Topher most certainly can't be a doll, because he is the one doing the programming. 1. Maybe this is some grand experiment being run by some insidious "Nowhere Man" type group or company, and they're seeing how far a person (or an entire group of people) will go to defend an identity that isn't even real. 2. Refer to 1 (ie. part of the experiment). 3. Engagements that we know of you mean... 4. He could have been programmed to be a programmer. (I know what you're thinking--but if a programmer programmed the programmer who programs people, who programmed the programmer who programmed the programmer who programs people? It's best not to think about these things... lol)

And Becky, I'm not just suggesting that every single person on this series is a doll. No no the rabbit hole goes much deeper than that I'm afraid. I'm suggesting that every single person involved with this series, PERIOD, is a doll--including, no scratch that, ESPECIALLY Joss Whedon. :lol:


Plus, within this series, there has got to be this outsider in order to provide balance and a sense of the world outside the dollhouse... as well as a sense of hope. If you took that away by having Ballard be a doll, it would mean there were no connections left with the outside world at all... every single character would be contained within the dollhouse. You just hit the nail on the head Becky--the whole PLANET is one big dollhouse.:eek: lol (ie. it's hopeless) This is the revelation this series is leading up to, I'd bet my last doll on it. lol (okay I don't have any dolls...so I'd bet your last doll on it. lol j/k)


Ballard being Alpha would also be a little nuts. 1. So one of Alpha's split personalities is sitting watching carolines video and getting to post her picture to the other of his split personalitiesThat's what makes split personalities so much fun. lol



i'd love to see a scene where Nathan says "You are NOT killing my BROTHER!" and Danko replies "Why? I killed Mine!":lol: So would I.

[Hopefulsuicide]

:lol: I'm reading your post at work and now i can't stop laughing. Everyone at the pub is looking at me like i'm a freak.

All i can say is i have finally found another poster who is as full of conspiracies as i am... let's see how many of them come true.

[CallMeClark]

I actually thought about Ballad being Alpha, but I am not sure how it would work. But it does make sense, especially since the male doll (forget his name) is programed each trip to look after Ballard.

[Hopefulsuicide]

The thing is, if Ballard was Alpha, they would just take him out. They would have to know it was him, because he would still look the same.

But so far, DeWitt has objected to killing Ballard because he is a federal agent and there would be too many questions. And she has said he is not that much of a risk.

And they wouldn't risk sending a Doll to Alpha after he killed a load of them at the Dollhouse.

Everything i can think of points to it making no sense at all.

[mangafreakazoid]

Just watched the latest episode, #8. It just really got me thinking. The whole show is about the actives, especially Echo and how she thinks differently. But maybe, like in this episode, her behavior has been guided. I think that even though memory-less Caroline didn't do exactly what Dewitt and co. thought, she wasn't too far out on a limb for those in the know. And they had ultimate control with the passing out the whole time. Maybe Dewitt, or someone even higher up, has been giving Echo more leeway, or implanting the initiative to act on her own? I think that at least some of what we've seen must be intentional by the Dollhouse.

Also, what is up with Ballard now? I know that in Man on the Street, Echo's interaction with Ballard was planed. But the end of this most recent episode, was that memory-less Caroline(from henceforth memlessCaro, because its too long to type every time) calling him, or Echo with an implant? I think its implied that it is memlessCaro, but what if the Dollhouse was just using it as another way to trip Ballard up? Or maybe I'm over thinking it?

I don't really know.

But still, this episode was good. MemlessCaro rocked. We got to see more of a solid role for Dushku to play, because it has got to be hard to settle into new characters all the time. And the scene of the Dolls walking outside was really intense.

[darkphoenix21]

After watching this last episode before the season finale it looks like Ballard may have to join the crew to rescue Echo/Caroline from Alpha because Ballard lead him back into the Dollhouse and kidnapped her. Either that or/and Ballard will become Echo's new handler. It's only the first season so there has to be an assumption that all the main characters will hopefully be back for next season. I just hope FOX does the smart thing and switches the show to a better day and time.

[Xanderman]

Either that or/and Ballard will become Echo's new handler.That's actually a pretty cool possibility, I like it. I never thought about it, but now that Boyd is head of security, it makes a place for Ballard to step in, especially since the original replacement handler is a nobody/nothing character.

And you're right, Ballard will probably feel responsible/guilty for his role in Echo's kidnapping by Alpha and so he will team up with the Dollhouse to rescue her. And from there he will probably become a permanent fixture (as Echo's handler), especially since he's no longer with the FBI.

[CallMeClark]

I just hope FOX does the smart thing and switches the show to a better day and time.
Amen to that. They gave the show the shaft from the beginning. Wow.

[Novak Fan]

What do you guys think it'd be the relation between Topher and Wishey/Dr. Saunders? I find intriguing what she said to him, that she doesn't understand why he make her hate him with the last imprint.

----- Added 1 Minutes later -----


Either that or/and Ballard will become Echo's new handler. .

Yep, I think this could be.

[Hopefulsuicide]

I think Topher is a very layered human being :lol:

He does something that is morally questionable, and sometimes he does things that are downright evil (stripping dominic ready for the attic), but he also, like all humans, has a very sweet side of guilt (dr Saunders), respect (Echo), trust and loyalty(DeWitt) and loneliness (birthday with Sierra).

So glad we got the renewal btw :D bit crap it's still on friday though :(

[darkphoenix21]

In looking through the threads and discovering that Dollhouse will be back, I was wondering if they are going to air the actual season finale "Epitaph One"? I was looking at the imdb site and its supposed to air on July 28th (granted the imdb site can be missleading/inaccurate). Will the episode be atleast part of the season 1 dvd?