TOPHER: Bennett has twice the resources I have. She thinks she runs that house and she might for all I know. But there is one thing, of which I am certain. I have a cooler office.

Topher is understandably twisted up about the whole D.C. Dollhouse thing, but doesn’t trust his assistant enough to tell her what happened there. He goes off on a rant about Mentat Bennett, (Summer Glau) and her apparent lack of anything good, even while wistfully wondering what she’s doing right then. His assistant, not caring a lick, asks what happened to Echo...you know Il Dushku, the linchpin of the whole show? Don’t worry lords and ladies, cut to Harry J. Lennix asking the obvious questions first in Oliva Williams office. Lennix suggest she might hitchhiking, as that would be the best way to avoid any record. Williams orders him to find Helo and find Echo.

I’m sure there’s a scene on the cutting room floor where Lennix is just like “Well, duh, lady.”

We cut to Echo in her blank doll state, picking through a dumpster before moving on to a garbage can. She finds an apple, takes a bite and spits it out. She is apparently is in Medina, Texas (Pop. 2,960), famous for its non-garbage can apples.

Eventually she wanders-disheveled and starving-into the general store, going straight for the produce. This p***es off the manager (read: crotchety old guy), who sarcastically explains where money comes from while pushing her out the door. Echo tries to coerce the ATM in giving her money, which I’m sure we’ve all done at one point or another while drunk.

Before long, she ends up stealing some food to give to another woman who hasn’t eaten in three days (and speaks no english). The Sherriff shows up to arrest them both, but as the two women split up, he only gets the other woman. Meanwhile the deputy goes after Echo. He pulls a gun on her, causing her to switch over to Ninja Doll mode. She finishes him off with a sweet flying punch to the chest and splits.

Never send a boy to do the job of a squad of seasoned Green Berets.

Title Credits!

3 Months Later. Wait, 3 Months?! 3?! Jesus!

Some Rich Douche Bag is having tea in Williams office. But it’s Keith Carradine’s office now, and he’s the one handling the customer, who actually has the stones to quote the Marquis De Sade unironically. Williams is just the assistant pouring the tea. Ouch.

Meanwhile Echo has become a nurse. Crap. My prediction that this just might become The Pretender just might be coming true. She talks with one of her co-workers about shifts and such, and ends up getting roped into doing a vaccine run to the county jail, which is run by The Sheriff and the deputy Echo put the hurt on earlier.

Back at the Dollhouse Puzzle Palace Head Quarters Nerve Center, Harry J. Lennix is humming along managing the mercs that mind the dolls. Williams the Assistant rolls into his office and says their new client, the Marquis De Douche, likes inflicting pain, and complains that they’re not weighing the risks of who they give the actives to. Lennix counters that there were always risks, they’re just being honest with themselves now.

At the Medina County Jail, the deputy brings the woman Echo gave food to three months ago (who we now find out is named Galena) into the infirmary. She’s hunched over in pain and has bruising all over her right side, but the deputy-being an uncaring redneck-says she never said anything about it and he’s not immigration so why should he speak Spanish?

Turns out Echo does speak Spanish (props to Dushku to for a good accent) and lets the Galena know there is a plan. Echo takes a picture of the woman her iphone and says she has a broken rib, so she’ll need to come back the next day to give her something for the pain.

At the DHPPHQNC, Topher is giving his assistant a hard time as she’s doing and imprint for Sierra, The Human Gazelle. Where’s she been? Sierra, who can do any accent, has been imprinted so Topher can brain storm, talk some shop talk, and work on R&D. Apparentlyhe’s imprinted a bunch of dolls for this, and they’re working on something.

You know what? Topher’s whole approach to life is metaphor for porn addiction. He only ever deals with imprinted dolls. He even says Bennet put him off trusting real women completely.

Echo comes home to her apartment and is ambushed! But she flips her assailant over her shoulder, before reaching out and asking if they’re okay. It’s Helo! (SNUGGLES!) He tells to go on the offensive more, but really, when you flip somebody like that, it’s safe to say you’re on the offensive.

ECHO: Sometimes a girl likes to be chased.

They discuss “the plan”, which involves Galena to some extent. Then they have quite the open conversation about Echo’s previous life and programming, and Helo complains that even with 36 personalities, she can’t cook. Echo, it turns out, is now self-aware.

Apparently, Mentat Glau’s negative memory of Caroline (pre-Echo Dushku) has allowed Echo to let go of Caroline, allowing her access different personalities at will. Now, she’s fixin’ to get back at the Dollhouse… and do the dirty boogie with Helo. But Helo-well aware of Echo’s previous life-thinks it would be wrong.

Instead of having sex, they have a patented Whedonesque fight/training/planning montage! This week’s fight sequence is brought to by American Apparel and Astroglide. Seriously, not subtle with the dirty subtext at all. Also, great shot where Echo draws with both hands and two separate sheets of paper, demonstrating her new “Super Genius” very efficiently.

More prep work ensues (some fake IDs and such), then Helo retires to the couch.

At the DHPPHQNC, Topher is going berserk revamping the dollhouse tech, and Williams is concerned. Carradine shows up and pretty much plays “Daddy’s favorite” with Topher over Williams.

Topher is moving up in the world, while Williams gets to be very cross and British.

Lennix is on the phone when Williams storms into his office. He’s hollering at some guy named Rawlings. On the other end of the line it’s Helo, who is assuring Lennix that as soon as he is sure he’s found Echo, he’ll bring her in. Lennix keeps talking like it’s not Helo until Williams leaves. Then they get down to business. They’re both planning something, and Echo’s in on it.

Back at the County Lockup, Galena is having a seizure. Echo is already there, and gives Galena a drug that fakes her death. The sheriff is about the lose it, and Echo says she’ll David Copperfield the dead Latina like she was the Statue of Liberty, but for a price. Stop abusing the prisoners. After some deliberating, and a few veiled threats, the sheriff capitulates.

Back at the puzzle palace, they’re starting a new Dollhouse in Dubai. Dubai: Where all the evil people go to play!

Galena wakes up in the jail’s elevator, right in front of the deputy-who is naturally freaked out.  Plan busted, the cops throw them both in some sort of interrogation room. The Sheriff says he’s going to find out what’s going on, and he means bid’ness, then locks them in. Echo is sure she can get them out, but starts to have a break down.

Cut back to the Puzzle palace, where Topher is pulling an unwitting Michael Stipe by introducing the End of the World as We Know It, specifically a remote wipe gun. Carradine notices Victor and Sierra grouping, and says she’d be perfect for Dubai.

Dick.

Back to the jail, Galena comforts Echo, who suddenly flips into Blue Skies-the thief from last season, and figures a way out of the room with her bra underwire. They exit and run into two big guys with night sticks. She accesses some kung-fun, beats their asses, before switching back to Blue Skies to hack an electronic lock on a door. Opens that, and…

Oh hey, it’s the deputy She Ong-Bak’ed earlier in the episode!

The Sheriff is running behind, finding  all his guys knocked out like it was the Mayor’s Christmas party. He calls for back up and hauls ass down the hall. Echo meanwhile, is pummeling the deputy-for the second time-and the Sheriff can’t get through the door. The ladies make their escape and onto a motorcycle, with the Sheriff about to give chase until Helo rolls up and replays  a tape of the conversation where Echo says she’ll disappear the dead Latina for a favor. He tells the Sheriff to leave it alone:

• SHERIFF: Why are you wasting your time on some border-hopping nobody?
• HELO: I’m not. I’m wasting my time on you. Don’t make me waste any more.

In one those dank passageways underneath everything, Topher is telling Williams he’d actually hoped to not actually make a real remote wipe thingy, but he failed. Topher says that all the Dollhouses, 23 of them now, have been working on components for a bigger device. He’s now sure that they’ll be able to remote imprint anyone. Imprint anyone, without implanting Dollhouse hardware and, oh-end of the world as we know it.

• WILLIAMS: That’s unnerving.
• TOPHER: No. What’s unnerving is I figured out how to do it

He then proceeds to show her the blueprints he keeps stashed in plain view like an idiot.

Medina, Texas: At Helo and Echo’s not really a Love Nest, Galena has a new identity and it’s time to roll. Echo is so pleased with herself that she wants snuggles plus, but Helo is not having it, because he hasn’t actually given up on being a good person yet. Lennix shows up and back to the Dollhouse they go.

In Topher’s server room/bed room, the blueprint has gone missing. Williams took and showed it to Carradine. Now she has her house back.

• CARRADINE: I have to ask, did you ever consider just imprinting a doll to kill me?
• WILLIAMS: I’d like to think I’d have the courage to do it myself.

Topher asks Williams if she’s lost her British mind by giving the deadliest tech he’s ever heard of to some obviously EVIL people, while HE was trying to keep it safe. She spits back that he was simply playing with tech again, leading him to tell her she’s the coldest bitch on this planet.

She slaps the s*** out of him, and tells him there’s a new sherrif in town:

WILLIAMS: That is the last time you will ever speak to me like that. Or at all unless you are spoken to. You are off R&D and back on programming. You will imprint these Dolls with dedication and precision, and you will follow every single one of my commands as if they were your heart’s most deep desire.

ZOMFG! HAWWWT!!

ahem

Echo comes back. And despite Lennix and Helo’s misgivings about her continued headaches and breakdowns, Williams won’t wipe her again, instead deciding to lock her in a room and see how long she’ll last.

Roll Credits.

SUMMARY:

• Well, The End of the World is coming along rather nicely.
• Topher got nailed to wall by Williams, and I’m a little jealous.
• Gee, I hope Lennix and Ballard’s plan works. . .
• Whiskey?