Contributor: John Keegan
I don’t understand some of the negative reactions to this episode, and this season, that I’ve encountered. Much of what happens in this installment is the direct consequence of everything that has proceeded it, and the “addiction” character arcs make perfect sense. In fact, some of these events are precisely what we’ve been predicting since the season premiere.
The complicated relationship between Aidan and Suren continues to spiral out of control, and we get to see how Suren was banished to the dirt in the first place. Her current instability is just a continuance of her earlier years, when Aidan and Henry were vying for her affections. Aidan and Suren bring out the jealous rage in each other, and since part of the equation for vampiric survival is hiding in plain sight, her decision to rip open the throat of one of Henry’s mortal conquests in the middle of a party is problematic.
Some contend that Suren is a terribly written character, or that Dichen Lachman is a horrible actress. One look at “Dollhouse” should wipe clean that latter notion. Lachman is more than capable, so if there is any lack, it’s on the part of the writers. For my part, I don’t see it. Aidan has always been shown as fighting his addiction to blood (intrinsic to the vampiric metaphor to drug addiction written into the series’ premise), and it makes sense that Suren would bring something to the table that Bishop didn’t: sexual allure.
As presented, Suren is unbalanced. Mother knows it, her minions know it, and on some level, Aidan knows it. Even Suren is somewhat aware of the fact that she’s rather damaged. Rather than make her shrill and outwardly violent, her bloodlust is more subdued. The extremes of her desires are offset by the seeming serenity of her approach, and certainly, the flashbacks show how it draws others into her web.
Meanwhile, Josh is working with the twins to find their desired cure, even though it sounds like a particularly bad idea. This puts him at odds with Nora, who slides in and out of sanity on an increasingly erratic basis. The writers have been foreshadowing this since the season premiere, and things take the anticipated turn by the end of the episode.
What I didn’t expect was for Josh to provide some of the impetus for her latest kill. Putting Nora in the company of the twins wasn’t a great idea, but going after her abusive ex-boyfriend didn’t help, either. With Nora barely holding on to her humanity, it’s no surprise that she gave in to temptation and went running with the twins for a midnight snack. (Though more naked Kristen Hager is hardly an issue.)
Sally’s plot thread also took the anticipated turn, as she went from indulging in a bit of French kissing to full-on sexual activity. The fact that she was possessing a woman repeatedly, and for longer and longer periods of time, didn’t seem to matter, once the thrill kicked in. One nice touch was that she become caught inside Janet, and then had to be forced out by the “shadow figure”.
Not to be outmatched by the other character threads, Sally’s trysts have resulted in severe consequences. Not only is she now addicted, but she’s seriously damaged Janet. If Janet manages to survive her mental breakdown (something I’m not convinced will happen), I don’t see her relationship lasting.
I personally think the show is continuing on excellent footing, and while they are taking a bit of time to set up the various conflicts arising from the characters’ weaknesses and temptations, it’s clearly in service to what must inevitably follow from their mistakes. I would think anyone impatient with the pacing should recognize that the mid-point of the season is coming quickly, and that’s as likely a point for the story to escalate as any.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 8/10
