you know, that was about how i felt; ep6 rocked so much that ep7, while *good*, certainly better than 1-5, just felt slightly lacking. But she has Alpha in her future, still!

thespian | July 01, 10:01 CET

I enjoyed it - the show has definately grown on me - only problem now is that it clashes with so many of my wifes programmes :)

Kane | July 01, 10:12 CET

I also was underwhelmed by Echoes. A lot of people really liked it though, so I figured it was just my personal taste. Unfortunately, the Caroline backstory never resonated much with me. I found myself becoming more attached to 'Echo' the person rather than 'Caroline' the person at the end of the season... especially after Spy in the House of Love.

LaneMeyer | July 01, 12:56 CET

Me too LaneMeyer. I think (besides the wacky fun of Dominic and the gang) the only important purpose of the episode was to show that Caroline & Echo are separate entities. Same foundation, but different choices.

I think it helped drive home that Caroline when blank is not actually Caroline, but Echo. That, and it appeased those who were cranky that they didn't know the back story of Caroline, and couldn't connect with her. Now they can sympathize with her.

But, come on, we were all in it for the "shake up" of Adelle, Dominic, & Boyd. :)

korkster | July 01, 19:36 CET

I think it helped drive home that Caroline when blank is not actually Caroline, but Echo. That, and it appeased those who were cranky that they didn't know the back story of Caroline, and couldn't connect with her. Now they can sympathize with her.

But, come on, we were all in it for the "shake up" of Adelle, Dominic, & Boyd. :)

Actually, I think these two seemingly separate viewpoints are not so separate at all. Getting to know Caroline is essentially the hidden transcript the Dollhouse tries to bury, and it's only fitting that the episode that shows us this hidden transcript (the flashback) is the first to show a "shake up" of the status quo on the side of the powerful. I was blown away by how they chose to portray that connection by gradually letting the flashbacks bleed into the present till the two were almost indistinguishable.

For me, "Echoes" is also very much an emotional and thematic two-parter with "Needs": It was the time of the season where Caroline came through (as Echo), and it was the time where the order of things was not so solid after all. A tide was rising.

Also, "Echoes" establishes strongly the connection between the fictional Dollhouse-universe and the real world. It's not a shady organization anymore, but a pharmaceutical entity like we know them now, only with a backdoor on the animal testing. that was an important aspect in solidifying the ugliness of the story. I was more afraid of the technology afterwards than before "Echoes".

And it was darn funny, too. :)

wiesengrund | July 01, 19:51 CET