Ew...gross...cooties! And the most obnoxious pair ever shipped.

marvelknight616 | October 19, 20:55 CET

Err, I've never been rooting for these two. I prefer the Paul/Mellie or whoever she is pairing.

Riker | October 19, 21:18 CET

Echo and Ballard hooking up this season? Man never saw that coming. l think it's weird, if and when it ever happens.

zee | October 19, 21:22 CET

Yucky. And oddly, also boring at the same time.

ShanshuBugaboo | October 19, 21:25 CET

While I do think Ballard's character is interesting, I'm not too much in support of him hooking up with Echo, or any of the actives for that manner. Even if she has a measure of self-awareness now, that's still a level of squick I'm not too comfortable with. Then again, it wouldn't be Dollhouse if it wasn't attempting to test viewers' boundaries.

deepgirl187 | October 19, 21:30 CET

I doubt they'll be hooking up anytime soon. Tahmoh just said we'd see a makeout scene - it's the article which says they'll be getting together. If it is ever going to happen, I think both characters need to go through some major development first.

Shep | October 19, 21:42 CET

I'm a little creeped out by the idea of an obsessive stalker getting the girl. Sends the wrong message.

If the two ever got together, I'd hope it wasn't until the Epitaph timeline when she's gotten a firm grasp on who she is and he's gotten the hell over the uber-fixation.

RayHill | October 19, 22:07 CET

If Paul ever approaches Echo like that, I hope Echoline puts him firmly in his place.

gossi | October 19, 22:09 CET

So completely boring it's not even funny. If they think we're all thinking that Echo and Ballard is gonna be sexy, they've got another think coming!

I'm not opposed to the actor, but the creep factor in his portrayal of Ballard is approaching critical mass.

Frass | October 19, 22:27 CET

I don't know, I'm sort of warming to Ballard. I liked his character in the last episode.

Simon | October 19, 22:30 CET

It seemed like in Epitaph One they hadn't officially hooked up yet, so hopefully they stick to that timeline. I agree with gossi, if Paul tries anything too squicky I hope Echo kicks his ass. Paul's obsession with her and her currently state of identity confusion and vulnerability makes it all kinds of not okay right now.

Although on the flip side I suppose they could use that to further explore how Paul's character really isn't a "good guy" in any sense of the word. If for some reason it was Echo who instigated it and Paul went with it, that would almost be an interesting contrast to the scene we saw between Topher and Claire/Whiskey in "Vows". Topher, who most of the time we see as just being amoral and not concerned with consequences, was extraordinarily moral in that scene. He didn't want to take advantage of her-- "You're better than that!" --and stayed resolute in that stance though it seemed like the temptation was definitely there. If Paul fails to do the same with Echo, he looses way more validity in his self perceived position of being morally above the other Dollhouse employees.

All in all I'm not keen on seeing Ballard and Echo together, but if they make sure to accentuate the inherent creepiness of it and it doesn't go much of anywhere then fine, plot wise I can see why it would be done. If we're going to see a hook up I would rather see more of Sierra and Victor! Or more of Topher and Claire when she returns, if they approach it correctly - because damn did Kranz and Acker have screen chemistry. ;)

CZGoldEdition | October 19, 22:42 CET

I don't like the idea of Ballard and Echoline hooking up. As much as I like the actor who plays Ballard, I don't find the character all that interesting. By extension, I'm not all that interested in his love life. I also think that it's disturbing that Ballard would hook up with a Doll/Active, even if she is evolving past wiped/implanted status. (Although let us not forget, he did hook up with Mellie when he knew she was an Active.) Then again, maybe I like my comfort levels and expectations on that score being challenged. Dollhouse is nothing if not challenging and subversive, something I love.

What I also like is gossi's coinage of "Echoline."

I've been wondering for some time how the Dollhouse writers view Ballard. What are their writerly intentions? I get that we as viewers will have our own evaluations of characters, but what is in the writers' minds? Is Ballard meant to be heroic and a character we're rooting for? Is he meant to be a desirable romantic lead? Or is he meant to be as seriously problematic as many here at whedonesque evidently find him to be? Or is he meant to be all those things, or those things and more, or none of those things? Huh. I'm talking myself into being more interested in the character than I have been yet.

[ edited by phlebotinin on 2009-10-19 22:47 ]

phlebotinin | October 19, 22:47 CET

I've been wondering for some time how the Dollhouse writers view Ballard. What are their writerly intentions?

I don't know about the majority of the writers, but I do think that Jane Espenson purposely took the piss out of him pretty thoroughly in Briar Rose by subverting the whole "Prince Valiant" angle.

And I know some people disagree, but that shot of him gazing at Echo in the mirror in Belle Chose -- I think we were meant to find that creepy. The camera work depicting his gaze was not that much unlike the camera work used to depict Terry's gaze of women on the street.

ShanshuBugaboo | October 19, 23:14 CET

Echoline is much better than Charo.

I was visualizing an Echo/Ballard encounter more akin to the Sierra/Topher playdate.

fanbuoyant | October 19, 23:15 CET

Judging by the comments here and in the link, this is a not-so-good idea. DH is in enough trouble already, isn't it?

TDBrown | October 20, 00:18 CET

What idea? We don't even know what the idea is based upon this shipper-bait EW item.

The One True b!X | October 20, 00:20 CET

This was always going to happen, right from the start it was made obvious. I do think the whole idea is kinda creepy and gross, but since that's intentional I have no objections.

Racoon Boy | October 20, 01:16 CET

Ballard+Echo = Blecho.
Don't wanna see it.

FloralBonnet | October 20, 01:51 CET

Grr... arrrgh... ick!

baxter | October 20, 02:17 CET

Paul and Echo wouldn't be my first choice to be a couple but I'm curious to see how a "hook up" plays out. I think Paul is fascinating, knight in tarnished armor and all. I loved Paul and Mellie, even though parts of that were icky. I'm kicking myself for reading a spoiler, but I'm very interested.

As long as Tahmoh's hooking up with somebody, I'll be happy. I think.

deadbessie | October 20, 03:48 CET

Blegh. I vote for an Adelle/Dominic hook up! Somehow.

FruityOatySaladbar | October 20, 07:52 CET

That would be kind of like a little sister hooking up with big brother.

Little Green Kid | October 20, 23:25 CET