

Season 1, Episode 1
Written by Joss Whedon
Directed by Joss Whedon
Original Airdate: 13 February 2009
“You ever try to clean an actual slate? You always see what was on it before.”
Caroline Farrell
REGULAR CAST
- Eliza Dushku as Echo
- Harry Lennix as Boyd Langton
- Fran Kranz as Topher Brink
- Tahmon Penikett as Paul Ballard
- Enver Gjokaj as Victor
- Dichen Lachman as Sierra
- Olivia Williams as Adele DeWitt
GUEST CAST
- Amy Acker as Dr. Claire Saunders
- Reed Diamond as Laurence Dominic
- Kurt Caceres as Gabriel Crestejo
- Brett Claywell as Matt Cargill
- David Doty as Sam Zimmerman
- Tim Kelleher as Detmer
- Vincent Laresca as Mr. Sunshine
- Haley Pullos as Davina Crestejo
CO-STARRING
- Becky Wu as Assistant
- Greg Collins as Older Man
- Jonny Lee as Deerskin
- Oscar Torre as Chui
- Christian Meoli as Thug #1
- Vryan Costanich as Friend
SYNOPSIS
Caroline, dressed casually in jeans, sits at a circular table while a composed woman in a business suit – later revealed as Adelle DeWitt, the head of the Dollhouse – pours her tea. Adelle offers Caroline a “clean slate,” an opportunity to leave her past behind.
When asked if she’s volunteering, Caroline bitterly acknowledges she has no real choice. Adelle assures her that the work they do benefits people and that she, too, could find salvation in it. Sceptical but resigned, Caroline listens as Adelle offers to fix the “mess” she’s in, sealing their arrangement for five years. Despite everything, Caroline insists she was only trying to make a difference.
Elsewhere, late at night, two motorcycles weave through city streets in a high-speed race. One rider loses control but quickly recovers – it’s Caroline, reborn in a new identity. The race ends as she and Matt, the other driver, arrive at a lively Chinese restaurant, crashing a birthday celebration. Their flirtatious exchange reveals that they’ve spent the weekend together, keeping their relationship casual. Matt gifts her a necklace with a heart-shaped charm before pulling her in for a kiss.
Yet something shifts. As Matt steps away for a drink, Caroline’s light-hearted demeanor fades. Without hesitation, she leaves the party and enters a waiting black van, where Boyd Langton, a solemn man in a suit, helps her inside. Back at the restaurant, Matt is asked where his companion went. He simply replies – it was time for her to go.
Meanwhile, in an industrial-looking facility, an elevator door opens, and a woman dressed as a geisha steps out, heading toward a black van identical to Caroline’s. As Caroline and Boyd walk in the opposite direction, she half-jokes about returning to the party after her “treatment.” Boyd assures her he’ll be waiting.
Caroline changes out of her party attire and makes her way to a sterile examination room surrounded by intricate machines. She talks idly about Matt and the spark between them as she reclines into a futuristic chair. Topher, a young technician, preps the equipment, smiling slightly as he warns, “This is going to pinch a bit.”
Memories rewind – scenes from the weekend unravel in reverse, interspersed with glimpses of Caroline’s childhood. The heart-shaped necklace from Matt tumbles to the floor. Jolted from sleep, Caroline asks Topher if she had drifted off. “For a little while,” he replies. Dazed, she rises and leaves the room.
Meanwhile, Topher extracts a data tape from the high-tech chair and moves into the adjacent room, slotting it into a terminal. Boyd, watching, questions if the wipe was successful. With a hint of amusement, Topher quips that they might as well ask Echo – except, of course, she can’t remember. He reflects on their work, insisting they provided two people with the perfect weekend, calling themselves “great humanitarians.” Boyd, less convinced, reminds him of the stakes: if their operation were exposed, they would all spend the rest of their lives in prison.
From Boyd’s vantage point, a sprawling, modern lounge unfolds below, resembling the lobby of an upscale hotel. Individuals wander through the space, some conversing, others lounging in plush chairs. Among them, Echo – formerly Caroline – moves effortlessly across the floor. Topher observes her contentment, remarking that she hasn’t a care in the world.
Elsewhere, in an opulent home, young Davina Crestejo lies curled in bed after a phone call with her father, Gabriel, who is en route in a limousine, dressed in an immaculate suit. Moments later, Davina is snatched from her bed by masked men, zipped into what appears to be a body bag. Her frightened gaze catches sight of a third man looming over her.
The following morning, Gabriel sits in Adelle DeWitt’s office, tense and desperate. As she pours him a drink, she inquires about the ransom – five million – and whether he intends to pay. He nods. Laurence Dominic, head of security, questions whether he has contacted the police. Gabriel admits he was instructed not to, dismissing them as useless. Adelle assures him that their organization can provide what he needs. He insists on a negotiator, someone who can ensure precision and efficiency. She reminds him that the “active” will have no knowledge of their involvement and warns him against mentioning anything about the Dollhouse.
Echo undergoes an examination with Dr. Saunders, who notes an injury to her knee, likely from something heavy. Echo, unaware of how it happened, expresses confusion. Saunders reassures her, promising that they’ll take care of her. But Echo’s gaze lingers on the doctor’s scarred face, and with innocent curiosity, she asks if someone takes care of her too.
Later, drawn by flickering lights from an upstairs window, Echo follows her instinct to an exam room. Inside, a young woman writhes in pain. Echo, wide-eyed, observes, murmuring that the girl isn’t asleep. Topher instructs the assistants to continue mapping tissue.
Gently but firmly, he ushers Echo away, explaining that this is the girl’s first experience – and first times always hurt. With an unsettling ease, he assures Echo that they are making her better, and soon, she won’t remember any of it. The girl’s name is Sierra. Dr. Saunders arrives, redirecting Echo to her scheduled massage.
Meanwhile, Ballard faces scrutiny over his 14-month Dollhouse investigation. He insists the organization exists, arguing that imprinting new personalities requires erasing the original – a process akin to murder. Dismissed by his superiors, he turns his focus to Lubov, a Russian associate of the Borodins. Holding him at gunpoint, Ballard demands information about the Dollhouse, promising to leave the Borodins untouched if Lubov cooperates.
At the ransom exchange, chaos erupts – Gabriel is shot, Boyd eliminates a kidnapper, and the others escape with Davina. In the van, Echo’s fragmented memories reveal a chilling truth: her own abductor is behind Davina’s kidnapping. Boyd pleads with Adelle to delay Echo’s wipe, hoping she can help locate Davina, but she refuses. Echo emerges from treatment, momentarily unfocused but certain – she knows where to find the girl.
Echo traces the masked man’s identity to one of Davina’s teachers. The team locates a house owned by his sister. Despite Dominic’s readiness to send in an operative, Echo insists on handling it herself. Inside, she manipulates the kidnappers, inciting them to turn against each other. Amid the chaos, she rescues Davina just as Sierra storms in, eliminating the final threats.
Back at the Dollhouse, the “actives” shower and prepare for rest. Adelle hands Dominic a file labelled “Alpha – Eyes Only,” hinting at deeper secrets.
Meanwhile, a mysterious man watches footage of Caroline from a video yearbook. Surrounded by bodies, he places her photo in an envelope addressed to Ballard, scrawling “Keep Looking” across the back.
TRIVIA
The original title of the episode was “Mariposa” which was the nickname Gabriel Crestejo attached to his daughter Davina. It’s the Spanish word for butterfly and the name of a community and county in California about 300 miles north of Los Angeles. The scene where Gabriel and Ms. Penn discuss the “pet name” didn’t make the final cut of the episode, but it can be seen on the Dollhouse Season One DVD as an Extra.
According to the shooting script of the episode, Ballard’s name was originally Paul Smith.
Gabriel refers to Edward James Olmos, an American actor and director best known for his role in the remake of Battlestar Galactica TV series. Tahmoh Penikett appeared in the show, eventually becoming a series regular.
CONTINUITY
The first episode of the series filmed was called ‘Echo’, which was originally intended to be the pilot of the series. However, the episode was rewritten and reshot due to “a few clarity issues for some viewers”. The original pilot can be seen as a special feature on the season one DVD.
Echo begins showing her signs of resisting the imprints when her doll persona briefly merges with Eleanor Penn, giving her a sudden flashback of Sierra being prepared to become an Active.
An earlier part of the conversation between Caroline Farrell and Adelle DeWitt can be seen in Echoes. Omega also shows another part of Caroline’s recruitment, specifically the tour she receives of the facility.
During this conversation, Caroline notes how she is forced to accept Adelle’s offer and doesn’t have a choice, with both characters stating that “actions have consequences”. A flashback in The Hollow Men reveals that, committed a terrorist act against Rossum, Caroline’s other options are a lifetime in prison or a death sentence.
The scene where Echo sees Sierra being worked on will appear as a flashback at the end of Sierra’s origin story in Belonging.
Adelle gives a file on Alpha. Alpha remains a looming threat for the entire season but does not physically appear until Briar Rose, aside from a brief appearance at the end of this episode.
The shootout between Mr. Sunshine and his accomplices is investigated by FBI agent Graham Tanaka in The Target. Paul’s interest in this case leads him to meet an actual client of the Dollhouse in Man on the Street.
A naked man puts a picture of Caroline into an envelope while watching a video of her. Paul receives the picture in the next episode The Target and the video in True Believer. Alpha will take credit for introducing Echo and Paul in A Love Supreme., implying he’s the man at the end of this episode.
Echo remembers the video while glitching in The Target and sees it while being self-aware in Getting Closer.
Eleanor’s “You can’t fight a ghost” will be echoed by a spectral Paul in Echo’s hallucination in The Attic.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
EPISODE
– / The Target
STORY ORDER
– / The Target









