

Season 2, Episode 11
Written by Tim Minear
Directed by Tim Minear
Original Airdate: 8 January 2010
“Uh, would it sound OTT if I said this could help prevent the end of civilization as we know it?“
Topher
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 Whiskey / ‘Dr. Claire Saunders’
- Philip Casnoff as Clive Ambrose
- Reed Diamond as Laurence Dominic
- Summer Glau as Bennett Halverson
- Liza Lapira as Ivy
- Miracle Laurie as ‘Mellie’ / November
CO-STARRING
- Megan Heyn as Girl #2
- Jay Malone as Clyde Randolph
- Rick Otto as Gabe
- Katie Chonicas as Girl #1
- Rashan Stone as Test Subject
- Billy Stone as Test Subject #2
SYNOPSIS
Echo and her allies gather, intent on restoring Caroline’s memories. Echo insists she can overcome her old identity, but when they search for her original memory wedge, they discover it is missing – the only remaining backup was destroyed by Alpha. Flashbacks reveal Caroline’s infiltration of the Dollhouse, her partnership with Bennett Halverson, and their plan to use Rossum’s own technology against the corporation. Meanwhile, Ballard and Anthony retrieve Bennett from the D.C. Dollhouse, though Ballard insists on also rescuing Madeline, much to Anthony’s frustration.
Back in the Dollhouse, Topher and Bennett grow close as they work to reconstruct Caroline’s memories, sharing an emotional moment where they acknowledge their feelings and hope for a future beyond the chaos. But just as hope begins to take root, Dr. Saunders enters, observes Topher’s attachment to Bennett, and – without warning – shoots Bennett in the head, killing her instantly. Blood splatters across the room and Topher, leaving him in stunned silence as Saunders calmly walks away.
With the Dollhouse now in turmoil, Rossum security forces arrive in an attempt to seize control. Echo arms Adelle as the group prepares to defend themselves. Topher imprints Echo with Caroline’s memories, but before she can fully process the transition, a Rossum guard knocks Topher unconscious. Boyd appears, swiftly killing the attacker before reassuring Echo to hold on.
Echo’s mind floods with memories of Caroline’s past infiltration of Rossum’s headquarters. She ascends to the top floor, where she meets Clyde 2.0 in his fifth body. He warns her cryptically that understanding will soon come. Moments later, she is ushered into the presence of Rossum’s leader, a man who claims she is special, that she will be used in ways she cannot yet comprehend.
Then comes the devastating revelation – the head of Rossum Corporation is Boyd Langton.
TRIVIA
While flipping through Bennett’s chart, Echo mentions that she ‘could kill you with her brain’. This was also said of River in Firefly – both characters are played by Summer Glau.
CONTINUITY
The episode starts with Echo retelling the events of The Attic to her friends and recalling Clyde’s mention of Caroline having seen the other cofounder of Rossum.
Topher learns that his design for a universal wipe that was given to Rossum by Adelle in Meet Jane Doe will most likely cause the end of the civilization. As seen in Epitaph One, this will indeed happen.
Echo notices Paul is different and later learns Topher had to erase their emotional connection as a way to make his brain function again. Paul was rendered braindead by Alpha in A Love Supreme and Topher found a way to bring him back with Ivy’s help in The Attic.
Echo watches the same tape of Caroline Alpha sent to Paul in True Believer.
While wondering who took Caroline’s wedge, Topher recalls the time Harding was running the house, as seen in Meet Jane Doe.
Topher is still infatuated with Bennett since their meeting in The Left Hand and awkward because of what happened between them later. They discuss those events several times throughout the episode.
November is brought back to the L.A. Dollhouse after being left in the D.C. Dollhouse in The Left Hand. Paul recalls meeting her as Madeline for the last time in The Public Eye.
Bennett and Topher’s task in this episode is to restore the backup of Caroline’s original personality which was damaged by Alpha in Omega.
Claire Saunders returns after her departure in Vows. She is shown to be dating and possibly living with Boyd, which explains his mentions of “things at home” in The Attic.
Whiskey appears in a flashback with the original Dr. Saunders, like in Omega.
The flashbacks show Dominic still working as head of security for the L.A. Dollhouse. He was exposed as a mole for the NSA and sent to the Attic in A Spy in the House of Love; in that episode Adelle also mentions he’d been working with her for three years.
Echo feels like nobody thinks of her as a real person, something she blamed Paul for in Meet Jane Doe.
Echo tries giving Anthony and Priya an out, like she already did in Stop-Loss.
Dominic’s objections to being sent back to the Attic explain his resentment towards Adelle in a flashback from Epitaph One set after his final release.
November has been reimprinted as Paul’s former neighbour Mellie. This persona was introduced in The Target and last seen in Briar Rose.
After Boyd shoots Ambrose, Adelle mentions Rossum board members, including Ambrose, being imprinted in several bodies. In a flashback/memory from Epitaph One, Ambrose was delivered to several Dollhouses and imprinted in several Actives at once, only some of which (such as Victor) were later reclaimed by the houses and wiped.
The good-bye between Boyd and Dr. Saunders is the same scene from Epitaph One.
One of Rossum’s hitmen shoots through a window, shattering it and prompting Adelle to note how she just had it replaced. This is the same window Echo and Alpha fell through while fighting in A Love Supreme.
In The Attic Clyde Randolph told about his partner creating a servile persona based on him, Clyde 2.0. In this episode’s final flashback Caroline meets an Active imprinted as him.
Despite having been given an out by Echo, Anthony and Priya will return to the Dollhouse and rejoin their friends in The Hollow Men.
Adelle mentions Rossum board members being imprinted in several bodies. In Epitaph Two: Return Ambrose and Harding will continue living through imprinted bodies and backups.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
EPISODE
The Attic / The Hollow Men
STORY ORDER
The Attic / The Hollow Men









