There are only a few more episodes of Dollhouse left now and the show seems to have found its footing. Last week’s episode wasn’t as explosive as the previous weeks, but this week’s is an absolute scorcher.

Ballard is trying to break up with his active/ girlfriend Lilly. Not surprisingly, Lilly is devastated. As the Dollhouse collects its now suicidal active, Ballard follows them back to the home base and discovers the Dollhouse’s location.

Echo is trying to help young girl with emotional difficulties. In order to help the girl, Topher has imprinted Echo with the kid’s own patterns thus giving Echo all the tools to help the abused girl. It seems to be Topher’s own personal charity work.

Meanwhile at the Dollhouse, a chip supposedly from the NSA has been found and the only way to decode it is to let Dominick out of the attic. Not Mr. Dominick actually, but Victor imprinted with the former security head’s brain. Dominick reveals that the chip isn’t from the NSA, but from Alpha. Alpha was trying to point Dominick to Dollhouse HQ in Arizona.

Ballard discovers that a man was brought on as an environmental specialist during the Dollhouse’s construction. After finding the shaky, pot growing environmentalist, played brilliantly by Whedon favorite Alan Tudyk, Ballard forces him into an alliance.

Now at the Dollhouse, Ballard and the pot-head are breaking in just as Echo is returning. Eventually the two make it inside and Ballard gets his first look at his white wale. Slowly making their way through the Dollhouse, its becoming clear that the pothead knows more than he’s letting it on. The unlikely pair make their way to a computer terminal and begin to try to free the actives. As Ballard does, he’s discovered by Boyd. Boyd and Ballard fight in what must be Dollhouse’s most sought after tussle as these are the only two characters on the show with any moral compass. While the two scrap, the pothead disables all of the security systems. Its a pretty impressive fight scene, and Boyd comes out the winner.

Now here comes the twist. As the doctor escorts Victor back to her office for medical attention, the potheads true nature reveals itself. The goofy environmentalist is Alpha. Now in control of the whole Dollhouse, Alpha begins a rein of terror. He mutilates Victor in his traditional blade happy way and then holds the doctor and Echo hostage. He takes Echo to the chair and he imprints her. Alpha and Echo embrace and Alpha’s motivations are now obvious. He’s in love. Now with no one to stop them, the happy couple walk out of the Dollhouse.

This is an episode that payed off. It was good enough to make all the other silly inconsistencies of earlier episodes fade out of memory. Tudyk is great on screen as Alpha and I only wish we’d seen him sooner. The only downside of this episode is the abused child plot line. It seemed to go nowhere even though the concept had a lot of potential. The intensity os seriously ratcheted up by the end and I for one am really looking forward to next week.