Tune-in alert: ‘Dollhouse’ is touching (and delightfully twisted) in coming weeks

Well, no such luck. I’m writing about “Dollhouse” again, even though I have a ton of work to do because I’m taking next week off. When the next two episodes of the Fox show landed on my doorstep Tuesday, I thought I might be able to watch them. But I was doubtful I’d have enough time to write about the episodes.

But I watched “Belonging” and “The Public Eye” Tuesday night and I just had to post a few thoughts about them (and I’ve tried to make what’s below as spoiler-free as possible). The episodes are fantastic. They’re up there with the best episodes “Dollhouse” has ever made.

“Belonging,” which airs Friday, is one of the most emotionally compelling hours the show has ever done. Writers Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon give Dichen Lachman, who plays Sierra, a lot to do in this episode. Lachman does simply fantastic work, but every cast member brings his or her A-game.

I have to single out Fran Kranz, who gives Topher layers that you may not have thought could or would ever emerge from the show’s resident tech genius. The moral education of the once-cocky Topher may emerge as one of the most interesting aspects of the show.

Director Jonathan Frakes does a sensitive job of bringing out the emotional nuances as well as the suspenseful aspects of “Belonging.” And Keith Carradine is his usual quietly commanding self as a top Dollhouse manager who’s not pleased about the fact that Adelle DeWitt (Olivia Williams) just cannot seem to get her house in order.

From Day 1, one of the most promising aspects of the “Dollhouse” premise was that the show could be a different mini-movie every week — a mystery, a thriller, an action-adventure hour, etc.

“Belonging” is an hour that plunges headfirst into the moral quandaries and compromises that reside at the heart of the Dollhouse. It doesn’t shy away from the queasier questions about what the dolls are doing during their working hours. It asks pointed questions about who has power, how that power is used and the consequences of using power.

But at its heart, “Belonging” is an episode that serves as an “origin story” for Sierra, and as such, it’s very affecting.

“The Public Eye,” on the other hand, is a rock ‘em, sock ‘em slice of twisty mythology. The episode, which airs Oct. 30, is a conspiracy theorist’s dream, and it promises even more enjoyably messed-up developments to come. I really don’t want to say much more, because giving anything away about the episode would be a crime against God and man.

I can say that Alexis Denisof, Miracle Laurie and Summer Glau guest star in the episode, and star Eliza Dushku, who doesn’t appear much in “Belonging,” has material that is well-suited to her talents in both episodes. (More good news: Nov. 6, Ray Wise guest stars as a Dollhouse bigwig. Look here to see the excellent actor who guests on Nov. 20.)

I do love this show, because it entertains as it gives me something to think about, but I fully acknowledge that there’s a “Mystery Science Theater 3000″ aspect to watching “Dollhouse,” at least in the Watcher household. My husband and I have taken to shouting “Refund alert!” whenever things start to go wacky on the dolls’ engagements, which is, let’s face it, almost every week.

Yes, there are the occasional “But wait a minute…” moments, but I’m quite willing to live with those aspects of the show, because when “Dollhouse” is working, as it does in these episodes, it works so very well. I used to nitpick “Chuck’s” premise in its first season but the fact was, the rest of the show just wasn’t quite doing it for me. In season 2 of “Chuck,” the characters and the storytelling were so enjoyable that the urge to nitpick just kind of faded away (most weeks). Similarly, when “Dollhouse” is journeying into the heart of character-driven darkness and/or amping up the mythology with head-snapping twists, I pretty much forget about Adelle probably having to dip into the Dollhouse coffer to furnish refunds.

In a canny move, however, “The Public Eye” does acknowledge, to some extent, that things at the Los Angeles Dollhouse are quite often careening almost out of control. But there’s a bigger story at work. And the scenes with Summer Glau introduce a new layer of delightful weirdness to the show. No doubt the message boards will be lighting up with theories and conjecture about her character, Bennett.

I think it’s quite likely that “Dollhouse” will be done for good after the 13 episodes of its second season air (and Fox has promised to air them all). I’m not cheering that development (the thought of not seeing where things go between Sierra and Victor [the great Enver Gjokaj] over several seasons is just one reason to be glum about that). I’m just acknowledging the very probable reality.

What’s clear, at this point, that we’re in for quite a ride before the show is done. Better to burn out than fade away, right?

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