Season 2, Episode 8:
A Love Supreme
Someone's on a killing spree, and the victims have one thing in common: they've all been Echo's lovers.
Tropes present in this episode:
- All Psychology Is Freudian: At least, the psychologist imprint Adelle uses on Victor is.
- Batman Gambit: Alpha's plan hinged on Adelle running wipes on every Active in the house after learning that Alpha was interfering with their operations. She does exactly that, in so doing infecting them with a virus that Sierra brought into the Dollhouse. The virus infected the imprint chair when she was wiped, and then infected every Active placed in the chair thereafter. When he enters the Dollhouse, he uses a tone generator to remotely activate their programming.
- Deadpan Snarker: Alpha, so very much.
- Death by Irony: One of Echo's repeat customers is blown up by Alpha after he refers to his experiences with Echo as "a blast".Alpha: Who doesn't love a pun?
- Empty Shell: Ballard is left brain-dead after Alpha's ministrations in the chair.
- Femme Fatale: We see Sierra with an imprint like this.
- Kubrick Stare: Alpha has it down pat.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Alpha sports a very nice three-piece-suit in this episode.Alpha: Am I the only person who bothered to dress for this?
- Shout-Out: Alpha loves the British talent for understatement. And also Python.
- Alpha refers to the time Paul and Echo spent together during the Time Skip as their Three Months of the Condor.
- Significant Anagram: One "E. Hap Lasher" reserved an engagement with Sierra. Rearranged, it spells "Alpha's here".
- Tempting FateTopher: There is no way he'll [Alpha] break in here again!
- Title DropAlpha: You were meant for a love supreme!
- Wham Shot: In the Cold Open. The well-dressed man's face is obscured while his companion talks, until the very end: it's Alpha. Naturally, he promptly kills the man with a knife.
