Season 2, Episode 2:
Instinct
Imprinted as a mother, Echo's maternal instincts take over her active programming, as she refuses to return to the Dollhouse to complete her engagement. Meanwhile, Senator Daniel Perrin and his wife look up information on the Rossum Corporation, and Adelle invites Madeline Costley (formerly "November") for a check-up.
Tropes present in this episode:
- Gone Horribly Right: Topher's achievement of giving Echo a maternal instict by changing her on a glandular level backfires when the instinct persists after a wipe.
- Maternal Death? Blame the Child!: Echo's newest imprint was requested by a man who's wife died in childbirth. He knows blaming the child is irrational but struggled to get past that feeling and care for the boy. His plan was to have a doll look after the child for a few months before having him adopted. Over the course of the engagement he finally starts to get past his issues and bond with his son.
