Last week’s episode of FOX’s Dollhouse was a great example of the extraordinary writing behind the show, and the overall creative genius that is Joss Whedon. Those of us that watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly have already known of this genius, and just want to help others broaden their TV habits to go beyond that of mindless American Idol or ridiculous reality shows after reality shows (such as that of this stupid I’m a Celebrity, get Me Out of Here that NBC is gonna air). TV has the ability to expand into a bright imagination, or colorful characters and engaging plots. Dollhouse is one of these shows. With a cast that has proven they are capable of a multitude of different kinds of characters (smart negotiators, talented singers, thrill seekers, lovers, assassins, spies, etc, etc).

But last week’s “Briar Rose” has definitely shown that Dollhouse has finally found its mark. There have been several episodes before, that kept us engaged, but “Briar Rose” gave us a twist, that no one saw coming. We know that Alpha was gonna be revealed, but we didn’t know that Alan Tudyk (who played Wash on Whedon’s Firefly), who was introduced on the show as a nervous, coward architect of the Dollhouse’s self-sustaining system, who Ballard found and asked for his help, was in fact, the doll that malfunctioned, slaughtered many dolls and staff, left Echo alive in the middle of dead bodies, carved up Dr. Saunders face, the mysterious Alpha.

Never saw it coming. Now Alpha, after getting into the Dollhouse, taking advantage of Ballard’s need to save Caroline (“Echo” before she was an active) played by the wonderful actress Eliza Dushku (played a slayer on Buffy andAngel), Alpha now has Echo and imprinted her with a personality of, well we don’t know yet, but they seem to know each other, quite well.

So, in conclusion, tune your TV’s live to your local FOX affiliate, Friday May 8th, at 9PM ET to watch the exciting conclusion of this season (and let’s keep it season as oppose to the dreaded series finale), which, knowing Joss and finales, is gonna leave you wanting more…

Your DVRs can record your other shows, remember, Friday Night Lights is safe for two years, thanks to DirecTV. And Flashpoint is a Canadian production, so even if CBS doesn’t want it (which wouldn’t make sense, since CBS isn’t gonna do any better) it could still survive in Canada, and I don’t know what’s on NBC, nor do I really care. As far as movies go, Star Trek will still be playing on Saturday and Sunday, and in some areas, maybe you can catch a matinee.

If you missed the last episode: here it is, right from Hulu.com:

Catch more full episodes, for free, at Hulu.com