Top Five Imprints: Sierra (Dollhouse)

In sussing out my top five imprints for Sierra, I realized how few of her imprints have actual names.  While we see Sierra get imprinted about as often as Victor, the show only tends to show brief glimpses – coming back from a romantic engagement, for example, or doing some work in-house.  I don’t think I’d ever really noticed that before.  It means that Dichen Lachman still makes a good impact, even with characters we barely see.

Audra

This is Sierra’s first major imprinted role.  There mainly as back-up in case Echo needs it (I’m guessing she has some subliminal parameters that kick in with fight skills if things go south?), Sierra is delightfully fun as Audra, the “number one fan” of the pop star Echo is protecting.  Audra is sweet, bubbly, and pitch-perfect as a nervous super-fan meeting her idol.

Taffy

When Echo’s safecracker imprint is disrupted mid-engagement, the Dollhouse tries to bring it home by giving Sierra the same imprint and having her talk Echo through the heist over the phone (I know, right?)  It’s the first time we see two people playing the same character, and Lachman carries it off well.  Her Taffy is bursting with confidence and cool under pressure, and she’s not above letting things get down to the wire while she waits for her payout to arrive.

Topher’s Friend

I love this character, the unnamed geeky friend Topher creates to hang out with him on his birthday.  To be honest, I’m not quite sure if this imprint is specifically designed to be a woman, or if Topher uses the same imprint every year and just sticks it into whatever Active he can get.  Lachman’s vibe in the role isn’t definitively female; I’ll just say “they.”  Anyway, I love this whole side plot, with Topher and his friend playing video games/laser tag and listing all their favorite Classic Sci-Fi Errors, and I also like that they’re not designed in such a way that Topher always wins.  If anything, they have the edge.  I like that Topher did that.

Naughty Posh Woman

Brief but very fun.  We only get a minute or two of this imprint, what looks to be a British society lady from the 1950s.  We learn that she’s “not comfortable with Orientals” (good thing she doesn’t have a mirror,) and she has very clear ideas about how she should be punished when she’s been bad.

Noir Woman

Another glimpse from a romantic engagement, sort of – that’s what she’s designed for, but the client actually has ulterior motives.  I get a kick out of this imprint, which is straight out of a noir satire.  The line “I’ve been done wrong ten ways to Sunday and it’s Tuesday” tells you pretty much everything you need to know.  So short, but so good!