Even if season 1 finale, Omega, convinced me that Dollhouse had potential I hesitated a long time to give its second season a chance. In fact the summary I read of this episode sounded boring and episodic when Joss Whedon said the new format would be arc-y. Now that I have seen Vows I'm sure of one thing, that the show deserved to be canceled. First the format was as episodic as in season 1. Echo had a new engagement and that arc was boring and unoriginal. We had already seen her as a beautiful bride and the story was as old as the one from episodes like True Believer and Haunted. I'm surprised they picked such a predictable and linear plot for a season pilot. However even if I was generally disappointed by it I have to admit that Vows had its own share of pros. Of course Topher was annoying but I found his scene with Dr. Saunders quite interesting thanks to Amy Acker's convincing performance. So for once the writers focused more on some secondary characters and it was a pleasant surprise. However it only lasted a few minutes and the story went back to the engagement. The other element I relatively enjoyed was the relationship between Paul and Echo. It's far from perfect but it could lead to some interesting scenarios. But in the end what ruined the episode, and probably the whole season 2, are the cons imported directly from the first. Victor and Sierra were only featured for a few seconds when their performers are good and the characters intriguing. How could we forget them after Spy in the House of Love ? The ending was predictable even if I found Dr. Saunders's decision quite inspiring. Dollhouse could be so much more if it didn't focus so much on Echo, the episodic engagements and Eliza Dushku's sex appeal. It's like if Joss Whedon decided to cook his old Buffy recipes instead of following the new books to direct his show.