Dollhouse has definitely gotten better the last couple episodes. And Whedon seems to do a better job at implementing the Xanatos Gambit trope then a lot of other authors do. (In fact there are multiple levels/sides of Xanatos Gambit going on, which look like they may all start colliding with each other pretty soon.)

However the characters in Dollhouse are really not that good at taking care of their enemies when they get the chance, which is a little disappointing after Firefly. I guess one could argue that they come from a less ruthless culture, but still.