> i think it would have flowed better if we had seen that happen organically, so that we get more invested in his quest for answers.

Agreed. I think they're trying to introduce too many elements outside of the main storyline too early - there's the focus on the characters within the Dollhouse, Echo and Topher and Boyd and the rest, and then there's Alpha. I could see if maybe in the second episode Ballard comes in and starts to investigate the kidnapping and realizes something is up, but he already knows so much about the Dollhouse that it feels like we're starting a book from the middle.

Although, yeah, he is hot, so there's that. *g*