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How Dollhouse's 'lost episode' will drive season two
When Joss Whedon wrote and filmed the post-apocalyptic Dollhouse episode "Epitaph One," it was entirely possible it would be the final episode in the Fox series.
So when Fox picked up a second season of the sci-fi series, Whedon instead intended to use the "Epitaph" storyline as the jumping-off point to drive the new season's arcs. But the episode ended up only on the season-one DVD/Blu-ray set (it also screened at Comic-Con), complicating any plans to use it to inform the second season's stories.
Nevertheless, Fran Kranz—who plays doll programmer Topher—confirmed that producers still plan to go there, even though there's a part of the audience who only watched the episodes that aired on Fox last season. (Possible spoilers ahead.)
"We're really going to move forward towards where 'Epitaph One' ended, and we're heading towards the apocalypse," Kranz said in an exclusive interview Thursday at the Television Critics Association summer press tour in Pasadena, Calif. "It's still going to go according to [Whedon's] plan."
"Epitaph One" takes place in the year 2019 in what appears to be a Los Angeles ravaged by some kind of apocalypse. Survivors, led by Felicia Day's Mag, discover the abandoned Dollhouse underground. Flashbacks fill in the period between our time and 2019, suggesting that the technology developed by the Dollhouse has led to massive mindwipes and identity replacement, culminating in war and chaos.
Though the episode never aired, it will inform the new season, Kranz said. "Felicia, her character and her world, is in the first episode of season [two]," he said. "So we're sticking with it. Things could change. We could always play it out a little differently if we wanted to, but that's the trajectory we're on. My character kind of loses his mind in ['Epitaph One'], feeling the weight of what he's done—the technology he invented destroying the world—and he kind of feels bad about it. We're kind of already heading there in the second season."
Even without jumping ahead, Topher has a lot to answer for when Dollhouse returns. Dr. Saunders (Amy Acker) learned she was a doll, whom Topher programmed to hate him.
"In season two, we address that pretty much immediately," Kranz said. "Dr. Saunders—Amy Acker and I, who's the best—we work across the hall from each other, so we can't avoid each other. All that kind of awkwardness ensues, and it gets pretty dark. I have to answer to her eventually. That's going to be really exciting. Right now, Topher's a little down on himself, and he's starting to think like, 'Wow, one of the most beautiful things I created hates me. Maybe I'm a bad guy.'"
That certainly indicates that Topher is still on a dark path that could lead to the apocalypse of "Epitaph One." "Look, it's a provocative show," Kranz said. "The technology, when you really choose to think about it and its consequences, is really provocative. We're definitely exploring that much more this season."
The second season represents one last chance for Dollhouse to capture a sizable audience. "It's like second life, and we're really going for broke in the second season," Kranz said. "It's really going to be out there. It's really twisted. It's much darker. We're really taking advantage of the opportunity, so I'm pumped. Certainly it's getting more into the characters. They're no longer really stand-alone [episodes]."
Dollhouse returns Sept. 25 at 9 p.m. on Fox.
By islesfan at 1:08 PM ON 08/07/09
All love and respect for Joss, but how about letting the rest of us in on the episode? There's Hulu. How about starting season 2 with a special airing of Epitaph 1?
By Jadzia at 2:13 PM ON 08/07/09
Islesfan - It's not up to Joss, otherwise the episode would have aired as was orignally intended. Heck, if Joss had complete control, the pilot would have been totally different than the one we got. Fox is the one who decided that "Epitaph One" wouldn't air and that it would only be released as part of the DVD set (for now).
By AJJ at 2:27 PM ON 08/07/09
This episode is being shown on Sci-fi in the UK next week.
By AngryJonny at 4:18 PM ON 08/07/09
HUGE Felicia Day fan! I wonder if her character is going appear throughout the second season.
Has anyone seen the original pilot "Echo"? It's on the Dollhouse DVD, correct?
By skeeler at 5:32 PM ON 08/07/09
The original pilot is indeed on the DVD. I found it to be very good. It covers a lot of ground; most of what happens, stroy-arc-wise in Episodes 1-5 happens in Echo, with the notable absence of Mellie. The unaired pilot also gives some additional motivation and explanation to Agent Ballard's obsession with Echo.
By John at 5:41 PM ON 08/07/09
And for those wanting to see Epitaph One without getting the DVD, I believe it'll be released on iTunes any day now. Still 2 bucks, but hey, skip the soda machine at work one day and there's the money.
By Etruit at 5:43 PM ON 08/07/09
I thought "Echo" was a bit rushed... I can understand trying to put as many interesting plotlines into the pilot as possible, but some of those really worked better spread out across multiple episodes (for example, not knowing Victor was a doll was a pleasant surprise in the normal series run).
By partisan at 7:37 PM ON 08/07/09
"The technology, when you really choose to think about it and its consequences, is really provocative."
Provacative? It's frakkin' terrifying!! and THAT is where the show needs to go. The light doll 'o the week storylines are why people haven't connected with the show. A central theme based on how the tech can and would be misused would be much more interesting and allow for longer story arcs.
If the characters remain consistent for more than one episode the audience gets a chance to connect with them on an emotional level and become more interested in what happens to them. That means more loyalty to the show and a bigger audience.
They need to take the show in the dark direction that this kind of tech would go to in a real world. More than anything we need to have a heorine to root for and if she gets wiped at the end of every show well...
I get that Joss was gradually steering things in this sort of direction but in the 3 episode and out world of network TV you need to grab the audience from the start. I'm a fan of Joss Eliza and SciFi in general and even I was starting to drift from Dollhouse in season 1.
By Maxwell at 3:29 AM ON 08/08/09
partisan- I agree that we love Joss' work because of the deep and interesting nature, but I can also see what he and the network were TRYING to do... which was capture the casual observer...
Because to be completely honest, when I flip through channels, I know I will never watch LOST because I've missed so much of it I can never just "jump in".
So I really WANT Joss' story to go to the dark place, and go to the longer form story-telling, but I worry that the audience for that kind of stuff just isn't there. I don't know. Can't wait for season 2!
By ackmena at 11:12 AM ON 08/08/09
partisan, you want the show to be darker but have you seen "Epitaph One"? It's insanely dark.
By ghostmoth at 11:38 AM ON 08/08/09
Frankly, no, I don't enjoy Joss's dark side. I've never revisited season 6 of Buffy, e.g. If he'd actually mix in some of his wonderful trademark humor then it's tolerable. That humor is what made Firefly multi-dimensional, not about scraping by in the 'Verse. I watched every episode of Dollhouse waiting for it and it was only marginally there in Alpha [Tudyk].
By GaymBoi at 12:31 PM ON 08/09/09
I've seen the unaired pilot and I'm glad it didn't air. Put me in the Etruit camp, better that it was spread out and not rushed. FAR better payoff in a few cases (ie, Victor's).
Sucks that Fox won't air Epitaph One, but it could also start a tradition, Epitaph Two in the Season 2 boxset. It would allow Joss to explore the post apocalytic world without messing too much with the main storyline
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GaymBoi:
I've seen the unaired pilot and I'm glad it didn't air. Put me in the Etruit camp, better that it was spread out a...More »