the future's bright..no, really!!

Have you seen the thirteenth episode of Dollhouse – Epitaph One? If you have, then you must have gone to Comic Con, be the owner of a shiny Season 1 Dollhouse DVD, or be adept in the arts of BitTorrent (don’t worry, almost everyone is doing it) – which means you are up to speed on the post-apocalyptic future that was laid down in 1.13.

But what about those who didn’t go to Comic Con, didn’t want to fork out for the DVD, or don’t know how to BitTorrent episodes? What about those viewers who might not see Epitaph One before season 2 of Dollhouse airs in late September? Are they going to be more than a little lost as to what the heck is going on?

Well, according to reports coming from the Dollhouse TCA visit last Friday, Joss Whedon believes that Epitaph One is not necessary-viewing for those wanting to keep up with the show come the new season. He says that the season 2 premiere will bring the Epitaph One-less folks up to speed, and that the future laid down in 1.13 will only be explored every now and then:

“We have so many regulars and relationships and so much mythology already around the central premise of ‘this woman can be anyone’ that this episode has a lot of catching up for any viewer whether or not ‘Epitaph’ was a part of it.”

As long as we don’t get another 7 ‘reset pilot’ episodes like did last season, that should be fine! It’s clear that they wrote Epitaph One with a view to rounding off the series though – can’t blame them, I’m sure they were as surprised as anyone with the renewal.

Joss Whedon also spoke about the direction for season 2 – by the sounds of things the show could become more ensemble-orientated and more purpose driven:

“How far can we take this? How much can we twist the knife? Where can we find alliances that we did not have? Where can we pull people apart who seem to be together?” Whedon said of Season 2. “And most importantly, how can we build Echo up from nothing, which was basically where she started last year, and really give her a sense of momentum and purpose that will ground the show in a way that it couldn’t be last year?”

The relationships inside the Dollhouse are what Whedon and his writers will be taking advantage of in Season 2, he said. Though he didn’t rule out doing self-contained episodes, he show would move away from an “engagement of the week” for Echo and move more toward the conspiracy-flavored character drama we saw in the last few episodes of Season 1.

“Ultimately it was the ensemble, the characters, that we wanted to talk about,” Whedon said. “As soon as we had license to do that, as soon as the inner workings of the Dollhouse became as important as the engagements, we felt the show started to work and the network felt the same way.”

The way to make Echo more engaging has been to give her a “mission,” Whedon said.

“This year we’re going to see the results of everything she went through last year — particularly the event [in the finale] with Alpha, where she was downloaded with all the personalities — we’re going to see the effect that’s had on her and we’re going to find her to be a great deal less passive and a great deal more directed in what she wants, and that of course is going to make her life a lot harder,” Whedon noted.

“We’re going to see Echo as we knew her and then we’re going to see something very different, and that’s all I’m going to say,”

I have to say, I don’t care about Echo – but if they want to give her a purpose other than being a sex-slave then that would be progress. Let’s have progress!

And look, here’s a TCA Diary video of Victor and Sierra (might contain some spoiler hints):

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31ZLh0OnyWs

[sources: TheWatcher / Zap2it]

[video: ChicagoTribune]

Disclamimer: WatchingDollhouse.com does not support illegal downloading of episodes, nor do we support illegal downloading/uploading of personas, imprints or personality swapping.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItDO1BEx9iM

Here is the final scene from the “unaired”, but illegally downloadable, Dollhouse episode “Epitaph One“. Spoiler Alert.

Seems a bit corny to me, what with the tear inducing music and the Dakota Fanningesque child, but it’s difficult to judge without seeing the full episode (out of choice, I’m sure I’ll watch it once I..err..fork out for the..um..DVD). One question I do have, does this episode count in the canon of the show? I doubt it, since they have a second season which presumably wont take place in an apocalyptic 2023, or whatever.

Here is another sneak peek at the unseen thirteenth episode of Dollhouse – Epitaph One.

So..”Epitaph One” has piqued my attention. You may have seen the preview video we posted the other day? Now, thanks to Entertainment Weekly, we have some spoiler photos and information from the episode.

Hit the jump to view the photos and for more details!

As you probably know, the “unaired” 13th episode of Dollhouse (Epitaph One) will debut at Comic Con, before you get the chance to watch it over and over again on the season 1 DVD. But the new issue of Entertainment Weekly (released today), has a FIRST LOOK at Caroline (Eliza Dushku), who, having escaped for some time, is seen in the photo entering an abandoned Dollhouse in the year 2019 with Paul (Tahmoh Penikett).  Plus: Whedon talks about the photos with EW.com.

Hold up, 2019? I always believed that Dollhouse would feature the flash forward/back device. According to Whedon: “Every flashback answers something about where people are heading but brings up a lot more questions about where they end up or how they got there”.

Thanks: Entertainment Weekly for the photos/deets (more at the link)

UPDATE: New video added

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gACCrmiwNpY

Here is a sneak peek from the as yet “unseen” thirteenth episode of Dollhouse, “Epitaph One”.

This episode will be included in the Dollhouse Season 1 DVD and Blu-ray. You can also catch the Epitaph One “world premiere” at Comic Con, as explained by Joss Whedon in the video below the jump:

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3K_aCAg8Xg

Videos: SmallvilleFan009

Sci Fi has acquired the UK rights to air season 2 of Dollhouse. The channel will also screen the “unaired” 13th episode, “Epitaph One”, in August.

“We’re thrilled to offer our audience not only all 13 episodes of the first season but also confirmation that Sci Fi has the season two premiere already lined up for later in the year,” said Jon Farrar, programming director for NBC Universal Global Networks in the UK.

He added: “Dollhouse has become a cult hit in the UK and is one of the most talked about and successful show launches of 2009.

“We’ve been relentless in our quest to bring the most entertaining, exciting and in-demand programming to our viewers and Dollhouse has ticked all those boxes and many more.”

Source: Digital Spy