Dollhouse

US, July 24, 2009 - Joss Whedon’s rabid fandom got a special treat today – the public debut of "Epitaph One", the somewhat legendary unaired episode of Dollhouse, which will be available on the Dollhouse: Season 1 DVD set. So how was it? In a word: Unusual.

While I will avoid giving away any big spoilers in terms of plot twists or revelations, there is no way to discuss this episode without at least talking about the basic set up, so if you don’t want to know anything about "Epitaph One," look away now!

Okay, still with me? Well, as we’ve heard, this episode is semi-standalone, in that it does not at all directly pick up from where we last left off in "Omega," and the main characters aren’t even the regular Dollhouse cast. Instead, we suddenly find ourselves in the year 2019, in a post-apocalyptic future where a ragtag group flees from the Reaver-type marauders who have overrun Los Angeles.

Chief among this group is Mag (Whedon regular Felicia Day), Zone (Zack Ward - A Christmas Story’s Scut Farkus!) and the young Iris (Heroes’ Adair Tishler). Seeking refuge, the come across the long-abandoned Dollhouse, and begin to wonder if their salvation might lie within.

It’s a bit jarring watching this episode. We’ve only followed the regular series for twelve episodes, and here we are coming at this world from an entirely different angle. Yet it’s a rather effective, offbeat tactic Whedon and this episode’s writers, Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon, are taking here. The episode is certainly fueled by the persistent "What the hell is going on?" question raised by dropping us into the middle of such a different situation.

The main cast do appear, via flashbacks – ones which raise a ton of questions and will inspire a lot of conversation between Dollhouse fans. While some of these flashbacks fill in bits of back-story, many of them actually take place later in the series timeline than anything we’ve seen so far – and they certainly are intriguing. If Whedon chooses to firmly commit to "Epitaph One" being part of this show’s canon, than he’s now set up a very specific challenge for himself, establishing many touchstones and situations the series presumably needs to aim towards as it continues.

While the entire main cast appears via flashbacks, Eliza Dushku’s Echo actually has one of the smallest parts, with several other supporting characters getting more to do. On the plus side, this means there’s several cool scenes for Amy Acker’s Dr. Saunders. On the downside, there’s more of Fran Kranz as Topher – and sorry, but absence hasn’t made the heart grow fonder for this still annoying character.

Seeing this episode, I definitely was interested in what was going on – but also am not too shocked FOX didn’t want to air it. If anything, this episode only further pushes Dollhouse into the cult series realm. It’s fun to see Whedon so strongly rebel against anything remotely procedural about the series, by so strongly establishing even more of a huge narrative. Yet at the same time, it’s such a broad canvas, it seems almost foolhardy - Dollhouse needs to work on crafting a strong, more focused second season, and setting in motion events that take place ten years in the future might not be the best way to do that.

But Joss Whedon has always been ambitious, and that’s certainly the feeling one gets watching "Epitaph One." It’s certainly an odd approach for a series of this sort and it’s still not clear if we’ll ever have a chance to directly visit the characters and situations set up here - It’s almost as though we’re watching a pilot for a new series that has not been picked up, starring Mag and her allies. Yet it’s also an involving and well done episode that helps add to the Dollhouse mythology in a big way. And, per usual, it’s simply fun to see Whedon experiment in such a noteworthy way.