Dollhouse

It’s day two of Dollhouse Week, wherein we leave no stone unturned in discussing Joss Whedon’s new series on FOX. Today: a conversation with the man himself.

The story about how the idea for Dollhouse hit Joss Whedon like a bolt from above has now been repeated enough that he can refer to it as "the famous story of lunch with Eliza." It was in the fall of 2007, and while having lunch with Eliza Dushku, who had recently signed a deal with FOX, he discussed the kinds of characters he thought she should play. "I thought she should play lots of different things, and then the show happened," is how he puts it.

The road to Dollhouse’s Friday premiere, however, hasn’t quite been as easy as that initial burst. "I think this show definitely went through a tougher process, tough in a different way than the other shows" he’s created, Whedon says. FOX executives were concerned that Whedon’s first take on the material came at the concept — about a shadowy organization that can imprint people (Dushku included) with any kind of personality a paying client wants or needs — was a little oblique, which ultimately led to the first episode being reshot.

"The mandate was, ’Give us not just the world of the show, but the structure of the show,’" Whedon says. "The original pilot explained everything that happened, but came at it very sideways, and they said let the audience see an engagement so that they understand that every week she’s going to go to a different place and be a different person and that they have that sense of structure."

Changes to the first episode aside, though, Whedon says that the first season of Dollhouse "ends up going exactly where I had hoped it would go."

"We had all of the elements, the characters, none of which were changed really. ... And the premise, the concept, the way we were able to explore what makes us human, all of that is in there," he says. "... So I do feel like we got back to our vision in a way that really works for the network. And the last few episodes that we just completed shooting got all of us extraordinarily excited."

Here are some more highlights from Whedon’s conference call with reporters last week.

More on changes to the show: Whedon was asked how FOX’s desire to tell close-ended stories affected the show, and if he misses anything from his original concept.

"There are things I miss from my original vision, and there are things that I think are better the way it is. Ultimately, the show ends up going exactly where I hoped it would go. There are elements of intrigue and high-stakes suspense that have been added, but I don’t think they hurt the show at all, and it really goes where we planned to have it go.

"The idea was always to have a mythology that was counterbalanced by a stand-alone aspect that every episode would be self-contained, and that the mythology would play out [over time]. The mandate to go ahead and just really make the first several episodes pure standalone engagements is tough. It’s more work for a staff to drum up that enthusiasm and that identification for the guest of the week. ... So it’s a challenge, but it’s one that we knew going in we were going to have to tackle, and I think we’re getting better at it."

On the show’s Friday timeslot: "Honestly, I really do see the opportunity there, because the deal with the Friday-night timeslot was you don’t come out, bang, opening weekend, and it’s all decided. It’s about growing a fan base, both for Dollhouse and [Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which will lead into Dollhouse]. I think Terminator is a remarkably good show, and the kind of show that makes sense to be paired with Dollhouse, so I feel great about that. ...

"Ultimately, this is a show where people will hopefully become intrigued and then hang in, that really builds, so it needs the 13 weeks, and it needs the 13 weeks of people paying attention, but not so much attention that it gets burned out in the glare of the spotlight. I’ve always worked best under the radar. Most of my shows people have come to after they stopped airing, but I would like to buck that trend."

Tahmohpenikett_dollhouse_240 On the show’s disparate storylines coming together: In addition to the mystery of who’s behind the Dollhouse and where its recruits like Dushku’s Echo come from, the show also follows FBI Agent Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett) and his efforts to bring down the Dollhouse.

"We definitely start entwining things this season. There’s a lot of payoff in this season. There are some things that we draw out and then some things that we pay off fairly heavily, so that people don’t get the feeling that they’re just going to [be teased] every week.

"Paul Ballard is going to be hunting the Dollhouse, and obviously, he’s going to be one step behind them for awhile, but then every now and then, he’s going to come up against them in a rather abrupt fashion. He’s not going to be the reporter in The Hulk, always five feet behind. ... Echo’s progression is a constant in the show, her search for herself, so that’s something that is being spun out episode by episode. It’s just different little aspects. It’s like she takes a little memento away from every engagement, so that will be a constant."

On fans mounting "save the show" campaigns before it even starts: "Usually, words of calm in these situations lead to panic. If you say there’s nothing to panic about, somebody says, ’He said the word "panic!"’ Basically, we found the show. My concern isn’t whether the show gets saved. It’s whether these fans who are panicking about it love it. They may get over their panic. They may see it and go, ’You know, actually, we’re OK.’ The network should do what they think is right.

"Ultimately, the support is very sweet, and the fact that people care and they want to see the show get a chance. That’s important to me too, because it really is a show that finds itself as it goes along, but, at the end of the day, my biggest concern is that I give them something worth panicking over."