Toys in the Attic: Joss Whedon Pulls Back the Curtain of Dollhouse - Page 2

Though Dollhouse floundered through the first few episodes of season one with a series of self-contained story lines that wound up feeling too tidily wrapped up and lacked the classic Whedon touch of moral ambiguity, the series came into its own in episode six, “Man on the Street.” “Man on the Street began a plot arc delving into the underside of the Dollhouse and the backstories of the characters. Whedon promises that while each episode will have its own engagements to be completed or problems to be resolved, season two will continue the plot arc that defined the latter half of season one. He also indicated that the episode “Epitaph 1,” which aired at Comic-Con and is on the season one DVD but was not televised, will influence season two. While the apocalyptic future depicted in “Epitaph 1” will not be revisited until the end of the season, Whedon stated that during season two we will be “looking at the show through the lens of that episode.”

In “Epitaph 1” the technology of mindwiping and imprinting that results in the formation of Actives becomes remotely activated and results in a cataclysmic future. When asked about how technology will be stretched in season two, Whedon declined to answer directly, and in doing so hinted that the expansion of the technology will play a major role in season two. He did reveal that it’s “not all just simple chair treatments.”

Yet, despite the expansion of the technology, Whedon assured us that “everybody is not a Doll.” He pointed out that if everyone was, or could be, a Doll, there would be nothing at stake. He said that “people who are Dolls are Dolls.” However, he did then comment that he was “not saying never, not saying we won’t question reality.” In essence, Joss Whedon reserves the right to play with our minds. Yet, he did reiterate that he wants the characters “grounded so that people know that there is something at stake.”

What is at stake for the characters of Dollhouse? As indicated earlier, Echo will continue to develop an awareness of her original identity as Caroline. As she develops her sense of self, she will begin to look for allies in her mission. She will look to FBI agent Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett) as a possible ally. Echo will also examine the growing romance between Victor (Enver Gjokaj) and Sierra (Dichen Lachman) in the light of their readiness to join her in self-awareness. Whedon did state that we will see more of the relationship between Victor and Sierra as well as some further insights into their respective histories. In her quest for allies, Echo is “looking for the sense of family that I think the audience was looking for last season. We’re going to be seeing who’s on her side and … who … not so much.”

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Article Author: Christy Corp-Minamiji

Christy Corp-Minamiji is a livestock veterinarian, writer, and mother living in Northern California. She writes fiction and blogs on the eclectic range of topics that interest her.

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