[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

We all know how well that worked out for Firefly.

Yeah it got us a Big Damn Movie.

[reader50]

Originally Posted by Salty 

... That said they did kinda wrap it all up in season one... which was smart considering Joss's luck.

There's quite a bit we haven't seen. Boyd avoided the question of how he got hired, for example. We don't know if Sierra was coerced in - the client and her spotty memories say yes, Dollhouse recruiting policy says no. The NSA will eventually suspect things when Dominic keeps filing bland reports. Ballard has apparently been hired to dog Alpha full-time, it's to be expected he will catch up irregularly.

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

Yeah, he {Topher} feels a lot of guilt, that's why he programmed the doctor to hate him.

He didn't - that was Saunders' way of letting Topher know he was on her hate list. Probably unjustly too:

 

Consider how she confirmed she was Whiskey. She got through Topher's personal security blocks "very easily", which doubtless means quickly. Alpha is established to have hacking skills - he gave up on Topher's system after about 5 seconds, declaring Topher a paranoid freak who'd created a personal minefield. The only plausible way for Whiskey to get through is if she already knew the access codes.

ie - Topher gave her access codes in case she ever wanted to dig up her profile. Which she took about a year & some prompting to do. If Topher felt as guilty as he seemed to, it's a good bet he went further too, as he did with Echo when she was hunting the spy (Dominic). Topher quietly gave Echo kung-fu skills in case she found the spy.

I'm guessing that if Dr Saunders had tried to resist Alpha, she'd have found out she could handle him. Or could come as close to doing so as Topher could arrange.

[Salty]

I dono... maybe Topher left her file open? Maybe Alpha wanted to get into her office?

Anyway I'm glad that they moved things along to be reasonably resolved incase there is no season 2. I think it's a good balance. Lots of things to do but a few things that would make us comfortable incase the show is over.

[reader50]

Dollhouse has been renewed for a 2nd season of 13 episodes.

In a stunning move, sources say Fox has renewed Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse” for next fall.

[Shaddim]

It was touch-and-go. But I think, in the end, FOX didn't want to make another Firefly mistake. I heard about the possible (shocking) renewal a few days ago, and the heart of it is they didn't want to be hasty in puling the plug on Whedon again (and TCF picking up the lion's share of the check didn't hurt).

[Cold Warrior]

Originally Posted by reader50 

Dollhouse has been renewed for a 2nd season of 13 episodes.

Good news.

[Eriamjh]

Better than a poke in the eye with a stick. I'll be watching.

[jokell82]

Never expected a renewal. Hopefully the second season can have a more consistent quality.

[Eriamjh]

It's official: Dollhouse lives, Terminator terminated.

Looking forward to a new season.

[LegendaryPinkOx]

But Reilly said he's through bringing shows back from the dead: ``Terminator has completed its run . . . It's time to move on.''

I like this guy's style.

[Salty]

Sweet, though I really wonder what'll happen. Are there loose ends? Yah but I think the show's gonna take a different direction in season 2. I'd be super excited for it though, it's a sweet show! Hopefully they move it to another time slot.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by LegendaryPinkOx 

I like this guy's style.

Aside from, you know, Terminator was not complete. It got cut off right in the middle of its storyline.

I like how he confirmed my theory that Fox was scared to cancel Dollhouse, though.

[exca1ibur]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

I like how he confirmed my theory that Fox was scared to cancel Dollhouse, though.

Thats how I took his 'explanation' as well. Sounds like after getting backlash for Firefly for years, they decided to just ride this one out.

[Eug]

I thought both were going to get the axe. If I had to choose one, I would have picked Terminator, but I'm also happy they chose to give us Dollhouse.

At least this way we won't have yet another reality show that might have taken its place.

[Shaddim]

Reilly admitted, the fans of Dollhouse producer Joss Whedon scare him a little bit: ``If we had canceled a Joss Whedon show, I probably would have had 110 million e-mails this morning from the fans.''

[andi*pandi]

only?

Too bad about terminator though, I did think this year's storyline was finally getting somewhere with John Henry etc.

[exca1ibur]

Originally Posted by Eug 

At least this way we won't have yet another reality show that might have taken its place.

Amen to that one!

[reader50]

It looks like Dollhouse will have to make do with a smaller budget for Season 2 - details still in discussion. The network is paying less, the studio is paying more, but the total is expected to be less. Joss Whedon has commented on this, that we don't need to worry - it will not affect the show.

Originally Posted by Joss Whedon

As a producer I’ve never had enough money to put my shows on and I make them look as good as they could be. So it doesn’t frighten me. It will give us a nice energy.

In other news, the special 13th episode of Season 1 is expected to be broadcast sometime during Season 2 in the US (insider word - not officially confirmed yet). It will air in foreign markets at the end of Season 1.

This episode "Epitaph One" was created by Whedon to fill out contractual requirements for the studio, which had sold the show for DVD and foreign markets as having at least 13 full episodes. We don't know much about it, except it is set several years in the show's future. Season 2 will resume in the present day, btw.

[reader50]

Dollhouse has begun playing in some foreign markets. It's opened in the UK, and will begin soon in Australia. How well it does overseas (and on DVD sales) may affect the season 2 budget, or influence Fox to upgrade the order from 13 -> 20 episodes.

Of interest, the Fox network in Australia was apparently unhappy with the US promotional trailers ... so they mixed up their own. Be sure to click the HQ (high quality) button. Their trailer looks pretty darned good.

[Chuckit]

Holy ****. Why couldn't we have commercials like that? I might have been able to get more people to watch the show if it actually looked good.

[reader50]

Updates

Season 2 is in production. Episode #3 is being filmed about now. Season 2 is scheduled to start broadcasting September 25, 2009 in the US. 8-9 PM Fridays on Fox.

13 episodes are confirmed, and Fox has an option to order 9 more. If they did, it would fill out Season 2 to a full 22 episodes. See this article.

Originally Posted by iF Magazine article

That said, [Fox Entertainment President Kevin] Reilly says he would be happy with the same [broadcast ratings] numbers from last year to give him confidence to order the back nine and perhaps even a third season.

The original pilot "Echo" and the 13th episode "Epitaph One" have gone out on DVD / BluRay. Epitaph 1 has also been broadcast in the UK, and both have become available via the usual means. It is safe to discuss "Echo" now without the spoilers tag, not sure about Epitaph One. E1 is expected to be broadcast in the US sometime during Season 2.

Dr. Saunders is back, at least for the first episode. Looks like Joss has managed to woo some time from her, even though she's starring in her own series elsewhere. Here's hoping she'll turn up a decent percentage of the time.

If you're interested in her unusual "facial artwork" check out this story. It is safe to click through.

[Chuckit]

Broadcasting "Epitaph One" in the middle of season 2 would be weird, since Joss said season 2 starts right where it ends* and is supposed to tie into a lot of the past-plot threads introduced in that episode.

 

* With Little Girl Echo and Felicia Day climbing that ladder to get free of the Dollhouse.

[reader50]

What I've picked up is that Season 2 resumes three months after the events of Omega. However, while Season 1 had frequent flashbacks to events before the pilot ... Season 2 will have flash-forwards now and then. Like to the Epitaph 1 time frame. So they may well continue story threads on both ends.

[reader50]

Dollhouse Season 2 begins in the US this Friday - September 25

It will be on FOX affialites at 9-10 PM Eastern/Pacific. 8-9 PM Central. Note that this is a schedule change from a previous post - FOX had originally announced it would be an hour earlier.

Season 2 remains at 13 episodes, with an option to order 9 more. This is expected to depend on the ratings for the first few episodes.

I'm putting this up a couple days in advance, because not everyone checks in daily. Set your DVRs as needed.

[Chuckit]

I've read that the network is currently saying as long as the ratings don't greatly drop from this past season, that will be good enough for them to order the back nine.

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

Reilly admitted, the fans of Dollhouse producer Joss Whedon scare him a little bit: ``If we had canceled a Joss Whedon show, I probably would have had 110 million e-mails this morning from the fans.''

Just filter all emails except those from 777 Club, problem solved.

[reader50]

Reminder. Engagements resume tonight. Try to be your best.

[reader50]

A solid episode - it definitely maintains the pace from the second half of S1. Loved the Whiskey / Topher story.

[Chuckit]

Whiskey's story is wonderful, and that was some great characterization with Topher. I like how her imprinted personality actually views itself as a person and thus her original personality is kind of the enemy, in contrast to Echo, who rejects all of her imprints to some degree.

Ballard is really creepy, and I'm not sure if he's supposed to read that way or not. Sometimes it seems intentional, other times it seems like we're supposed to see him as this genuinely good-hearted fella.

Echo is intriguing, but I really hope they don't drag on her story as much as they did last time or it will be grating.

Definitely a good start to the season.

[andi*pandi]

agreed. Perhaps the focus will shift to Whiskey this season.

[Uncle Skeleton]

Only if they recast her. That actress is only a guest star this season.

[reader50]

After Season 1 of Dollhouse, it wasn't at all clear that the show would be renewed. Amy Acker signed on as a co-star on the upcoming show Happy Town. Joss managed to talk her into at least 3 episodes anyway, and it remains to be seen if he can get more. If the back 9 DH episodes get picked up, she ought to be free during most of their production times.

The problem is most likely that DH is filmed in Los Angeles, while HT is filmed in Minnesota + Canada. Amy would have to fly back and forth to juggle both shows.

If HT doesn't get picked up for a 2nd season (most freshman shows fail) the problem will be solved for Dollhouse S3.

[Eriamjh]

I'm losing interest. The finale was awesome, but the show has been retooled.

I hope it gets better.

[jokell82]

Yeah I wasn't impressed with the season opener. Hoping it gets better (and gets renewed), because Epitaph One was nothing short of amazing.

[reader50]

This episode wasn't one of their best. It felt like they are setting up details for future use. Eliza's acting was certainly up to par, but the story didn't grab me.

For those wondering why the show looks slightly different, note that they made a camera change. Season 1 was filmed on 35mm film. Beginning with Epitaph 1, they switched to 1080p digital cameras. I like the film look better, but this may have been forced by the budget.

I've been thinking on another matter. Why have Whiskey's scars not been fixed? The procedure is expensive, and yes, DeWitt may have had personal reasons to authorize it for Victor. But Actives make a fortune, and bring in still more for the house. Plus Whiskey was their number one active, higher than Victor's earnings today. At a million per average engagement, that makes an expensive medical procedure trivial.

So the house might assign Whiskey a staff position while she heals up from the surgery. Except no surgery was done. Why would DeWitt permanently assign her #1 asset to a staff position? One that a regular doctor could fill at a far lower wage?

 

Alpha smashed his own original imprints (primary & backup) during his rampage. His rampage started with rendering Whiskey unsuitable for active status, in order to open the way for Echo. Suppose Alpha had gone further in offlining Whiskey - suppose he smashed Whiskey's original imprints too?

Work as an Active is like military enlistment - the work is compulsory. Recruits get to make their decisions in advance, but cannot reconsider partway through. Compulsory work is slavery unless you get paid for it. If Whiskey's original imprint is no longer available, then it would not be possible to pay her afterwards for her work. So even a single new engagement would be knowingly unpaid work.

Instead, give her a staff imprint and the salary + benefits of that position. She apparently got a company car, as seen in the previous episode. And I expect the staff doctor doesn't have health benefits as high as an active does. Hence cosmetic surgery would be at her own initiative & expense.

This would amount to DeWitt trying to take care of her own. And it explains why the scars have not been fixed. It doesn't explain why Topher suggested asking for her original imprint back - Topher would have to be unaware the originals were gone.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by Eriamjh 

I'm losing interest. The finale was awesome, but the show has been retooled.

I hope it gets better.

Same. I'm quickly losing interest. I may bail soon.

Even if I don't bail, I think the network will.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Eug 

Same. I'm quickly losing interest. I may bail soon.

Even if I don't bail, I think the network will.

Oh, is it last season already?

[Eug]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

Oh, is it last season already?

Pretty much actually. Except it's only episode 2 and they've already un-impressed us.

[hyteckit]

Show will get canceled soon I bet.

[reader50]

It might, there are warning rumblings if the ratings don't improve. Or at least return to last year's average. I'm not rooting for it to go down. It would certainly be replaced by something more average for TV, in other words, guaranteed boring.

Upcoming broadcast schedule:
Episode 3 "Belle Chose" on Friday, October 9.
There will not be an episode on October 16 due to sports.
Episode 4 "Belonging" will air on Friday, October 23.
Episode 5 "The Public Eye" on Friday, October 30.

In the UK, season 2 begins on October 20. I haven't been able to track down the Australia airdate on FOX8.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Eug 

Pretty much actually. Except it's only episode 2 and they've already un-impressed us.

Are you high? The first several episodes of season 1 were way worse than these.

[andi*pandi]

they're building to a villain reveal. Each season needs an arc, last season had Alpha. Of course he could pop back in, but I bet we see more

a) what happens to November
b) Echo's handler going nutzo.

[reader50]

Very creepy episode. Story twists managed to surprise me throughout. And I liked the dialog.

We finally get some staff on Wardrobe, as opposed to the seldom-seen dressing room. I liked the head wardrobe guy.

Overall: good. A nice improvement over last week. Not quite great, but it has plenty of moments.

[Eriamjh]

I preferred the Alpha storyline. I thought the finale was great last season, but now the show seems to have lost its purpose. Is Echo now breaking all of the memory rules by remembering all of her previous characters, but not really? Why isn't alpha trying to pull something?

I'm watching them, but ever skeptical of the show's success.

[Uncle Skeleton]

The same thing happened in the first episode last season, and almost every episode after that (Echo retaining something between "wipes" (ew that sounds gross)).

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Eriamjh 

I preferred the Alpha storyline. I thought the finale was great last season, but now the show seems to have lost its purpose. Is Echo now breaking all of the memory rules by remembering all of her previous characters, but not really? Why isn't alpha trying to pull something?

I'm watching them, but ever skeptical of the show's success.

We already knew this was going to happen thanks to "Epitaph One". And a huge point in this show has always been that DeWitt and co. overestimate their ability to suppress the human spirit — Echo would remember things that happened on her engagements, they had to temporarily give several of the dolls their original personalities back (in "Needs") in order to stop them acting up, etc.

In happy news, the latest episode's ratings were a little better, and the DVR numbers for the earlier episodes are out and they're big — a 50% increase in the live-plus-seven ratings.

[RAILhead]

I thought this last episode was pretty good, myself.

[reader50]

While rewatching Belle Chose, I noticed a background detail. Topher's monitors were tracking all Actives currently in the field, and at one point the monitors come into focus beside Adelle. Only 4 appeared in the frame unfortunately.



Yankee and Romeo. If I'm not mistaken, this is the first time we've seen them identified.

The shot below was a lot harder to come up with. The monitor is smaller and tilted at a greater angle. I've bumped the size, widened it a tad to correct for angle, corrected light levels, and applied a touch of sharpening.



It is just possible to make out the names, especially since there are only 26 to look for. Of which a good percentage are known.

Tango on top, Hotel on bottom of pic. The last time we checked, Tango was blonde. We haven't seen Hotel before ... or have we? Does anyone else think he looks like Senator Perrin? Or perhaps a younger version of him, who starred in a vampire show set in Los Angeles?

[Chuckit]

He does look a bit like Denisof, but since the DeWitt had no idea that Perrin even existed until very recently, it seems reasonable to assume he's not one of her actives.

(Also, even before Los Angeles, he starred in a vampire show set in Sunnydale.)

[Uncle Skeleton]

I thought tango was a dude...? (from the jailbreak episode)