Defending DOLLHOUSE Based only on Two Episodes | Why Joss Whedon is our Racehorse Pick

Amy Acker in Dollhouse "Epitaph One". PH: FOX.

Dollhouse was not an underrated show. Most of the series didn’t live up to expectations, and was simply not geekfest-worthy. I wasn’t that keen on it. And I hated that I couldn’t find a way to love it – because how do you not love something Joss Whedon does? Well, he’s human and he can’t be perfect. That’s just fact. Some people don’t want to believe it. That’s okay. Being stubborn means you aren’t perfect either, and that makes you relatable.

While Whedon didn’t present us with a solid series to adore, he did create two episodes that practically redeemed the entire show. What’s weird is that they were “to be continued” episodes, but they were (respectively) the season 1 Dollhouse finale, and the season 2 Dollhouse finale. Talk about having vision, you know? Not many people could pull that off. (The LOST producers are SO kicking themselves over not having had the answers to their show while they were writing it. That’s sloppy, and it’s an insult to the fans.)

These two hours of TV commanded a lofty, ambitious conception. What’s overwhelming is that they achieved victory.

I realized I had never seen Epitaph  One, because I didn’t have the Dollhouse DVDs and the episode never aired (due to FOX). So this weekend I watched Epitaph One and then Epitaph Two (again). Those are two powerful episodes that made me so…just, caught up in the series. And from being on Twitter, I’ve realized too many people haven’t seen Epitaph One. It was hard to understand Epitaph Two the first time I watched it, because Epitaph One sets everything up.  So I urge you to watch both episodes back-to-back. If that had been a movie, it would have been magnificent.

These two hours of TV commanded a lofty, ambitious conception. What’s overwhelming is that they achieved victory. The rallying cry from Whedon fans is clear, when you invest with Joss Whedon you will get back something. In the race of creators in the entertainment world, Whedon’s your horse. …You know what I mean. (Racehorses, placing bets? Yeaaa. Okay, NOW you get it.)

The song at the end of Epitaph One  was “Remains” by Maurissa Tancharoen. You can listen to it here:

If you recall, I was also very much a fan of the Anna Ternheim song “No, I Don’t Remember” that played on Dollhouse once.