- On the topic of Dollhouse's much-discussed and instantly legendary thirteenth episode, "Epitaph One", Whedon shared a few details that I don't think have been reported previously. The episode was mostly shot on video, as opposed to the film used for the other twelve, which should be an interesting stylistic fit with the episode's reported post-apocalyptic setup. The episode might also not be quite as much of a standalone as has been suggested; he mentioned that the episode addresses and even somewhat answers some of the most important questions regarding the Dollhouse. He also said in no uncertain terms that he wants people to see the episode on TV, not as a glorified bonus feature on the DVD release. (But Joss, what about the Prison Break finale? Don't you want to see when they realize the real prisons were in their hearts all along?).
- Whedon spoke candidly about his problems with the first few episodes of Dollhouse. He admitted that he has made episodes that have nothing to say, for which he is ashamed. He singled out the fifth episode, "True Believer", as one that fails to explore the motivations for why people join cults and how these reasons connect with why people end up in the Dollhouse. Ultimately, he said, though there's nothing wrong with making television that is merely diverting, it's not something he's interested in doing.
- He also addressed one of my biggest random questions about Dollhouse when an audience member asked whether we will be seeing actives with some of the less cool-sounding code words in the military alphabet, such as "Golf" or "Hotel." Whedon explained he had written an entire bit all about the active Golf, but it got cut, meaning we won't see Golf or Hotel on Dollhouse this season. Or, as he put it, we won't be seeing them on Dollhouse, period.
- Indeed, he was generally highly pessimistic about the show's prospects for a second season, all but acting as though the show had already been canceled (which, for the record, it hasn't yet, at least not officially). He didn't give any specific reason for his opinion, although one might guess lackluster ratings and bitter experience are contributing factors. This means he won't even be entertaining the notion of a Dollhouse musical episode, although he did say that, if he could hire Actives from the Dollhouse, they would be of the all-singing, all-dancing variety.
- Whedon explained that Dollhouse is not a feminist show, as to make it explicitly adhere to any set system of belief would make it didactic instead of dramatic. When an audience member asked whether he saw it as troublesome that all the actives were unfailingly young and gorgeous, he acknowledged this to an extent, mentioning that early drafts of the show had involved actives of all shapes and sizes to reflect the fact that people's fantasies don't always adhere to Hollywood's conception of attractiveness, and the beautifying of the Dollhouse was one of the realities of dealing with Fox. There had been an entire early subplot about an active named Tango who was an older woman, but sadly all of that had to go when the show's direction changed.
