Dollhouse has had a rocky ride. The show had a rough start. Network … erm … “guidance” really changed the way the first part of the show worked (what?? FOX mess with a Joss Whedon show? Say it isn’t so!!). But then, “Man on the Street” happened, and viewers (the six of us still around) started to see the real potential of the show. The end of the first season had some truly brilliant moments, but when we started back this season, it was more of the ho-hum. Now that we’ve come to the end of the series, will it end with a bang, or a whimper?
The last two episodes leading into the finale were an indication as to what we’d see in the very end. “Getting Closer” had several jaw dropping moments. Joss, being Joss, had to kill (bullet in the brain pan, squish!) one relationship before the series ended, right? (That, or just get a head start on the finale.) And, Boyd as the mastermind behind Rossum? Da-yum (well, in the sense that it came out of left field and didn’t really make a lot of sense). Last week, though, killed all of the momentum they had built up. “The Hollow Men” carried very little suspense and drama of its predecessor, one of the few exceptions being November’s (albeit clichéd) sacrifice, but all in all, it just couldn’t live up to the promise of the week before, not even with the supposed twist ending setting up our return to the future.
Which, after a little bit of rambling, leads us to “Epitaph Two” (trying so hard to avoid the Electric Boogaloo joke, and whoops, there it went). When I saw “Epitaph One,” I think it spoke to what Dollhouse could really be about. Now that we’ve revisited that same future, I wonder why we needed to go there in the first place. When Dollhouse was at its best was when it played with the morality of the technology that was the basis of the show. The future answers all of those questions, all gift wrapped in a nice, depressing bow. The characters we met there were fun, both between our returning heroes (Mag, Zone, and “Mini-Caroline”) and the villains that had become of the former actives.
But all in all, this isn’t how this series should have ended. A better ending would have been combining “Closer” and “Men” into an hour, and walking away. It is weird that the finale doesn’t include Boyd or Whiskey. There were no real twists (maybe Alpha). Deaths, sure; some needless, some annoying, but nothing was gained. I never liked Ballard and Echo, but no real character growth was gained by his death. And while Topher’s sacrifice was grand, do we really need to kill all but one of the happy relationships in the future? Between not living up to the potential of this show, and continuing killing loved characters and happiness in general, I’m not sure I want to follow Joss down whatever his next rabbit hole becomes.
Was “Epitaph Two” a horrible end to a disappointing show? No, I really don’t think so. But there was enough disappointment to be found here, disappointment born all the way back in the first episode. There was a lot to love about Dollhouse, but unfortunately, there just wasn’t enough.
Little Notes & Quotes:
Clacked by Ivey West 
on Jan 30, 2010 @ 09:05 EST5EDT
You make excellent points and yet I’m inclined to say that this show was a personal winner for me overall. I can’t help myself. I just enjoyed it.
I did want Zone and Mag to be together. I’m not sure what I witnessed in their last scene.
Whiskey anyone?
Still a bit disturbed about the Ballard download in Echo. That’s just not a happy ending for me. I sure love my husband, but I would not want him inside my brain with me 24/7. That scenerio gives me the shivers! But, I guess I should not set my hopes on happy endings. I so seldom see them. Maybe Caprica!!! Oh wait. As I was saying…;)
The Death Star line was great.
I look forward to the next Whedon project!
I haven’t even finished reading your post, and I had to tell you I love you, Ivey. So very few get the Electric Boogaloo reference that I tend to slip into far too many conversations.
Ok – back to reading the post, and then I’ll REALLY talk about Dollhouse. :-D
Ok – so, on with the show. I have to say I really enjoy any program that features Farkus. He needs more roles as he has really grown well into a fun, snarky actor dude.
I had to watch this several times, and finally paired with Epitaph 1, in order to appreciate it.
Unfortunately, Whiskey sacrificed herself at the end of Epitaph 1, which made it difficult to have her back in Epitaph 2. In 1, they also referenced that Alpha helped save the world, so I expected him to come out a hero.
Mini Caroline actually did a great job of mimicking Eliza Dushku, so that was more fun that I thought it would be.
Topher had to be sacrificed, poor bastard. He wouldn’t have fit into any world after how crazy he had become. With the weight of the world on his shoulders, he’d not have made it back.
Its sad to realize how many of the people were affected. At first I couldn’t figure out why Adele and Zone could withstand the pulse, and then I realized they are two who hadn’t been imprinted.
I had absolutely no problem with Ballard being implanted in Echo. It made perfect sense to me, even if it was sad.
One thing of note, it was good to see that even though the actives had been in the hole of the Dollhouse all that time, they still had hair dye! One in particular who they took outside had incredible roots going.
All in all, the show sure came a looooong way from the beginning of fluff and puff storylines. We’ll never know what it could have been as a series.
Epitaph 2 would of worked better if Hollow Men ended differently. If they failed and the mission instead of the “Hey we won!” followed by the sudden cut to the failed future, this would of been a perfect ending to a strange show.
Another option that would of been better would of been to just end it with Hollow Men. Extend that episode to 2 hours and have the main characters bump into Mag and Zone having normal lives now with the future changed would of been better than this too.
Loved the show overall, but Epitaph 2 was not the show at its best. Nowhere close. There were a few solid moments, but I just didn’t get into it.
I haven’t watched this show in ages, but thought it might be unfair to penalize a series you enjoyed because of a lackluster finale. Really, has Whedon ever given us a truly satisfying ending?
*POST AUTHOR*
Ryan: A very valid point, one that I made myself to Keith and friends in the latest Caprica post.
But, if you look at my history on the show, I’ve never really been happy with it. It was consistantly average despite moments of brilliance. So, to me, the last three episodes were indicative of the entire two season run.
Personally I find sacrificing Topher to be very sad, he is really my favourite character, but the final scene where he smiled at the memorial wall was touching… Technically speaking, he didn’t have to die, he possibly can fix his own brain and be normal again (remove a memory here, delete some bad brain there)
There should be more twists to the final episode (like Adele actually finding a real lover and not living in her lonely life)…
Also, whatever happened to Dominic? He was shown in a memory flash assaulting Adele in Epitaph 1 but no longer mentioned in Epitaph 2?
It also doesn’t make sense when Adele led the dolls out in the open and no butchers coming to.. well.. butcher them.
If dolls staying in the house won’t be wiped, doesn’t that mean Alpha could have stayed back? Ah well, so many questions.. but I do enjoy the final episode, things were wrapped up rather nicely :)
*POST AUTHOR*
As far as Alpha goes, yeah, he could have stayed. But leaving may have restored him to whomever, or whatever he was before.
Echo’s line about him evolving could have meant two things, that he has, in his multi-personality self evoled past the sociopath(s) in his mind, or it could have meant that his brain could have evolved moving past being affected by the pulse.
Epitaph Two would have made more sense if they actually aired Epitaph One! At least make it available on hulu.
I’m not going to buy a whole season of a canceled TV show when I only wanna watch 1 episode.
The teaser just added to the confusion. Too much was left unexplained from E1 to E2.