Los Angeles, 2019. Mag (Felicia Day) is among a group of "actuals," humans not imprinted. They need to get underground, "the deeper the better," before another mass-imprint occurs. In the midst of the apocalyptic wreckage of what was once the Rossum building, they find the opening that was once used by Alpha and Ballard, and make their way into the Dollhouse.
At first, they aren't sure what structure it is they've wandered into. Then they discover Topher's chair. Since they conveniently happen to have a wiped person in tow, they begin uploading memories to him. Those memories tell them where they are, and they are flabbergasted that "the tech that kicked the butt of humanity" began life as, essentially, an upscale brothel.
As they explore the house, another disturbing fact becomes clear. They are not alone...
CHARACTERS
Echo: Apparently retains her composite persona, even after Topher's wipe. This is something she keeps secret from everyone except Ballard. The composite does have side effects, though. She complains of headaches that are getting steadily worse.
The Handler: Langton will evidently break with the Dollhouse, with violent consequences. He and Claire will develop a relationship. Claire will be his one ally when he leaves, promising that he will come back for her.
The Ice Queen: Adelle, the Dollhouse's best saleswoman, will become appalled when the Rossum Corporation takes their technology too far. No longer will Actives simply be leased to clients. They will now be sold, so that clients can achieve immortality by using the bodies of people who, in their view, "don't matter." Adelle will be told that it's time to choose a side. We do not see what choice Adelle ends up making, though we do see her ultimately attempting to manage the Apocalypse with the same iron she has used to manage everything else - only this time, it looks as if the job is beyond her.
The Genius: In a wonderful early scene, we see Topher's first day in the Dollhouse. He's there for less than a minute before he beings his verbal sparring with Laurence Dominic (and it is nice to see Reed Diamond again, by the way). He takes one look at the current, very slow process of imprinting, and instantly sees that the time an imprint takes can be cut down by more than 80% by allowing the brain itself to fill in gaps. A special mention has to be given to Fran Kranz's performance, contrasting this early, blase Topher with the shattered Topher at the end. Topher's future is heartbreaking, as the grown up little boy playing with his toys realizes the enormity of what he, more than any other single person, has made possible.
THOUGHTS
From what I can gather, Epitaph One was produced to fill out contractual obligations for international markets after the original pilot was scuttled. The DVD commentary indicates that it was made fast and cheap. It's an episode where the regular cast are, with one exception, seen only in flashbacks, while characters we have never seen before are left to carry the action.
It is also the best episode of the season, and I would not be at all surprised if it ended up being the best of the entire series.
I love the overall atmosphere. The "future" scenes, which makes up the bulk of the running time, have a dark texture that recalls a 1980's James Cameron film. I found myself sucked into the world of Mag and her companions very quickly. Their story is basic - a combination of survival, digging through the past, and a bit of slasher movie formula thrown in to generate tension - but it works.
Because it is such a basic main plot, the flashbacks are integrated very smoothly. Mostly, these scenes feel like a teaser for Season Two. It's a bit along the lines of The Deconstruction of Falling Stars in Babylon 5. We see snippets of what will happen in the rest of the series, but we only receive tantalizing hints of their context. I think it's a shame the series only got one more season (though given the ratings, that second season was basically a gift), as the momentous events that are to come seem like quite a lot to cram into 13 episodes.
It says a lot about how good this show has become that it can offer two vastly different season finales in the space of two episodes, and leave me really wanting to see what happens next with boht strands. Joss Whedon, director David Solomon, and writers Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen are all to be commended for taking a contractually-obligated cheapie and turning it into the most memorable event in the series thus far.
Rating: 10/10.
Previous Episode: Omega
Next Episode: Vows
Search Amazon.com for Dollhouse
No comments:
Post a Comment