Dollhouse was not a huge success. While having an interesting idea the show’s plots sometimes felt forced and repetitive. I think with more time it could have developed into something very good as evidenced by the unaired Dollhouse episode Epitaph One.
This was the episode that was the cheapest to make, unaired in the U.S., and barely featured the star, Eliza Dushku, but turned out to be the best Dollhouse episode of season one or two. Set in a post apocalyptic future we follow a band of “actuals” (people who are not imprinted as that is the norm in the future) are trying to get underground to avoid over-the-air imprinting. The plot isn’t important right now. What is important is FOX probably thought they were getting a throw away episode but they failed to see the potential for something greater. Like season 4 episode 19 of Fringe, Letters of Transit, where we are transported into the future to just give us a taste of where the show could eventually go, Epitaph One could have piqued audience’s interest of things to come and given the show a longer run.
People watch TV and get used to the characters and the setup of the shows they watch. CBS is particularly good at creating shows that fall into this pattern. You know what to expect from the characters and plots, but when viewership falls off it tends of fall off hard. Characters are boring, plot is predictable, and there are a lot of things vying for your attention. The odd episode that throws what you thought you knew into chaos makes for better entertainment. As an example: Castle is, for the most part, predictable and safe, but every now and then they throw in that strange episode that doesn’t fit. When I’m deciding what to watch I think back to those odd episodes and that is what helps keep me as a viewer.
Kate is interested in a local checkout clerk who happens to also be a vampire and soon Kate is showing signs of being undead as well.
