SciFiChick.com was able to participate in a conference call last week with Joss Whedon, Creater/Executive Producer/Writer/Director of Dollhouse. Below is a transcript of that call.
Dollhouse’s second season will premier Friday, September 25th from 9 to 10 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.
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In Dollhouse, how will Echo, and of course the many other characters she is flashing to, come in to her own this season?
Basically, through force of will. She did have all those personalities dumped into her at once and as we pick up, we’re going to find out that that’s starting to affect her. Rather than be at sea in between engagements, she’s much more directed and driven, and even in her doll state is growing, and learning and starting to try to access these personalities to see what they can help her with, because she has a mission that she understands now, which is to get back to her personality and get everybody back to theirs.
How many seasons do you see Dollhouse running?
Dollhouse, the premise is limited and I think by season 17, you’re really going to see us repeating ourselves.
Last season you began with a number of restating pilot episodes where you wanted to make sure that you could bring in new viewers. This season doesn’t begin with that sort of episode. Could you talk about how you approached the idea of new viewers following the show?
Well, you know, we always try to make, especially in the first episode of the season, but generally we try and make the premise clear enough so that if you haven’t been watching it, you don’t have to do a huge amount of math. There’s a lot of exposition in the first pilot, in the first episode of the season, to help that. But at the end of the day, you do have to go, “Well, if they don’t get the premise,” and we’ve even rejiggered the opening credits to make it clearer, than they’ll either become involved in these peoples’ stories or they won’t. You have to move slow enough so people can grab a hold and jump on with you, but you have to keep moving.
Do you have a pitch to new viewers on how to reintegrate themselves or is the answer as simple as watch the DVD?