This is basically what Fox expects us to do, and it's wrong again.
On April 8th, Fox announced the season finale of Dollhouse will air one month later, with the episode, "Omega".
Uh, isn't there a 13th episode called "Epitath One", where we're supposed to find out who Alpha is, and whether he really is a "petal in the breeze and watch how he floats" or something like that?
Well, there is, and we can forget about seeing it unless we buy the DVD set, available just after we complain about it during Comic-Con.
Not only that, this also robs the show of some time to get some ratings momentum, possibly from its new lead-in, Prison Break. Ironically, this show is the reason why it has cut Dollhouse's season short. It's supposed to return on the 17th with a two-hour edition to get people up to speed after a long break. Then, the show ends on May 15th with another two-hour edition that knocks "Epitath One" off the air.
This fact alone may be interpreted as a hint that Dollhouse may not see a second season. The ratings site, TV By The Numbers, has been harping this possibility for a month. It's been saying that if it doesn't pull in more viewers in the 18-49 range, then it's over. Cutting its season, and its chances for a comeback, is a bad sign. It is giving Prison Break a good send-off after four years, but this is making Eliza Dushku and Joss Whedon fans really mad.
Next Wednesday, the Paley Festival will have a featuring the cast of Dollhouse. The best reasons to go are the presence of Joss and Eliza, but Fox's tradition of questionable programming decisions will also take center stage. Maybe we'll see "Epitath One" then. Well, the good news is that tickets are still available, but after what Fox just did, they won't be for long.
UPDATE: Tim Minear explained on Whedonesque that the final episode, "Omega", is like a season finale because it fits with the original order:
Okay. So maybe I can help clarify this somewhat. Because we scrapped the original pilot -- and in fact cannibalized some of its parts for other eps -- we really ended up with 12 episodes. But the studio makes DVD and other deals based on the original 13 number. So we created a standalone kind of coda episode. Which is the mythical new episode 13. The network had already paid for 13 episodes, and this included the one they agreed to let us scrap for parts. It does not include the one we made to bring the number back up to 13 for the studio side and its obligations. We always knew it would be for the DVD for sure, but we also think Fox should air it because it’s awesome.
Fair enough, but I would have like see Alpha as a feather in a gust or something. or maybe a leaf on......
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