Epitaph One - A Review

I know this is a bit behind schedule, as most everyone has seen the fabled 13th episode by now. But still, I wanted to weigh in with my thoughts. The most recurrent thought being, simply, "Guh." If you haven't seen Epitaph One, go to your local DVD store, or on Amazon.com, and buy Dollhouse Season One. Not only are there two unaired episodes -- the other being Echo, which I have already reviewed -- there are also loads of deleted scenes and interviews with Joss Whedon. A very well-crafted DVD set, if I say so myself (though I am curious as to the lack of a 'gag reel'...yeah, that would have been even better.)

Oh yes, and SPOILERS AHEAD...

I honestly was not expecting anything that happened in this episode. I kept myself fairly unspoiled... but I did know that it would be set in the future. I actually saw a few promo pics that included the regular cast members, and was wondering if it actually really was set in the future, or if that was a mislead. After all, if it were the future, wouldn't they have aged? Well, it turns out that the main characters come into play via flashbacks to the past (yet these events seem to come after the events we've seen in season one, for the most part.)

Is that Faith and Dark!Wesley from season four Angel? Nope, just a rogue Caroline and Paul in one of the flashback sequences.

Epitaph begins in Los Angeles, 2019. From the fire and chaos in the streets, it appears to be some kind of dystopian apocalypse. The first character we see is Mag, played by Whedon-fave Felicia Day (Dr. Horrible.) Along with Zone, a small girl named Iris, her father (who appears to be wiped) and two other rebels, they manage to break into the underground Dollhouse, seeking refuge from the "butchers" above. The world seems to have gone tech-crazy, and the threat of being wiped is ominous. One can only assume that the "Remote Wipe" that Alpha used on Echo in Gray Hour has been perfected and put to use by the nefarious, yet unseen, powers that be.

The episode takes on an element of horror when one of the rebels is murdered while taking a shower (apparently, it had been a year since her last shower -- though if you ask me, she didn't look all that dirty.) When the remaining team discovers a blank Whiskey (who actually hasn't aged...hmmm), they think that she's the killer, because she is acting kind of ominous. Obviously they soon find out that she is wiped, but they decide to spare her, because she says she knows the way to "safe haven." "Safe haven" is never really explained. But in order to know what it is, they need to download Caroline's personality and memories into Whiskey (who actually offers.)

I won't give away who the killer was, because it was kind of a nice twist. I know I put up a spoiler warning and everything, but I really do want you guys to buy the dvd! So I am going to end there ;)