Dollhouse - 1x00 - Echo (Unaired Pilot) [***SPOILERS***]

J-blk

So the DVD/Blu Ray box set of Season 1 of Dollhouse has landed and not only does it contain "Epitaph One" but it also contains "Echo", the original pilot episode that was going to be used instead of "Ghost", the one that aired. I watched it last night and I'm quite surprised at how different it is from "Ghost".

IMO, it is way better.

For starters, it introduces the concept of the Actives being imprinted with different personalities in a much more effective way (through three short sequences of Echo helping a young girl escape exploitation by a scum bag, being a girlfriend for some rich loser on his ex's wedding and seemingly engaging in some criminal exchange as well), without making the Dollhouse look like it is essentially a high tech brothel, which I think "Ghost" made it seem like...

It's interesting to see that a lot of scenes from this episode were used in other episodes after all, but way down the line. The "reveal" of Victor as an Active is done almost instantly and without making a big deal out of it, Echo, Sierra and Victor all "hanging out" back at the Dollhouse is addressed here and Echo meets (and tries to kill!) Ballard right in this episode too. The fact that she "fails" also nicely brings home the fact that the imprinting is not as effective on Caroline as the Dollhouse leadership would like...

After the "confrontation" with Caroline, Ballard's drive to find the Dollhouse been amplified makes even more sense. As at that point, he already has confirmation that he is on the right track and is getting close, since they want him dead...

I'm especially happy after this that the show got a second season, because it would really p**s me off to see this as the original pilot, only to get "Ghost" instead because of all the FOX executives messing with the show...

I wonder how different things may have been for the show if they had left Joss do whatever he wanted right from the start...

So, did anyone else watch it? What did you think?

matrim

J-blk wrote: »

So the DVD/Blu Ray box set of Season 1 of Dollhouse has landed and not only does it contain "Epitaph One" but it also contains "Echo", the original pilot episode that was going to be used instead of "Ghost", the one that aired. I watched it last night and I'm quite surprised at how different it is from "Ghost".

IMO, it is way better.

For starters, it introduces the concept of the Actives being imprinted with different personalities in a much more effective way (through three short sequences of Echo helping a young girl escape exploitation by a scum bag, being a girlfriend for some rich loser on his ex's wedding and seemingly engaging in some criminal exchange as well), without making the Dollhouse look like it is essentially a high tech brothel, which I think "Ghost" made it seem like...

It's interesting to see that a lot of scenes from this episode were used in other episodes after all, but way down the line. The "reveal" of Victor as an Active is done almost instantly and without making a big deal out of it, Echo, Sierra and Victor all "hanging out" back at the Dollhouse is addressed here and Echo meets (and tries to kill!) Ballard right in this episode too. The fact that she "fails" also nicely brings home the fact that the imprinting is not as effective on Caroline as the Dollhouse leadership would like...

After the "confrontation" with Caroline, Ballard's drive to find the Dollhouse been amplified makes even more sense. As at that point, he already has confirmation that he is on the right track and is getting close, since they want him dead...

I'm especially happy after this that the show got a second season, because it would really p**s me off to see this as the original pilot, only to get "Ghost" instead because of all the FOX executives messing with the show...

I wonder how different things may have been for the show if they had left Joss do whatever he wanted right from the start...

So, did anyone else watch it? What did you think?

I liked the pilot but felt that at times it was trying to force too much information into the one episode. It's fine to watch it now but if it was the first episode of a new show it could have been a bit much information at once

iguana

I liked it a lot, it really sets things up way better than the original pilot and it's stupid kidnapping story. I think the whole show would have been an awful lot more complex and intriguing right from the start if Joss had his own way. He obviously has a fairly epic arc planned and I don't think silly "active of the week" episodes were never part of it.

At least he seems to have it on his own track now and hopefully people will watch S2 and a third series will go ahead.

J-blk wrote: »

Echo helping a young girl escape exploitation by a scum bag,

What a waste, Echo spends days getting her life back on track. She cleans up and gets a job in a clothing store only to be kidnapped by Echo and Alpha, have her mind erased and replaced with Caroline's and then get shot by Alpha.:D

J-blk

matrim wrote: »

if it was the first episode of a new show it could have been a bit much information at once

TBH, I think the executives kind of felt that the audience would be too dumb to process all the information, so instead chose to give us a pilot featuring Duskhu's ass and the stupid "procedural" kidnapping plot instead... I much prefer "Echo" as the pilot, though it's hard to judge it objectively now since we're seeing it at the end of the season...

iguana wrote: »

What a waste, Echo spends days getting her life back on track. She cleans up and gets a job in a clothing store only to be kidnapped by Echo and Alpha, have her mind erased and replaced with Caroline's and then get shot by Alpha.:D

Yep, recognized her straight away . Somebody must have felt bad for the poor girl getting her only acting stint on the show axed and re-cast her in "Omega" as well...