Joss Whedon is back in control of the Dollhouse

Talk about an engagement!

Dollhouse has a lot on the line in Season 2 (premiering Friday, September 25), having been unexpectedly saved by Fox from certain death. But that's how much faith the network has in the show's creator, Joss Whedon, even after a shaky start to Season 1.

That shaky start is as much the network's fault as it is Joss's; there was some internal head-butting between the two parties. The network wanted some standalone episodes, and Joss wanted to do what he does best: open up the story at his own pace. Well this season, Whedon gets to steer the ship back toward his original vision.

"[This season] is going to be pretty arc-y," Whedon told reporters this afternoon as fans breathed a sigh of relief. "Clearly what people responded to was the workings of the Dollhouse and the progressions of the characters in it. ... There will still be engagements, but they will feed into the main arc as well."

And that main arc all leads toward what we saw in "Epitaph One," the un-aired 13th episode that was only available in the DVD set (we won't spoil what happens in that episode for those who have yet to see it -- more on that next week). "It had originally been my intention to start in that era and come back ... we're looking at this season through the lens of that episode. It isn't required [to have seen it], but it helps. It adds a layer." He also said that the scenario presented by "Epitaph One" will be revisited toward the end of Season 2.

Season 2 will be mostly about Echo (Eliza Dushku) becoming more aware of her surroundings, both when she's "active" and when she's a doll (when Echo is active, she's imprinted with a personality and for hire; when she's a doll, she's devoid of personality and waiting for her next assignment). And that dawning awareness sends her on a mission.

"Echo is looking for allies, and Paul is the first person she turns to for that," Whedon explained. "A lot of the season is going to be her attempt to put together some sort of team ... to see who is on her side and who is not."

One thing Whedonites are looking forward to this season is the addition of Summer Glau, formerly of Whedon's Firefly and the recently canceled Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Glau will play the programmer of one of the other Dollhouses, and Whedon hopes the "eccentric" role will be "something different than we've seen her do before." Which is good, because we've barely seen her crack a smile as a sheltered, ass-kicking prodigy and a cyborg from the future.

Whedon isn't shy about his affinity for working with actors he admires or has worked with in the past. And as a big Battlestar Galactica fan, he admits Season 2 has become a guest-star "deathmatch" between Firefly and BSG. "This season I'm less concerned with how the cast is perceived," says Whedon. "I have no fear to throw in people I've worked with or want to work with."

Other notes:

-- Joss on getting renewed: "I think it's the nature of the business and the fan base. The fan base is in it for the long haul, they're nurturing, they'll tend to it. They know the long haul pays off. I don't make hit shows, I make shows that stick around. There's a market there that exists beyond Nielsen numbers." Whedon cited DVD sales and the continuing payoff of his previous series as proof.

-- Victor and Sierra will still be hot and heavy. "[They] can't keep their hands off each other. They're like monkeys."

-- Dr. Saunders would have played a bigger part in the upcoming season, but actress Amy Acker moved to another show after Fox couldn't afford to make her a regular. She will appear in three episodes this season, and Whedon promises they'll be mind-blowing.

-- Ray Wise is joining the cast this season as a recurring character. He'll play the head of the same Dollhouse that Summer Glau's character works for.

-- More Dr. Horrible is in the works, but the crew is trying to decide if they want to do it on a shoestring budget again, or blow it out and invite others in to make it much bigger.

Dollhouse returns for Season 2 on September 25 at 9 pm on Fox.