TVSquad

Just a few short months ago, you wouldn't have thought that Joss Whedon's Dollhouse would have a presence at 2009's Comic-Con International. The show seemed on the brink of oblivion right up until its renewal for a second season.

Whedon and Dushku appeared at a press conference Friday to discuss the future and recent past of Dollhouse as it prepares for its new season this September.

The panel for the fans was built around a new, second pilot for the show, "Epitaph One." The story darkens the show and reveals Dushku's character in a new and very special light. (It's too late in the dead of night for spoilers, so more on this later.)

But, before the panel, Whedon and Dushku ran the press gauntlet and discussed how they saved their Dollhouse.

"(Executive producer Dushku) is very involved in the direction of the show," Whedon said. "We're very much a team. She was in on the process every step of the way as we examined how the show would evolve."

Without getting into details that would tip his hand, Whedon mentioned "a couple major guest stars" repeatedly -- hinting that the new roles and nameless actors were recurring and not one-off stunt casting.

Whedon also revealed that the show will be heading in some new, darker directions: "Starting with 'Epitaph One,' it's definitely a different vision for Dollhouse that will contain a lot of elements about the characters -- who they are and where they're heading -- that fans might not have expected."

"We're going to see new elements of Echo -- who she is and how she affects those around her," Whedon added. "I think we'll see more indications of her as a renegade -- as someone who has more significance than she realizes through her life as 'a doll.'"

In the end, the main questions hanging over Dollhouse aren't those Whedon can answer yet -- and they don't fit with the celebratory mood of Comic-Con.

Can Dollhouse recover from a shaky first season and lock-up a third without all of the behind-the-scenes drama and network machinations? And, can post-Buffy Whedon forge another hit and emerge from the growing aura of a guy who creates cult shows that struggle in the ratings?