Maybe someone else can explain the connection, but how does this dystopian future relate to the whole idea that the Dollhouse is a metaphor for the TV industry and popular culture? That was the thing I found most interesting about the show (since the premise as non-metaphorical scenario makes little sense to me), and I can't seem to make this piece fit the puzzle.

Exactly! When I got all quivvery about DH it was because of that metaphor and the way it folds back onto the show itself. Epitaph just reads like a straight-up tale of technology gone mad. Throw in a huge number of interviews with Joss saying that they've been groping around to figure out what the show was, and I begin to think that the cool metaphor was only accidentally there. I miss naively trusting Joss in all things. :(

Is there anybody who doesn't think AA rocks in this show? No accident that she got featured heavily in the clips they released.