Dollhouse Robbery? The Truth Behind the "Missing" Episode

The truth behind a Dollhouse rumor circling the Internet is about as complicated as, well. Adelle DeWitt's appointment book.

The alarmist buzz is that fans of Joss Whedon's latest series are being deprived of seeing one of this season's episodes. Perhaps, the rumor goes, they won't even be getting the proper season finale.

The reality: Fox ordered 13 hours from Joss. The original pilot got scrapped, leaving a dozen to air. And all 12, including the legit season finale, which is titled "Omega," will be broadcast as planned.

So where is the hubbub coming from? Sources tell TVGuide.com that Dollhouse producer 20th Century Fox Television elected to script and shoot a 14th episode, on their own dime — perhaps to flesh out a DVD package, some speculate. Fox, though, at no point agreed to air that episode, titled "Epitaph One." Our insider further says that the fact that Fox took that stance should not be seen as a sign that the network has already made a decision about a Season 2 pick-up for Dollhouse, which has been battling so-so ratings.

"Epitaph One" is a standalone hour, and has no impact on the overarching Alpha storyline that reaches a boil — and launches several juicy new plot directions — in the May 8 finale.