Eliza Dushku stars in Fox's "Dollhouse," Fridays at 9 ET/PT.

We want it to work. We drooled over the buzz…and yet, so many fans seem disappointed in Fox’s “Dollhouse.”  True, it has served up a weak brew in its initial episodes, and ratings aren’t what they should be (although last Friday’s numbers were up — a good sign). Even so, it’s a Joss Whedon series, and knowing that is enough to keep the faithful hanging on.  The man hasn’t broken our hearts yet, which is more than you can say of many TV auteurs.

Now Whedon wants to assure us that our patience will soon be rewarded. In a recent note to critics, he promised that this week’s episode, “Man on the Street,”  will increase the intensity. If that tease isn’t tasty enough for you, how about this — io9.com has pictures from the set of the actor rumored to be playing Echo’s mysterious nemesis Alpha. For that matter, he’s already listed in the credits for an upcoming episode on IMDb. So if you don’t want to be spoiled, don’t click here, or here, or here.  Consider yourself warned.

Check out previous episodes on IMDb whenever you want, and discuss the series with other users on our message boards.