In Which Adelle's Haircut Is The Most Problematic Part Of The Episode

[redbrunja]

Okay, Whiskey/Saunders' arc? I loved it. Amy Acker was amazing as Saunders cracked and broke apart. Her conversation with Echo was probably the best of it - that moment when we don't know if she's going to slash Echo's face up and then she has a lollipop in her hand... a lollipop which she bitchily puts in her mouth.

Her conversation with Topher was similarly epic. I'd quote the whole thing, but that line in the end about Saunders not wanting to die, and thus not wanting to learn who Whiskey used to be made her whole crisis make perfect sense.

On the subject of Topher: Oh. My. God. I never thought I would give a tinker's damn about that character, but now I'm am EMPATHIZING WITH HIM.

Just... let's just think for a moment about the fact that he lives in a BASEMENT. A freaking basement. He leaves the plush Dollhouse to go sleep on a mattress with his underwear having over his head. The levels of protections that he put in Saunders head to make sure nothing happened between them- that he smelled bad to her, that she disagreed with him (which also shows a humility I would not have ever expected) does hint at a deep level of self-loathing.

The writers FINALLY managed to give Echo some agency; I'm looking forward to seeing her crack and exist in layers as time goes by. I'm also pleased that they're being much more aware about how creepy Ballard's obsession with her is.

Also, I found Sierra's racist, pervy english woman imprint HYSTERICAL.

Comments

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

On the subject of Topher: Oh. My. God. I never thought I would give a tinker's damn about that character, but now I'm am EMPATHIZING WITH HIM.

Just... let's just think for a moment about the fact that he lives in a BASEMENT. A freaking basement. He leaves the plush Dollhouse to go sleep on a mattress with his underwear having over his head. The levels of protections that he put in Saunders head to make sure nothing happened between them- that he smelled bad to her, that she disagreed with him (which also shows a humility I would not have ever expected) does hint at a deep level of self-loathing.

I finally liked the direction they started taking Topher in season 2. I feel like there's been an intentional tonal shift with his character--instead of finding new ways to repulse me, they found the "in" that would make me sympathize with him. 1. Acknowledge in text that everyone else finds him just as amoral and creepy as I the viewer do. 2. Give him signs of a burgeoning conscience. 3. Give him some humility as a basis for a conscience.

I still find him a problematic character, but he's registering as more of a multidimensional person to me now instead of just a sociopath one-sized tech monster. Instead of being Andrew turning into Warren, he starts as Warren from the beginning and is working his way to Jonathan.

I loved the detail that she smells bad to him. And I loved how absolutely he was freaked out by her hitting on him, while still being attracted. I felt like I needed to watch that scene several times because there was so much going on. It was the first moment where I really, REALLY liked Saunders/Whiskey too.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

I agree.

1. Acknowledge in text that everyone else finds him just as amoral and creepy as I the viewer do. 2. Give him signs of a burgeoning conscience. 3. Give him some humility as a basis for a conscience.


Agreed. I actually think that they're doing the same thing with Ballard - explicitly talking about how creepy his obession with Echo is.

[meitah.livejournal.com]

Amy Acker was amazing as Saunders cracked and broke apart. Her conversation with Echo was probably the best of it

She is. She's been working for Whedon too long, so she'd have to be. And I liked that scene, but, really, I thought what she did to Topher was better. And I really like that she left the Dollhouse on her own. It would've cheapened the moment if Boyd had gone with her.

I never thought I would give a tinker's damn about that character, but now I'm am EMPATHIZING WITH HIM.

I know! I hated him at first, but then, suddenly, he made sense to me. Now I just want to give him a hug.

The writers FINALLY managed to give Echo some agency; I'm looking forward to seeing her crack and exist in layers as time goes by.

I thought the point of season one was to build up to giving her agency. It'd make no sense otherwise. Of course she'd get it in spades in the second season.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, I am VERY grateful that she went off on her own and didn't need Boyt as a crutch.

And I think they strung out Echo getting agency for far too long. I think that it would have been better if they had had her come to her senses sooner.

[meitah.livejournal.com]

And I think they strung out Echo getting agency for far too long. I think that it would have been better if they had had her come to her senses sooner.

Very possibly. But the first half of season one was crap(thank you, Fox executive meddling), so I'm ignoring its existance entirely. I choose to believe that season one was only seven episodes, and Echo was only strung along for that half-season. I like my fantasy world.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

That does sound like a good fantasy world.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Adelle's haircut is more problematic than Echo getting her head bashed against a desk being a good thing, so that it could make her "glitch" and Ballard could "fix" her by beating her until he got the personality he wanted?

The attempts to make us empathize with Topher just made me loathe him more really, because it's clearly way more important that we sympathize with a person who programs people for rape and slavery than the actual rape and slavery are.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

....

Oh, that's right. I was bored by the Echo plot and didn't remember it when I was typing this up.

So, okay, much more problematic than Adelle haircut.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

In the 15 eps I watched (I haven't seen the unaired pilot, or eps 2, 3, 5 or 6 of season 2-and won't, though comments I've read imply the new eps have another instance of it) there have been 4 times when a woman being physically assaulted (not fighting, but literally being assaulted-punched in the face while helpless, head slammed into a desk, thrown into a cabinet) was portrayed as a GOOD thing in the plot either by "fixing" her or making her able to act, as women apparently can't think or defend themselves before men start beating them up. That's assuming I didn't block any scenes of Alpha hitting Echo. And don't forget that Ballard raping November was for the good of...something.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Oh, I am certainly not trying to talk people out of being angry with Dollhouse's gender dynamics.