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

[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.