Quick Dollhouse thoughts.

[sister_luck]

So, this was the last of the self-contained pilots, right? Praise the Lord.

Overall a good episode, but personally, I think the cult could have been handled differently, but more on that later.

There is trouble in paradise: Viktor likes Sierra and it shows. Again we have the parallel between the story inside the Dollhouse and the engangement: Cult leader with the two names kept on speaking about the Garden and keeping it pure. Both Sierra and Esther don't have the intention of destroying paradise, but they're the new element and they change things. Esther manages to rescue everyone. What will Sierra do?

Topher's problems of describing Viktor's erection were mildly amusing, but I was with Dr Saunders: It's also quite exasperating. (There is an essay somewhere about the obsession with sex and nudity on the one hand and the inability to speak about these things on the other. Which I think ties in with a lot of the reactions to the series itself. Showing a woman in a bra doesn't equal sexual exploitation to me - especially in a scene where it's normal for her to be in her bra - backstage where there are costume changes, but I digress.)

But of course, one parallel isn't enough - Paul Ballard's search for the mysterious Caroline continues - he seems intent on rescuing her and closing down the Dollhouse. The ATF agent isn't much different from him and he even fakes the "Save me"-note. Would Ballard go that far? What about the dolls in the Dollhouse? Do they want to be rescued? Should we rescue them even if they don't, because their free will has been taken from them? Or do we wait until they become self-aware enough to make that choice themselves?

Wait, there was one complaint about the cult: I think that part dragged on a little. Maybe they could have been a little wackier, but still essentially harmless (apart from cult leader of course, but then he said so himself, that he was tainted by the world outside). But I don't know whether that's possible on American network tv.

Next week then, it's arc time and with lots of puzzle pieces in place this will be interesting. It's about time.

Comments

[frenchani.livejournal.com]

I agree with you about Topher not being able to say the word "erection". But perhaps it's just some sterotypical geeky behaviour like the silly stuff he keeps on his desk and the chess board...

I also agree with your complaint about the cult. The writing was lazy there.

What about the dolls in the Dollhouse? Do they want to be rescued? Should we rescue them even if they don't, because their free will has been taken from them? Or do we wait until they become self-aware enough to make that choice themselves?

Good questions. After all, once upon a time they had free will and they signed in. But one would say that it's true about sects too, adult followers are usually vulnerable people to begin with but they chose to get into a cult.

I guess that Paul Ballard would say that the answer is less about rescuing people than about bringing down a criminal organization whose actions are basically wrong, no matter whether the victims asked for it or not.

[sister-luck.livejournal.com]

I mean I get what they did with the cult there: generic cultishness that seems familiar, but nothing really threatening - except for the weapons cache, they were mostly harmless. But that's fairly boring, so I would have liked a couple of really crazy beliefs, something with aliens maybe.

Why is the Dollhouse a criminal organization? Because they're secretive? - That's just to protect their customers - being discreet. Because they use technology that isn't available to anyone else? Well, then someone else would get access to it and exploit it. Because they deal in illusions? Lots of other people do, too, from story-tellers to escort agencies to showbusiness. Who is harmed by the Dollhouse? No one really, the actives are contractors who know the dangers involved, mercenaries if you will and the clients get what they want.

I think it's actually very easy to make oneself believe that it's not a criminal organization - and that's what the people who work there managed to do. I wonder what Ballard will think when he finds out what the Dollhouse really is.

[frenchani.livejournal.com]

Well, in the first episode Ballard was quite clear about it. To him the mere action of wiping someone's mind, taking their will away and destroying their identity is criminal. Actives begin as willing slaves but it doesn't make slavery any less wrong. I suppose he could use the analogy of drug dealing too. It's still wrong even though the junkies aren't technically forced to buy drugs.

At some point the soon-to-become dolls were weak, vulnerable enough, and the mighty ones exploited that vulnerabilty. As a law man Ballard is supposed to want the weak protected from the strong.

Besides the Dollhouse people don't care about the law, they think of themselves as being above the law (just like their wealthy clients). Business is what matters. Being underground allow them to not feel bound by the laws. The actives can become terrorist, assassins or thiefs, do illegal and harmful things, so I guess it might be a problem for Ballard too.

You're right about the people working there, like the doctor or Boyd, they managed to convinced themselves that it is not criminal, but they are obviously quite vulnerable too, they didn't end there by chance. I bet that the more we'll learn about them and their background the more they would appear to be sort of dolls too. The strong making the weak help exploiting the weakest is what makes such system work eventually.

[sister-luck.livejournal.com]

See, I wasn't entirely sure what Ballard actually knows about the Dollhouse - I don't remember the early scenes that well. Your drug-dealing analogy makes sense.

I'm looking forward to finding out a little more about what made Boyd join the Dollhouse and what kept Saunders there after the Alpha fiasco (oh, and of course, what role she played there). I hope the 13 episodes have some answers in that respect...