"Omega" was disappointing, even for Dollhouse.

[rsadelle]

You have no idea how much I hope they're canceling this show. So we have this season-long mystery about the mysterious Alpha, and he turns out to be some proto serial killer reverting to type? That's it? That's not a season-long mystery; that's a monster of the week plotline. I get that Joss thinks he's saying something big and important about identity, but (a) he's doing it badly, and (b) he didn't really have anything interesting to say.

I'm also severely disturbed by the way the finale just dropped any pretense at dealing with the rape issue (which they haven't really been dealing with at all so far). FBI Guy getting November released from her contract early IN NO WAY redeems him for raping her by continuing to have sex with Mellie once he knows she's a doll, even though the show seems to think it does. (I think one could take the basic concept of programmable humans and construct an interesting and nuanced discussion about consent, but that is not at all what the show is doing.)

The only thing I liked about this week's ep was Amy Acker. I love her, I think she's a good actress, and I totally called her as a doll way back when.

Comments

[oatmeal.livejournal.com]

hrm. you phrase this in an interesting way. was it not rape when he was having sex with her and didn't know she was a doll?

and I don't know that the show thinks it redeems him; they're trying to show that he loves her. I don't think that the show thinks it is rape at all; the personality in the body was all for it; both Helo and 'the show' believe that that absolves him. Does it? whose body *is* it? I think those are questions the show could address but probably won't.

and the thing about Amy Acker: the thing I really don't like about this show: how many plot holes will they create or wiggle out of by 'revealing' a character as a doll? if this show were to go on for seasons, we would end up with Boss Lady, Topher, Boyd, and probably Helo all 'revealed' to be dolls.

That could actually go to some interesting places -- a cabal of personalities running the houses who are immortal, but don't know they're immortal. I think the only way to be safe from being outed as a doll is to be a fat or ugly character.

I actually hope this show gets picked up again; it's got an interesting enough premise that I want to see if they do any real delving-into-issues next time around.

[rsadelle]

was it not rape when he was having sex with her and didn't know she was a doll?

This is the kind of question that can make for some really interesting discussions about intent. I think it was still rape, but not with intent, which doesn't make a difference in what was done to her, but does make a difference in how I see him. What makes him a rapist with intent is that scene when he knows she's a doll and Mellie says something like, "You can do whatever you want with me and it won't matter," and it turns him on and they have really rough sex.

don't think that the show thinks it is rape at all; the personality in the body was all for it; both Helo and 'the show' believe that that absolves him. Does it? whose body *is* it? I think those are questions the show could address but probably won't.

That's exactly what I think the concept could explore but isn't. Was it the Echo composite or the Alpha composite who said, "You can't agree to slavery"? Some additional questions along this line: What, exactly, do people consent to when they become dolls? Do they know that sex is part of what might happen to their bodies? How much autonomy do the personality imprints really have? If they're programmed to consent, is that really consent?

If you haven't seen it, giandujakiss's "It Depends On What You Pay" vid is a good look at the rape issue on the show. (brown_betty called it "a pretty brutal condemnation of Dollhouse for its inability to say the R-word.")

I have to say, I think it would be cool to have everyone be an unwitting doll.

I actually hope this show gets picked up again; it's got an interesting enough premise that I want to see if they do any real delving-into-issues next time around.

And, see, I don't think they would do any real delving, which is why I don't want it to get picked up again. I hung in there thinking that maybe Joss was going somewhere with it, and then he didn't. Boo.