Oh, bother... Dollhouse...
Oct. 31st, 2009 12:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
seriousficSo I know this is really completely late, as most of my reviews are, but I really would like to chat about the last episode of Dollhouse, called Belonging.
It's basically the backstory and act-closer of Priya/Sierra's story, setting up how she became a Doll and what's the deal with that creepy-ass rapist. But, pretty surprisingly, a lot of it is about Topher's moral reawakening. In fact, I'd say that's the plotline that will have the most repercussions, as well as Sierra/Victor becoming an official ship (although I don't know what the point is, since it's a Joss Whedon show so even canon has thrown up its hands and said "Yeah, that's gonna last, right."). So mark me down as a bit confused why an episode that's supposed to be about a woman overcoming her rape (or not) is pretty much completely about the men in her life and her relationships to them.
So the episode starts off with Echo, who finally has a character a year and change into the show, manipulating events so that Topher uncovers that Sierra was forced into being a Doll. Adelle is, of course, furious, because if there's one thing she doesn't like, it's railroading someone into becoming a Doll. Uh-huh.
Anyway, backstory backstory backstory, drama drama drama, Rapist Guy (who is one of the bad rapists, you should know, and not Patton Oswalt. Or Spike, in case you were keeping track of which creepy obsessions were acceptable and which weren't) asks for Sierra to be assigned to him on a permanent basis and since he's a big-wig at Rossum, he gets his way. Of course, Topher has picked now to pick up some character development besides "has no friends" and he loads up Sierra's original personality before sending her to Rapist Guy. Because that will end well.
What follows is one of the most "what the fuck am I watching?" scenes probably ever put to television, both from a logistical standpoint -- why is Priya confronting the man who kidnapped and raped her alone, without even a weapon? -- and from a feminist standpoint. Which is to say, Priya doesn't so much unload on him for the rape as tell him that she's found love and she's so happy with Victor and again, why do we have to bang this drum since it's clear by now that relationships don't work out in the Jossverse? I just don't see the point.
But anyway, the scene is entirely about Priya/Victor OTP! and the whole thing about a woman confronting her rapist is clearly secondary, until the cliched scene where he tries to rape her and she manages to kill him first. Which, I'm not sure why we needed. Wouldn't her stabbing him preemptively have been more interesting? What other point would there be to her confronting him? Did she think he would say "oh, you're right, I'm sorry, let me make it up to you by letting you ride my magical unicorn into Candyland"?
I mean, doing a rape storyline just so you can advance a relationship? That's the sort of trope I mock. Joss Whedon should be tearing that romance novel bullshit apart. Could anyone pick Faith being raped and needing to be comforted by big strong Xander? Or Kaylee waking up without her panties so Simon can be understanding and nurturing toward her?
But okay, Sierra's overcome her rapist and gotten her sanity back, so her story's done, right? I mean, what else is there? Only, she can't live with defending herself from a crazed rapist, so after the murder is covered up, she goes back to the Dollhouse and tells Topher that if he wakes her up again, to erase the memory of killing Rapist Guy. Again, huh? If it bothers you that much, just erase everything back just before you went into the Dollhouse, then go on with your life. Why do you need to be a Doll other than the status quo? And I never thought I'd see the day a Joss Whedon show placed the status quo above characterization.
So the entire thing is vaguely offensive and pointless (including a bit where Priya falls for Victor while he's a Doll, because they're soulmates or whatever) and ends up being less feminist than one of those old exploitation movies, where the wronged woman could at least shotgun her rapists without then collapsing into a mass of woe for manly men to comfort.
It's basically the backstory and act-closer of Priya/Sierra's story, setting up how she became a Doll and what's the deal with that creepy-ass rapist. But, pretty surprisingly, a lot of it is about Topher's moral reawakening. In fact, I'd say that's the plotline that will have the most repercussions, as well as Sierra/Victor becoming an official ship (although I don't know what the point is, since it's a Joss Whedon show so even canon has thrown up its hands and said "Yeah, that's gonna last, right."). So mark me down as a bit confused why an episode that's supposed to be about a woman overcoming her rape (or not) is pretty much completely about the men in her life and her relationships to them.
So the episode starts off with Echo, who finally has a character a year and change into the show, manipulating events so that Topher uncovers that Sierra was forced into being a Doll. Adelle is, of course, furious, because if there's one thing she doesn't like, it's railroading someone into becoming a Doll. Uh-huh.
Anyway, backstory backstory backstory, drama drama drama, Rapist Guy (who is one of the bad rapists, you should know, and not Patton Oswalt. Or Spike, in case you were keeping track of which creepy obsessions were acceptable and which weren't) asks for Sierra to be assigned to him on a permanent basis and since he's a big-wig at Rossum, he gets his way. Of course, Topher has picked now to pick up some character development besides "has no friends" and he loads up Sierra's original personality before sending her to Rapist Guy. Because that will end well.
What follows is one of the most "what the fuck am I watching?" scenes probably ever put to television, both from a logistical standpoint -- why is Priya confronting the man who kidnapped and raped her alone, without even a weapon? -- and from a feminist standpoint. Which is to say, Priya doesn't so much unload on him for the rape as tell him that she's found love and she's so happy with Victor and again, why do we have to bang this drum since it's clear by now that relationships don't work out in the Jossverse? I just don't see the point.
But anyway, the scene is entirely about Priya/Victor OTP! and the whole thing about a woman confronting her rapist is clearly secondary, until the cliched scene where he tries to rape her and she manages to kill him first. Which, I'm not sure why we needed. Wouldn't her stabbing him preemptively have been more interesting? What other point would there be to her confronting him? Did she think he would say "oh, you're right, I'm sorry, let me make it up to you by letting you ride my magical unicorn into Candyland"?
I mean, doing a rape storyline just so you can advance a relationship? That's the sort of trope I mock. Joss Whedon should be tearing that romance novel bullshit apart. Could anyone pick Faith being raped and needing to be comforted by big strong Xander? Or Kaylee waking up without her panties so Simon can be understanding and nurturing toward her?
But okay, Sierra's overcome her rapist and gotten her sanity back, so her story's done, right? I mean, what else is there? Only, she can't live with defending herself from a crazed rapist, so after the murder is covered up, she goes back to the Dollhouse and tells Topher that if he wakes her up again, to erase the memory of killing Rapist Guy. Again, huh? If it bothers you that much, just erase everything back just before you went into the Dollhouse, then go on with your life. Why do you need to be a Doll other than the status quo? And I never thought I'd see the day a Joss Whedon show placed the status quo above characterization.
So the entire thing is vaguely offensive and pointless (including a bit where Priya falls for Victor while he's a Doll, because they're soulmates or whatever) and ends up being less feminist than one of those old exploitation movies, where the wronged woman could at least shotgun her rapists without then collapsing into a mass of woe for manly men to comfort.
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