![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I'm having a hard time believing this is a Joss Whedon show. Even network meddling shouldn't be able to account for the portrayal of women episode after episode.
On the plus side, we finally got to spend a minute with a male active in the tabula rasa state (it was only a minute and in a scene that showed just how excruciating small talk can be among people who literally have no personality).
There were a lot more things on the minus side. Of the criminals Echo was working with as part of her safe-cracker cover, one was in her face and challenging her every move when she was being strong and assertive but settled into being kind and accepting when she was kicked into the tabula rasa state during the mission. Apparently he finds strong women threatening, but childlike women are far more acceptable. The other criminal observed the lightning fast 180 degree personality change in Echo when she went from safe-cracker to tabula rasa and chose to chalk it up to "Hysterical Woman Syndrome" as if there was such a thing. 'Cause everybody knows that women can't handle pressure, right? ::rolls eyes:: The capper was actually at the beginning of the episode when Echo was acting as a mid-wife to deliver a baby. The mother was having a hard time pushing her baby girl out and Echo said it was because the little baby had "linebacker shoulders." The father's immediate response was, "She's a lesbian?" What the hell? I know some Joss fans who have tried to reassure me that this is all leading up to something, but I can't imagine anything that could possibly justify a crack like that.
Meanwhile, the episode itself centered around a countdown. There was only a one hour window to rescue a helpless Echo before she'd be caught by patrolling guards. And yet, despite the ticking clock and both the physical and psychological threat to the main character, I felt no tension and generally couldn't have cared less about anything that happened in the episode.
Well, with one exception. Dichen Lachman continues to blow me away as Sierra. For an actress being given a showcase series, Eliza Dushku hasn't really risen to the occasion in any episode so far, and it was especially obvious in this episode where both Echo and Sierra were implanted with the same personality. Lachman made a much better Safe-Cracker Taffy than Dushku did. The show has a lot of issues besides the lead actress, but sometimes I wonder if it wouldn't be just a little bit cooler if Dichen Lachman had been cast as Echo instead of Eliza Dushku.
And I wouldn't be a Stargate SG-1 fan if I didn't give a shout out to Tony Amendola (Master Bra'tac) as the Dollhouse's client of the week. I've never actually seen him in Earth clothes before. It was weird.
On the plus side, we finally got to spend a minute with a male active in the tabula rasa state (it was only a minute and in a scene that showed just how excruciating small talk can be among people who literally have no personality).
There were a lot more things on the minus side. Of the criminals Echo was working with as part of her safe-cracker cover, one was in her face and challenging her every move when she was being strong and assertive but settled into being kind and accepting when she was kicked into the tabula rasa state during the mission. Apparently he finds strong women threatening, but childlike women are far more acceptable. The other criminal observed the lightning fast 180 degree personality change in Echo when she went from safe-cracker to tabula rasa and chose to chalk it up to "Hysterical Woman Syndrome" as if there was such a thing. 'Cause everybody knows that women can't handle pressure, right? ::rolls eyes:: The capper was actually at the beginning of the episode when Echo was acting as a mid-wife to deliver a baby. The mother was having a hard time pushing her baby girl out and Echo said it was because the little baby had "linebacker shoulders." The father's immediate response was, "She's a lesbian?" What the hell? I know some Joss fans who have tried to reassure me that this is all leading up to something, but I can't imagine anything that could possibly justify a crack like that.
Meanwhile, the episode itself centered around a countdown. There was only a one hour window to rescue a helpless Echo before she'd be caught by patrolling guards. And yet, despite the ticking clock and both the physical and psychological threat to the main character, I felt no tension and generally couldn't have cared less about anything that happened in the episode.
Well, with one exception. Dichen Lachman continues to blow me away as Sierra. For an actress being given a showcase series, Eliza Dushku hasn't really risen to the occasion in any episode so far, and it was especially obvious in this episode where both Echo and Sierra were implanted with the same personality. Lachman made a much better Safe-Cracker Taffy than Dushku did. The show has a lot of issues besides the lead actress, but sometimes I wonder if it wouldn't be just a little bit cooler if Dichen Lachman had been cast as Echo instead of Eliza Dushku.
And I wouldn't be a Stargate SG-1 fan if I didn't give a shout out to Tony Amendola (Master Bra'tac) as the Dollhouse's client of the week. I've never actually seen him in Earth clothes before. It was weird.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-07 10:03 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2009-03-07 11:40 pm (UTC)From:Of course, another part of me wants to keep calling the show on its treatment of women because nobody else seems to be.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-07 11:57 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2009-03-08 04:56 am (UTC)From:As far as the lesbian crack goes, I actually found it quite funny. Joss has a thing for lesbians, I was waiting for some female gayness to find it's way into the show somehow. (Also, I'm a broad-shouldered dyke- hence it made me chuckle.) I actually see a whole lot of Sierra/Echo ness goin' on, which makes me happy. Femmeslash, yay!
no subject
Date: 2009-03-08 05:33 am (UTC)From:I love Eliza Dushku when she's playing blue collar tough chicks, but she just doesn't have enough range to pull off a show like this.
I agree with you about the character development. I suspected that was going to be a problem for me from the pilot. I'm very character driven in my entertainment. I can deal with all sorts of crap in the way of bad writing or acting if I really love one or more characters, but the main characters here are personality-less blank slates when they're not on assignment and are literally different people for each assignment they go on, so I feel more like I'm watching some sort of anthology show where the characters are different every week and you never get to know them in their brief appearances.
I still don't see the correlation between shoulder width and sexual orientation, but I freely admit that this show pisses me off so much with its portrayal of women (and on a Joss show!) that I may be a little touchy.
It just blows my mind the he went from Dr. Horrible to this. Does not compute.