Comments on: Dollhouse 1.11: Briar Rose http://blog.elizabethkateswitaj.net/2009/05/dollhouse-111-briar-rose/ Elizabeth Kate Switaj Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:40:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=7729 By: EKSwitaj http://blog.elizabethkateswitaj.net/2009/05/dollhouse-111-briar-rose/comment-page-1/#comment-15388 EKSwitaj Thu, 07 May 2009 19:41:12 +0000 http://blog.elizabethkateswitaj.net/?p=1069#comment-15388 Caroline's crime, insofar as we know, was really one of trying to fight the system of which the Dollhouse is part - breaking into the lab where they were doing animal and (as she now knows) human testing. What you said about her being viewed as another Alpha were she to become a Buffy-like heroine makes me wonder if Whedon has been reading Deleuze and Guattari's Capitalism and Schizophrenia. The others who could rebel, the employees, seem to have been programmed as effectively as the actives have to continue to work within the system: Topher by his love for developing technology, Dr. Saunders and most of the handlers by their need to feel that they are protecting people. With ex-agent Ballard you have to wonder if anyone actually is outside the Dollhouse system too. Caroline’s crime, insofar as we know, was really one of trying to fight the system of which the Dollhouse is part – breaking into the lab where they were doing animal and (as she now knows) human testing.

What you said about her being viewed as another Alpha were she to become a Buffy-like heroine makes me wonder if Whedon has been reading Deleuze and Guattari’s Capitalism and Schizophrenia.

The others who could rebel, the employees, seem to have been programmed as effectively as the actives have to continue to work within the system: Topher by his love for developing technology, Dr. Saunders and most of the handlers by their need to feel that they are protecting people.

With ex-agent Ballard you have to wonder if anyone actually is outside the Dollhouse system too.

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]]> By: Gnatalby http://blog.elizabethkateswitaj.net/2009/05/dollhouse-111-briar-rose/comment-page-1/#comment-15383 Gnatalby Thu, 07 May 2009 11:21:21 +0000 http://blog.elizabethkateswitaj.net/?p=1069#comment-15383 I think you raise an interesting question in terms of what kind of Caroline we want to see. The particular patriarchy of the Dollhouse makes it difficult, I think, to produce a Buffy-- that girl would be viewed as another Alpha: an insane, dangerous liability. But what we're rooting for is for Caroline to wake up and return to... what exactly? A prison sentence for mysterious crimes committed? One of the things I think Dollhouse is great at is making it clear that the dolls in this scenario have no real hope of fighting back. To be angry, to be violently angry is also a crime and a breach of (in this case literal) contract. The happy ending of this story, like that of Sleeping Beauty leaves some actual happiness to be desired. I think you raise an interesting question in terms of what kind of Caroline we want to see. The particular patriarchy of the Dollhouse makes it difficult, I think, to produce a Buffy– that girl would be viewed as another Alpha: an insane, dangerous liability.

But what we’re rooting for is for Caroline to wake up and return to… what exactly? A prison sentence for mysterious crimes committed?

One of the things I think Dollhouse is great at is making it clear that the dolls in this scenario have no real hope of fighting back. To be angry, to be violently angry is also a crime and a breach of (in this case literal) contract.

The happy ending of this story, like that of Sleeping Beauty leaves some actual happiness to be desired.

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