tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261216467149019713.post3600291782980499877..comments2010-02-11T14:06:09.894-08:00Comments on fan-static: That old, strange, sentimental feelingannenotshirleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16415406799290305410noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261216467149019713.post-91355580573314121962009-05-11T12:08:00.000-07:002009-05-11T12:08:00.000-07:00This is an awesome post. I haven't seen the final ...This is an awesome post. I haven't seen the final episode yet, so I'm shoring myself up for disappointment. But no matter. I agree with you totally that it is the creepiness of the show that is its strength, and that that creepiness comes about partly by sentimental identification that is continually under stress. This is either because the characters we like are behaving in profoundly unethical ways (Olivia Williams, and the other staff of the Dollhouse), or because they suddenly cease to be the characters we like (Eliza and the dolls). And while I was initially resistant to the idea, I think Dushku's "limited range" adds to the effect very much, because it at once provides me with a consistent presence to attach my feelings to (because she's not that good at pretending to be anyone), while also giving things an unintentional Brechtian twirl by periodically, annoyingly bringing back disbelief through bad acting. And regarding what Poppy Red said, I think that yes, we are meant to be feeling sorry for ourselves, but also for the people we hurt (in this case our victims/creations)--which I figure is one of the hallmarks of a mainstream sentimental critique of anything. And that's the great creepiness at the heart of Dollhouse, that it asks us to watch Eliza regularly, but also suggests that the watching of young women (and not just women, but mostly), and the expectations placed on them, are a form of abuse. That it does this so explicitly is kind of amazing, even if the network/Joss/whoever end up fluffing it.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01456352006479828329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2261216467149019713.post-34789592458385578792009-05-09T16:31:00.000-07:002009-05-09T16:31:00.000-07:00This is SOOO interesting! But sadly, as you seem t...This is SOOO interesting! But sadly, as you seem to say at the end of the post, I think you might be giving the show more credit than it's due.<br /><br />One of the problems with seeing this as a critique of sentimentalism is that the characters that you have more likelihood to connect with affectively ARE the dollhouse clients. Ballard, well-noted, is totally gross. But aren't you, my dear, the very one that was saying that of all the characters, it is Olivia Williams's character -- who runs the dollhouse and whom we see partaking of the services at least once -- who made you cry/feel pity? And as unlikeable as Topher is, wasn't the show recently trying to make us feel sorry for him because he has to program himself a perfect doll to play with once a year on his birthday? If we are in the position of client and the clients are the ones we begin to feel pity for, aren't we just feeling sorry for ourselves?<br /><br />What I do think the show does well is to show that a person is a person even if all signs show them not to be. The less human ones are certainly people like Ballard, not people like Echo, right?<br /><br />I have more on this but I can't talk right now. LOVE THIS POST!!!Poppy Redhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10670286570216335905noreply@blogger.com