Five thoughts after watching "Instinct"
1) I absolutely love Alexis Denisof. I know from experience that it is almost inevitable that I will be given significant reason to dislike his character, but I'm just enjoying it while it lasts.
2) Here is an approximation of my reaction to the bit where Perrin's wife(?) didn't come back immediately:
Oh, come on, Joss, you son of a bitch, don’t do this. OH THANK GOD I HATE YOU WHEDON.
3) OH MY GOD, THAT BABY! How freaking adorable was he?
4) I always get a little touchy when people - especially men - start talking about women's hormones and biological responses to motherhood and children and so on and so forth, not because I deny that there are hormones and biological responses and whatnot, but because I think there are a lot of psychological and sociological aspects of motherhood that get attributed incorrectly to "biology," and because that line of reasoning is so often used to devalue the contributions and feelings of step-, foster, adoptive, and otherwise non-biological parents and guardians, as well as biological fathers*.
Having put all of those concerns on the table and in no way ignoring the fact that they made me feel a little skeptical of and alienated by this episode, I have to say that it is probably my favourite so far, seeing as it actually does a good job of dealing with all of the problems and repercussions for the active, for the handler, AND for the client. It doesn't hurt that Nate is the least gross of all of the clients so far and I could actually, legitimately understand why he might have done what he did, even if it was a bad choice. Also, I love that he figured that out on his own.
5) I spent a fair amount of time talking to Magpie this afternoon about BtVS and Angel, and it finally hit me what sets Dollhouse apart from Whedon's other shows: The characters aren't (almost) universally lovable. In fact, there are few if any to even particularly _like_. I think of the Scoobies and Angel Investigations as family members, basically, but that is not the case at all with Dollhouse. It makes sense that this is the case, considering there aren't too many episodes and the only characters who aren't complicit in the Dollhouse (and therefore at least mildly morally reprehensible) are the dolls themselves, who by definition have very little in the way of personality. It's...well, it's a lot like the last half of BSG, really, but with better writing and less infuriating plotlines. It definitely keeps me from loving the show the way I love BtVS or Angel or Dr. Horrible, and I don't see myself re-watching episodes on a frequent basis.
* Yes, this is a personally relevant issue for me. Yes, I have dealt with some utter bullshittery in this vein. Yes, getting me started on this rant is a bad idea, so I'm gonna stop now.
Bonus thought) If I actually had watched this show when it first premiered, I probably would have had the conversation that lead to the Oh Moment six months earlier. I'm sorry I didn't take the out you offered me, Mr. Whedon. Thanks for trying, though; I appreciate the attempt.
...I'm gonna go watch "Hush," now, thanks to Magpie.
2) Here is an approximation of my reaction to the bit where Perrin's wife(?) didn't come back immediately:
Oh, come on, Joss, you son of a bitch, don’t do this. OH THANK GOD I HATE YOU WHEDON.
3) OH MY GOD, THAT BABY! How freaking adorable was he?
4) I always get a little touchy when people - especially men - start talking about women's hormones and biological responses to motherhood and children and so on and so forth, not because I deny that there are hormones and biological responses and whatnot, but because I think there are a lot of psychological and sociological aspects of motherhood that get attributed incorrectly to "biology," and because that line of reasoning is so often used to devalue the contributions and feelings of step-, foster, adoptive, and otherwise non-biological parents and guardians, as well as biological fathers*.
Having put all of those concerns on the table and in no way ignoring the fact that they made me feel a little skeptical of and alienated by this episode, I have to say that it is probably my favourite so far, seeing as it actually does a good job of dealing with all of the problems and repercussions for the active, for the handler, AND for the client. It doesn't hurt that Nate is the least gross of all of the clients so far and I could actually, legitimately understand why he might have done what he did, even if it was a bad choice. Also, I love that he figured that out on his own.
5) I spent a fair amount of time talking to Magpie this afternoon about BtVS and Angel, and it finally hit me what sets Dollhouse apart from Whedon's other shows: The characters aren't (almost) universally lovable. In fact, there are few if any to even particularly _like_. I think of the Scoobies and Angel Investigations as family members, basically, but that is not the case at all with Dollhouse. It makes sense that this is the case, considering there aren't too many episodes and the only characters who aren't complicit in the Dollhouse (and therefore at least mildly morally reprehensible) are the dolls themselves, who by definition have very little in the way of personality. It's...well, it's a lot like the last half of BSG, really, but with better writing and less infuriating plotlines. It definitely keeps me from loving the show the way I love BtVS or Angel or Dr. Horrible, and I don't see myself re-watching episodes on a frequent basis.
* Yes, this is a personally relevant issue for me. Yes, I have dealt with some utter bullshittery in this vein. Yes, getting me started on this rant is a bad idea, so I'm gonna stop now.
Bonus thought) If I actually had watched this show when it first premiered, I probably would have had the conversation that lead to the Oh Moment six months earlier. I'm sorry I didn't take the out you offered me, Mr. Whedon. Thanks for trying, though; I appreciate the attempt.
...I'm gonna go watch "Hush," now, thanks to Magpie.