but why should I stay around for that when the sex stuff alternately bores me or makes me want to spork people's eyes?

If you don't like it, don't watch ita. I'm absolutely prepared and able to accept that the first few episodes of Dollhouse will loose the show viewers on multiple levels - first episode, quality, for instance. And if you're not cool with the prospect of sex with blank slates, you won't like the show 'cos that's part of the premise. Every show has entry barriers, in particular genre shows.

but there's no good reason for a woman running for her life to randomly take off her shirt--especially when she's running through the woods.

she was hot.

I did like Langton here, though: he was appropriately badass,

Harry Lennix is made of win.

I said three eps, so it gets three eps. But if the missions are boring, three it is.

eta: Harry Lennix is made of win.

There definitely is that. I do want to watch him every week.

I am completely uninterested in the idea of a blank slate being prepped for the best sex a man has ever had.

Oh I agree. I'm just saying it seems obvious that literal whoring is going to be a big part of the script. And you are right that it does not have to be. Just because that is a key part of the fictional Dollhouse's business model does not mean it has to be focus of the show. But it seems like given that prostitution is part of the business model, the writers, and specifically Joss, are going to focus a lot of their attention on it. In spite of all the "ambassador" stuff it always looked like a good part of the reason for Inara in Firefly was Joss's "plus, there's a whore".

Though if you really look at it, she may be being whored, but her character is not a whore, but a rape victim. Yeah she signed a general consent form. But in effect when she goes with these guys, she is being fed extremely sophisticate roofies. She is being brainwashed into thinking she is in love with them. Inara at least had agency, if not judgement. And besides skeevy, if "Echo is brainwashed into falling in love with a new skeeveball" is too frequent a theme, then as you say it will be boring. Admittedly having the guy try to hunt her down and kill her, and she gets to fight back was a real varietion.

Somebody at Whedonesque just called the show "Wolfram and Hart's prostitution division"

I'm with victor. This episode was better. It was a little less uncomfortable, but it was still squicky. I find that as long as they keep the focus off Echo, I'm okay. Which...may lead to some issues.

Harry Lennix is made of win.

It's true. Can he be the main character instead?

"plus, there's a whore".

sighs

You know, I loved Firefly with a big burny love, so much so that initially I really didn't mind that Inara's plotline was so handwavey, and just mentally filled in all the blanks. But that summary does speak volumes about why I had to make up my own interesting, rounded, Bene Gesserit-style backstory. 'Cause not only was Joss not very interested in filling in the blanks there, he was also giving us a world where current day attitudes to sexuality and sex workers were up front and personal, with Mal's language. All the bloody time. Which couldn't help but undermine the whole 'Hey, it's a respected profession!' thing.

Eh. I hope Dollhouse pulls its socks up.

Morena gave out Inara's back story recently. Bad Morena.

Harry is a great actor, and Boyd really is The Best Character they have. He doesn't like what they're doing, he doesn't like what he's doing, and he's the emotional connection the show desperately needs. Harry absolutely fucking nails the "Do you trust me?" "With my life" scene.

Having slept on it, I think this show is more literal rape than literal whoring which is just hard to watch.

And maybe this doesn't bother anyone else (and I did miss the first 5 minutes of the show) but once again, why pay for an Active who comes with surveillance and who will be missed when you could just kidnap and rape some random girl off the street? I mean, why do you need an Active to fulfill your fantasy here - any girl will do.

Despite the above, I did like this week better than last week.

Stephanie, the client in this episode had insider information (and references). Echo specifically was recruited so she could be taken out. That was the suggestion, I think. Boyd points out during the final scene with Claire it was probably Alpha who organised it, but it's worth watching Claire's facial expressions during that scene. Unless I'm totally wrong.