Miracle was originally cast and announced as "November" on Whedonesque by Joss. Same with Enver for "Victor". After the original pilot got thrown out and many things were saved as reveals for later on, Joss tried lying to cover up those were Actives. Didn't really work for most people, but hey, gotta give it a shot.

Miracle emailed me last night asking if I was enjoying Dollhouse. I may have lied slightly in response.

Funny that she's doll. I thought she was just boring. The character, not the actress.

Oh, going back to the "the drug seemed to affecting people differently" thing, I thought they'd established that with Topher in the open. He had his little speech about how everyone's body chemistry is different, and if three people try heroin for the first time, one might hate it, one might love it and the third might just keel over.

Which could be them just waving their hands frantically to cover the fact that Adelle and Topher needed to remain at least somewhat competent for the sake of the plot.

She was, really, the only character we've met so far who wasn't deeply broken (all the Actives, most of the clients, I suspect Bennett) or under the Dollhouse's thumb (Boyd, Topher, possibly some of the other Dollhouse employees).

And then they triggered her, and made that whole personality a lie, and made Mellie into just another victim.

See, I never saw Mellie, as anything but broken, from the get-go. Didn't matter if she was a Doll or human. But I think that's one of the premises of the show: that EVERYONE is broken in some ways, and the show is just exploring different aspects if it -- (a) how people hide, deal and/or contribute to their own brokenness, and (b) how or why other people contribute to or assist in healing other people's brokenness.

All of the characters are flawed, because all people are flawed. Like Buffy was examining the trope of the "girl victim" and turning it around, DH is examining that trope from a different metaphoric angle.

Like Buffy was examining the trope of the "girl victim" and turning it around, DH is examining that trope from a different metaphoric angle.

Exactly. I mean, I still remember the HSQ moment of watching Darla and that guy and thinking "he's totally going to kill her" and suddenly Darla turns around and vamps out.

You know, that's what's missing from Dollhouse for me. That moment where I think "damn, this is going to be interesting"

Erin, I think you're right that she had flaws, but they were more... pedestrian. She had some bad relationships, she was maybe a little too clingy, she has the hots for her (wildly attractive, IMO) neighbor and wanted to woobie him a little. That's, like, whole continents away from "I sold my body to a corporation to let them remove my personality and use however they wish." You know, in my opinion.

But, see, I think that's the point! She just LOOKS like she's pretty together, a few twitches, but...

And then when you get under it, she's got all these deeply broken things.

I don't think the point is that everyone is fucked-up beyond redemption; I think the thing is, you don't always know what really makes up a person. "What? I can have layers!"

Are people all as fucked-up as the Dolls? Of course, not -- it's hyperbole. It's all about surfaces being deceptive -- in an evil corporate-animal cruelty way, sure, but also in a more prosaic, everyone has secret, hidden things that inform and shape them, and they're not always who you think they are. And that can be for good, bad, and for just it-is-what-it-is-ness.

I guess to me, it's just a different kind of broken for her to be a doll then just to be... fucked up.

YBrokenMV.

Oh, I agree. But I'm looking at it from an almost purely metaphorical stance, so...

But, see, I think that's the point! She just LOOKS like she's pretty together, a few twitches, but...

I never thought that she was together. She always seemed needy and clingy with the mooning and the manicotti. It wasn't until the recent episodes that she got a personality, and frankly, it was a complete turnaround, not just of her, but of Paul's attitude towards her.