Do you think the people whose imprints they use get paid?

Do you think the people whose imprints they use get paid?

It would be the ultimate "sell a body part for money" thing.

Well, I'm hoping you get to keep the "part" in question. I can't imagine how much money it would have to cost otherwise.

Buuuuut .... and it's a big but ... just because the organization does some things which are fundamentally good, in no way absolves it of things it does which are bad. It just means not all the services it offers are squicky.

Unmark those calendars folks - I'm pretty sure Victor and I are on different pages after all.

Because I was so disgusted (squicked, offended, insert your own consenting adjective of legal age here) by the blatantly manipulative attempts to paint shades of grey onto the Dollhouse's black hat that I gave up on the show before it even aired. (And I really don't care whether the blame for that goes to Joss or the network. What wound up on my TV was something I did not want to see any more of.)

I can't imagine how much money it would have to cost otherwise.

If they don't keep the part, then the new blank slate could become an Active. Or, you know, just dead. I don't think the Dollhouse management has too much of a squick on disposing of bodies--though it wouldn't be easy to just get rid of someone with high level skills who someone would probably miss out in the real world.

the blatantly manipulative attempts to paint shades of grey onto the Dollhouse's black hat

I'm only seeing grey with Harry Lennix's character. The rescue of the girl didn't even ping me as attempting to absolve the company as a whole. At all.

At best, it made good business sense. If it hadn't, I'm pretty sure the girl would have been left to her fate no matter what Langton said.

But that's just me.

I don't really think the Dollhouse is supposed to have anything other than a black hat. Well, dark grey if you don't discount people like Langton and maybe the doctor.

If they don't keep the part, then the new blank slate could become an Active. Or, you know, just dead

No, because one of the components of Echo's negotiator committed suicide.

::doublepost::

Some of the Dollhouse adverts have played the aspect of "Saviour", and the (specially recorded) promo music went to the tune of "My Angel". So, you know, you could argue they're saying the Actives can do good. And, of course, they can. Somebody could hire one for a brilliant reason. But, the reality is, as humans we often hire people for terrible things, and The Dollhouse company itself appears to not be very concerned about doing The Moral Thing(tm). Most companies aren't, no matter what they say.

Unmark those calendars folks - I'm pretty sure Victor and I are on different pages after all.

Well, it was nice where it lasted. (:

However, I think there's a difference between examining the internal logic of the show and condoning the show itself. (Mind, I'm not entirely sold on the show myself, but I'm a patient sort.)

Now, if we're talking about the framing of the show, yes, I entirely agree that the curtains are placed in such a way as to let the inattentive viewer think that the Dollhouse's activities are on the up and up, even as, I've mentioned, the pointers are that this is an incredibly fucked-up situation, and shouldn't be seen otherwise.

Personally, I think everyone invovled with the Dollhosue except the Actives themselves should be seen as unequivocal bad guys, with Langton showing potential to stop being a bad guy. Sure, the Dollhouse probably justifies its actions to themselves and its clients, but they're relaly just that: justifications.

Again, we're at the beginning of a story, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with not liking a story's beginning so much that you don't continue. Lord knows I've had my criticisms.

But that being said, I'm at least interested enough to see if Joss and co. pull of an interesting trick with this awkward hodgepodge of pieces. I find the fundamental question, the idea of a character with absolutely no agency, whatsoever developing it against odds to be interesting. For now, anyway. I don't insist that TV shows be moral arbiters, but I do want the cracks that I see in the Dollhouse's facade to be a bit more visible. Otherwise, I'll get bored very fast.