They're not helping that guy. They may think they are, and he may think they are, but I don't see how having him relive this moment every year is helping him.

His impulse is understandable. It's turning it into action that's a problem -- hiring a fake wife, getting an emotional reaction from her, and then sleeping with her.

I understand how he feels, that no woman will ever feel the same way about him. I don't think it's good what he's doing, but I understand.

I don't know that we're supposed to think that was a healthy thing for Patton Oswalt's character to do. Just understandable.

I don't think Joss is interested in advocating for the nobility of the enterprise. Rather (as explicitly set out by the man in the street interviews) he's pursuing the narrative implications of: What If You Got What You Most Wanted.

Which is really an old trope, and not so much about wish fulfillment as it is the Monkey's Paw and tricky genies who grant your wishes but they're unsatisfying.

And of course there are a little of interesting things to pursue about identity and coercion and agency/volition.

I loved the guy on the street talking about sleeping with another guy, and the slowly changing expression of the woman who was with him. Comedy gold.

Dude, I forgot about that! I hulu'd it and it was REALLY late when I watched; I may have to re-watch.

I think, maybe, that it might be a further sign of Caroline's basic personality coming through -- not in a healthy way, but isn't she supposed to be a save-the-world type? Or maybe a desire for something "normal" (even tho it's not.) I mean, it's a different scenario than she usually goes out on -- she's implanted with a....hmm. I'm trying to justify it, even though I don't like it.

I DO like the show better now. It's more complicated and I am trying to figure the angles and argue with some stuff and agree with others. It got more interesting. Wrong, but interesting.

I loved the guy on the street talking about sleeping with another guy, and the slowly changing expression of the woman who was with him. Comedy gold.

Yeah, that was pretty great. "Some guys might be into that!" I also liked the Sassy Black Lady who was all, "Ain't no way someone VOLUNTEERS for this shit!"

I still think Dollhouse is Joss's post Battlestar Galactica series. You can tell Joss loves that show, I think.

I like Ballard's coworker lady. I think she's GORGEOUS.

Yeah, I think the important distinction here is that we're starting to be able to delineate between the corporation's intentions and representations and the show's. If, as a viewer, I'm expected to think that the corporation thinks something is good and the corporation is bad, then I'm good with that. If I'm supposed to think that the corporation is good, then I've got issues with the show and its creators. Now, finally, we're being permitted to see the corporation as at least complex.

It's the same problem I was referring to earlier about the point of view entry character; i.e., there is none. If all the characters are proponents of the corporation, or aware enablers, or victims of it, I have no way to see into things, to perceive what the show's eye is intended to be.

Liese, this is just my opinion, but I think the idea is the Dollhouse is both good and bad. Originally my take on Dollhouse was it would be about getting out and taking it down. The more I look at it, the more I think where it's going is getting _in_ to the Dollhouse.