The Marxist in me

[chani]

There has been discussions on various places, including chez st_salieri  and chez enigmaticblues , about Dollhouse and the matter of misogyny and feminism.

Giving my two cents, I came to the conclusion that I rather have a marxist take on the series...which might change later since I have only seen two episodes! Anyway it's fun to ponder Joss' work even this early.

I can see how relevant certain critics are. As sister_luck  said in a previous thread, the show is basically ambiguous since it exposes a wrong behaviour while doing a similar thing with the lead actress, and with Tahmoh Penikett whose shirt disappeared after only a few seconds. And we are all the guilty clients here. Yes Echo has been showed dating and having sex with the clients of the Dollhouse, after and before getting her memory and personality wiped, which is quite a misogynistic fantasy, and yes Fox obviously sells the show on ED's good looks and hotness.


However I don't think that, in Joss' mind at least, "Dollhouse" is about women(or men), and the way they are treated and objectified even though the lead is a woman (something that has to do with Eliza Dusku being at the origins of the concept and being a producer...).
I guess that besides being a study on identity, "Dollhouse" has a very political side; it exposes the powerful ones,the mighty (here the organization providing dolls or the clients paying for them), and the horrible things they can do...just because they can; it's about what money can buy provided that you have the right technology at hands...ETA: this is why Joss when asked if the hsow concept weren't the ultimate misogynistic fantasy admitted if it wasn't untrue if it were"in the wrong hands".
 
Perhaps it's still all about power for Joss, except that he chose a new angle to tackle it.

Dolls like Echo, are both males and females; above all they are the victims of a system that can turn anyone vulnerable enough(for whatever reason, Caroline's past is yet to be revealed) into a slave. It's about man's exploitation of his kind. The feminist/misogynous angle should be pointless then.
 
Of course the system is flawed, even doomed to self-destroy because it creates the tools of its own destruction– here enters the Alpha's bloody storyline and Echo's slow growing into awareness that are going to screw the system. This might be the most Marxist element!

So when some viewers and critics see the Valley of the Dolls I see the upcoming Revolution of the Dolls. Perhaps it would have been more interesting and efficient if the lead weren't a female doll, if dolls were all supporting characters, so gender wouldn't be an issue here. The FBI agent should have been the lead.

Hey I can dream! :- )

But no, no the FBI guy can't be the lead from a marxist reading, this would be too wrong or too subversive, I am not sure. Besides he can't be the one bringing the Dollhouse down if I want to  keep my Marxist model. The dolls must rise and break their own chains. 

Now forget that FBI issue, my biggest problem would be the cancellation of the show. Now that would screw a Marxist reading. The Fox mighty would win then...

But it wouldn't be surprising; it's Hollywood, isn't it? Only Senator McCarthy once believed that there was such thing as Hollywood marxism.

Comments

[frenchani.livejournal.com]

You can equally say that it's a critique of globalisation, and the belief that employees are completely interchangeable assets and can be fired and replaced by cheap contractors from India or Mexico with no repercussions. Why hire an actual expert when Dollhouse can program one up for you then wipe them again when you've finished with them?

Good one! People are even more disposable if they aren't real.