I also love the debate about this, though I suspect that we both aren't that far away from each others opinion. My problem with Dollhouse isn't the stuff we are debating, exactly. Challenge me! The only way I can ascertain whether my opinion holds water is by being challenged. No, my problem with Dollhouse is that Whedon is a very personal storyteller, and I am afraid that he will tell stories about Echo and the dollhouse without fully addressing these overarching issues, merely handwaving them.

I mean, you could also say the dollhouse is great because for their sexual urges, the clients could just as well pick up some poor girl off the street who would do the same, but truly unwillingly and without getting the extensive aftercare of the dollhouse. On the other hand, Echo has no way of renegotiating, of getting out early, simply because the offer sounded too good – when in fact she was probably conned, if not by framing her into agreeing, then at least by her ending up *caring* about what happened in those five years instead of not worrying about it.

Since we broached BDSM above, a 24/7 contract is, to me, similarly problematic if it does not contain an exit clause for the submitting part(s). The dollhouse has no exit clause. You can't change your mind.

Now think of the opposite? Men into bondage? Serial killer, not adventurous lover. Can you think of the conman seducing a woman and tying her to the bed, then stealing her key card?

Aside from the fact, of course, that any hint of kinkyness leads to a quick and deserved death on CSI.

Well, to be fair, this was written and filmed as (I think) episode 8, but the network asked/insisted that it be moved up in the scheduling. By that point in the production process, the cast and crew had a pretty good rapport, so of course it was a better episode.

For me, there was a nice mix of action, mythology building, and difficult moral questions. I think that, because of the rearrangement of the running order, Echo's awareness of Caroline et al. came a little too early in the process, but I'm willing to overlook it in the grand scheme of things, especially in light of her being drugged and suffering blood loss.

The only thing that felt truly jarring was the "sheriff" who talked like a refugee from Firefly. Don't get me wrong. I'm a loyal Browncoat, but it felt extremely out of place in a present-day series. I'm fine with hardcore Whedon-speak coming from Topher, but not from random civilians.

You do a very thorough recap, Sonia, but it could do with a proofreading pass. There are an awful lot of typos and minor grammatical errors this week that make it kind of hard to read. It would be a shame if your solid critique got lost because of that.

And that's just it. It's evil….to YOU. Just like it's evil to some people (like Ballard) in the Dollhouse universe. And yet there are other people for whom it's not so bad. And that's where the debate lies. The biggest problem I have with the Dollhouse is that it erases who people are, messes with their brains, and just uses them as bodies. I'm sure they could have the same kind of business with willing participants that KEEP their brain function, as what would be offensive to one person would be just fine by someone else. But the basic principle of the Dollhouse? Hire this person to help you live your dream/fantasy? I don't have a problem with that. Just like I don't – off the bat – have a problem with sex work. It's the conditions under which the Dolls are kept that I'd change. It's dangerous, because it's not regulated.

I also love that this show, in its second episode, has already sparked such heated discussion!

2) There is a big difference between S&M play and really and truly holding someone hostage and trying to kill them. The reason why, so far, Echo messing with ropes has been seen as fun, is because you know the intention was not to harm. So far, Echo has been chased with an arrow in an attempt to kill her. That's not "kinky s&m" play. That's scary. It has nothing to do with it "being OK" for women but not for men. If suddenly Echo snaps like Alpha and goes on a rampage where she handcuffs men in her basement and tortures them, that would be wrong, too. But again, that's not kink. That's psychosis.

I'm not going to go into the ins and outs of BDSM with you here – unless you want me to – but I have to say two things in response to this:

1) being a slave in an S&M scenario isn't unsafe in most cases. Yes, a slave gives up control, but a dominant doesn't just start whipping willy-nilly. Arrangements are made, boundaries are set, and safewords are come up with based on the individual person. I actually hope that we get to see Echo be a submissive at some point, if only to show that being a slave or a bottom or whatever doesn't mean you're giving up your power. (Rent the movie "Secretary" if you don't believe me!)

And yet Caroline signed a contract saying that, for the next five years, her body would belong to this organization, and she would have no memory of anything that happened. She went into this knowing what would or might happen to her. So this is where I have trouble calling it out and out rape. She willingly (though we're going to probably see why she felt like she had no choice in the matter, as far as choosing to do this) gave up the right to her body for a set period of time. So anything that happens during that 5 year contract is with her signed consent, even if she'll never remember it. In fact, she probably agreed to it in part because she WOULDN'T remember it. Much easier to do that if you think you're never going to have to think about it. But again, it was a willing choice. So, anything that happens to her in those five years happens because she agreed to it. She doesn't have to agree to it every time, because she made a blanket agreement covering a set time period.

And of course it is rape, because she is made to do things that Caroline would not enjoy. I mean, isn't that the point of the "ironic" fat guy moment last episode, that Echo could have sex with a guy someone like Caroline would never have sex with? A prostitute (ideally) gets to have a say in what she will and will not do. Echo gets no such say, she is simply shipped out to whomever's paying. They probably have a policy of "no scars", but other than that, this is the perfect consensual non-consensuality. You can force Echo to do whatever you want, and you can force her to like it.

That's also why Echo will play a Dominatrix in some upcoming episode, but certainly not a slave, because the dominatrix is a safe fantasy where Echo has control. Note who got out the ropes in episode 1. If it's the guys who get cuffed and roped, then it's fun. If it's the girls, it's dangerous perversion or even a serial killer.

My problem with the Dollhouse is that it's evil. It's one of the most evil things I have seen on TV. And that means that ideally, this show will end after one season with its destruction. However, for a TV series to explore identity issues, the Dollhouse must remain active – it's the point of the show. And thus, it will most assuredly not be rape, it will be morally grey, but not black, we will have some shows where they only do good, they take care of the dolls, etc. Also, the FBI agent will probably join the Dollhouse at some point because he can't go on chasing them for seven seasons, so it can't be *that* bad. That is the part that I will have to simply accept and ignore to get the good personal stories, and I will at least try to do so.

That depends. I mean, if someone wanted to hire an active to be their temp receptionist so that they wouldn't have to deal with the bullshit of the hiring process, they could certainly do that. This was very definitely a high-risk job. Certainly moreso that most of the jobs they probably get hired for. Most jobs are probably run-of-the-mill sex fantasies, or escort type things, or sending someone to deal with someone you don't want to deal with in your stead type stuff.

"Also, what really bugged me was the stupid thing about the fee."

This guy walked in and said "I want to hire an active so I can chase a human target through the woods." The risk wasn't rock climbing or hunting or white water rafting. He might not have been so honest as far as how far he was willing to go in hunting Echo, but they definitely knew that that was part of the deal. And I can see them charging a fee, and then additional money for replacement of the Active. If you rent an apartment, and you DESTROY the apartment, they're coming after you for more money than just your security deposit. There's a difference between putting a hole in the wall and burning the place down.

"I mean basically, Echo must have been raped dozens, maybe hundreds of times. "

Well, that's an interesting question, isn't it. I mean, is it rape? If she signed up to participate in this, KNOWING that sex would be part of the equation, is it rape, or is she simply a prostitute? Yes, prostitutes can be raped. But there's a difference between going in knowing you're not going to remember what happened, and say, a prostitute thinking she's going to have sex on her own terms only to be drugged and have something entirely different happen. It's certainly not clear-cut (which is why I'm loving this show), but that's on either side of the "ickiness" scale. You can't assume it's rape, nor can you assume it's not. I expect that the "ickiness" WILL be explored. That seems to be the point of the show – to touch on those hard questions. It's not going to happen in the first two episodes, but it will happen over the course of the series, and I can't wait!

Also, what really bugged me was the stupid thing about the fee. If the contractor has to pay an extra fee because of the risk involved, then that's insurance against something happening to Echo. If something then happens, you can't call for another extra fee. That's like saying, "You pay another 200 dollars rent because you want to drive off-road, and that might damage the car, and if you damage the car, you pay for the repairs:" Either/or. I also wonder how you can really argue for an extra fee due to risk. I mean, I don't think Dolls are contracted for a desk job, are they?

Also, I love Ballard's adorable neighbor who's crushing on him and making him "leftover" lasagne. That was cute!