So, Dollhouse recently started its seconde season with the episode “Vows”. The episode was enjoyable overall. However, one thing I found a little disturbing with the plot (more than the usual, I mean) was a scene where Dr. Saunders attempts to force herself on Topher. It seems like a clear case of sexual assault to me, but the montrer doesn’t present it as such. I’m guessing that despite Joss’s extreme coolness, the female character is not seen as threatening because of sexist gender role concepts.

The scene starts with Topher asleep on the floor of a computer room. Dr. Saunders, wearing...

Master storyteller Joss Whedon has become known for his strong female characters and throughout the courses of his shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly global, ensemble themes of feminism and overcoming male oppression become clear. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, an internet experiment carried out during the writers’ strike, was a bit of a departure from his usual political message but still depicted a female character as the only one actually accomplishing anything for the good of society. His latest montrer Dollhouse is in some ways the most blatant criticism of a sexist culture, but...

Dollhouse has an odd relationship with elements of S&M (sadism and masochism), ou plus broadly BDSM (bondage and discipline, domination and submission, sadism and masochism; kinky stuff). The general premise of the montrer seems to involve elements of such nature, specifically a structure characteristic of the dominant/submissive model. The montrer has included scenes of bondage as well as a dominatrix character that briefly goes over the philosophies of BDSM about trust. I have some familiarity with the subject, and while I’m glad for the inclusion of a sadomasochistic character, which makes...