Dollhouse Response So Far, No Spoilers

So, Dollhouse. I haven't seen last night's episode yet--it's TiVoed and ready to be watched when I get the chance (probably Monday), but I feel that I'm ready to put forward my thoughts.

I find the action-adventure plot of the week enjoyable enough to keep me entertained, but not enough to keep me invested in the show. What keeps me watching is the assumption that Joss is going somewhere (awesome) with all this, that the (sadly neglected, as per Fox's orders) serial elements are going somewhere. The relationship between Miracle Laurie and the BSG guy, and I'm looking forward to Echo's construction of a lasting identity, but on the other hand I really don't care who Alpha is and I suspect that me expectations as to how that arc will play out won't nearly be frustrated enough.

I'm not convinced there's enough of Dollhouse to critique on any grounds other than "was that fun to watch?" yet. (Which ignores the way in which for many people the question of whether it's any fun to watch is deeply inseparable from its politics.) But this wouldn't be my journal if I didn't pull out the feminist lens. The question, of course, is how we should approach "those works which skirts the boundaries between being exploitive and being a feminist critique thereof" (I'm quoting from my review of Adam Warren's Empowered here).

inlovewithnight linked to this review of Watchmen by Amanda Marcotte at Pandagon which actually addresses a lot of the same satiric elements which Dollhouse utilizes. (N.B.: I fully intend on both reading the book of Watchmen and seeing the film, but have not yet done either.) The only thing I'm puzzled by is Marcotte's seeming confusion at the idea of a non-funny satire. In the big scheme of things, how many satires are really funny? The quintessential archetype against which all other satires are judged, Dean Swift's "A Modest Proposal," isn't exactly a laugh a minute. Okay, The Rape of the Lock is admittedly good for a few chuckles, but even it's more clever than funny. And the great 20th-century satirist, George Orwell, produced in Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm satires which aren't exactly known for their humor.

I've seen Dollhouse criticized for not being funny enough, and I think one of the reasons for that is that it's self-consciously working in this dark satiric mold, at least when it's not being action-adventure-y.

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Beta Request: Merlin (UK)

Anyone to beta a Merlin (UK) fic? It's an American summer camp AU (I blame Amy, on principle), OT4, NWS, not that long.

While I'm waiting for a response, I'll be over here, making a new 90x150 icon for my Fic Index.

ETA: And the icon is done! Still waiting for a volunteer to beta, though.



Thank God for fandoms with simple logos.