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Dollhouse: "A Spy In the House of Love" (1x09)

How do you rate it?

  • Excellent

    Votes: 37 52.9%
  • Above average

    Votes: 24 34.3%
  • Average

    Votes: 4 5.7%
  • Below average

    Votes: 2 2.9%
  • Poor

    Votes: 1 1.4%
  • Stopped watching.

    Votes: 2 2.9%

  • Total voters
    70
I thought this was a great episode. Echo's development is getting very interesting to watch - I just wish she were played by a better actor. Dichen Lachman, Enver Gjokaj, and Miracle Laurie, on the other hand, nail it week after week. Miracle, especially, brought it this week - her transition from Mellie to November felt real. I have to wonder how long it will be before Mellie figures out why she recognized Echo while she was in the dollhouse.

After reading everyone's comments, it seems I completely misunderstood the submissive thing - I just figured they meant that the people who hired the Dollhouse always wanted to be the sub. :lol:

7) Something is up with Saunders (Fred from Angel)--that she never leaves? wtf
That to me read as a character who a) cared way too much about her job and b) was probably pretty damn insecure about getting her face carved up. If she hasn't yet psychologically dealt with what happened to her, it stands to reason that she wouldn't want to put herself in a position where people would point and laugh.
 
After reading everyone's comments, it seems I completely misunderstood the submissive thing - I just figured they meant that the people who hired the Dollhouse always wanted to be the sub. :lol:

It's not exactly hard to hire a professional dominant if you live in a major city, and given they live in Los Angeles that's really not going to be a problem.

On the other hand, true submissives (not just escorts who'll don't mind pink fluffy handcuffs) are not easy to hire.
 
I assume the reason Dr.Fred refuses to leave the complex is because she's terrified of Alpha catching her alone and outside of the Dollhouse security.
 
I think she feels guilty about what the Dollhouse does, but feels like if she leaves, who will be there to protect the dolls? The fact that Alpha evidently carved her up instead of killing her says something too - he didn't want to kill her. He wanted to hurt her. Maybe he felt betrayed by her for some reason.
 
Staying in the Dollhouse because of her scars makes sense - but staying there out of fear doesn't, really. Wasn't she attacked in the Dollhouse?
 
Yeah but Alpha was a Doll on the inside when he snapped and sliced her up. Now, there's heavy security and he's on the outside on the run.
 
The way the dialogue in this episode makes it seem, they think being submissive is allowing the client to injure the Active and that's why it's banned.

Being a submissive, in the BDSM sense, requires putting total trust in the dominant. The exact dynamics vary from person to person and relationship to relationship, but they're all about loss of control, about giving control to the dominant partner, and there is a great deal of space for abuse there. The Dollhouse trusts it's clients, but not that far.

In 99% of BDSM relationships, the submissive is really the one in total control of the situation. The lack of control is an illusion, a sexy illusion. At any moment, if the dominant goes too far, the submissive can break that illusion and end the scenario, usually by use of a safeword or gesture (if gags are involved). Usually, dominant and submissive will plan the scenario together, in explicit detail, so that the limits and boundaries are clearly defined. Crossing those boundries can happen by accident, in the heat of the moment, which is why there is the safeword. Ignoring the safeword is the single most assholish thing any dominant can do.

The whole thing centers around the submissive's fantasies and the submissive's pleasure. The dominant's desires are secondary. It has to be this way, because it is so very easy to go too far if it isn't.

A person going to the Dollhouse isn't negotiating boundaries with the active , he isn't trying to give the active pleasure, he isn't trying to fulfill the active's fantasies, he's trying to fulfill his own. And that can be a problem. Being a dominant requires a great deal of responsibility and care.

An Active imprinted to be the perfect submissive would never use the safeword. There would be no such thing as too far. Accidental physical injury is possible. Intentional physical injury is possible. And so is emotional and psychological injury.

It's not exactly hard to hire a professional dominant if you live in a major city, and given they live in Los Angeles that's really not going to be a problem.

On the other hand, true submissives (not just escorts who'll don't mind pink fluffy handcuffs) are not easy to hire.

There are lines that a professional dominant will not cross. If you want to go beyond what is allowed by the standard SSC model and into the far extremes of what is permissible under RACK, including edgeplay, play without safewords, and some other more dangerous activities, it becomes very difficult to find someone who will take you there.

Let's face it, finding a woman who A) will nail your penis to a 2x4 and B) is sufficiently skilled in the art to do so without causing permanent scaring or loss of function is not an easy thing to do.
 
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^I don't disagree with you at all, I just don't believe the writers put as much thought in to it as you have clearly done.
 
Stopped watching... but i still do watch, i just wait until i have nothing else to watch... So, i just got to this episode... i'd give it an average. I think i'll go back and catch up on Meerkat Manor (it's got better pacing, plotting and twists).
 
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