If I had a hammer...

[gwyn]

Jesus H. Christ on a biscuit.

First I watched the premiere of Dollhouse yesterday, and had to endure those fucking sleazebag fanboy porno fantasy promos with Eliza Dushku at every commercial break, not to mention the peppy little "let us show you some T&A so you'll watch our shows while you masturbate" sound bites with ED and Summer Glau. Then I saw something else featuring a Burger King ad (I would point you to it on YouTube except it doesn't seem to be up there yet) where two guys get some new mini-burgers that immediately draw hordes of cooing women thrusting their breasts in the guys' faces and climbing all over them to get to the cute widdle burgers, they're so adorable. With lots of close-up shots of the women's cleavage, natch, on special words like "look at them!"

We never really will make progress, will we? Dollhouse just worked every last feminist nerve I had -- particularly Echo's supposedly competent professional woman who comes into the first meeting wearing six-inch Christian Laboutins, a pencil skirt, and a shirt that couldn't be any tighter undone to her braline. I just... I don't. WHAT. Every time I hear Joss say he's a feminist, I'm going to flash on that, as well as the fact that the men are all dressed at the Dollhouse, and the women wear the skimpiest stuff they can get away with on network TV.

You know, it's really easy to hate men for this crap, since they're responsible for it, but I also really hate it when women sign up for this shit too. Shame on them.

Comments

[klia.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry Dollhouse ended up being as skeezy and off-putting as its ads and premise made it seem. I'd really, REALLY rather not be made to feel like a voyeur ogling young women's bodies; there are lots of other things I'd much rather watch. So, thanks; I skipped Dollhouse and I'm not sorry.

I haven't seen the Burger King ad, but the idea alone makes me want to smack around whoever greenlit that campaign.

You're right, the women who appear in this stuff are fanning the flames. And it sucks because there are more good female roles around than ever before, so it's not like the skeezy stuff is all women can get.

[gehayi.livejournal.com]

I watched it and I was creeped out. I cannot believe this show--it was worse than I'd even imagined.

Repulsed is the only word for how I feel right now.

[smithereen.livejournal.com]

Whenever Joss calls himself a feminist I think of this from The ISB (http://www.the-isb.com/?p=419).



Oh, Joss. So many mixed feelings I have about you, sir. So many mixed feelings.

That Burger King commercial is like they took a script from one of those hideous Axe cologne commercials and find-replaced cologne with hamburgers. It's completely ridiculous.

I do think it's a bit harsh to blame the actresses though when they're taking what they can get to make a living. It's different for A-list people who have the power to pick and choose but for a working actor it's a little harder to stand on principle when you've got rent to pay.

Edited to fix my link.

[abrakadabrah.livejournal.com]

I didn't think it was that bad - I wasn't immediately gripped but I was willing to see what developed. I'm assuming something good will develop from the shell of what we had.

The worst part of it though was the start and end with Summer Glau, which I found absolutely cringemaking. Missed the Burger King ad - I never pay attention during the intermissions - go off and get food or drinks or catch up on the computer or whatever.

Though I also hated how they dressed ED for the job - with those heels and extra tight shirt and an outfit which heightened her fragility rather than giving her strength and armor - very unprofessional and she couldn't carry it off. And who would buy her for a minute? But since that seems to be the universal impression everyone had, for the moment I'm going with the thought that the disjunction was calculated. Obviously ED can pull off tough - so the fact that they didn't go for that here might just be a cluebat.

[leela-cat.livejournal.com]

I didn't watch it. I didn't have any desire to watch it. I'm sorry, however, that it turned out to be as bad as I dreaded.

As for Joss, I haven't believed that he's a feminist for a long time.

[crinklequirk.livejournal.com]

Ditto. Oh, so ditto.

[deejay.livejournal.com]

You lasted longer than we did. Candy and I switched channels in utter disgust around the twelve minute mark. =/

[cereta.livejournal.com]

This was one that I decided to wait and see the general reaction to, because I just cannot handle much more patriarchal fail at the moment. I suspect I made the right choice.

[slavelabour.livejournal.com]

I know this isn't the point but if it's any consolation it had godawful ratings. The likes of which cancelled out another show after one airing. Which means no matter how hard they tried to push the T&A agenda, their demographic just didn't tune in. Barely anyone did so there's a good chance it's going to tank way early. Personally, I didn't even bother to Tivo it, I saw the ads and was very meh about it. Joss just isn't a factor for me.

[kadymae.livejournal.com]

I'm going to give this show a "maybe it had a rocky pilot" chance. Really not that impressed. But unless the next episode's a knockout and isn't slathered in ick like this first one?

I'm out of there.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I figure I will give another ep or two, but I don't hold out a lot of hope. Not on the Fox suits interference front, because that's a different set of topics (those hideous promos, the fact that the fast-paced rewriting and reshooting left us with a completely retarded plot), but because I see this inability to understand in a lot of what Joss has done lately. I do believe he really believes all this stuff he says, but I don't think he sees the disconnect of what he does and says. And unfortunately, bbecause the cult of Joss is so strong, he's not hearing dissension. He can easily dismiss the wank as wank, and not learn anything from the people who aren't quite as... uh, impassioned, let us say, but are still seeing a lack of understanding in his work. When people are protected from hearing "no" or what have you, you can never make progress with them. I expect a lot more from him.

[12-12-12.livejournal.com]

We never really will make progress, will we?

This is what depresses me more than anything. Ugh.

[(Anonymous)]

It's on Fox! What did you expect!! I don't know why Joss Whedon deals with these people after the Firefly disaster.

As to the storyline, it is pretty much what was advertised. I will continue to watch until Fox cancels it in a few weeks.

Jay

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Um - are you honestly saying that the show wouldn't have had these issues if it had aired on another network? Because all you have to do is look around at the discussions all over livejournal about any number of tv shows failing at exactly this level to see that the network is not the tipping point.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

No, no, it's okay -- Jay's a friend of mine, and he's just saying it's pretty much what he expected of it, and expected of Fox, as well. Trust me -- no intent of argument or harm here. ;-)

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

I still haven't had a chance to watch the first episode yet... I'd gotten the impression from the previews that there were both men and women, though. I take it that's not the case? If so, I'm even less excited about seeing the show...

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

There are both men and women. The men, when hanging out at Dollhouse waiting to be assigned, are fully clothed. The women, while hanging out at Dollhouse waiting to be assigned, are as close to completely naked as you can get outside of HBO and Showtime. La la la, we're just hanging out with nothing to do, utterly naked. Wonder why the men are all wearing clothes! Silly silly men, when they could be naked like us!

[queenofattolia.livejournal.com]

Whedon has been dead to me for a long time, but after reading your comments, he's, um, more dead. And calling himself a "feminist" was laughable when he recounted the tale of conceiving Darla's pregnancy on AtS by talking about her "box." He thinks "feminism" is having a girl in tight clothes beat down some guys. That's it.

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

I saw those promos with Eliza Dushku and Summer Glau and just about threw up. You couldn't pay me to watch Dollhouse--I'm going to cackle with glee when it gets canceled, the sooner the better.