Pardon my recent lack of posting.

I've been busy drinking wine and watching Ally McBeal episodes on Netflix every night.  Despite its overwhelming cheese factor, the show is growing on me (I didn't watch it when it was on in the nineties).  As I expected, Ally has gotten some feminist pushback for its decidedly faux feminism, but I don't mind.  Older shows are easier for me to forgive when it comes to things like that.  Maybe it's because it's easy for me to optimistically assume that, had the show been written today, it would be less trite and stereotypical.  That is unlikely, of course, since most shows on today are just as ridiculous as many of the parts of Ally McBeal, but with upgraded humor.  

I'm nearly done being stressed all day long about my new job, since I'm finally learning how to do it right, so I should resume regular posting soon, since I will hopefully no longer feel the need to laze about for the remainder of my workday, not thinking, and avoiding all forms of numbers and calculating them at all costs.  Until then, are you in the middle of watching anything?  

Dollhouse

[This show frequently addresses issues of rape, coercion of all stripes, and sexual violence, which will be discussed further here, so please be forewarned if this may be triggering for you.]

Since there's so much discussion 'round this part of Blogdonia about the feminism (or lack thereof) of Joss Whedon, I thought I'd give some of my own brief run-down, since having just finished the series a couple of weeks ago.  I'm intentionally avoiding reading any other critiques before writing this before giving my own opinions. 

A summary of the plot, from the site's Wikipedia page:

The story follows Echo (Eliza Dushku), a "doll" or "Active" for the Los Angeles "Dollhouse", one of several fictional facilities run by a company which hires out human beings to wealthy clients. These "engagements" range from romantic interludes to high-risk criminal enterprises. Each Active has their original memories wiped and exists in a child-like blank state until programmed via the insertion of new memories and personalities for each mission. Actives such as Echo are ostensibly volunteers who have surrendered their minds and bodies to the organization for five-year stints, during which their original personalities are saved on hard drives, in exchange for vast amounts of money and a solution to any other problematic circumstances in their lives. Echo is unique however in that she remembers small amounts even after personality "wipes", and gradually develops an increasingly cognizant self-awareness and personality. This concept allows the series to examine the notions of identity and personhood.

[SPOILERS AHEAD!]