Asvini Interesting point about the double standard, but I personally thought the whole point of it was to show just how mentally unbalanced Claire/Whiskey has become, it was treated as a bad thing she did. The reason Hearn is considered so much worse is he was preying on an innocent, childlike person while he was mentally healthy and he did it numerous times. Claire actually thought this was what Topher wanted (she explains she'd come to the conclusion that this was why he programmed her to hate him) so she didn't at first know it was assault, she thought it was what he wanted, what he had 'built' her for. Even when he said no it took her a little while to realise it wasn't just some sex game for him, and when she did realise she stopped and switched from seduction to anger (not anger at his refusal, anger at what he did to her). I thought it was a very powerful scene, and I don't think it was at all sexist, because it wasn't treated less seriously than Hearn and Sierra because the gender roles were reversed, it was treated less seriously because what happened wasn't anywhere near as bad. What Claire did was wrong, but there's a huge difference between raping a doll with the mind of a child and inappropriately waking someone up, and mistakenly thinking they messed with your head to get you in the sack. Also when you add in the fact that she had just found out Topher created her entire personality, including the severe mental illness her gave her, which had damaged and controlled her entire life (the agoraphobia) it makes sense people are less angry at Claire. She violated Topher, but he violated her in a much worse way first. I'm not defending what she did, but my point is I don't think the show is either. The whole point of the scene is to show how unbalanced and potentially dangerous she has become, the scene is not condoning what she does, and it's not on her side. Given the point they are trying to convey I honestly don't believe the scene would have gone differently were the genders reversed. People keep saying Joss needs to go back to his Buffy roots, but I think what he is doing here has just as powerful a message, even more in some cases. The problem some people have is this hits closer to home because it's more harrowing and real than seeing someone fight a demon, so some people can't take that (I'm not saying you can't) Part of being a good feminist writer is making women equal to men, meaning some of the women you write have to be dark characters too, which is what he is doing with Claire. If he made all his dark characters men he wouldn't be a feminist, he would be a sexist. This show, despite being a sci fi show, is more real world applicable, with it's issues of consent, prostitution, inner strength and control. By tackling these issues head on rather than sacredly skirting around them like 90% of other writers Joss is arguably doing more for feminism with this show than with Buffy. He's saying these things happen, they are terrible and they can be fought. People may ignore them (the FBI who hold back Ballard's investigation) or try to justify them (the Dollhouse staff) but at the end of the day they are wrong and people, men and women, inside the situation or out, have the power to fight it (Echo, the other dolls who are growing despite the wipes like Victor/Sierra and Paul Ballard). Facing these issues and acknowledging them is more powerful than burying them in metaphor.

fanfly Asvini said everything that I was going to say and more.

Saul_Mikoliunas I was going to make a big long comment but Asvini said it for me =D Great article and great points though.

Dragonclaws After thinking it over, I believe I agree that it's different because Topher's not such an innocent victim and because Saunders was violated by his mind-alteration. Also, after seeing the latest episodes, I think maybe Fox makes them sexualize what scenes they can. The scene with Echo and the senator cutting out their implants was shot in an oddly sexual manner that makes no sense in context, so I think my discomfort at the sexualized Saunders/Topher scene may be misplaced. It is true, though, that there is a problem in shows where female characters sexually assault male characters and no one cares.

elleoneiram "Does Dollhouse recognize it as sexual assault? I… don’t think so." I disagree completely. She spent most of the episode tormenting him. It is creepy. They have a twisted relationship. As you said, he violated her with not only altering her mind but also adding phobia upon trauma to her so she wouldn't leave the Dollhouse. I think his comment about Fozzie Bear was amusing but also an acknowledgment that "man reaction doesn't equal consent." This show is full of horrific actions, many of which are condemned and many which are condoned. These comparisons show the hypocrisy of the characters and society itself. For example, before he tries to rape her, Sierra's handler asks if she wants to play the game. The Dollhouse staff are disgusted by this. In the same episode, Topher's words echo the rapist's as Topher, before he imprints her, asks a doll if she is ready to play. Though his comment is not blatantly condemned (perhaps like Claire's molestation of Topher), it is no less sinister, and I think that the writers are aware of that. (I'm not saying that Claire's behavior with Topher is the same as the handler's rape of Sierra, but I still thought it twisted, as almost everything on the show is. In a very thought provoking and serious way.)

hpmaniac666 I'm not going to make a long comment because a. I've only seen the scene once and b. I'd like to think it over a bit first. I think this article is wonderful though. One quick thing. I think there is, if not a double standard, then at least a *different* standard to women sexually 'abusing' men than the reverse - because it *is* different. These are generalisations, I know, but men are physically stronger than women, and (again, generally) more able to seperate sex from everything else. Understand, I'm not saying that men can't be sexually abused, nor am I saying it's a less serious crime when it does happen. My point is, when a woman is sexually abused (even if the abuse is 'light fondling' rather than full rape) then it creates a lasting, horrific trauma. They have to live with it forever. The same can be said of men being sexually abused of course, but, I believe, not in this case... I may be naive, but I think after that scene, Topher was probably feeling a lot of things - confusion, guilt, maybe even embarasment that she could so easily provoke a (man)reaction. But I doubt he felt particularly violated. It's the message she was bringing that would haunt him, not the medium through which she brought it. Ah, okay, guess that wasn't so quick... I probably should rewatch the scene. Great article. xx