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This site last updated on ** 01/18/10 ** (MM/DD/YY) - 9 members (1 added)

About ...

... this Fanlisting: This fanlist is for anyone who loves the interaction between Topher Brink and Adelle DeWitt on the television series Dollhouse. Whether you see them as employer and employeee; friends; frenemies; surrogate mother and son; potential lovers; or something that's just not definable, so long as you enjoy watching them interact, this fanlist welcomes you!

... Dollhouse: This is a television series by Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel the Series, Firefly), Dollhouse explores the concepts of identity and ethics. A Dollhosue is a place where people's minds are wiped clean and then replaced with new identities constructed with the memories of other people. Those who have been wiped are known as "Dolls' or "Actives"; their new identities are "imprints". The rich pay large sums to have a Doll "programmed" to their specifications, be it as a girlfriend, a master thief, a bodyguard, a mother, or any concievable need under the sun. Supposedly, those who become Dolls have agreed to do so. They typically have a contract for five years: when the contract is up, they are to be well-compensated. But it turns out not all Dolls were voluntary, and not everyone goes free; problematic people are often sent to the "Attic".

... Topher Brink: Genuis Topher is the puppetmaster, the man who programmes the Dolls. Topher starts out rather amoral, a man who is so enthralled by the tech and the endless possibillities of it that, for a long time, it seems he cannot fathom the dire consequences that could result from his work. He does care for the Dolls, doesn't want to see them hurt and even believes that he is helping them, but by and large his life is about challenging himself to stretch the potential of the tech and making it more efficient.

... Adelle DeWitt: Head of a Dollhouse, DeWitt, like Topher, believes she is helping people, fullfilling a need. The Dollhouse eases the hearts of lonely clients, and also heals the troubled minds of traumatised Actives. Adelle is very protective of the dolls, like a mother hen, yet sees nothing wrong with programming them to perform assasinations now and then — provided that the dolls are well equiped by Topher with the necessary skills to perform their tasks. Still, Adelle does have limits: she finds the idea of selling people's bodies permanently to others abhorrent, and considers raping an active to be very wrong (a doll may be programmed to love someone, and may be considered a prostitute, but they still have the capactiy to say no).

... Topher and DeWitt: Topher shows DeWitt about as much respect and deference as he is capable of showing anyone — and there are few that he shows that level of respect to aside from her. In turn, Topher is the only person under DeWitt's command to whom she refers to by first name, suggesting a level of familiarity despite her being his superior. Adelle often treats Topher like a gifted son. She spoils him with things like a refrigeratior and a trampoline, and by turning a blind eye to his using a Doll to play with (laser tag and other geeky activities, nothing questionable) on his birthday (under the guise of running a diagnostic). But when the occassion arises, she can give any angry mother a run for their money. For his part, Topher alternately obeys, like a boy wanting to please a parent and show off his talents, and rebels, like a teen questioning authority. Adelle's often touching his shoulder or his cheek — it's interesting how the gesture can be affectionate or assertive (or both), depending on the context.

Still, it's not always a parent/child, or employer/employee, dynamic. There's often some playful banter, the kind one would see between friends and equals, in their exchanges; we can see a marked difference in DeWitt's demeanor regarding him as opposed to the brisk professionalism she exhibits when dealing with Langston, Saunders, and Dominic. While it's clear that she gives the orders and he takes them, there is a certain sense of camaraderie between them, like they're partners-in-crime — which, in some ways, they are. Both of them toe the line of morality, though they frequently justify their work. And in a perfect world, their sentiment that these people "signed up" to be Actives, that it's just a part of the job, a job which could lead to medical breakthroughs, might very well be acceptable. But what they don't realise is that DeWitt's bosses have no scruples, and that their tech has great potential for harm when used by the unscrupulous.....

~Wolfen Moondaughter

01/18/2010 ~ Added a review of "The Hollow Man" to the extras and updated the Relationship Guide .... Welcome Christine to the list!

01/14/2010 ~ Added a review of "Getting Closer" to the extras, and updated the Relationship Guide .... Also, moved the site to a new server ....

12/21/2009 ~ Added reviews of "Stop-Loss" and "The Attic" to the extras, and updated the Relationship Guide ....

12/16/2009 ~ Added reviews of "Meet Jane Doe" and "A Love Supreme", some icons, and screencaps from "The Left Hand" to the extras, and updated the Relationship Guide ....

12/10/2009 ~ Added an article on 5 reasons I watch Dollhouse, as well as reviews of "The Public Eye" and "The Left Hand", and a little Dollhouse filk set to "White Christmas", to the extras, and updated the Relationship Guide .... Welcome velvettka, Gabrielle_Sr, bloodyrockerswitch, and Tia to the list!

12/04/2009 ~ Added a painting of Fran Kranz (Topher) as Link (of The Legend of Zelda) to the Extras ... Welcome "just drifting" to the list!

11/27/2009 ~ Added a fic to the Extras ...

11/15/2009 ~ Welcome our first members (besides me), Jo and Sofia! Also, some links and a new code added (thanks, Courtney, for the latter!)

11/10/2009 ~ Just opened!