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205 Reflections in the Pool Echo, Narcissus, and the Male Gaze in Dollhouse K . D A L E K O O N T Z In 2009 Joss Whedon returned to network television with Dollhouse, a series advertised as a mainstream action-adventure show. This billing was typical Whedon misdirection. Rather than centering squarely on the “eye candy” presented by lithe actors with extremely short hemlines, Dollhouse had at the center of its subversive heart some complex questions of memory and selfhood to present for examination. Indeed, the very code name of the central character of the Dollhouse corps, “Echo,” raises intriguing questions of autonomy and identity. It cannot be a coincidence that the character at the heart of the Dollhouse ensemble shares her name with a nymph who loses her ability to speak as punishment for challenging the prevailing power structure. Names are never a coincidence to Whedon; in fact, he has said that he can get blocked in writing a character until he knows the name of that character (“Interview with Joss Whedon” 2005). Knowing of that statement, it is useful to examine the origin of the name “Echo,” which has quite a long history. Echo’s name is derived from the classic myth of Echo and Narcissus, and it is appropriate that a recent television series and a thousands-year-old myth can successfully illuminate one another. As cultural anthropologist Claude LéviStrauss observed, myths have no author in the traditional sense (Bloch 2009). Therefore, every subsequent society may expand and manipulate myths in any manner that is deemed useful. This very fluidity lends myths their staying power and is the primary reason myths continue to be retold in any number of artistic forms. Though Whedon incorporates twists and turns into the traditional tale, Dollhouse remains rooted in the classical myth in three important ways and therefore provides an excellent means of examining the ways in which such a myth can be successfully altered to provide relevance for a new audience. 206 ✴ Dollhouse First is the structure Whedon uses. Much of Dollhouse, particularly the first season, can be traced to the classical myth of Echo and Narcissus as detailed in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. In addition to the name “Echo” having its origin in this myth, the identities and roles of several other Dollhouse characters are rooted there as well. Second is the importance of gazing to the narrative. Specifically, Whedon’s Dollhouse provides a springboard into Laura Mulvey’s theory of the cinematic male gaze and its subsequent revisions. Third is the use of reflections and the ways in which perceived images can trick the viewer into accepting a false image as true. This theme is present from the first line spoken in Dollhouse: “Nothing is what it appears to be.”1 In this chapter, I weave together the intertextual threads of classical mythology, feminist critical theory, and popular culture by examining Whedon’s Dollhouse with an eye toward discussing these three commonalities. It is reasonable to begin this examination with a synopsis of Ovid’s story, which is contained in his Metamorphoses. Briefly, Echo is a nymph who is both clever and lovely. She is also loyal to her friends, some of whom are involved in a dalliance with the philandering king of the gods, Jupiter. Echo loves her friends, so she decides to provide cover for them, detaining Jupiter’s suspicious wife, Juno, with endless chatter so Jupiter can slip away undiscovered. When the furious Juno discovers Echo’s role in concealing her husband’s actions, she retaliates in a cruelly fitting fashion by removing Echo’s ability to initiate conversation. The lively, laughing girl can now only repeat the last few words she has heard another say.2 A shell of her former self, Echo drifts aimlessly, waiting for someone to speak so she can talk back in the only way left to her. One day in her lonely wanderings, she glimpses a beautiful youth and instantly falls deeply in love with him. Unfortunately, Narcissus, the object of her desire, is both conceited and proud and has eyes only for his own perfection. Ignored by her beloved and unable to give voice to her desires, she fades away into nothingness, 1. This line comes from “Ghost,” which was the first episode of Dollhouse to be broadcast on television and is not to be confused with “Echo,” which was the pilot episode produced to pitch the show to Fox. Though “Echo” is included in the DVD...

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