Show Notes
Thank you to our Co-producer patron Kevin Wetter for selecting this week's topic! This 2009 TV show, helmed by Joss Whedon, was meant to be a thematic exploration of identity and sexuality but many have argued about its problematic story. Was that because of corporate interference or Whedon's own issues with feminist representation? Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Dollhouse, Season 1 Additional Resources: Adams, Pippa. Women in Science Fiction: Opportunities and Constraints of Representations in Postfeminist Worlds Joss Whedon on Comic Books, Abusing Language and the Joys of Genre JOSS WHEDON TALKS FIREFLY, DOLLHOUSE AND LEAVING TELEVISION The Mind-Transplant Script Whedon Wrote Before Dollhouse Anderson, D. (2016). Echoes of Frankenstein: Shelley's Masterpiece in Joss Whedon's Dollhouse and Our Relationship with Technology. Slayage, 43, 1 Kitchens, J. (2016). Object Entanglements: From Postmodern Subjectivity to Posthuman Thingness in Joss Whedon's Dollhouse. Studies in Popular Culture, 38(2), 1. Rogers, S. (2011). Joss Whedon's Dollhouse and Joss Whedon's Dollhouse. Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, 22(2), 153. Avni, S. (2008). Inside the Dollhouse. Mother Jones, 33(6), 88–89. Jensen, J. (2008). Welcome to the "Dollhouse" Fan Frenzy. Entertainment Weekly, (997), 14. The Expired Feminism of Joss Whedon In defence of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse Joss Whedon's Dollhouse: Confounding Purpose, Confusing Identity, edited by Sherry Ginn, Alyson R. Buckman, Heather M. Porter "Fantasy Is His Business, but It Is Not His Purpose" by Alyson R. Buckman
The Fascinating No-Consent Fantasia of Dollhouse and Mad Men POSTMORTEM: WHY WE HATED DOLLHOUSE. AND WHY WE LOVED IT.
More from Supercontext: an autopsy of media
Hellbender's 1997 album was the final and little-known release by a group of young men who would go on to do plenty more than punk rock. So why did it get a remastered re-release 25 years later, and why is it still Chris's favorite record? We talk about the band, the recording, and what emo themes live in the literary, haunted lyrics. Sources https://deadbrokerekerds.bandcamp.com/album/con-lim-n
This 2023 Netflix movie directed by David Fincher was either a stunning technical tour-de-force or a slick bit of over-processed product. (Maybe it was both.) We talk about how the filmmakers paid attention to every detail of this visceral revenge thriller, and why that didn't connect with as big an audience as you might think. Sources: https://www.screendaily.com/features/david-fincher-and-andrew-kevin-walker-on-creating-hitman-thriller-the-killer/5188929.article https://filmmakermagazine.com/124199-interview-cinematographer-erik-messerschmidt-david-fincher-the-killer-handheld/ 'The Killer' Q&A Fincher & Fassbender & Rian Johnson 15th Nov 2023 https://mubi.com/en/notebook/posts/hardly-working-david-fincher-s-the-killer https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/david-fincher/the-killer-review https://www.indiewire.com/features/craft/the-killer-editing-michael-fassbender-david-fincher-netflix-1234922058/ https://www.dazeddigital.com/film-tv/article/61273/1/david-fincher-on-filmmaking-fassbender-the-smiths-twisted-comedy-the-killer https://variety.com/2026/film/news/netflix-dan-lin-wont-work-with-directors-who-want-theatrical-1236768048/ https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/01/movies/david-fincher.html?eafs_enabled=false https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/sep/03/the-killer-review-terrific-david-fincher-thriller-about-a-philosophising-hitman https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/netflix-top-10-ratings-12-1235806179/ https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/09/movies/the-killer-review-fincher.html?eafs_enabled=false
This horror anthology launched in 2018 and has been lauded for its storytelling, genre experimentation, and charming nostalgia, while dealing with violence, sadness, and the constant human struggle between good and evil. We talk about the creative team's intentional and personal process, and why we get a good vibe from those fellas. Sources: https://www.comicsbeat.com/interview-w-maxwell-prince-ice-cream-man/ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ice-cream-man-movie-wednesday-1235992798/ https://comicsxf.com/2020/07/02/writer-w-maxwell-prince-on-dropping-cameron-stewart-his-ice-cream-man-plans-and-remaking-the-world/ https://chachor1.medium.com/an-interview-with-w-maxwell-prince-8dde9486df27 https://strangehorizons.com/wordpress/non-fiction/ice-cream-man-by-w-maxwell-prince-martin-morazzo-and-chris-ohalloran/ https://imagecomics.com/features/ice-cream-man-you-scream-monsters-feature https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/24/arts/halloween-comics.html Staff. (2018, April 30). Comics Reviews. Publisher's Weekly Review. Seamas O'Reilly. (2019, September 14). The best graphic novels so far of 2019; Ice cream horror, hardboiled crime, LA dreams and the best film never made. The Irish Times. https://slowburnhorror.com/2022/12/15/what-is-anthology-horror-and-why-i-love-it/ https://www.thepopverse.com/the-massice-ice-cream-man-interview-with-w-maxwell-prince-and-martin-morazzo-youve-always-wanted
This revisionist Western is a mix of fictional and historical narratives about how law, society, and America came to South Dakota in the late 1800s. We talk about how the show's creator, David Milch, got from Ancient Rome to the Dakota gold rush, and all the lines he crossed to get there. Sources Deadwood, Generic Transformation, and Televisual History by Allison Perlman
In 1993, our late, lamented hero Steve Albini wrote this gross and profane takedown of the music industry, and we've been thinking about it ever since. We try to follow the evolution of Albini's attitude about how music is distributed while also checking in on David Byrne, Marxist theory, and Tik Tok. Sources https://thebaffler.com/salvos/the-problem-with-music