Erin Giannini

Charybdis Tested Well with Teens:

The Cabi n i n t he Woods as Metafictional Critique of
Corporate Media Producers and Audiences
[1] In Commentary: The Musi cal , whi ch accompani ed the DVD rel ease
of Dr. Horri bl e s Si ng-Al ong Bl og (Jul y 15-20, 2008), Joss Whedon si ngs that
he i s Heart, Broken by the ways that due to ti e-i ns, prequel s, games and
codes, the narrati ve di es/stretched and torn. The seri es fi nal e of
Dol l house (2009-2010) f eatured programmer Topher Bri nk (Fran Kranz),
whom many vi ewed as an avatar f or Whedon hi msel f (Tesca 2012),
1
broadcasti ng a si gnal that si mul taneousl y restored humani ty to thei r
ori gi nal sel ves whi l e ki l l i ng hi msel f ( Epi taph 2: Return, 2.13). The Cabi n i n
the Woods f eatures an ul ti matel y fai l ed ri tual , managed i n a corporate
setti ng, that ends wi th everyonemai ntenance staff , chemi sts, di rectors,
control l ers, and actorsvi ci ousl y torn apart by a l arge assortment of
horror movi e monsters, fol l owed by the end of the worl d.
[2] There i s an escal ati on evi dent i n these three exampl es, whi ch
stretches across three of the mai n medi ums i n contemporary cul ture:
i nternet, tel evi si on, and fi l m. What al l of these exampl es share i s a
(somewhat) sardoni c cri ti que and sense of weari ness wi th the medi um
wi thout whi ch, as Jed Whedon and Mauri ssa Tancharoen si ng i n response to
Joss compl ai nts, [he d] fi nd [hi s] f ame and fanbase gone. The heartbroken
wri ter, the sui ci dal programmer, and the total bl oodbath of Cabi n al l off er
parti cul ar cri ti ques of an i ncreasi ngl y corporati zed medi a. In Heart,
Broken, i t i s the exhausti on that comes f rom the constant mai ntenance of
both hi s branded properti es (Buf fy [1997-2003], Angel [1999-2004], Fi refl y
[2002-2003], et al .) and Whedon hi msel f as brand. In Dol l house, i t i s the tol l
of programmi ng for broadcast that l eads to sel f -i mmol ati on. The fact that
no one i s spared i n Cabi n, i ncl udi ng the unwi tti ng actors (read: sacri fi ces) as
wel l as those who serve as both producers and audi ence, of f ers a bi ti ng
cri ti que of corporate medi a and i ts audi ences whi l e of f eri ng l i ttl e hope f or
ei ther to break f ree of i ts entrenched system of producti on and consumpti on.
[3] From Sereni ty (2005) to The Cabi n i n the Woods (2012), Joss
Whedon has l aunched a sustai ned cri ti que of a corporati zed medi a cul ture
that uses bodi es, bl ood, and sacri fi ce as a way to i ncrease audi ence share
and profi ts, i ncl udi ng hi s own compl i ci ty i n i t.
2
In parti cul ar, i t i s the
repeated trope of mani pul ati onpuppet theater i n Sereni ty, Dol l s i n the
Dol l house, and puppeteers
3
i n Cabi nwhi ch off ers the most sustai ned
cri ti que of the tri ad of producer, creator, and audi ence that comes to i ts
f rui ti on i n the fi nal revel ati ons of The Cabi n i n the Woods.
The Plural of Apocalypse
[4] The seri es fi nal e of Buf fy the Vampi re Sl ayer ended i n the way
each of the previ ous seasons ended, wi th an apocal ypti c scenari o averted
(Chosen, 7.22). Whi l e none of Whedon s seri es has shi ed away f rom the
specter of l oss and sacri fi ce, Buf fy perhaps stood as the most hopeful .
Despi te the l oss of mother, f ri ends, l overs, and home, the fi nal shot i s a
smal l smi l e on Buff y s (Sarah Mi chel l e Gel l ar s) face. Angel , whi l e al ways
taki ng a darker turn, ended as i t began, wi th outmatched heroes conti nui ng
to fi ght the good fi ght despi te the odds (Not Fade Away, 5.22). Fi refl y,
whi l e not gi ven a real seri es fi nal e, neverthel ess ended i ts bri ef run on
network tel evi si on on a note of togetherness, wi th the troubl ed Ri ver Tam
(Summer Gl au) seemi ngl y accepted by the erstwhi l e fami l y of the shi p
Sereni ty (Obj ects i n Space, 1.14). Even the fi l m Sereni ty, wi th the l oss of
Wash (Al an Tudyk) and Book (Ron Gl ass), shows that i t conti nues to fl y
despi te the odds. It seems as i f the darker turn i n Whedon s work
4
starts
wi th Dol l house and reaches i ts darkest poi nt i n Cabi n.
[5] Yet there i s a connecti ve narrati ve ti ssue between Fi refl y/Sereni ty,
Dol l house, and Cabi n that separates them f rom Whedon s earl i er work. The
di egesi s of al l three share the f eature of ei ther l eadi ng to and beyond an
apocal ypse, or actual l y start i ng the narrati ve wi thi n a post-apocal ypti c
scenari o. In each case, despi te the acti ons of characters both seen and
unseen, the worl d as they know i t ends. Whi l e thi s i s easy to i denti f y i n both
Dol l house (the vi rtual entertai nment technol ogy gets out of control and turns
the worl d i nto a wastel and) and Cabi n (the ol d gods do not get thei r needed
el aborate ri tual sacri fi ce and thus ri se and destroy), the worl d of Fi refl y and
Sereni ty al so qual i fi es as post-apocal ypti c. The openi ng narrati on of Sereni ty
expl ai ns: Earth coul d no l onger sustai n our numbers, we were so many.
Whi l e i t i s not expl i ci tl y stated i n ei ther Fi refl y or Sereni ty when thi s
occurred, the pl anet was essenti al l y destroyed (or otherwi se rendered
uni nhabi tabl e). Whi l e earl i er Whedon works (namel y, Buf fy the Vampi re
Sl ayer and Angel ) f aced supernatural apocal ypti c threats ( e.g., demons,
powerful wi tches, rogue gods), both Fi refl y/Sereni ty and Dol l house s
apocal ypti c scenari os are enti rel y of human ori gi n.
5
In the case of Fi refl y,
overpopul ati on and depl eti on of resources (a pl ausi bl e scenari o) seemi ngl y
caused an envi ronmental apocal ypse. Sereni ty al so of f ers Mi randa, a pl anet
of the dead that stands i n i roni c contrast to t he supposed ori gi ns of i ts
name, a brave new (drugged and deadl y) worl d. Mi randa s destructi on was
al so human-made: i n order to make the popul ati on better l ess aggressi ve,
more peaceful the government mi xed a drug i nto the ai r processors. The
drug, Pax, had the uni ntended ef f ect of not onl y sappi ng Mi randa s r esi dents
of any wi l l to l i ve (they just l ai d down and di ed), but al so hypi ng the
aggressi ve response of a smal l segment of the popul ati on, turni ng them i nto
the vi ol ent, canni bal i sti c Reavers, who, i n Ri ver s words, never l i e down.
[6] The dangerous f uti l i ty of tryi ng to make peopl e better through
these types of i nterventi ons i s al so exposed wi thi n Dol l house. Gi vi ng peopl e
what they need, as Los Angel es Dol l house head Adel l e DeWi tt pi tches i ts
servi ces to weal thy cl i ents, through the technol ogi cal wi z ardry i ts sponsor,
the Rossum Corporati on, speci al i zes i n, i s preci sel y what causes the
thought -pocal ypse.
6
Eve Bennett argues that the cl i ents needs are
general l y i nfl uenced by medi a (a poi nt I l l address bel ow) and that the
Dol l house responds to the troubl i ng i ncrease i n sel f -awareness i n the Acti ves
(Dol l s) by al l owi ng them to pl ay out cl osure scenari os that wi l l return them
to Dol l state, thereby pl ay[i ng] l i ke an i l l ustrati on of the way the cul ture
i ndustry deal s . . . wi th the threat of autonomous thought by an endl essl y
del ayed promi se of escape through medi a s narrati ves (8).
The Truth of the Signal
[7] The threat i n Cabi n thus fi ts fai rl y easi l y between the
supernatural threats of earl y Whedon and the l atter Whedon f ocus on
human-made dangers. The fi l m s openi ng credi t sequence f eatures vari ous
arti sti c scenari os of torture, sacri fi ce, and death, onl y to resol ve i tsel f i nto
the banal of fi ce setti ng that starts the fi l m. Li ke many fi l ms of the genre,
there i s l i ttl e i n thi s scene to i ndi cate that i t i s a horror fi l m: no ki l l er s-eye
vi ew of future vi cti ms, no creaki ng doors, no of f-ki l ter musi c. Indeed, not
unti l more than three mi nutes i nto the f i l m does the vi ewer see anyone
under the age of 30. Instead, i t i s two mi ddl e-aged men, Steve Hadl ey
(Bradl ey Whi tf ord) and Gary Si tterson (Ri chard Jenki ns) at a vendi ng
machi ne: Hadl ey di scusses the f erti l i ty treatments hi s wi fe i s undergoi ng and
her reacti on to them, whi l e Si tterson makes sardoni c remarks. The
envi ronment i s whi te, nearl y steri l e (off eri ng an i roni c contrast to the
conversati on), and certai nl y bl oodl ess: a corporate setti ng, an of fi ce i n
whi ch peopl e di scuss matter s both work-rel ated and personal . The onl y
el ements that i ndi cate what i s to come are a di scussi on about the f ai l ure of
Sweden to del i ver, al l ocati ng bl ame f or past probl ems, and whether or not to
parti ci pate i n the of fi ce pool . It i s onl y l ater that the vi ewer di scovers that
thi s corporate setti ng i s the headquarters f or a yearl y ri tual i sti c sacri fi ce to
sati sf y the ol d gods, i n whi ch stereotyped (or archetypal ) teens are off ered
up to keep the worl d from bei ng destroyed. Hadl ey and Si tterson, among
others, can both watch and control the proceedi ngs, f rom behi nd gl ass, as i f
i t i s a fi l m or pl ay.
[8] These vi sual and narrati ve moti fs are not new to the
Whedonverses. Thei r tel evi sual anal ogue i s the seri es Dol l house, parti cul arl y
the recurri ng vi sual of mastermi nd Topher Bri nk s l aboratory and i ts
posi ti oni ng above the l i vi ng and sl eepi ng quarters of the bl ank and
mani pul ated Acti ves he control s. Dr. Horri bl e s Si ng-Al ong Bl og rel egates
many of Horri bl e s expl oi ts to Bi l l y s (Nei l Patri ck Harri s ) retel l i ng of them
to the vi ewers of hi s vl og. It i s Sereni ty, however, that more subtl y i nvokes
the narrati ve and vi sual di stance of thi s posi ti oni ng by, i n a si mi l ar styl e to
Cabi n, starti ng the f i l m wi th two separate removes f rom the mai n narrati ve:
Ri ver Tam s (potenti al l y i mpl anted) vi si on of a cl assroom i n whi ch chi l dren
are l earni ng a bi ased versi on of pl anetary hi story, and her escape f rom the
Academy, whi ch i tsel f i s a recordi ng vi ewed by the Operati ve (Chi wetel
Eji of or).
7
[9] The vari ous l ayers that are evi dent i n Cabi nthe staged setti ng,
f rom the moment Curt (Chri s Hemsworth), Dana (Kri sten Connel l y), Hol den
(Jesse Wi l l i ams), Marty (Fran Kranz), and Jul es (Anna Hutchi nson) get i nto
the RV, the potenti al storyl i nes i nscri bed i n each of the obj ects i n the
basement, envi ronmental control s i n the f orms of hormones and other drugs
pi ped i nto the envi ronment, even the di al ogueseemi ngl y serve as a
cul mi nati on of a conti nui ng expl orati on of the power of the i mage; most
i mportantl y, how that i mage i s mani pul ated. When Hol den ki sses Dana f or
the fi rst ti me, she says, I don t wanna, I mean, I never . . . . She stops
mi d-sentence not out of embarrassment at a l ack of experi ence (the f i nal gi rl
[see Cl over] i s al most al ways vi rgi nal ), but because the words are wrong;
they are not her own.
8
[10] There i s more at pl ay wi thi n the fi l m than a metafi cti onal jab at
the tendency toward narrati ve redundancy i n contemporary horror fi l ms, aki n
to Wes Craven s Scream f ranchi se. Whi l e Scream attempted to subvert
generi c conventi ons by poi nti ng out the rul es of horror fi l ms, as wel l as
al l owi ng Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbel l ) to undermi ne the cl i ch that sex
equal s death wi thi n the context of the genre, Cabi n peel s back al l the l ayers
to expose not just redundancy, but the l ack of narrati ve cohesi on and
characteri zati on requi red to make the pl ots of these fi l ms work. After Jul es i s
decapi tated by pai n-worshi pi ng zombi es and Curt returns to the house, he
defi es one of the rul es of the genre by suggesti ng that they sti ck together to
search the house. One of the control l ers, Hadl ey, sl umps i n di sappoi ntment
when he hears Curt say thi s, but Si tterson rescues the moment by rel easi ng
a chemi cal i nto the ai r that makes Curt change hi s mi nd. Watch the master
at work, Si tterson says.
[11] It coul d be argued that by maki ng Jul es, Curt, Hol den, Dana, and
Marty i nto stereotypes, Cabi n i n fact does nothi ng to undermi ne the cl i chs
and redundanci es i n the horror genre. As Adorno and Horkhei mer wri te of the
cul ture i ndustry, the i ndi vi dual i s an i l l usi on (41), and i n that respect,
Cabi n does l i ttl e to subvert that parti cul ar assumpti on. Pseudo-i ndi vi dual i ty
i s the prerequi si te f or comprehendi ng tragedy and removi ng i ts poi son . . .
because i ndi vi dual s have ceased to be themsel ves and are now merel y
centres where the general tendenci es meet (Adorno and Horkhei mer 40-41).
In other words, they are reduced to l abel s such as schol ar, jock, whore,
vi rgi n, and fool .
[12] There are two el ements, however, that work agai nst thi s
assumpti on. Fi rst there i s the parti cul ar Whedon trope of ki l l i ng bel oved
characters i f i t serves the story (Anyone Can Di e). The f orced cl i ch-ness
of the cabi n s i nhabi tants does not al l ow the audi ence to l ove or connect
wi th them, theref ore maki ng thei r deaths l ess narrati vel y and emoti onal l y
traumati c. By i l l umi nati ng that parti cul ar cal l ousness, the narrati ve can
serve to questi on i t. Second, the characters that are more roundedHadl ey
and Si tterson i n parti cul arare al so not spared.
[13] Indeed, the audi ence sees none of the workers survi ve. Even the
Di rector (Si gourney Weaver) i s ki l l ed by Pati ence Buckner (Jodel l e Ferl and)
at the end of the fi l m. Dana i s the one who expresses the subtext of the
ri tual : They don t j ust wanna see us ki l l ed. They want to see us puni shed.
Dana i s speaki ng not just of the ol d gods or the Faci l i ty s empl oyees. As they
watch the cabi n, so do we, the audi ence. Indeed, there are numerous
i nstances of watchi ng wi thi n Cabi n. There are the ol d gods watchi ng
humani ty. There are the Faci l i ty s empl oyees watchi ng (and mani pul ati ng)
the acti on on screen. Even wi thi n the cabi n i tsel f , there i s the doubl e
obj ecti fi cati on of Hol den watchi ng Dana through the one-way gl ass as she
starts to undress; when he al erts her to hi s presence bef ore she can ful l y
undress and of f ers to swi tch rooms, we then have Dana watchi ng Hol den
undress bef ore putti ng a bl anket over the gl ass.
9
Fi nal l y, there are the
boxed-i n creatures wi thi n the f aci l i ty, scrol l i ng past Dana and Marty l i ke
menu opti ons on a DVD.
[14] Dol l house addresses si mi l ar questi ons on the necessar i l y l arger
canvas that a tel evi si on seri es can of f er. The seri es i s about a corporati on
that i s l argel y funded by underground operati ons known as Dol l houses, i n
whi ch i ndi vi dual s are di vested of thei r personal i ti es and reduced to a chi l d-
l i ke state so they can be i mpri nted wi th new ones at the behest of weal thy
cl i entel e. As i n Cabi n, the i ndi vi dual personal i ti es are supposed to be sui ted
onl y to the speci fi cati ons of those who hi re these i ndi vi dual s.
10
Whi l e Adel l e
DeWi tt uses the term f antasy as part of her sal es pi tch to cl i ents, the
seri es i tsel f i nterrogates thi s concept throughout i ts run, shi fti ng genres
f rom romance to suspense to acti on to horror as requi red by both the cl i ent
and the narrati ve i tsel f. As Bennett wri tes i n her anal ysi s of Dol l house s
f ocus on fantasy and corporate mani pul ati on, the Dol l house serves as a
handy metaphor f or Hol l ywood as dream factory, poi nti ng out the
numerous i nstances wi thi n the seri es that the fantasi es of Dol l house cl i ents
are di rectl y i nfl uenced by popul ar medi a, i ncl udi ng the Natural Born Ki l l ers
(1994) scenari o i n Omega (1.12) and cl i ent Matt Cargi l l s vari ous romanti c
comedy f antasi es f or whi ch he hi res Echo (Ghost, 1.1; Echoes, 1.7). Yet
the epi sode The Atti c (2.9) , wi th i ts fi l mi c dream sequences, exposes the
dream factory f or what i t real l y i s:
The Atti c seems to suggest that for al l Hol l ywood s i mage
as a dream factory, i t shoul d real l y be vi ewed as a pl ace of
ni ghtmares. The entertai nment i ndustry i s fuel ed by the
i magi nati ons of the creati ve peopl e who work wi thi n i t, not
to menti on the i magi nati ons of the audi ences who consume
thei r output. However, anyone who bel i eves that they enj oy
pl ayi ng a part i n thi s system i s del udi ng themsel ves,
because ul ti matel y they are nothi ng more than cogs i n a
vast corporate-capi tal i st machi ne f rom whi ch there i s no
escape. (Bennett 16)
[15] The Atti c i s the threat hangi ng over both Acti ves and Rossum
empl oyees, a pl ace i n whi ch the i ndi vi dual i s kept i n an adrenal i ne-i nduced
f ear state i n order to power the corporati on s mai nf rame. As Bennett further
argues, the f act that both broken Acti ves and di sgraced empl oyees resi de
i n the Atti c suggests that audi ences, producers, and networks are al l bound
together i n a compl ex structure of i nterdependence wi thi n the cul ture
i ndustry (24).
[16] The Cabi n i n the Woods takes thi s concept to i ts l ogi cal extreme.
Whereas the Acti ves wi thi n Dol l house are sai d to have consented (i .e. ,
agreed to a contract when they were vul nerabl e and f el t they were out of
opti ons), and Ri ver even begged to attend the Academy that ul ti matel y
attempted to surgi cal l y mani pul ate her brai n i n order to turn her i nto a
psychi c assassi n (Sereni ty, 1.1), the questi on of consent of Dana, Marty,
Jul es, Hol den, and Curt i s cl ear: they have not consented to be a part of the
ri tual . They are unwi tt i ng cogs i n a vast machi ne that seems to operate
as a stand-i n f or the corporati zed medi a f or whi ch Whedon produces fi l ms
and tel evi si on seri es. The onl y choi ce they are gi ven i s how they l l di e:
murderous mermen, a Pi nhead-esque monster, or the eventual choi ce: The
Buckners, a fami l y cul t of pai n-worshi ppi ng zombi es. Each el ement i s
careful l y scri pted and control l ed, even bef ore the group l eaves f or the cabi n:
Jul es hai r-dye i s treated wi th a chemi cal to decrease i ntel l i gence and rai se
l i bi do, and Marty s mari juana i s tampered wi th to make hi m l ess observant
and more suscepti bl e to suggesti on. As the RV pul l s away f rom Dana s
apartment, we see a man on the roof of Dana s bui l di ng, confi rmi ng to the
Faci l i ty thei r departure and thus begi nni ng the ri tual . When Marty and Dana
enter the Faci l i ty i tsel f, they are f aced wi th any number of potenti al horri fi c
scenari os they coul d have chosen, al l of whi ch have some anal ogue wi thi n
the horror genre.
[17] Whi l e i t i s the ol d gods that requi re the yearl y sacri fi ce, i t i s the
humans who have, i n essence, i ndustri al i zed i t. From behi nd gl ass,
technol ogy, and a bank of moni tors, they control the envi ronment of the
cabi n, as wel l as i ts i nhabi tants. Thi s work i s undertaken wi th dedi cati on and
seemi ng pl easure, wi th the notabl e excepti on of securi ty guard Dani el
Truman (Bri an Whi te), who seems di sturbed at the behavi or of hi s
coworkers, whi ch i ncl udes betti ng on whi ch threat the teens wi l l face and
throwi ng a raucous party when the j ob seems to be compl eted.
11
[18] But who are the ol d gods? The fi l m does not make thi s cl ear,
whi ch l eaves vi ewers to make thei r own determi nati on. It i s arguabl e that
the gods that need to be appeased are none other than the audi ence. Test
screeni ngs and ti cket sal es determi ne whether any fi l m wi l l be a success or
fai l ure. The tal oned hand that crushes the cabi n at the end i s an apt
metaphor f or the f ate of a box-of fi ce f ai l ure, parti cul arl y f or a genre that
seemi ngl y runs on f ranchi ses and sequel s, whi l e the narrati ve i tsel f seems to
cl ose down the possi bi l i ty f or a Cabi n i n the Woods 2.
12
[19] In Sereni ty, the mai n pl ot rests on i nformati on that Ri ver Tam
may have psychi cal l y gl eaned whi l e undergoi ng experi mental procedures to
turn her i nto a psychi c assassi n. The seri es Fi ref l y s antagoni sts i ncl ude two
bl ue-gl oved men who are nomi nal l y l i nked to the Bl ue Sun Corporati on,
parti cul arl y gi ven Ri ver s reacti ons to the Bl ue Sun l ogo, i ncl udi ng sl i ci ng
through i ts representati on on a t-shi rt worn by crew member Jayne Cobb
(Adam Bal dwi n), maki ng i t red i nstead of bl ue (Ari el , 1.08) and teari ng
l abel s of f of Bl ue Sun products (Shi ndi g, 1.04). The graphi c novel s that
were posi ti oned narrati vel y between the seri es and the fi l m make thi s
connecti on expl i ci t as wel l as the connecti on between the Bl ue Sun
Corporati on and the Al l i ance government. Si nce the corporati on coul d not
contai n Ri ver Tam, the government i ntervened i n the f orm of a government
agent known onl y as the Operati ve to track down and contai n Ri ver
(Matthews and Whedon).
[20] The use of medi a cuts both ways i n Sereni ty. The Operati ve uses
a commerci al f or Frui ty Oaty Bars (whi ch f eatures an ani mated bl ue sun) to
tri gger Ri ver s vi ol ent abi l i ti es and thereby track her thr ough the numerous
securi ty f eeds across the gal axy. The pl ot i tsel f hi nges on a buri ed vi deo that
i mpl i cated the Al l i ance i n the death of mi l l i ons. The crew of Sereni ty, wi th
the hel p of a hacker cal l ed Mr. Uni verse (Davi d Krumhol tz), use that same
medi a to broadwave that vi deo to the enti re gal axy, undermi ni ng what he
cal l s the puppet theater the Parl i ament s j esters f oi st on the somnambul ant
publ i c (Sereni ty) and, i t i s i mpl i ed, al so weakeni ng the Al l i ance government
i tsel f . There i s a hopeful ness i n i ts narrati ve that i s mostl y absent f rom
Dol l house, and compl etel y mi ssi ng f rom Cabi n. As Norman Cowi e wri tes,
regardi ng the potenti al i ty of medi a pi racy: In an age when corporati ons
i nvoke the Fi rst Amendment to protect thei r ri ght to sel l anythi ng to anyone
i n any pl ace at any ti me, medi a pi racy asks about protecti on f or ci ti zens who
wi sh to speak back usi ng the same l anguage (320). Thi s i s not to i mpl y
there was not a cost to thi s di ssemi nati on, i ncl udi ng the l i ves of two crew
members and vari ous others who had shel tered crew and passengers i n the
past. Yet the fi l m ends wi th a tri bute to a l ove of home and created fami l y
despi te the odds, and the crew has managed to barter the medi a i nf ormati on
they possessed to secure some l evel of f reedom.
[21] In Dol l house, any such vi ctory i s pyrrhi c. If the Al l i ance
government i n Fi refl y/Sereni ty i s i n col l usi on wi th the corporate sector
wi thi n i ts future di egesi s, Dol l house, set i n the present day, shows an
Ameri can government that has wi tti ngl y or unwi tti ngl y ceded control to that
sector. Rossum, the corporate vi l l ai n i n questi on, has al ready i nfi l trated the
government by i nstal l i ng Acti ve archi tecture (that i s, brai n rewi ri ng to
accept personal i ty i mpri nts) i nto a Uni ted States senator (The Publ i c Eye,
2.5), who i s bei ng groomed to (The Lef t Hand, 2.6), and wi l l eventual l y
become, presi dent (Whedon, Epi taphs). Tony (Enver Gj okaj) and Pri ya
(Di chen Lachman), who have managed to f al l i n l ove despi te bei ng constantl y
i mpri nted and then wi ped, become est ranged because of Tony s l ove of
technol ogi cal enhancements, whi ch he had onl y ori gi nal l y started to use to
protect hi s fami l y (The Hol l ow Men, 2.12; Epi taph 2: Return, 2.13).
Carol i ne Farrel l (El i za Dushku), l ater known as the Acti ve Echo, ful fi l l s her
goal to bri ng down Rossum (Echoes, 1.7) by ki l l i ng the head of the
corporati on, Boyd Langton (Harry Lenni x) and bl owi ng up the headquarters,
onl y to have the technol ogy she was tryi ng to prevent f rom goi ng gl obal
actual l y accel erated by her acti ons and l eadi ng to the destructi on of soci ety
(The Hol l ow Men, 2.12). Further, the man she l oves (Paul Bal l ard [Tahmoh
Peni kett]) i s ki l l ed j ust as they are about to reach saf ety (Epi taph 2:
Return, 2.13).
[22] Yet despi te the unhappy ci rcumstances of death and destructi on,
even Dol l house off ers some narrati ve rel i ef: Tony and Pri ya reconci l e, Echo
uses the i mpri nti ng technol ogy to i ncorporate Paul s personal i ty i nto hers
(thereby f ul fi l l i ng hi s need that she l et hi m i n), and the human popul ati on
i s restored to thei r ori gi nal personal i ti es (Epi taph 2: Return, 2.13). Kri sten
Noone argues that, In Whedon s worl d, even when that worl d i s apocal ypti c
i n nature, hope f or humani ty can sti l l be f ound (25).
[23] No such save or hope i s evi dent i n Cabi n. The gods are not
appeased and the worl d appears to be endi ng as Dana and Marty share a
joi nt. Cabi n, theref ore, represents a parti cul ar narrati ve endpoi nt that i s, as
expl i cated above, i ni ti al l y expl ored wi thi n Sereni ty, compl i cated i n
Dol l house, and termi nated i n Cabi n.
13
In Sereni ty, the corporate- and
government -control l ed medi a apparatus i s turned on i tsel f by Ri ver Tam and
the crew of the spaceshi p, buyi ng them some degree of autonomy.
Dol l house, on the other hand, of f ers numerous exampl es of medi a i mages,
f rom the vox pop i ntervi ews of Man on the Street (1.6) (whi ch gi ve the
appearance of a news report, but were i n fact commi ssi oned by Rossum), the
vi deo yearbook i ntervi ew of Carol i ne Farrel l that i s sent by f ormer acti ve
Al pha (Al an Tudyk) to Paul Bal l ard at the FBI (Ghost , 1.1), and the vi deo
taps pl aced i n Paul Bal l ard s apartment that al l owed the Dol l house to
moni tor hi m (Man on the Street , 1.6) (and were l ater used to tri gger the
sl eeper protocol i n the Acti ve named November, to ki l l hi m [The Hol l ow
Men, 2.12]). Whi l e Carol i ne s i ni ti al pl an to bri ng down Rossum i ncl uded
vi deotapi ng thei r i nstances of ani mal cruel ty and posti ng i t onl i ne (Echoes,
1.7), that pl an ends wi th her boyf ri end Leo (Josh Cooke) dead and Carol i ne
on the run; the tape i tsel f i s l ost i n the escape. Unl i ke Sereni ty, medi a i n
Dol l house of f ers no real outl et to fi ght agai nst corporate control because
medi a i s corporatel y control l ed.
[24] Indeed, by Cabi n, medi a has moved al ong the spectrum f rom
potenti al savi or to acti ve antagoni st. In 2007, Whedon posted a message on
the i nternet board WHEDONesque about the beati ng death of Du a Khal i l
Aswad, captured on camera phone and di stri buted wi del y across the Internet
and news broadcasts, not to record the horror of the event, but to
commemorate i t (Let s Watch). Whedon goes on to rel ate thi s to the ri se
i n torture porn, our i ncreasi ng desensi ti zati on to vi ol ence, and the
i ntractabl e myth that women are i nf eri or to men. The horror of the gl eeful
vi ol ence and commemorati on of Aswad s death l eads Whedon to concl ude:
I ve al ways had a bent towards apocal ypti c fi cti on, and I m begi nni ng to
understand why. I l ook and I see the earth i n fl ames (Let s Watch). Whi l e
thi s i s f ol l owed by a cal l for hi s f ans to acti vel y parti ci pate i n maki ng the
worl d a better pl ace f or al l sexes, he al so cl ai ms , I ve never had any f ai th i n
humani ty. Thi s l ack of fai th i s cl ear i n the fi nal moments of Cabi n:
DANA. I m so sorry I al most shot you. I probabl y woul dn t
have.
MARTY. Hey, hey, no. Shh. No. I total l y get i t. I m sorry I
l et you get attacked by a werewol f and then ended the
worl d.
DANA. No. You were ri ght. Humani ty. It s ti me to gi ve
someone el se a chance.
[25] Cabi n coul d thus be l ooked at as Whedon s answer to the Du a
Khal i l vi deo: that as a cul ture, as an audi ence, we requi re the honor ki l l i ng
of these young peopl e i n order to appease anci ent and entrenched gods of
i deas. The fi l mi ng of Aswad s death di d not resul t i n a stop i n the practi ce of
honor ki l l i ng, nor di d i t save her l i fe. Al yson Buckman s anal ysi s of Dr.
Horri bl e s Si ng-al ong Bl og as Whedon s sel f -refl exi ve deconstructi on of
[Aswad s] patri archal narrati ve i s equal l y appl i cabl e to Cabi n. That bei ng
sai d, whi l e Buckman argues that Dr. Horri bl e s producti on, di stri buti on, and
consumpti on patterns . . . [emphasi ze] communi ty i n the f ace of such
dehumani zati on (Buckman 1), the same cannot be argued about Cabi n,
except i n the bri ef shared moment between Dana and Marty as the worl d
ends. The f act that the whore, accordi ng to the Di rector, must di e fi rst
strengthens thi s readi ng. As Whedon asks i n hi s post on Aswad s death, why
i s i t that the act of a f ree, attracti ve, sel f -asserti ve woman i s puni shabl e by
torture and death? Si tterson off ers one answer i n the l ead-up to Jul es
death: Got to keep the customer sati sf i ed.
[26] The remove of the Cabi n as set and the Faci l i ty as studi o as i n-
fi l m fi l ters f or the audi ence thus serves l ess as a di stanci ng component f or
the audi ence and more as an open questi on: How i s the audi ence i mpl i cated
wi thi n Cabi n as voyeuri sti c? As Jul es and Curt run i nto the l i ghted grove to
have sex, Hadl ey and Si tterson, much to the horror of Truman, say:
HADLEY. Okay, boobi es, boobi es . . .
SITTERSON. Show us the goods . . .
[27] What i s even more si gni fi cant i s that i n one versi on of the
shooti ng scri pt, Hadl ey and Si tterson are descri bed as havi ng the
di spassi onat e f ocus of porn theater patrons (New Scri pts). The scri pt
coul d have easi l y substi tuted horror f or porn, as i t coul d al so descri be
the potenti al l y jaded expressi ons of horror fi l m fans, requi ri ng greater and
greater gore from the fi l ms they consume, despi te any potenti al soci al cost .
Thi s i s not to argue that Whedon, f or whom a hybri d form of the horror
genre i n essence l aunched hi s career as tel evi si on auteur, i s argui ng that
soci ety s mai n di f fi cul ti es are caused by vi ol ence i n fi l m, tel evi si on, or vi deo
games. Co-wri ter and di rector Drew Goddard, i n an i ntervi ew wi th the A.V.
Cl ub, cl ai med that, t hi s movi e does comment on a horror movi e, but that
wasn t our goal . We wanted to comment more on who we are and what part
horror pl ays i n us as a peopl e (qtd. i n Phi pps). Indeed, i f one l ooks at
Goddard s work i n earl i er Whedon seri es, not onl y do themes of i denti ty
emerge (Sel fl ess, 7.3; Li neage, 5.7; Damage, 5.11; Ori gi n, 5.19), but
al so a focus on the consequences of exposure to vi ol ence and horror
(Damage, 5.11) and the dangers of a reducti ve and/or desensi ti zed vi ew of
others (Di rty Gi rl s, 7.18; Sel fl ess, 7.5; Conver sati ons wi th Dead
Peopl e, 7.7
14
).
[28] So what i s Cabi n sayi ng about us as peopl e? In hi s anal ysi s of the
Doctor Who epi sodes Army of Ghosts (2.12) and Doomsday (2.13),
recapper Jacob argues that the narrati ve of the epi sodes emphasi ze both the
i mperi al i sti c atti tudes and the humani ty of the organi zati on Torchwood,
whi ch i s responsi bl e f or unl eashi ng deadl y al i ens on the worl d. Torchwood i s
peopl e. That s the beauty and the tragedy both (Jacob, Et i n Arcadi a Ego).
What Cabi n does i s humani ze both the antagoni sts i n the Faci l i ty and the
vi cti ms. The openi ng montage, i n whi ch Hadl ey di scusses the chi l d-proofi ng
i n hi s house and i nvi tes Si tterson over to hel p hi m remove i t bespeaks both
the ordi nari ness of these i ndi vi dual s and the di sc onnect i nvol ved i n
overseei ng a ri tual sacri fi ce over the weekend and fol l owi ng i t up wi th beers
and power tool s when i t s over. When the mai ntenance of that ordi nary l i fe
requi res such a bl oody ri tual , however, i t undermi nes the val ue of that l i fe,
somethi ng Marty pi npoi nts at the end:
DIRECTOR. The sun i s comi ng up i n ei ght mi nutes. If you l i ve to
see i t, the worl d wi l l end.
MARTY. Maybe that s the way i t shoul d be. If you ve got to ki l l al l
my f ri ends to survi ve, maybe i t s ti me f or a change.
[29] Marty s readi ng of the si tuati on at the end reasserts the deval ui ng
of an exi stence predi cated on bl oody sacri fi ce. The openi ng scene takes on
an extra resonance by the end of the fi l m. Hadl ey tal ks about essenti al l y
ji nxi ng hi s and hi s wi fe s chance to get pregnant by prepari ng f or a baby that
has not yet been concei ved; thi s i s paral l el ed l ater when the enti re staff of
the Faci l i ty start cel ebrati ng the success of a ri tual that has not actual l y
been compl eted. I woul d argue that the true subtext of the openi ng
exchange between Hadl ey and Si tterson i s the basi c steri l i ty of a humani ty
whose exi stence depends not on bi rth, but on the sacri fi ce and suff eri ng of
youth di spl ayed and managed i n a corporate envi ronment.
Concl usi on
[30] About hal f way through Cabi n, Marty retreats to hi s room to read a
book wi th pi ctures (not unl i ke the Dol l house Acti ves, who are seemi ngl y
i ncapabl e of ei ther readi ng or retai ni ng knowl edge), onl y to be i nterrupted
and unnerved by a qui etl y i nsi stent whi sper suggesti ng he go f or a wal k.
Marty s drug-i nduced al tered state means that he i s the fi rst to see both the
metaphori cal narrati ve stri ngs (Curt s al pha mal e and Jul es cel ebutard
anti cs) and the actual stri ngs (the camera i n hi s room) that the puppeteers
are mani pul ati ng. Hi s fi rst concl usi on that he and hi s fri ends are unwi tti ng
real i ty seri es parti ci pants i s not of f the mark;
15
i n both i nstances, the fi l m
seems to argue, audi ences expect certai n stereotypes i n narrati ve and
characteri zati on to unf ol d f or our pl easure, the tested wel l wi th teens
referenced i n Whedon s song.
16
The reducti ve nature of the tropes and
archetypes across medi awhether i t i s a horror fi l m, a drama, or corporate-
managed puppet theater newsi s exposed throughout Whedon s oeuvr e
and i mpl i cates creator and audi ence both.
Works Cited
Adorno, Theodor, and Max Horkhei mer. The Cul ture Industry: Enl i ghtenment
as Mass Decepti on. The Cul tural Studi es Reader . 2
nd
ed. Ed. Si mon
Duri ng. London: Routl edge, 2000. 32-41. Pri nt.
Anyone Can Di e. Tvtropes.org. TV Tropes Foundati on. Web. 24 Sept. 2013.
<tvtropes.org/pmwi ki /pmwi ki .php/AnyoneCanDi e>.
Ari el . Wri t. Jose Mol i na. Di r. Al l an Kroeker. Fi refl y. Season 1. Epi sode 9.
Twenti eth Century Fox Home Entertai nment, 2003. DVD.
Army of Ghosts. Wri t. Russel l T. Davi es. Di r. Graeme Harper. Doctor Who.
Season 2. Epi sode 12. BBC Home Vi deo, 2007. DVD.
The Atti c. Wri t. Mauri ssa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon. Di r. John Cassaday.
Dol l house. Season 2. Epi sode 10. Twenti eth Century Fox Home
Entertai nment, 2010. DVD.
Bennett, Eve. Deconstructi ng the Dream Factory: Personal Fantasy and
Corporate Mani pul ati on i n Joss Whedon s Dol l house. Sl ayage: The
Journal of the Whedon Studi es Associ ati on 9.1 (Spri ng 2011). Web. 8.
Dec. 2013.
Buckman, Al yson. Go Ahead! Run away! Say i t was Horri bl e! Dr. Horri bl e s
Si ng-Al ong Bl og as Resi stant Text. Sl ayage: The Journal of the
Whedon Studi es Associ ati on. 8.1 (Spri ng 2010) Web. 8 Dec. 2013.
The Cabi n i n the Woods. Wri t. Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard. Di r. Drew
Goddard. Li onsgate, 2011. DVD.
Chosen. Wri t. and di r. Joss Whedon. Buf fy the Vampi re Sl ayer. Season 7,
Epi sode 22. Twenti eth Century Fox Home Entertai nment, 2004. DVD.
Cl over, Carol J. Men, Women, and Chai n Saws: Gender i n the Modern Horror
Fi l m. Pri nceton: Pri nceton UP, 1992. Pri nt.
Commentary: The Musi cal . Dr. Horri bl e s Si ng-Al ong Bl og. New Vi deo
Group, 2010. DVD.
Conversati ons wi th Dead Peopl e. Wri t. Jane Espenson, Drew Goddard, Joss
Whedon, and Marti Noxon. Di r. Ni ck Marck. Buff y the Vampi re Sl ayer.
Season 7, Epi sode 7. Twenti eth Century Fox Home Entertai nment,
2004. DVD.
Cowi e, Norman. Medi a Li teracy and the Commerci al i zati on of Cul ture.
Cri ti cal Studi es i n Medi a Commerci al i sm. Ed. Robi n Andersen and Lance
Strate. Oxf ord: Oxf ord UP, 2000. 310-23. Pri nt.
Damage. Wri t. Steven S. DeKni ght and Drew Goddard. Di r. Jef f erson
Ki bbee. Angel . Season 5. Epi sode 11. Twenti eth Century Fox Home
Entertai nment, 2005. DVD.
Di rty Gi rl s. Wri t. Drew Goddard. Di r. Mi chael Gershman. Buf fy the Vampi re
Sl ayer. Season 7. Epi sode 19. Twenti eth Century Fox Home
Entertai nment, 2004. DVD.
Doomsday. Wri t. Russel l T. Davi es. Di r. Graeme Harper. Doctor Who.
Season 2. Epi sode 13. BBC Home Vi deo, 2007. DVD.
Echoes. Wri t. El i zabeth Craft and Sarah Fai n. Di r. James Contner.
Dol l house. Season 1. Epi sode 7. Twenti eth Century Fox Home
Entertai nment, 2009. DVD.
Epi taph Two: Return. Wri t. Mauri ssa Tancharoen, Jed Whedon, and Andrew
Chambl i ss. Di r. Davi d Sol omon. Dol l house. Season 2. Epi sode 13.
Twenti eth Century Fox Home Entertai nment, 2010. DVD.
Ghost. Wri t. and di r. Joss Whedon. Dol l house. Season 1. Epi sode 1.
Twenti eth Century Fox Home Entertai nment, 2009. DVD.
The Hol l ow Men. Wri t. Mi chel e Fazekas, Tara Butters, and Tracy Bel l omo .
Di r. Terrence O Hara. Dol l house. Season 2. Epi sode 12. Twenti eth
Century Fox Home Entertai nment, 2010. DVD.
Horne, Sasha. Real i ty TV Casts Controversi al Spotl i ght on Ameri can
Stereotypes. En.ri a.ru. RIA Novosti , 19 Jan. 2013. Web. 24 Sept.
2013. <http://en.ri an.ru/art_l i vi ng/20130119/178877245/Real i ty-TV-
Casts-Controversi al -Spotl i ght-on-Ameri can-Stereotypes.ht ml >.
Jacob. Et In Arcadi a Ego. Tel evi si onwi thoutpi ty.com. Bravo Medi a, 21 Dec.
2006. Web. 24 Sept. 2013.
The Left Hand. Wri t. Tracy Bel l omo. Di r. Wendey Stanzl er. Dol l house.
Season 2. Epi sode 6. Twenti eth Century Fox Home Entertai nment,
2010. DVD.
Li neage. Wri t. Drew Goddard. Di r. Jef f erson Ki bbee. Angel . Season 5.
Epi sode 7. Twenti eth Century Fox Home Entertai nment, 2005. DVD.
The Magi c Bul l et. Wri t. and di r. Jef f rey Bel l . Angel . Season 4. Epi sode 19.
Twenti eth Century Fox Home Entertai nment, 2004. DVD.
Man on the Street. Wri t. Joss Whedon. Di r. Davi d Strai ton. Dol l house.
Season 1. Epi sode 6. Twenti eth Century Fox Home Entertai nment,
2009. DVD.
Masson, Cynthea. Break Out the Champagne, Pi nocchi o : Angel and the
Puppet Paradox. Studi es i n Popul ar Cul ture 35.2 (Spri ng 2013): 43-
67. Pri nt.
Matthews, Brett, and Joss Whedon, wri t. Sereni ty: Those Left Behi nd.
Mi l waukee: Dark Horse Comi cs, 2005. Pri nt.
Never Sl eep Agai n: The Maki ng of A Ni ghtmare on El m Street . New Li ne
Ci nema Entertai nment, 2006. DVD.
New Scri pts: Cabi n i n the Woods, Cl oud Atl as, Y the Last Man.
Al excassun.wordpress.com. Indi eground Fi l ms, 31 Aug. 2012. Web. 24
Sept. 2013. <http://al excassun.fi l es.wordpress.com/2012/08/cabi n-i n-
the-woods.pdf>.
Ni ghtmare on El m Street . Wri t. and di r. Wes Craven. New Li ne Ci nema, 1984.
DVD.
Not Fade Away. Wri t. Jef f rey Bel l and Joss Whedon. Di r. Jeff rey Bel l . Angel .
Season 5. Epi sode 22. Twenti eth Century Fox Home Entertai nment,
2005. DVD.
Noone, Kri sti n. Rossum s Uni versal Robots: Karel apek Meets Joss Whedon
i n the Dol l house. Insi de Joss Dol l house: From Al pha to Rossum. Ed.
Jane Espenson and Leah Wi l son. Dal l as: BenBel l a, 2010. 21-32. Pri nt.
November Ad. Rossum Corporati on Channel . Youtube.com. YouTube, 18
Nov. 2009. Web. 24 Sept. 2013.
Obj ects i n Space. Wri t. and di r. Joss Whedon. Fi refl y. Season One, Epi sode
Fourteen. Twenti eth Century Fox Home Entertai nment, 2003. DVD.
Omega. Wri t. and di r. Ti m Mi near. Dol l house. Season 1. Epi sode 12.
Twenti eth Century Fox Home Entertai nment, 2009. DVD.
Ori gi n. Wri t. Drew Goddard. Di r. Terrence O Hara. Angel . Season 5.
Epi sode 18. Twenti eth Century Fox Home Entertai nment, 2005. DVD.
Peace Out. Wri t. Davi d Fury. Di r. Jeff erson Ki bbee. Angel . Season 4.
Epi sode 21. Twenti eth Century Fox Home Entertai nment, 2004. DVD.
Phi pps, Kei th. Intervi ew: The Cabi n the Woods Di rector Drew Goddard.
Avcl ub.com. Oni on, Inc., 13 Apr. 2012. Web. 24 Sept. 2013.
<http://www.avcl ub.com/arti cl es/the-cabi n-i n-the-woods-di rector-
drew-goddard,72362/>.
Pozner, Jenni f er. Putti ng Women Back i n the Ki tchen. Nyti mes.com. The
New York Ti mes Company, 21 Oct . 2012. Web. 24 Sept. 2013.
<http://www.nyti mes.com/roomf ordebate/2012/10/21/are-real i ty-
shows-worse-than-other-tv/real i ty-tv-expl oi ts-women-mi nori ti es-and-
chi l den>.
The Publ i c Eye. Wri t. Andrew Chambl i ss. Di r. Davi d Sol omon. Dol l house.
Season 2. Epi sode 5. Twenti eth Century Fox Home Entertai nment,
2010. DVD.
The Ri ng. Wri t. Ni ck Marck. Di r. Howard Gordon. Angel . Season 1. Epi sode
16. Twenti eth Century Fox Home Entertai nment, 2003. DVD.
Sel fl ess. Wri t. Drew Goddard. Di r. Davi d Sol omon. Buf fy the Vampi re
Sl ayer. Season 7. Epi sode 5. Twenti eth Century Fox Home
Entertai nment, 2004. DVD.
Sereni ty. Wri t. and di r. Joss Whedon. Uni versal Studi os, 2005. DVD.
Scream. Wri t. Kevi n Wi l l i amson. Di r. Wes Craven. Buena Vi sta Home
Entertai nment, 1998. DVD.
Shi ndi g. Wri t. Jane Espenson, . Di r. Vern Gi l l um. Fi refl y. Season 1. Epi sode
4. Twenti eth Century Fox Home Entertai nment, 2003. DVD.
Shi ny Happy Peopl e. Wri t. El i zabeth Craft and Sarah Fai n. Di r. Mi chael
Grossman. Angel . Season 4. Epi sode 18. Twenti eth Century Fox Home
Entertai nment, 2004. DVD.
Smi l e Ti me. Wri t. and di r. Ben Edl und. Angel . Season 5. Epi sode 14.
Twenti eth Century Fox Entertai nment, 2005. DVD.
Soul Purpose. Wri t. Brent Fl etcher. Di r. Davi d Boreanaz. Angel . Season 5.
Epi sode 10. Twenti eth Century Fox Home Entertai nment, 2005. DVD.
Tesca, Don. Fantasy Is Thei r Busi ness, But It Is Not Thei r Purpose : The
Metaphor of Dol l house. Joss Whedon: The Compl ete Compani on: The
TV Seri es, The Movi es, The Comi c Books, and More. London: Ti tan,
2012. 411-25. Pri nt.
Whedon, Joss, wri t. Epi taphs. Mi l waukee, OR: Dark Horse Comi cs, 2010.
Pri nt.
Whedon, Joss. Let s Watch A Gi rl Get Beaten To Death. Whedonesque.com.
WHEDONesque, 20 May 2007. Web. 28 May 2007.
<http://whedonesque.com/comments/13271>.
---, wri t. and di r. Vows Commentary. Dol l house. Season Two. Epi sode One.
Twenti eth Century Fox Home Entertai nment, 2010. DVD.
Wi l cox, Rhonda V. Echoes of Compl i ci ty: Refl exi vi ty and Identi ty i n
Dol l house. Fantasy Is Not Thei r Purpose: Joss Whedon s Dol l house.
Ed. Cynthea Masson and Rhonda V. Wi l cox . Speci al i ssue of Sl ayage:
The Journal of the Whedon Studi es Associ ati on. 8.2-3 (Summer-Fal l
2010). Web. 8. Dec. 2013.
Woofter, Kri stopher. Watchers i n the Woods: Meta-Horror, Genre Hybri di ty
and Real i ty TV Cri ti que i n The Cabi n i n the Woods. Readi ng Joss
Whedon. Eds. Rhonda V. Wi l cox, Tanya R. Cochran, Cynthea Masson,
and Davi d Lavery. Syracuse: Syracuse UP, forthcomi ng.
Vi l l ai ns. Wri t. Marti Noxon. Di r. Davi d Sol omon. Buff y the Vampi re Sl ayer.
Season 6, Epi sode 19. Twenti eth Century Fox Home Entertai nment,
2003. DVD.
Notes
1
Whedon, in the commentary for the episode Vows, mentions the comparisons to Topher,
but said that he felt he had more in common with Adelle DeWitt (Olivia Williams), because
she had to [make] the hard choices.
2
Editors note: See, for example, Rhonda V. Wilcox, Echoes of Complicity.
3
Editors note: See also Cynthea Masson on the puppeteers of Angel.
4
Its important to note that both Dollhouse and Cabin were highly collaborative; in the case
of Dollhouse, it seemed that Whedon had a less active role than in some of his earlier work.
Most importantly for this analysis, Drew Goddard co-wrote and directed Cabin. I will
examine the ways in which Goddards aesthetic worked with Whedons later in the paper.
5
Season 6 of Buffy does involve three non-supernaturally powered villainsWarren (Adam
Busch), Jonathan (Danny Strong), and Andrew (Tom Lenk)who use a combination of
technology and magic to torment Buffy. That being said, while Warren used non-magical
means to strike at the Slayer (a gun), his actions precipitated Willows (Alyson Hannigans)
attempt to end the world using magic (Villains, 6.19), making it an uneasy fit with the
non-magical apocalypses mentioned above. Many thanks to Kristopher Woofter for this
insight.
6
There is some indication that Firefly/Serenity and Dollhouse occupy the same narrative
universe. In a Rossum ad posted on YouTube as part of a viral marketing campaign to save
the series, a blue sun rises over planet Earth (November Ad, 2009). Given the narrative
similarities between Rossum and the U.S. governments complicity with it in Dollhouse, and
the implied connection between the Alliance government and the Blue Sun Corporation in
Firefly, choosing that particular visual underscores the resonances between the two.
7
Although I would characterize the series Angel as early Whedon, a similar visual distancing
appears in Season 5 of Angel, also set in a corporate environment. During a parasite-
induced hallucination, Angel (David Boreanaz) finds the Wolfram and Hart lobby has been
turned into a concession stand, and his office a movie theater, in which friends and
employees munch popcorn while Los Angeles burns. When Angel insists they need to get
out there and fight, Wesley (Alexis Denisof) insists Spike will take care of it (Soul
Purpose, 5.10). While it was a dream, it is germane to this discussion of audiences and
producers because of the narrative similarity to Cabins visual disconnect between producers
(Hadley and Sitterson) and text (the action in the cabin).
8
It is established at the beginning of the film that Dana had an affair with one of her
professors.
9
In an interesting subversion of the usual objectification of the female body across film
genres, it is not Dana whom the audience spies shirtless; it is Holden. Indeed, Dana
watches Holden undress for a longer time than Holden watches Dana.
10
In the case of Cabin, obviously they are not hired as much as picked by the Facility and
forced to conform to one of five archetypes: the whore, the jock, the scholar, the fool, or
the virgin.
11
Significantly, one can still see Dana Polk struggling to survive an attack by Matthew
Buckner (Dan Payne) on the bank of monitors in the control room, while the workers drink,
flirt, and dance.
12
It also visually recalls the ending of the first Nightmare on Elm Street film, in which
Freddy Kruegers (Robert Englunds) hand reaches through the window of final girl Nancy
Thompsons (Heather Langenkamps) front door and pulls her mother through (and
presumably to her death), while the surviving teens are trapped in a convertible whose top
matches the colors of Freddys soon-to-be iconic sweater. Wes Craven had not originally
intended for Nightmare on Elm Street to be a franchise (Never Sleep Again).
13
This is not to imply that examinations of corporate behavior and media are limited to
Whedons later works. The first season of Angel features an episode (The Ring, 1.16) that
focuses on Octavian demon death battles put on for the amusement of wealthy spectators
that arguably shares features with programs such as Maury or Jerry Springer, particularly
the crowds fervent egging of the contests to administer a killing blow. Seasons 4 and 5 of
Angel explore this to a greater extent with the Jasmine storyline, a former higher being who
uses the media to enslave and devour humans (Shiny Happy People, 4.18; The Magic
Bullet, 4.19; Peace Out, 4.21); Season 5 takes place entirely within the corporate setting
of the evil law firm Wolfram and Hart, with the episode Smile Time (5.13) dedicated
particularly to both the compromises of creating television and to its potentially negative
(draining) effects on children.
14
Conversations with Dead People (7.7) offers an interesting take on the idea of
collaboration; it is split into four plots, each written by a different individual. Goddard was
responsible for the story involving Andrew and Jonathan, who were two-thirds of the geek
trio that annoyed Buffy in Season 6. It is notable here not only for its collaborative nature
mirroring that of Dollhouse and Cabin, but also for Goddards segments focus on re-
humanizing; that is, Jonathan, who was labeled a geek and picked on in high school,
nevertheless refuses to view his former classmates in the reductive manner they viewed
him.
15
For an analysis of the reality aspect of Cabin, see Woofter (forthcoming).
16
See Horne for an analysis of the ways the recent wave of reality television continues to
perpetuate damaging ethnic, racial, class, and gender stereotypes; for a specific discussion
of more than a decade of stock characters that exhibit the hostility of the reality genre
against women, see Pozner.