Dolly, Dolly, Let Me See You Rock That Body: Dollhouse and the Ethics of Human Cloning

               It would be difficult to argue against the fact that Joss Whedon, and in this specific case, Dollhouse, has tackled some heavy issues. One of those that may not be so obvious is the ethics of human cloning. Absent from direct reference in the text as it may be, according to Dyens’ definition of clone in “The Rise of Cultural Bodies” from Metal and Flesh: The Evolution of Man, Whedon’s dolls are in fact clones.

                “A clone, for example, is a plastic body, for it does not exist in a biological world.” (58) Whedon’s dolls are more than just plastic bodies, they are bodies imprinted with the personalities, skills and memories of one or any number of other individuals at a time. A clone is “a boundless body, fundamentally cultural, a living form without biological integrity, unstable and reproducible. Although made of genes, the clone is an ‘agenetic’ being, its genetic material having been “grown” independent of any normal biological process.” (58) Although the dolls of Dollhouse were at one point human beings, in being transformed into the blank slate existence that is their day to day in the dollhouse, they become plasticised; plastic bodies to be used as vessels for clones and tools for missions and assignments. They are stripped of their biology, and are used as clones on a daily basis. Essentially, they are as plastic as re-writable C.D’s; they are a clone of a different person every day.

                So they’re clones. But, how does Whedon negotiate the ethics of human cloning? Are clones necessary? What purpose(s) do they serve? Who do they serve? Is this a valuable science, or does the dominance of capitalism in this cloning venture strip it of any possible value? What about God? Where is He? Is He dead? Possibly the most interesting thing about this ethical negotiation is the fact that there is no wrong or right side. In fact, each side has its corruptions, its faults and its earnest participators; in effect, Dollhouse presents a pros and cons situation. Whedon, an open atheist (one of the many reasons I’m a big fan of him personally, as well as of his work), often leaves God out of the equation. That isn’t to say that the concept never comes up, but the humans in the story are left to negotiate the pros and cons themselves. This is a responsible move on the part of the show, since it strips the clone debate of one of its most common proponents. ‘The religion thing.’ Humanity is left to determine right and wrong in terms of humanity, instead of in worrying about what their actions will mean in the afterlife. Tahmoh Penniket’s persistently, albeit fairly unenthusiastic F.B.I agent initially occupies the anti-dollhouse (anti-cloning) position. As such he is driven to stop what he is convinced is a crime against ethics and human rights. However, as fans of the show know, he eventually starts working for the ‘enemy.’ Maybe it’s just to get inside info, and maybe only to rescue Echo, but as season 2 continues he seems to get more and more comfortable. On the inside of the dollhouse, they have a few jerks and assholes, but all and all they are a fairly likeable crew of misfit geniuses , security specialists and savvy business people. They seem to earnestly believe in what they’re doing, and do what they can to make sure the dollhouse stays standing on two feet. But, just what is it that they are doing?

                They are perpetrators in capitalism, trying to pass their work off as worthwhile and important to individuals and humanity alike. Not to generalize, but capitalism is often seen as something that veers more toward the unethical side of life. The roots of the Dollhouse, however, are firmly planted in the dirt that is our capitalist system. The dolls (or clones) are prostituted out to rich business people, celebrities, the spoiled offspring of those people, or just regular folks with a lot of money to burn. The point is that the cloning is done for a price. The dollhouse is a business. What then, of human cloning? Like many medical revelations, it may save lives and it may do good, but at what cost? It first and foremost serves the rich, the elite, and those who are able to circumvent the laws of society, or pay for privilege. Like medicine and pharmaceuticals have become a massive industry (in the U.S especially), the event of human clones is likely to only exacerbate matters.

                Despite the fact that the dollhouse is rooted in evil, it’s filled with good, and ambitions of good and greatness. Thus, there is an ambivalence being put forth pertaining to how we, the audience, are supposed to feel about the dollhouse. There is a lot to fear and be apprehensive about, but there is also a lot to explore and learn about. The dollhouse, and in this case, human cloning, is not something to be written off as pure evil, or even pure risk. There is a possibility for goodness, if it’s approached in the proper way. Although just an initial and fairly shallow examination of Dollhouse’s treatment of the cloning debate, I hope to have opened a possible avenue of thought about the show and about cloning. After all, how deeply can one explore such a complex issue and such a complex show while doing them both justice in a brief blog post.