It's there even with the really good, smart shows.

This is disorganized and super ranty, because I should be working on a paper right now, but this just NEEDS TO BE SAID.



Dollhouse - I've become convinced the excessive vitriol towards Eliza Dushku from "fans" of the show is misogynistic. Constant complaining she can't act, when that's patently false. (Seriously, dumbasses, check out "True Believer," "Haunted," and "Instinct" for REALLY GREAT and VARIED performances from her.) And every week someone's saying they wished Summer Glau or Amy Acker were the lead instead...you know, never mind THERE WOULD BE NO DOLLHOUSE IF NOT FOR ELIZA DUSHKU. It's her show as much as Joss Whedon's. And the thing that really clinches it, is that I've never seen this with any male actors. I really can't think of any examples that come close. I'm trying, and I'm just pulling up more women--Sarah Michelle Gellar on Buffy; Sela Ward, Lisa Edelstein, and Anne Dudek on House (they can ALL act; yes, even LE, she just has shit material and seems pretty happy with it); pretty much each new companion on Doctor Who...

Dexter - Why do so many people hate Rita? Seriously, WTF? Pretend Rita is the main character, and we don't know about Dexter's secret. She's RIGHT at every step of the way. The woman came out of an abusive relationship with a drug-addict, and is trying to make sure the same thing doesn't happen to her again. WHAT IS THERE TO HATE THERE? Oh right, she doesn't let poor little Dexter have freedom from all his responsibilities so he can have more time to go kill people. What a terrible bitch!

Mad Men - I've only seen a very few comments on Peggy being "too full of herself." Which is laughable, unless you also consider half of Sterling Cooper full of themselves. She has an amazingly accurate sense of how important and valuable she is. Now, Betty is the one who gets a shit-ton of vitriol dumped on her, and it's BAFFLING. Don is serial-cheater, bigot, liar, and general asshole...but Betty's the bitch who should be kinder and more understanding. WTF? Betty was raised by both of her parents to just be a pretty trophy wife, and she does that. Society expects her to be the perfect little housewife, and she does that. Everyone tells her to work things out with Don and pop out a kid she doesn't want, and she does that. What does she get in return? Total misery. And on top of that, her misery isn't even acknowledged as real or valid. She's the only one in the marriage who realizes they'll never be happy together, so she calmly tells Don she wants a divorce. And then he tells her she needs to see a doctor, she's a hypocrite, a whore, and starts physically pushing her around while he's drunk to the point I FEARED for Betty.

...but, no, THE GREAT DON DRAPER is a victim in this, and Betty's his evil bitch-wife, committing the crime of not being PERFECT.

I have a whole rant about how viewers give Don way too much lee-way (he IS a product of his times, a bigot: "I won't have a woman talk to me that way," "you people," etc), and how it's simply bizzarre and kind of frightening that people want Don and Betty to stay together/work it out (hint: Betty's been trying to make it work FOREVER).

And it's not even like these are my favorite characters on these shows. It just fucking pisses me off I can't even read episode reactions without getting punched in the face with mind-boggling misogyny.