Topher- Deviant or Multi-Faceted?

[sarahi]

In Joss Whedon's shows, there are characters who are self-righteous, characters who either thrive on hurting others or are too apathetic, characters who start out good and turn bad, and characters who start out bad and turn good. I just watched "Ghost" for the second time, and I noticed something about Topher. At first glance, he appears to be one of the people on the show who do bad things and convince themselves that they're helping people. Then I started to wonder if he has some untapped humanity. The way he was defending his Eleanor Penn job showed passion for what he does, which is an emotion that you don't see in people who might as well not have souls. Topher also seemed to show an attraction to the doctor, who I think is one of the more humane people at the Dollhouse. Topher was seen allowing Sierra to be tortured, but is there still a limit to his apathy toward others? Would he face a moral crisis if Echo turns the place upside down enough?

[BuffyFanOne]

The way I see him...and I could be wayyy off... If that maybe he created the technology that allows this to happen and he maybe got caught up in it and let it fall into less favorable hands not he is stuck adminestering it.

Something like that.
I just get the impreshion that he is between a rock and a hard place.

[Joe]

I think he will turn good and starting fighting the Dollhouse from the inside. Or at least trying to make it a better place.

[Malsad]

that wasn't really torture

[Whedon Fan]

I don't think he thinks he is doing a bad thing at all listen to what he says to Boyd in the pilot. Can't remember it exaclty but it was something like

TOPHER: We hire out actives to the highest bidder and they have fun, a good time...she's living the dream

BOYD: Who'd dream

If anything Boys seems like the weak link to the Dollhouse.

[sarahi]

Feb 15, 2009 16:02:02 GMT -5 Joe said:

I think he will turn good and starting fighting the Dollhouse from the inside. Or at least trying to make it a better place.

I like the idea of the Dollhouse being made into a better place. Maybe they could hold onto any actives like Caroline/Echo who signed themselves in, and the jobs could be called "missions" instead of "engagements." If his character development goes in the right direction, I can see Topher using his tech expertise in a government-run Dollhouse that would be closely watched and only involved in certain missions. In light of defense issues over the past few years, if a government agency finds the Dollhouse, it's more likely that the place will be taken over than shut down. I'm not trying to be a conspiracy theorist, I just happen to notice that Joss has certain views on the subject of government intervention.

[Skeptic]

I don't like Topher. Not sure why yet, but he rubs me the wrong way. I do like Boyd, because I think he's going to come to care about Echo enough to change the Dollhouse, or at least try and get her out of it.

And I can think of at least one way to change the Dollhouse... stop running a prostitution ring.

[Rebecca]

I love Topher on TV, I would probably hate and avoid him in real life simply on account of his arrogance.

[Skeptic]

After last night's ep, I think I'm understanding him a little more. He's a ninny. Also, excitable and quick to have a minor meltdown when something goes wrong. Still not sure about the boy.

I did find it amusing that Topher is starting to remind me of Eric Forman on "That 70's Show", played by a dude named Topher.

[Lukee]

Topher i think is like a little kid in a candy shop. He is too excited with the job and what he has made that he doesn't really think about what is really happening. I think he blocks the morals of whats happening and trys to justify them in his head.
I can't see him as a bad person more of a mislead person thinking he is doing right but in reality it's not 100% right.