I saw an absolutely wonderful Dollhouse MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) chart on tumblr a ways back. And as I often do, I went to go Myers-Briggs type myself immediately and then match my own self up with someone’s scores. But then I realized that nobody I usually type out as was on the original chart, and I realized why that was: I have an unhealthy affinity for minor characters. (Every MBTI I took online varied slightly, but I ended up being either Claire, Adelle, or Tony; this didn’t surprise me much, as far as results could have gone.) I then swore that I was going to make my own, imitative MBTI chart for the minor characters of Dollhouse. Because I’m compulsive like that.
(And I had forgotten my letter results when I typed the characters out, so there was no cheating, but now went back to check; yep. Unsurprisingly, I found that, while it varied, I got “a slightly different result but the I and the J are always the same. It just varies N/S, F/T,” and that means that depending on the test, I type out a la Mellie or Bennett [or Dom, which I don't see, or Ivy, which I do see]. Je suis predictable.)
So now, I present to you said chart, with analyses of the types quoted out and thanks to typelogic.com. A lot of the decisions made were severely driven by headcanon, because these characters appear in between 2-15 episodes, and 5 of them don’t even have (canonical) last names. But hey, headcanon is what I do.
Laurence Dominic (Reed Diamond)
ISTJ. “ISTJs are often called inspectors. They have a keen sense of right and wrong, especially in their area of interest and/or responsibility… As do other Introverted Thinkers, ISTJs often give the initial impression of being aloof and perhaps somewhat cold. Effusive expression of emotional warmth is not something that ISTJs do without considerable energy loss. ISTJs are most at home with ‘just the facts, Ma’am’… ‘We’ve always done it this way’ is often reason enough for many ISTJs.” Dom’s role so often was that of the cranky, all-too-professional guy, the one with a stick right up his ass; I think terms like “initial impression” are key, though, because I’m sure that he’s got other sides, somewhere deep inside.
Ivy (Liza Lapira)
INFJ. “Beneath the quiet exterior, INFJs hold deep convictions about the weightier matters of life… These are the people that you can rarely fool any of the time. Though affable and sympathetic to most, INFJs are selective about their friends. Such a friendship is a symbiotic bond that transcends mere words… Introverted intuitives, INFJs enjoy a greater clarity of perception of inner, unconscious processes than all but their INTJ cousins. Just as SP types commune with the object and ‘live in the here and now’ of the physical world, INFJs readily grasp the hidden psychological stimuli behind the more observable dynamics of behavior and affect… ” Once again, I love Ivy. And I never once got the “difficult time connecting with people” vibe from her like Topher and Bennett both radiate at times; rather, I took her for the type who connects when it makes sense to them. She doesn’t need to connect with everyone, but she’ll be, well, “affable and sympathetic to most.”
Zone (Zack Ward)
ESTP. “ESTPs are spontaneous, active folks. Like the other SPs, ESTPs get great satisfaction from acting on their impulses. Activities involving great power, speed, thrill and risk are attractive to the ESTP… To an ESTP, admission of weakness feels like failure. He admires strength in himself and in others. ‘Shock effect’ is a favored technique of this type to get the attention of his audience… These are the ultimate realists. Extraverted Sensors are at one with objects and experiences now, in the only living, pulsing moment that ever really exists… The ESTP preference for mental, physical and emotional toughness surely can be traced to this detached, rational function.” I don’t know if Zone was always an ESTP, but years of thoughtpocalypse can do that to a person. “Spontaneous, active” sounds more like a pre-thoughtpocalypse him (or what I imagine of him) but “ultimate realist” is more of a during-thoughtpocalypse him. He’s the voice of cranky reason among the Actuals, when he’s not busy being the voice of morbid humor.
Mellie (Miracle Laurie)
ISFJ. “ISFJs are characterized above all by their desire to serve others, their ‘need to be needed’… (Since ISFJs, like all SJs, are very much bound by the prevailing social conventions, their form of ‘service’ is likely to exclude any elements of moral or political controversy; they specialize in the local, the personal, and the practical.) ISFJs are often unappreciated, at work, home, and play. Ironically, because they prove over and over that they can be relied on for their loyalty and unstinting, high-quality work, those around them often take them for granted–even take advantage of them… They are capable of forming strong loyalties, but these are personal rather than institutional loyalties… Like most Is, ISFJs have a few, close friends. They are extremely loyal to these, and are ready to provide emotional and practical support at a moment’s notice… ISFJs are loyal to the end; there is no sense of purely objective (i.e., impersonal) judgement of anyone but themselves (and that only by their own standards).” I considered typing Madeline; the original chart used Dolls’ original personalities when applicable. But though we get to meet Madeline, we know Mellie much, much better. So. Mellie is loyal as can be, and I love her for it.
Cindy Perrin (Stacey Scowley)
ESTJ. “Being extraverted, their focus involves organization of people, which translates into supervision. While ENTJs enjoy organizing and mobilizing people according to their own theories and tactically based agendas, ESTJs are content to enforce ‘the rules,’ often dictated by tradition or handed down from a higher authority… Circumstances calling for product invite the ESTJ to supervise or direct other individuals toward production and productivity… As the ESTJ matures, and as situations arise which call for suspension of criticism, Extraverted iNtuition is allowed to play. Under the leadership of the Te function, iNtuition gravitates toward the discovery of broad categories which at worst amount to stereotypes.” This is mostly based on the personality she exudes; there’s no way of knowing that she’s really that way or if it’s just part of the Cindy Perrin act. Hell, we don’t even know if her real name is Cindy. But between Cindy and the glimpses we get of bitter-handler-who-might-be-Cindy, this is my humble analysis.
Kilo (Maurissa Tancharoen)
ENTP. “ENTPs are usually verbally as well as cerebrally quick, and generally love to argue–both for its own sake, and to show off their debating skills. ENTPs tend to have a perverse sense of humor as well, and enjoy playing devil’s advocate… Both at work and at home, ENTPs are very fond of ‘toys’ — physical or intellectual, the more sophisticated the better. Once these have been “solved” or become too familiar, however, they’ll be replaced with new ones… ENTPs may sometimes give the impression of being largely oblivious to the rest of humanity except as an audience: good, bad, or potential… No games – they’ll win. No ‘pulling rank’ – they’ll just want to put you in your place… Their limitations appear in their relative underdevelopment, diminished endurance, and vulnerability… ENTPs have the need to have areas of expertise/excellence/uniqueness in which one is second to none.” Holy wow, here’s all the headcanon, I warned you. Kilo is one of those with 2 episodes; technically, it’s 3, but I figure since 2 of them are Dollstated one-liners, they count each as .5 of an appearance. And the MBTI analysis is based pretty solely on techhead Kilo, anyway. How much of that is original to her and how much is affected by the tech and the surroundings is debatable.
Mag (Felicia Day)
ESFJ. “Strong, contradictory forces consume the ESFJ. Their sense of right and wrong wrestles with an overwhelming rescuing, ‘mothering’ drive. This sometimes results in swift, immediate action taken upon a transgressor, followed by stern reprimand; ultimately, however, the prodigal is wrested from the gallows of their folly, just as the noose tightens and all hope is lost, by the very executioner!… The world is a dangerous place, not to be trusted. Not that the ESFJ is paranoid; ‘hyper-vigilant’ would be more precise. And thus they serve excellently as protectors… At any rate, ESFJs reflect the ‘black and white’ view of reality which is common to the SJ types.” Mag. I love her a lot, too. I really, really do. I mean, this is mostly speculative, but she does seem to be the mom-figure of the Actuals, taking care of them all in her way. I see her as the type that, pre-thoughtpocalypse, was only shy about things she didn’t want to talk about with everyone, but was pretty outgoing at times. She was a sociology major for crying out loud.
Daniel Perrin (Alexis Denisof)
ENTJ. “ENTJs have a natural tendency to marshall [sic] and direct. This may be expressed with the charm and finesse of a world leader or with the insensitivity of a cult leader. The ENTJ requires little encouragement to make a plan… In combination with the natural propensity for filibuster, our hero can make it very difficult for the customer to decline… Improvising on the fly is something many ENTJs do very well. As Thinking’s subordinate, insights are of value only insofar as they further the Right, True Cause celebre.” This based, obviously, on the fictionalized Daniel Perrin of the imprints, not the original party boy. We’re analyzing all the imprints tonight. And by all I mean 2-3.
Bennett Halverson (Summer Glau)
INTJ. “INTJs are perfectionists, with a seemingly endless capacity for improving upon anything that takes their interest… INTJs are known as the ‘Systems Builders’ of the types, perhaps in part because they possess the unusual trait combination of imagination and reliability… While they are capable of caring deeply for others (usually a select few), and are willing to spend a great deal of time and effort on a relationship, the knowledge and self-confidence that make them so successful in other areas can suddenly abandon or mislead them in interpersonal situations. This happens in part because many INTJs do not readily grasp the social rituals; for instance, they tend to have little patience and less understanding of such things as small talk and flirtation (which most types consider half the fun of a relationship). To complicate matters, INTJs are usually extremely private people, and can often be naturally impassive as well, which makes them easy to misread and misunderstand. Perhaps the most fundamental problem, however, is that INTJs really want people to make sense.” Why is this copypaste so damn lengthy? Because it was so damn relevant. And because I have all the headcanon. It fit her so neatly.
–your fangirl heroine.
