westworld-daily:
The first episode of “Westworld” is a kind of endurance test in watching sexual violence against women.
We see a protagonist, Dolores (played by Evan Rachel Wood), experience one horrific day in a constant loop: after a peaceful trip into town she returns home to find her mother and father murdered. Her beau, Teddy, is killed right in front of her. She is dragged into a nearby barn, screaming, where she is raped offscreen. She’s forced to relive that trauma over and over again ― and we live it with her.
Before “Westworld” had even premiered on HBO, its pilot episode sparked criticism because of the general overabundance of sexual violence against women on the network, particularly on “Game of Thrones.” Critics wondered, was “Westworld,” like “Game of Thrones,” merely going to use the nudity and sexual violence of women as a gimmick, as a tool for shock value? Or was it going to delve deeper?
In August, during HBO’s TCA presentation, one of the show’s creators Lisa Joy responded to the concern. “Sexual violence is an issue we take seriously,” she said.
“[The show is] about exploring the crime, establishing the crime and the torment of the characters within this story and exploring their stories hopefully with dignity and depth.”
The problem that so many movies and TV shows run into, that “Game of Thrones” suffers from, is the fact that rape is so often used as a plot device, a way to move the story along. The aftermath of rape, the impact that it has on the inner world of a character, is rarely ― if ever ― truly unpacked.
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