DZ-48: One-Shot - Blade Runner 2049 – Agency vs Choice

Can your characters be given choices and yet still be deprived of agency?

To kick off 2018, Chas and Stu take a deep dive into one of their favourite movies of 2017: Blade Runner 2049. However, they abstained from “Fox News-ing this shit” by being joined by the most accomplished screenwriter they know, C.S. McMullen (Blood List 2017, Black List 2017, also a lover of Blade Runner 2049).

For a film that is thematically about choice, Stu and Chas thought this would be an excellent opportunity to explore how characters can be dramatised through binary choices.  And yet, CS opened their eyes to the idea that characters can still be given choices without having agency. Without having choice in their choices. Not having choices that lead to different outcomes.

It is perhaps the lack of agency (rather than the lack of choice) that lead to some of the troubling depiction of women and minorities in Blade Runner 2049, which our intrepid hosts explore in detail.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND

Audio quotations used for educational purposes only. Timestamps indicated below. Chapter markers included in the mp3.

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EPISODES LINKS

DRAFT ZERO RELATED EPISODES DZ-20: Writing Strong Secondary Characters – Trinity, Bechdel and a Bamboo Killer DZ-41: Theme and Worldview DZ-42: One-Shot - Split, Character Worldview & Macro POV BLADE RUNNER 2049 s: Hampton Fancher w: Hampton Fancher and Michael Green [@ 2m 29s] Find: C.S. McMullen JustWatch: Blade Runner 2049 Watch: Blade Runner 2049 - Alternate Trailer Blu-Ray (Fan-made) Read: Blade Runner 2049 Script Watch: Black Out 2022 Watch: 2048 - Nowhere to Run Watch: 2036: Nexus Dawn Short WALLACE AND LUV [@ 10m 33s] Watch: Replicant "Birth" Full Scene Watch: K. fights Sapper Morton - "You've never seen a miracle" Watch: Officer K meets Luv K AND HIS MISSION [@ 26m 18s] Watch: "The world is built on a wall" Watch: Baseline Tests K AND JOI [@ 30m 19s] Watch: Joi Virtual Girlfriend Scene Watch: Joi Rain Scene Watch: Joi "You Look Lonely" K'S CHOICES AND HIS ARC [@ 36m 00s] Watch: DNA Searching Scene Watch: Officer K shares his memory with Joshi Watch: Officer K and Joi and Marietta DECKARD AND THE LAS VEGAS SEQUENCE [@ 47m 34s] Watch: Ruins of Las Vegas Watch: Deckard & K share a drink LUV AND JOSHI [ @ 58m 26s] Watch:  "WHERE IS HE" Scene (Luv confronts Joshi) K'S HERO CHOICE [@ 1h 01m 52s] K AND LUV [@ 1h 04m 45s] Watch: K vs Luv Scene TEARS IN THE SNOW [@ 1h 10m 57s] Watch: Ending Scene DEPICTION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES [@ 1h 19m 24s] Read: The Conversation -  Blade Runner’s problem with women remains unsolved in its sequel Read: The Guardian - Is Blade Runner 2049 sexist – or a fair depiction of a dystopian future? Read: Digital Spy - Can we talk about Blade Runner 2049's problem with women? Read: NY Post - You’ll love the new ‘Blade Runner’ — unless you’re a woman Read: Mashable - The hidden feminist message buried inside 'Blade Runner 2049' Read: New Statesman - Blade Runner 2049 is an uneasy feminist parable about controlling the means of reproduction Read: Mary Sue - Director Denis Villeneuve Tries to Defend His Portrayal of Women in Blade Runner 2049 Read: The Mary Sue - Blade Runner 2049: Bad Representation Is Not Representation WRAP UP AND KEY LEARNINGS [@ 1h 35m 36s] Read: EXTREMES OF LIGHT AND TEMPERATURE: NOTES FROM THE SET OF 'BLADE RUNNER 2049' BACKMATTER: Blade Runner 2019 Watch: Blade Runner (Complete Deleted Scenes/Lost Footage) Watch: Which "Blade Runner" Cut Should I Watch? A Visual Explainer. Watch: I want more life Watch: Blade Runner 2049 - Rachael Scene

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