It goes without saying, if we are talking about a show you haven't even started watching at all or haven't finished yet, there will be spoilers.
I am not sure there will ever be one show out there that will please everyone on how they portray LGBT life. There will always be the critics that want more of this, less of that, less about AIDS, more about the sex, more healthy relationships, throw in a thruple, less women, more bisexuals, more real life transgender individuals. Did I get 'em all? I know the answer is no so why ask. Why even attempt to include a gay character or three for I am sure there will be criticism.
What is the correct amount of LGBT characters to have on a show?
With the statistics of LGBT individuals in society not being too exact and varying so much, from 4%, 3.5% of adult men, one in 10, two in 25, 23% of everyone, 25%, how many people on any given show need to be LGBT to appease the masses / critics?
But then again, what kind of show are you making? The LGBT percentiles were off the charts when it came to "Looking" and the original try at the story called "Tales of the City." HBO seemed to managed to do okay with LGBT characters in "Game of Thrones," but was it not in the plan for "Westworld?" A show depicting characters killing and fucking everything and anything they want … it sounds like a perfect place for LGBT characters. Sarcasm? Maybe, maybe not.
The first LGBT character on "Westworld" we meet is Elise. She shows us her female-to-female attraction toward one of the non-humans by stealing a kiss from whore-host Clementine when she is in for repairs. That's the only "gay thing" we really see Elise do for she is soon snuffed out, as it seems many LGBT television characters are, especially lesbians, but that's something for a different blog.
The second LGBT-ish character we see is Logan's and his non-heterosexual ways as he gets off the train in Westworld, walking between and embracing both a male and female host. Bi? Pan? Looking for a warm hole anywhere? Once you get to know him, that last one sounds about right. Logan's sexuality pops up again in an orgy scene where he is with two girls and a guy, but still not sure where he fits on the LGBTQQIA spectrum. Do we have to know? Some critics say that HBO should be clear on Logan's sexuality. Since there are so few "gay" characters, it would be good to know where one of the prominent ones resides on the rainbow.
Third, we cannot forget the lab tech whom decides to wank off while caressing hunky and naked Hector, just to have Hector push a nice shank though his chest cavity. Penetrated from behind brings on new meaning with that one.
Fourth-ish was an Annie Oakley-esque female guest that took a liking to a female whore-host in the saloon in one of the episodes, but I think her park credits must have ran out since we didn't see her again.
So what is the verdict on Westworld? Critics be damned? Here's what I have to say.
- There is a splash of gay characters in HBO's "Westworld" and I for one am okay with that splash.
- If we look at the numbers, 3.5% of the characters would be LGBT if it were real world stats. We know of 4 and I don't think we've been introduced to more than 100 real people yet. So we are on track.
- Are we really upset that there are not more LGBT characters attending a shoot 'em up / fuck 'em up theme park that costs god knows how much money to be at?
- Did we expect Ford (Anthony Hopkins) to announce that his new theme is "Gay Days At Westword." Okay, that would be kind of fun and should have happened with Hector (Rodrigo Santoro) and Logan (Ben Barnes) but I will stick to my own personal fantasy.
- Aren't all the hosts programmed to please the outsiders? Doesn't that mean they can swing any way the paying customer pleases? That seems pretty liberating.
- Should HBO explain more about its LGBT characters? Do we know if Logan's "sex with anyone and everyone" attitude is the same back home or is this just part of his Westworld fantasy? And if so, who is at home waiting for him? A husband? A wife?
- Of course I would love to see some hot humping cowboy-on-cowboy action or a loving father mention his same-sex partner in passing, but I don't need it to make the story more complete or better than it already is at this time.
I'm looking forward to Westworld Season 2 and if there aren't any more gay characters in it, I'm going to be fine. We don't know much about next season except that Movieplot lists Anthony Hopkins as a cast member of Season 2. Will he be in flash backs or … ?
But I can see when we get right down to it, the rainbow doesn't really exist in Westworld. We shall just have to wait and see if the rainbow flag will be hoisted again in this fictitious HBO land, either with new workers or present character development. We could ask J.J. Abrams since it seems the whole SERIES has been planned out.
So J.J., are there more LGBT characters written into Westworld?
