1923 Viewers Have Some Gripes With Taylor Sheridan Over The Female Characters
The lack of diversity in Taylor Sheridan's writer's room has become noticeable. Considering he is usually the only one penning his shows, there is no one else to bounce ideas off of, or share differing perspectives. The biggest victims of this have been the female characters. When "Yellowstone" premiered, Beth (Kelly Reilly) seemed like a rare commodity. She says what she thinks, drinks when she wants, and has no qualms about cutting down anyone in her way. But as the seasons wear on, her schtick wears off. There is no nuance to the character, only the same old routine. Fans quickly became tired of the "Beth Show," and now it seems that "1923" is falling into the same trap. Redditors have noted that the hallmarks of "Yellowstone" have traveled over to the prequel series.
"The dialogue is ridiculous and the bad stuff that happens in the show is way over the top. All the girls are blonde wild and act so silly," u/JLJ9388 posted. That's not remotely a one-off observation; even the fans who try to find logic in the storytelling still find the characters grating.
"[B]eing devil's advocate here, since the one Dutton female character in Yellowstone is blond, wild and crazy maybe he is trying to show this lineage of annoying women?" considered u/Corvisb. Unfortunately, this is only the tip of the iceberg as some fans noted that at worst, women seem to be the source of the ultimate male fantasy.
The female characters are more sexist than edgy
The rejection of the "strong women" stereotype is not a new cause. In recent years, it has been easier for writers to give women martial arts skills or firearms expertise and call it a day instead of writing women as complex, unlikable, or layered. As The Guardian's Barbara Ellen noted, the strong woman isn't indicative of an interesting character. It's just a cliché and another form of sexist writing. Misogyny like this hasn't passed the notice of people watching shows like "1923," who argue female characters typically all have outrageous personalities and nothing else to offer.
"Having watched 1883 and three episodes of 1923, I have to say the female characters and how they act make me wanna rip out my hair. They are mostly fiery, flamboyant, and in the end, insignificant," u/Mando_a98 posted on Reddit. Especially when these women have the same traits, characterizations become lazy. While u/FLhappy commended Helen Mirren's portrayal of the tough matriarch Cara Dutton, the Montana native argued that the series doesn't represent their experience. But worst of all, Taylor Sheridan falls into the biggest trap of disrespecting women: graphic sex scenes. As u/Both_Big5966 posted, "Game of Thrones" was largely guilty of this. Throwing in meaningless nudity to appear provocative or gain viewers.
The Redditor concluded their post by addressing Sheridan. "The women are portrayed horribly, over the top in all his shows. It's embarrassing. Pick a lane Taylor," they wrote.