“Not much of a rind on you”: (De)Constructing Genre and Gender in Westworld (Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, HBO, 2016-)

Abstract

This article explores the ways in which the TV series Westworld blurs gender and genre, creating resonances that deconstruct traditional notions of gender roles. Through a minute analysis of several key scenes in the first season, it examines how robots and humans construct gender both within the park and without, and then explores the question of masculine hegemony and feminine agency within those worlds. Finally, the article undertakes to point out how production and reception interact to create intertextual frameworks that can shed light on questions of gender construction.