TW: discussions of sexual assault in movies and tv shows, and spoilers of a few movies/tv shows that include/imply it. (Including Gladiator II, 1923, Downton Abbey, Lessons in Chemistry, Reign, and Rivals.)
I can’t find anything good to watch. Occasionally, a new movie or tv show is released that turns out to be way better than its trailer, but most of the time, I’ve been pretty let down by my viewing options.
When I turn on the tv, it feels like I only have two options: made for kids or made for desensitized adults. In the past month, I’ve tried watching a few newer tv shows, but my adventurous attitude really didn’t pay off. When viewing every single one of the “grown-up” shows or movies, I have been clenching the remote control so tight, preparing myself to fast forward over a sexual assault scene. Sometimes it doesn’t happen; like in Gladiator II, one of the women puts on her chastity belt, but isn’t actually assaulted. However, I expected that it might happen, especially after the chastity belt scene, and you know what? I don’t like being worried like that. I just want to watch a movie and be happy.
Another one which absolutely caught me off guard was 1923, one of the prequels to Yellowstone which I actually wrote an article about earlier this year encouraging people to watch it. Honestly…don’t. I changed my mind after the first episode of season two had not one, but two very graphic sexual assault scenes for no reason whatsoever.
This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t include it; Downton Abbey did and so did Lessons in Chemistry. The difference is that they actually addressed it and how the event impacted the character who experienced it. The writing has been debated online, but at least the show’s writers treated it as something that needed careful attention. Unlike the shows listed above that just used assault as a plot device which is absolutely careless.
In Gladiator II, if there had been an assault, it would have been used to push the male character to defend his honour. The woman would have been completely disregarded, I can guarantee that it would have only focused on how it impacted the man. How does that make sense? My answer — it doesn’t.
The reason for 1923 including it was to push the show over the line of PG to R-rated. That’s all. The writers have run out of every kind of trauma and violence under the sun to distinguish itself for a mature audience, so they thought they would step it up even more. There’s an underlying tone as if the writers think that the reality of assault needs to be brought to light, hence the assault of a man and a woman in the same episode, but as writers for a cowboy show they treat it the same as if someone was beat up. Assault isn’t the same at all and treating it as if it is doesn’t help anyone. This may sound harsh, but don’t include it if you aren’t going to write it properly.
So, what should people do? I don’t have a solid answer for this and I won’t pretend like I do. But I will say that I appreciate when shows tell you that the episode includes it. Not only does this signal to me that they know it is worth noting, but that they also know that it can impact their viewers. Reign does this at the beginning of the episode and also includes a helpline at the end of the episode. The scene is also not super graphic. To be honest, I didn’t even realize what had happened until the discussion between the women following the event which allowed the scene to centre on care and female support — not how violent it could be and how uncomfortable the writers could make the audience feel. Another solution — Disney+’s Rivals gives a warning in the episode description, “contains graphic themes and sexual violence.” How great is that? Now you know before you even turn on the episode.
While these aren’t guaranteed to fix the issue, I think that these can be helpful as writers learn how to approach such an important issue. So, even if streaming platforms aren’t treating the subject as sensitively as you need, remember to treat yourself with that care. Find what works for you, so that you can enjoy watching movies again.