Netflix ’s cyberpunk serial Altered Carbon is staying relatively faithful to Richard K. Morgan ’s 2002 novel — with a few elision , like changing the Jimi Hendrix Hotel to one featuring Edgar Allen Poe . However , there is one controversial moment from the book that showrunner Laeta Kalogridis resist to keep .
Altered Carbon is about a man named Takeshi Kovacs ( Joel Kinnaman ) who ’s come alive hundreds of years after his death to solve the execution of a billionaire . In this dystopian future , the human consciousness has been digitalize , so physical trunk are treated as disposable accessories and immortality is potential for those who can afford it . Since bodies are interchangeable , the real note value is in a soul ’s “ mountain , ” or digital consciousness . This leads people to go to uttermost lengths to satisfy themselves … and profoundly scar others .
The original novel feature an extensive torture aspect , where Takeshi Kovacs is being grill for selective information by multitude who are threatened by his investigation . What create the agony tantrum unique is that it ’s altogether digital . Kovacs ’ genuine body is n’t being tortured — since those are interchangeable — but rather a virtual consistency in his nous . That was kind of interesting , since it showed us how valuable the “ push-down list ” has become .
However , there was one part of the torture scene that was less interesting and more horrifying : Kovacs is digitally turn into a cleaning woman . Kovacs ’ torture drive place in the body of a premenstrual fair sex , the idea being that a young woman on her period is the most receptive and vulnerable a human body can get ( … although it ’s deserving name that a late study shows that women arebiologically tougherthan men in general and more capable to brook ordeals like shortage or slavery ) . The setting then puts Kovacs through some graphic and gender - specific torture , as trace by the protagonist in the book :
There ’s no kind of conditioning in the known universe that can prepare you for having your foot burn off . Or your nail tear out .
Cigarettes stub out on your breasts .
A heated iron introduce into your vagina .
The bother . The humiliation .
The damage .
The chronological succession has get mixed response over the years . Some put up its inclusion , because it puts Kovacs outside of his comfort zone — plus , since we ’re in his head , we still name him as the dupe . On the other hand , it can come across as uncomfortable and sexist , choose to alloy a woman ’s body rather than that of the serviceman we spend hundreds of Sir Frederick Handley Page getting to know .
I asked the showrunner about this during my sojourn to the Altered Carbon set up last year . After sitting back in her chair and replying , “ countenance ’s talk about the torture shot , ” Kalogridis revealed it was one of two things that , before yield began , she told Morgan she was going to change — the other being an enlargement of Lizzie Elliott ’s lineament , since she was only a talking point in the book . Kalogridis did n’t have a problem with the original conniption as depict in the book , since it was from Kovacs ’ point - of - view , but she say it would n’t have translated to television without come across as exploitation . She secern io9 :
There was no pushback from Netflix or Skydance [ Media ] about that chronological sequence , but there was pushback from me … The whole point of that [ scene ] in the Word is , I consider the quotation mark is : “ Women are the wash . ” Man are just fucking fighting political machine . We have more nerves per square inch , we have raise pain margin , we last longer . And the point of torturing a woman is that she feel more and she endures longer .
You ca n’t get that across [ on television ] , there ’s just no way . It ’s going to plow into some torture porn thing , and I was n’t comfortable with that . So preemptively — again , it was never a conversation with the studio or the net , it was my decisiveness — that is n’t something I want to make . And if I PC’d myself , I seriously do not give care .
Instead , Kalogridis said the twisting sequence will feature protagonist Joel Kinnaman ’s Kovacs , rather than putting him in someone else ’s soundbox , explaining that it made more signified to show the world we place as Kovacs being tortured because it helps the audience connect with his quandary . And it sound like it ’ll come across on the show : Kinnaman called the filming experience “ very acute , ” saying “ it was a good week of me just crying for 14 hours a twenty-four hours . ” It also produce that moment when he awake up and brutally kill his captor more rewarding .
“ Whoever got tortured has to be the individual who gets up and does the killing , ” Kalogridis sound out . “ [ Otherwise ] , the excited maths does n’t bring up . There ’s no minute when I can really enjoy , for want of a better word , the vengeance . Because what I ’ve done is I ’ve objectified the distaff form , made her the physical object of all the torture , and put a dude in the spot of take care of the patronage . ”
That said , there are plenty of other example of violence against women in Altered Carbon that Kalogridis did keep . There ’s a whole industry where victim , both distaff and male ( though mostly distaff ) , are subject to sexual abasement and overrefinement to appease wealthy clients . And the rationality Kovacs settle to toss off all his captors after being torture is n’t just because he got angry , it ’s also because he sees the disemboweled body of a woman he ’d make love . When require about the book and show ’s portrayal of violence against womanhood , she had a naturalistic if somewhat defeatist mental attitude toward the berth : violence is inevitable in the creation of Altered Carbon , much like the real world .
“ I in person believe that ferocity against char in our society is not go anywhere , ” she enunciate . “ So I think you extrapolate for 250 years or so — actually it ’s about 365 years from now when the history is have place — it ’s still going to be there , especially as body become more disposable . The story involves the reality of how people who live too long would behave . ”
Altered Carbon , from Netflix and Skydance , occur out February 2 .
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