Stallone, Trump, & Taylor Sheridan's unrelenting sagas of toxic male masculinity

[Miles Archer]

ASIDE FROM the "Mar-a-Lago Buds" relationship between Stallone and Trump...

...I've seen the Taylor Sheridan Stallone series "Tulsa King."

It's improbable fictional horseshit...in "real life," I don't care how "powerful" and "connected" Stallone's character is. The whole premise of the series, the way it plays out, it's just Toxic Male American Porn.

Billy Bob Thornton in another Sheridan series, also on Paramount+, "Landman"...each episode is a clogged toilet bowl of toxic masculinity, with the twist being the wives of these "Texas Oil People" being just as determined to screw over the toxic males in their lives as the toxic males are to use, abuse, and discard them.

I put on the premiere episode of "Yellowstone" a couple of years ago and got about 15 minutes into it and thought "What the FUCK is this TOXIC MALE BULLSHIT?"

So Taylor Sheridan is omniscient, omnipresent, the great television god of documenting what it's like to be a power-hungry toxic male scumbag in the age of Trump.

I'm glad that Sly and Don had fun snuggling last night. It was very special.

[Walleye]

1. I think they have excessive testosterone in their heads instead of brains

[Miles Archer]

3. I have to wonder who's in the audience for these Sheridan shows

I hated "Yellowstone," turned it off after 20 minutes. I slogged through "Landman" because I like Thornton and the same for "Tulsa King" because I was curious to see what Stallone would do in a TV setting but it's the same undercurrent that runs through everything Sheridan touches. He really is writing an ongoing love letter to the toxic males of America.

[milestogo]

2. Most of the female characters on Landman are idiotic

and so are some of the ones on Yellowstone. I just figure Taylor Sheridan hates women.

[NCDem47]

9. Hyper-sexual (to get what they want--money, power or superficial things) or scorned women (seeking revenge).

I'm a man. And the way women on Landman are written is APPALLING.

And don't even get me started on the preachy-ness of how important the oil and gas industry is in Billy Bob's monolougues.

[milestogo]

12. I love Billy Bob Thornton.

There's nobody else like him. I think I'll re-watch "Bad Santa" instead of Landman.

[chia]

4. I've watched Landman and enjoyed it thoroughly, in part because I like Billy Bob Thornton, and in part

because I like the stories it's telling. Sure, some of it's over the top, but real landmen critique each show. Just as a military vet might criticize a movie portrayal, or a cop, or a firefighter, etc., most viewers will understand that there's going to be fictional embellishment. It's not a documentary.

But as for the toxic masculinity, have you ever spent much time around blue collar workers? It's often hard, exhausting, dangerous work. They have to be tough because the environment they work in requires it. It's not for everyone, but it's for a lot of hardworking Americans.

Not all masculinity is toxic, not all males are toxic. It's this attitude that got us MAGA.

[Wifes husband]

11. Agreed

There are jobs that require men like that. I have known some. If you don't like the show, turn it off. Tough men are not necessarily "toxic".

If you notice, all the women are very tough. Toxic?

[Avalon Sparks]

14. Plus the woman lawyer

Holds her own easily in a room full of good old boys. lol

Sheridan has some strong, well written roles for women in all of his series, the fact really horrible things happen to some of the characters, especially in 1923 tv series it is so over the top and repetitive, is what makes me think he does in fact hate women.

[chia]

16. I didn't watch 1923 so I can't speak to that, but Rebecca Falcone (Kayla Wallace) is great.

I've read an observation that Sheridan can't write woman characters and needs a female cowriter, so maybe that could be a factor.

[sop]

5. 'Yellowstone'...'The Sopranos' on horseback.

How many bodies did the Dutton gang dump across the Wyoming border?

[yardwork]

7. I said the same! I watched it to the end - it got worse and worse.

It's just the Sopranos set in Wyoming.

[underpants]

6. I think Landman is excellent. 1883 and 1923 too

but I can’t believe how 1923 ended.

The first scene of Landman was like a TED talk short on the oil industry. Billy Bob is fantastic. Good strong wild female characters.

I’ve seen one reel of Tulsa King. No thanks. Never been a Stallone fan other than Rocky and a few non-Stallone type movies.

The Yellowstone trilogy basically started at its peak. 1883…1923 (the chemistry between Spencer and Alexandra was amazing)….Yellowstone in that order.
I don’t get that much toxic masculinity in it. Beth is something else in a lot of ways. I did enjoy it but we left off with 6 episodes remaining. I think it went too long and lost sight of itself. I think the rightwing love of it was because it was a white peoples Sopranos.

I think Sheridan writes well and knows his subjects.

[Polybius]

8. I'm not disagreeing with you, but how do you define "toxic male masculinity?"

How do you distinguish it from action? I've only seen one episode of Tulsa King, so I can't really comment on it. Where would Rambo or Commando fit in? Predator? Bloodsport?

[Prairie Gates]

10. The funniest was in Sheridan's "The Lioness."

There was a "Special Forces" character who was the toughest and coolest guy ever. It was like a parody of a male fantasy of being tough and cool, but it was meant unironically. We were watching it and goofing on it because the character was such a joke, smiling through firefights and always being tough and cool and all that. Turns out the character was played by....

Taylor Sheridan himself!

He wrote himself his male fantasy character and then played it. What an absolute clown.

[Iris]

13. Have you ever listened to the podcast Trillbillies Workers Party?

They have done some great takes on these shows.

[Sympthsical]

15. Are people not watching the Hunting Wives?

Tch. Shame.