A man and a woman join forces to oppose an impending gender dystopia scenario.

SYNOPSIS:

With the “Men Going Their Own Way” (MGTOW) phenomenon indicating an already fracturing state of gender relations, it’s hard not to have anxiety about how much worse things might get. With the continuing evolution of technology certain to bring about further societal disruption, this script explores how a gender dystopia scenario might play out.

Set in 2050 when artificial-womb technology has been perfected to the point where women are no longer required as gestaters, the female gender faces the prospect of being selected out of existence.

The Governing Council is considering a motion to “adjust the gender ratio”. This move is widely expected to be the prelude to an eventual elimination of “general purpose females”.

Two young people have been selected to present to Council their opposing views on the motion. One of them is Jade, a woman of twenty-five who will be advocating for her own gender. The other is Brendan, a charming man of twenty-five who will be providing an opinion on whether the latest Joy-Bot technology is up to the task of replacing women in their sexual capacity.

Jade confers with some friends as she prepares her presentation for the Council. They debate the implications of the government’s proposal, and the prospects for opposing it.

Brendan confers with his mates at a pub where they drink too much and act like idiots.

Jade is advised by the wife of the Council president that her presentation is for show only, and that Council’s only true concern is in hearing Brendan proclaim the arrival of the long-awaited Joy-Bot Paradise. Jade’s only hope to save the future of her gender is to undermine Brendan’s presentation so that Council will not get the endorsement they want for their motion.

Jade contacts Brendan and convinces him to meet with her to discuss their presentations.

When they get together Jade loses sight of her objective of winning over Brendan and instead becomes frustrated with his willingness to uncritically believe the government’s narrative. She belittles him and he walks out.

Jade is more than a little surprised when it turns out that Brendan finds her confrontational style to be highly invigorating and much preferable to his Joy-Bot experience.

Brendan’s altered attitude leads to romantic feelings between them. Problems arise when Brendan’s government-appointed handler uses legal coercion to get Brendan to agree to a positive review of the Joy-Bot.

When she delivers her presentation to Council, she warns them of the threat of becoming protoplasmic replicas of the bots they so cherish. This so impresses Brendan that he dispenses with his prepared text and rejects the notion of a Joy-Bot paradise..

Upon learning of Brendan’s actions Jade becomes convinced that a romance with him might be worth a try even if the future for both of them looks decidedly un-promising in the dystopian world of the second half of the twenty-first century.