To be clear: I’m basing this on my own reading of Joi, which is probably the most cynical one. And if Joi’s 'death' at the hands of Luv is tragic, it’s only because we bought into the fantasy designed for K, who relied on her as a companion and confidant as he plunged into the case. I’ve been referring to Joi as 'her' this whole time, but 'it' is probably more accurate gender, like everything also about Joi, is a construct designed to appeal to the heterosexual male who purchased her. Joi doesn’t make choices she follows programming. Even as Joi spurs K on his mission, she serves as his greatest weakness, giving Niander Wallace-whose company created her-a direct method to monitor K.īut you can’t blame Joi for that, right? You can’t call Joi a traitor unless you can also call Siri or Alexa a traitor. And if K’s version of Joi actually seems to recognize his uniqueness over the course of Blade Runner 2049, it’s only because we, the audience, has also been fooled. It’s a fantasy Joi is perfectly engineered to indulge.

And what does K-who was literally factory-assembled-want to see and hear? That he’s unique, and important, and special.

Mackenzie davis blade runner 2049