2022 · Based on 1 season, 6 episodes through December 9, 2022 ·
Dragon Age: Absolution follows Miriam, an elf who escaped slavery in the magic-ruled Tevinter Empire. Hira, Miriam's old love and a former Inquisition mage, draws her into a heist for the Circulum Infinitus. Miriam joins Qwydion, Roland, Lacklon, and Fairbanks. The team tries to steal it before Magister Rezaren can use blood magic. The fast adventure is violent and dark, with demons, a dragon, and betrayal.
Two same-sex romances feature in the six episodes. Miriam and Hira are a lesbian couple, and Roland and Lacklon start a gay relationship, while Miriam's love and trust in Hira drive the main emotional plot. Miriam is a highly skilled woman hero who leads much of the action, and Qwydion is another powerful woman mage. The story shows the harm caused by Tevinter's elf slavery and cruel mage rulers, but it uses a fantasy system and Miriam's own history instead of direct talk about modern politics.
Community feedback
Was our 50% Woke rating accurate?
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Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Dragon Age: Absolution.
Woke representation / casting
Miriam is a dark-skinned woman and the lead fighter in the core crew. Hira and Qwydion are also women with major magical or planning roles. Roland and Lacklon form a gay couple within the main team. The show builds its six-person crew around a female lead, three notable women, and two same-sex pairings.
45%
Woke political dialogue
Not present. The dialogue discusses Tevinter slavery and rule by mages in its fantasy setting. The show does not use direct modern political or activist speech.
0%
Identity-driven story themes
Miriam and Hira have a lesbian relationship that drives Miriam's return to Tevinter and her rescue plan. Hira's betrayal makes that relationship the main emotional conflict in the ending. Roland and Lacklon also begin a gay relationship during the mission. The show treats both relationships as normal and uses no direct identity speeches.
47%
Western institutional / cultural critique
Not present. The plot condemns the fictional Tevinter regime for slavery and blood magic. It does not turn this into a modern critique of Western culture, family, or Christianity.
0%
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. The main crew is new to this canon. The brief appearances by game figures do not make identity-driven changes to their characters.
0%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
A post on the anti-woke KotakuInAction forum said that character morality and skill followed race, sex, and sexual orientation. A small YouTube review asked whether the show was too woke and focused on its early signals. Other fan comments said some viewers used two same-sex romances to call the show woke. The complaints remained niche online reactions, not a broad news controversy.
20%
Creator track record context
Mairghread Scott has a cached score of 49 for advocacy for women and diversity in comics. Tim Sheridan has a cached score of 68 for public LGBTQ+ advocacy and queer-focused comic work. Mae Catt has a cached score of 55 for representation-focused public comments. Grace Deppe Waldschmidt has a cached score of 25 for disability-representation consulting.
54%
Production
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