Westworld (HBO/Sky Atlantic) [** Spoilers **]

nc6000

I thought it was good and Mrs NC6000 despite not wanting to watch it absolutely loved it and can't wait for next week.

Sam Kade

Great scenery but the story and acting is all over the place, hopefully it will improve over the next few episodes.

johnpatrick81

I thought it was a fantastic start. Anyone else think Borgen lass(Hopkin's 2nd in command) is a robot?! Can't wait for more.

homerun_homer

johnpatrick81 wrote: »

I thought it was a fantastic start. Anyone else think Borgen lass(Hopkin's 2nd in command) is a robot?! Can't wait for more.

I thought that too when watching it.

silverharp

I watched it last night with my wife , she kept asking what the deal was with the flies , worth watching for sure. Love the scenery backdrop. it seemed a bit forced that the guy was annoyed that his character was killed before giving the speech. surely part of the fun would be taking part in the gun fights.
what it missed I think was the "newcomers" being given an orientation, like are they supposed to play along if they get shot etc. maybe they will get to it.

Roar

Sam Kade wrote: »

Great scenery but the story and acting is all over the place, hopefully it will improve over the next few episodes.

The English guy (The "writer") annoyed the ****e out of me tbh.

Other than that, loved it. Paint it Black was just awesome.

ManOfMystery

Watched this last night and thought it was brilliant, one of the best pilots EPs I've seen. Great cast, great premise, great acting, lots of questions and intrigue, and enough shocks and brutality and otherwise to keep you hooked.

Few thoughts below (spoilers!)

[*]Loved the casting, particularly the fact that some of the lead cast members have been in other roles involving a simulated reality.
- Ed Harris - Played the man behind the Truman Show concept in the film of the same name, who was essentially 'God' to Truman and set up the simulated reality he lived in. Dressed in black in that too. In this he's playing almost a polar opposite.
- Jeffrey Wright - was the brains behind the simulated reality in Source Code.
- Anthony Hopkins - played a man living 2 realities in Slipstream.


[*]As a Soundgarden fan, I loved the instrumental version of Black Hole Sun on the player piano in the bar which was played near the end of the episode. Chris Cornell has said he wrote the song as a kind of 'surreal dreamscape', which makes it quite apt for inclusion in this. They also had Paint it Black by the Rolling Stones, a song about death and depression.


[*]The multiple instances of the robots pouring milk out, which provokes a kind of 'spilling blood' imagery - the liquids and fibres their bodies are constructed from are white just like milk


[*]There was a very blatant reference to humanity having the means to fix any ailment or disease, and a further reference which Hopkin makes about maybe being able to bring back the dead soon. Which I thought had to have some deeper meaning. I wonder if the overall purpose of the park (though marketed as recreation) is to progress and develop the robots to such an extent that their bodies and minds are imperceptible from humans - at which point there may be a means of transferring our consciousness into their bodies, and defeating ageing/death. We know that Dolores has been in the park 30yrs but hasn't aged at all. The entire park may be a giant testbed for humanity's future.


[*]The notion of Ford introducing glitches to the robots (allowing them to remember certain behaviours which should actually be wiped clean each time they're reset) reminded me of the simulated reality in the Matrix, where the Architect tells Neo that the first incarnation of the Matrix was, as he deemed it, - 'perfect'. And because it was perfect, humanity rejected it. They had to actually make it imperfect for the Matrix to work satisfactorily.


[*]Loved the opening scene with Ed Harris shooting down James Marsden's character. We're led to think initially that just like the original Westworld, Harris' Man in Black is a robot turned bad, and Marsden is a human visitor who came in on the train and dies as a result. So it's quite jarring to realise that Marsden is the robot, and Harris the human. Even flipped around, the scene still works - in fact it probably works even better as you have arguably more sympathy for Marsden as a long-suffering robot than a rich human indulging his whims.

I'm sure there's lots more things but I'm still processing it all and will need a rewatch. I can already tell this is going to be one of them rich, rich shows which just keeps on giving when it comes to picking it apart.

FunLover18

Roar wrote:

Other than that, loved it. Paint it Black was just awesome.

Found it on iTunes, part of an album the London Symphony Orchestra did, so is just bought the whole album. If the rest is as good Paint It Black, money well spent.

Oafley Jones

Roar wrote: »

The English guy (The "writer") annoyed the ****e out of me tbh.

Other than that, loved it. Paint it Black was just awesome.

He was probably the worst thing in it. He wasn't helped by the writing in those scenes, nor the workman like direction. The control scenes looking particularly like pedestrian TV fair. Scenery did help the park shots. He also distracted me from Jeffrey Wright, the one note master of glasses acting.

Like the twist with Harris and Marsden. Love the fact that "quests" are served to the guest in the same ****ty way that RPGs do. There's a lot to take in and a lot of world building and exposition, so it's impossible to judge on this episode. Felt the last ten minutes really helped it. Abrams influence with his mystery boxes clearly in evidence here. I'm wondering will this be more Lost rather than BSG.

I still miss Deadwood.

Mc Love

Loved the wide panoramic shots - amazing cinematography

alchemist33

johnpatrick81 wrote: »

I thought it was a fantastic start. Anyone else think Borgen lass(Hopkin's 2nd in command) is a robot?! Can't wait for more.

I thought that too. I also have a hunch they've made her and the English writer unlikeable so we won't mind when they get killed...

ricero

Im a bit lost with how we know ed harris is a human ? Anyone care to explain

Effects

ricero wrote: »

Im a bit lost with how we know ed harris is a human ? Anyone care to explain

James Marsden's character shot him and he didn't die or get injured. If he isn't human, it could be a glitch with the new update that he's exploiting, one that we don't know about yet.

jcsoulinger

ricero wrote: »

Im a bit lost with how we know ed harris is a human ? Anyone care to explain

Marsdens character tries to shoot him but gun didn't work on him, if he was a robot it would have.

AMKC

Lovely Bloke wrote: »

I found it hard to really care about any of the "hosts" as we know they are robots, pretty much rebooting each night. So while the gunfight was cool, it ultimately meant nothing.

Are some of them becoming sentient? Is that the play here? Is one, or some, of them going to start "remembering" and trying to hide it? Is Dolores already doing that?

Again, why should we even care, if the management can just turn them off at will?

Now, I was very intrigued by the real people, and I especially love the acting of Jeffrey Wright, I thought he played the over the top Valentin Narcisse in Boardwalk Empire excellently, but the more understated Bernard here to a "T". I think Bernard has a certain sympathy for the old man Ford, and I think he's going to be his main ally.

Ye same here why care when they are just rebooted the next evening. What is the milk about is that there drink or is it what they are made from it looked like that.
Can,t say I enjoyed it in fact I found it rather dull and repetitive. Same think each time just slightly different. Just seems to be a bunch of bored scientists playing a digital board game. I also had to laugh at one of them saying that they can do almost anything now so whats the point anymore as they still don,t seem to be able to make reliable computer software for there robots so they are not as brilliant as he seemed to think they are.

ManOfMystery

Effects wrote: »

James Marsden's character shot him and he didn't die or get injured. If he isn't human, it could be a glitch with the new update that he's exploiting, one that we don't know about yet.

ricero wrote: »

Im a bit lost with how we know ed harris is a human ? Anyone care to explain

jcsoulinger wrote: »

Marsdens character tries to shoot him but gun didn't work on him, if he was a robot it would have.

Plus he doesn't seem to get taken in at the end of each day like the others, seems to have more knowledge of the reality of what the park actually is than the robots there, and also says a line about it being good to 'be back' - indicating he's been out of the park.

But this could all be misdirection. Perhaps he's a well informed robot who's been out of service, and the show is making us think he's human. Will be an interesting reveal no matter what.

Mc Love

ricero wrote: »

Im a bit lost with how we know ed harris is a human ? Anyone care to explain

And apparently he said he pays enough money to be there giving another clue. What other purpose is there that the park exists, and is that what Harris is trying to establish?

ManOfMystery

Mc Love wrote: »

And apparently he said he pays enough money to be there giving another clue. What other purpose is there that the park exists, and is that what Harris is trying to establish?

Yeah I forgot that line - "I didn't pay all this money because I wanted it to be easy".

But then again .......... this is interesting

http://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/Westworld-Theory-About-Man-Black-42498697

Birneybau

silverharp wrote: »

I watched it last night with my wife , she kept asking what the deal was with the flies , worth watching for sure. Love the scenery backdrop. it seemed a bit forced that the guy was annoyed that his character was killed before giving the speech. surely part of the fun would be taking part in the gun fights.
what it missed I think was the "newcomers" being given an orientation, like are they supposed to play along if they get shot etc. maybe they will get to it.

Was is not the writer that was annoyed?

claiva

Why has no one mentioned the black family that Dolores bumped into whilst she was out painting ?
They seemed different from the usual "Guests".......
It was almost as if they were there illegally ?
Skulking around in the background off the beaten track.....
Who are they and what are they doing there ?

Falthyron

ManOfMystery wrote: »

Yeah I forgot that line - "I didn't pay all this money because I wanted it to be easy".

But then again .......... this is interesting

http://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/Westworld-Theory-About-Man-Black-42498697

An interesting theory that could very well be the case. There is an interesting parallel between Ed Harris' The Man in Black and the Man in Black in LOST. Both are described as men in black and both are looking to escape. Given J.J. Abrams involvement, I wonder if Ed Harris' Man in Black was created to introduce the imperfections into the world - a necessary chaos to make it believable as a world too perfect doesn't feel right and the guests might be dissatisfied with the service. However, Harris has gone too far and with the memories of 'past lives' he has uncovered the truth.

Following on from that, I wonder if Harris was a guest and is now a permanent guest in the world. Perhaps as an early experiment or he chose to insert himself within the Matrix permanently but now he wants out after being there for so long. This would create an interesting debate on human pursuits and the problems with living in a perfect world; mankind inherently thrives on randomness and chaos?

Either way, this is an excellent start to the show and I can't wait to see where it takes us next.

ManOfMystery

claiva wrote: »

Why has no one mentioned the black family that Dolores bumped into whilst she was out painting ?
They seemed different from the usual "Guests".......
It was almost as if they were there illegally ?
Skulking around in the background off the beaten track.....
Who are they and what are they doing there ?

Wondered about that myself but couldn't come to any worthwhile conclusion. The Father was carrying a picnic hamper, so I think they were just there to engineer a scene where Dolores could be seen to be painting the horses at a tranquil location - again emphasising how she sees the beauty in her world. Even when the child tells her she's not real, she seems to gloss over it and not really understand what he's saying.

Falthyron wrote: »

An interesting theory that could very well be the case. There is an interesting parallel between Ed Harris' The Man in Black and the Man in Black in LOST. Both are described as men in black and both are looking to escape. Given J.J. Abrams involvement, I wonder if Ed Harris' Man in Black was created to introduce the imperfections into the world - a necessary chaos to make it believable as a world too perfect doesn't feel right and the guests might be dissatisfied with the service. However, Harris has gone too far and with the memories of 'past lives' he has uncovered the truth.

Following on from that, I wonder if Harris was a guest and is now a permanent guest in the world. Perhaps as an early experiment or he chose to insert himself within the Matrix permanently but now he wants out after being there for so long. This would create an interesting debate on human pursuits and the problems with living in a perfect world; mankind inherently thrives on randomness and chaos?

Either way, this is an excellent start to the show and I can't wait to see where it takes us next.

Interesting thoughts.

Not to mention the obvious nods to Stephen King's numerous references to a Man in Black in many of his works - someone usually evil, powerful and relentless.

Birneybau

claiva wrote: »

Why has no one mentioned the black family that Dolores bumped into whilst she was out painting ?
They seemed different from the usual "Guests".......
It was almost as if they were there illegally ?
Skulking around in the background off the beaten track.....
Who are they and what are they doing there ?

I picked up absolutely none of that.

claiva

Birneybau wrote: »

I picked up absolutely none of that.

My feeling is that Jeffrey Wright's character is somehow "related" to that family.....perhaps Jeffrey Wright is a robot too ?
They were definitely a bit sus anyway.....

jcsoulinger

claiva wrote: »

Why has no one mentioned the black family that Dolores bumped into whilst she was out painting ?
They seemed different from the usual "Guests".......
It was almost as if they were there illegally ?
Skulking around in the background off the beaten track.....
Who are they and what are they doing there ?

They mentioned that they had wandered away from the family friendly section of the park, don't think there was anything to them beyond letting us know that the park is bigger than what we see.

johnpatrick81

^ Yup, they just said something like "we shouldn't go across the river as it's not child friendly".

Birneybau

claiva wrote: »

My feeling is that Jeffrey Wright's character is somehow "related" to that family.....perhaps Jeffrey Wright is a robot too ?
They were definitely a bit sus anyway.....

Just because they were all black?

claiva

Birneybau wrote: »

Just because they were all black?

No.
I'm thinking that maybe all of the Replicants or whatever they are called are all deceased family or friends of the creators.
Maybe Dolores is a replication of Ford's daughter for instance ?

ManOfMystery

claiva wrote: »

No.
I'm thinking that maybe all of the Replicants or whatever they are called are all deceased family or friends of the creators.
Maybe Dolores is a replication of Ford's daughter for instance ?

What made you think this? He didn't seem to have any huge attachment to her or otherwise - I would have thought if they were robotic clones of his family/friends there would have been some indication of such.

AnneFrank

maybe it was Bill Cosby?

Riskymove

claiva wrote: »

No.
I'm thinking that maybe all of the Replicants or whatever they are called are all deceased family or friends of the creators.
Maybe Dolores is a replication of Ford's daughter for instance ?

why would they make copies of loved ones and allow them to be beaten, raped and killed on a daily basis?

Effects

claiva wrote: »

Why has no one mentioned the black family that Dolores bumped into whilst she was out painting ?
They seemed different from the usual "Guests".......
It was almost as if they were there illegally ?
Skulking around in the background off the beaten track.....
Who are they and what are they doing there ?

They were their with their kid, they hardly wanted to bring him to the Saloon!

claiva

Riskymove wrote: »

why would they make copies of loved ones and allow them to be beaten, raped and killed on a daily basis?

this is true......
maybe i'm reading too much into it...........
there are bound to be some Lost esque type twists and turns though....

ManOfMystery

A twist and turn for me would be if Ford is the only human in the whole resort.

Enigma IE

claiva wrote: »

this is true......
maybe i'm reading too much into it...........
there are bound to be some Lost esque type twists and turns though....

Do you NOT remember being totally let down and aggrieved at the end of Lost?

claiva

Enigma IE wrote: »

Do you NOT remember being totally let down and aggrieved at the end of Lost?

Yes I remember it well.
It wasn't as bad as the end of Dexter though !!!

:eek::eek::eek:

Enigma IE

claiva wrote: »

Yes I remember it well.
It wasn't as bad as the end of Dexter though !!!

:eek::eek::eek:

Jumping the shark...

Westworld does look interesting, I've seen the trailers only.

Mc Love

Maybe Harris is one of the older robots that Ford has updated and maybe older robots cant be killed the way new ones can. But I'd still think Harris is a guest.

Agent Coulson

I wonder will the move into the other worlds as the season/s progress.

really liked the first episode with the different levels of things and the interactions between them going on.
-the hosts
-the park staff
-the guests

I wonder how each episode will play out - surely they won't be all like the first episode with the same story (mostly) playing out over and over

Snake Plisken

Enigma IE wrote: »

Do you NOT remember being totally let down and aggrieved at the end of Lost?

Lost had the perfect ending what is wrong with you?

cowboyBuilder

Very interesting ... only heard about this today and just watched the 1st episode - excellent has a lot of potential, I like the way Johnny Nolan is directing too

cowboyBuilder

glasso wrote: »

really liked the first episode with the different levels of things and the interactions between them going on.
-the hosts
-the park staff
-the guests

I wonder how each episode will play out - surely they won't be all like the first episode with the same story (mostly) playing out over and over

Doubt it, fact that she swatted the fly at the end shows she is even learning now ..

cowboyBuilder

Snake Plisken wrote: »

Lost had the perfect ending what is wrong with you?

Snake Plisken

cowboyBuilder wrote: »

Deadly Serious lol! Loved that show and thought the ending was great!

Unearthly

Thought this was a great pilot episode. Loved the scenery shots.

Ed Harris such a good villain actor

MeatTwoVeg

Good first episode. Intriguing but with the potential to go full retard.
A tightrope will need to be thread.
Good luck Westworld writers.
I await episode 2 with interest.

JP Liz V1

The other Hemsworth brother in this reminds me Mark Valley from Human Target

Arghus

Very impressive first episode. I was a bit concerned that it could be all spectacle, with just window dressing pretending to be brains - at times it threatened to be that: the massive shoot-outs and the copious shots of eye-popping visuals, that clearly cost an absolute fortune to produce. Some of the themes of the show seemed buried under all that razzle dazzle, but I thought the final ten minutes were fairly stunning . They seemed bursting with ideas and offered a tantalizing glimpse of where the show could potentially go - the juxtaposition of the genuine emotional distress and confusion of the hosts with the cold sterile rationality of the humans was very affecting and underlined how Westworld is as much a cerebral show as it is visceral.

Honestly, I think the sky is the limit with this show - please make all that talent, money and some of the most fascinating questions in all of fiction to work with count. I just hope it isn't too front-loaded and that we didn't just sit though a pilot full of seductive questions that serve to draw us in and then are eventually left hanging there down the line, unanswered. I'm reading here that HBO want to make five seasons of this. To me that seems like a lot. I think you'd be better off making two solid and satisfying seasons, without running the danger of stretching the material too thin.

There were a few bum-notes: Some of the exposition dumping was tiresome and I'm totally sure about the casting: I thought the actress playing the female suit with the European accent was terrible, it sounded like she had marbles in her mouth throughout. And that English tech character was like someone who should be in another show entirely - felt like he was there to dispense some the regulation HBO quota of F-bombs per show episode. The scene involving the two of them having a chat was bloody painful.

Those are fairly small gripes overall. I would say that, aside from the two glaring exceptions I've mentioned, everyone else did a fine job. Anthony Hopkins did a lot with a little. Evan Rachel Wood was painfully empathetic and the sudden shift to her natural state, sans accent, at the episodes end was fascinating - but also slightly terrifying. I thought the actor who played her "father" was brilliant in his intensity and stop-start motions and rhythms when having his big face to face with his maker.

Impressive. Most Impressive.

meepins

All the signs look good for this one. Lots of beautiful and haunting imagery. I don't expect another episode like it but there was a bit of an overload of gruesome violence, though once or twice the camera kindly cut away from some of the close up killings.