Is Westworld worth the effort? (No spoilers please)

ShineOn7

I wanted to start a thread away from the main Westworld one as I want to avoid spoilers. I watched the first few episodes and liked it, but for whatever reason then abadoned it and didn't get a chance to come back

In these crazy times I'm looking for a show that will completely engross me and keep my mind off things for an hour a day. Is this it?

I've heard season two is fairly ropey. Does it pick back up?

Some of my all time favs (to give you an idea of taste) would include Breaking Bad, The West Wing and Lost (my top 3) and The Leftovers, The Shield and Sopranos also impressed me

Cheers

Heres Johnny

ShineOn7 wrote: »

I wanted to start a thread away from the main Westworld one as I want to avoid spoilers. I watched the first few episodes and liked it, but for whatever reason then abadoned it and didn't get a chance to come back

In these crazy times I'm looking for a show that will completely engross me and keep my mind off things for an hour a day. Is this it?

I've heard season two is fairly ropey. Does it pick back up?

Some of my all time favs (to give you an idea of taste) would include Breaking Bad, The West Wing and Lost (my top 3) and The Leftovers, The Shield and Sopranos also impressed me

Cheers

Your shows listed would be in my top shows too, except for Lost which was the biggest load of nonsense ever written. The others are all top class.
Westworld is a bit like Lost, its a decent idea for a show and gets your interest but it's just so ridiculously and deliberately complex you don't know what is going on. And very soon, you just don't care.

Damien360

It has a lot of twists and a very convoluted story but it’s very much worth it. You still won’t be sure what’s happening by the end of the season. I love it. Current season has changed things considerably and it’s going off on a very different, even moral tangent. Very good so far.

ShineOn7

I'd agree somewhat about Lost, in hindsight it was the biggest Shaggy Dog story of all time

But at the time it was on air, and all the online speculation that used to be discussed after every episode, it was incredible

Slydice

I don't know the other shows but based on saying Breaking Bad and Lost, then yeah maybe. It's also heavy SciFi. Very good visuals and production values throughout.

ziedth

I often feel like I'm the only one in the world who liked lost..... I think you'll like it OP. Personally, I thought Season 1 was right up there with the best shows and dips afterwards but still good

The_Honeybadger

Liked season one of Westworld but gave up half way through season two, no particular reason, it just wasn’t doing anything for me.

I loved the early seasons of Lost before the plot got so absolutely bonkers it was almost laughable.

Mr.Nice Guy

I loved season one and liked season two. I also saw the movie on TCM recently starring Yul Brynner, which I thought held up well considering its age.

I've hated season three though, finding it to be so haughty and up its own backside. I finally gave up after the recent episode. Seems I'm not alone on that as their ratings have fallen, and the HBO boss commented the show 'is not for casual viewers'.

I'd still recommend it for the first season.

Arghus

I thought the pilot episode of Westworld was probably the best pilot I'd ever seen. It set up the world, introduced the themes and it was a perfectly contained storyline in its own right.

But, for me, nothing in the rest of the season lived up to that. I stuck with the rest of the first season, but I didn't care enough to keep watching past the first couple of episodes of season 2.

It pretends to be about big weighty ideas, but I just find it to be overwritten and not half as smart as it pretends to be. The alternating timelines and endless back and forth disguise its fairly empty storytelling IMO. And while it talks a good game about free-will, destiny and artificial-intelligence etc, etc it never goes anywhere genuinely thought provoking to try to legitimately explore these themes. I think it's actually at its core at a bit shallow and stupid - they never pass up an opportunity to show gratuitous T and A or violence - and it's a pity because it could have been so much more.

Much better shows out there to watch instead - Better Call Saul, Mad Men, The Americans, Succession. All are better investments of your time.

fritzelly

^^^
There goes the spoilers

Had meant to start a similar thread. Was considering restarting it but don't think I will now.

fritzelly

I liked season 1 and season 2 and while season 3 is a complete divergence (and that word is an integral part of season 3 and used throughout) I'm intrigued

The first season everything you think you know you don't know, season 2 takes a different tack (breakout) and so does season 3 (who knows how this will play out)

Season 1 is like the movie a bit but this is a story for the 21st century so you really do need to follow it or binge it.

Mav11

Like a lot of posters I gave up early in season 2. Went back to it recently, watched all of season 2, now on episode 2 Season 3. Must say I love it, very rich in terms of cinematography and complex story lines.

Danzy

Loved Season 1, exceptionally good, 2 is ok but a bit lost. Season 3 picking up..

Faith

I loved Lost. It was one of my favourite shows at the time, and I was never as disappointed by it as a lot of people were. I rewatched the whole thing recently with my husband, who had never seen it, and honestly, watching the whole thing in a short time-frame made it all make so much more sense, and flow much better.

But I digress.

I also love Westworld. I didn't think I'd like it, and had to be talked into watching. But season 1 gave me the same feelings that Lost used to, that glorious "What, what? What the fück is going on? I may not understand this but I'm excited to find out" feeling. I'd recommend Westworld to anyone. Season 2, I struggled a bit more with because it wasn't quite as gripping as season 1, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm loving season 3 as well, even though it's a massive divergence.

It's supposed to be a 5-season arc, so one could argue you'd be better waiting until 2024 and watching all 5 seasons at once. But short of that, I'd definitely go back to it now.

Yes, it's confusing, yes, after most episodes you're more confused than you started, yes, there are errors along the way. But that's like all TV shows. If you're expecting a TV show like Westworld (or Lost) to be completely flawless and answer deep existential questions, then I'd suggest you're just going to be disappointed no matter what, because that's never going to happen.

Clareman

I've been watching Westworld weekly and I have to say it's a complete and utter mind f**k, it reminds me of old text based video games that you miss something ages ago so you can't go any further so you've to go back, they have gotten better with the "Previously on" bits but I prefer to avoid those as they tend to be very spoilery.

Looking back, I'd love to be able to start from scratch with it and be able to sit down to watch 1 or 2 episodes at a time. For me it's a show that's definitely worth the watch but I don't know if I'd give it a second watch.

Penn

It'd be hard to fully recommend Westworld at this point. I'd almost have to wait until the end of this season. First season was incredible, but it's been a mixed bag since then (some great episodes and moments in Season 2 & 3, but on the whole I'm conflicted about it).

If you haven't seen Watchmen yet, definitely give that a go. It's only one season, but it's incredible, and from the main guy behind Lost and The Leftovers.

As a lot have already said, Season 1 was great, season 2 good, but season 3 I struggled to even get through a couple of episodes. I wouldn't say it was bad, just did not engage me at all and never bothered going back

hmmm

Season 3 has descended into a convoluted mess. Great promise with Season 1 with a much easier to follow story. Looks very stylish so will still watch it just to see the occasional great scene, but have long since lost interest in what the story is.

ShineOn7

Thanks for the replies, based on them (and reviews elsewhere online) I'm going to give it a miss for now. Maybe if it does the full planned 5 seasons and is regarded as a classic years from now I'll come back to it

One Season Wonders are pointless to watch if the first season ends on a cliffhanger (which I hear it does) and then the subsequent seasons are shíte