I love the premise of Westworld. I want Sci-Fi to go the way of Game of Thrones, because I think Sci-Fi has so much to offer as a genre. The themes and narratives are limitless and lets face it, unlike the fantasy genre, Sci-Fi represents the possible future for humanity. I think this is infinitely more exciting. Obviously HBO is banking on this fact to fill the huge void in their programming schedule for this fall since GoT is not going to be seen again until 2017. As two of my favorite geeks on Co-Optitude would likely say, Lets talk about this f*cker!
The show begins with an interview being conducted of a woman by a man. She is sitting in a dark room on a chair, naked. There is no context given at this point, but it is clear she is not a normal human being. She is asked if she knows where she is, and she responds that she is in a dream. She is asked if she has ever questioned the nature of your reality. She responds no. And this seems to be the driving conundrum you will face as a viewer as you watch the first episode of Westworld. What is the real world vs artificial? Who is good and who is bad? What is the point of all of it?
Westworld is a show based on an original movie directed by the late Michael Crichton back in the 70's. It centers on a luxury amusement park that allows people to purchase adventure in a artificial western world. Essentially they can play cowboys and indians with lifelike androids. These hosts have routines that play out according to "narratives" that the customers choose. The show introduces you to some of these "hosts" as well as the "newcomers" who enter this world to find heroic adventure or just escape reality. You are also introduced to the creators and administrators of this world as they struggle to manage their creations and maintain the experience for the customers.
One of the main differences between Michael Crichton's version of Westworld and this one is mainly about point of view. In the 70's, film the focus is on the newcomers as they enter into an artificial reality and interact with it. In Westworld, the PoV is shifted to that of the hosts and the technicians that monitor and manage the world. The distinction is important to the feel of the show and one that I feel will lead to more questions than answers as the show's creators continue to unveil its secrets. It is easy to root for the humans right? But what if you start to feel compassion for the androids? How would that make you feel about humanity. There are some themes here we have seen before in movies like the Matrix and the Terminator. I am hoping Westworld goes beyond those movies in terms of emotional depth.
As episode one moves forward, you quickly realize that something is wrong in Westworld. The hosts are not all acting according to their narratives. Their seems to be something wrong and the technicians are not able to determine the cause or the exact problem. Obviously, this is going to be a central theme of the show moving forward. For now thought the viewer is left trying to figure out who are the protagonists and antagonists. It is really not clear, and I am okay with that.
The show is really going to evolve around the idea of what does it mean to be human. Something that Sci-Fi has touched on for decades in various forms. These android hosts look real, act real, and can provide very real fantasies to the newcomers. However, they are machines created by humans to serve a purpose. What happens though when they start to act on their own accord and form their own intentions and purpose of action? This is where the show will either fail or succeed. Can it make us care about these non-humans so that we feel compassion for what they are going through. Does it make us choose a side? Perhaps we question our own humanity.
There will be violence, sex, love and hatred. Like Game of Thrones, Westworld is going to take the viewer through the emotional spectrum and leave them at the altar of despair and then do it again. It will push the envelope of what is acceptable. Already we have seen a powerful scene that features a dark mysterious character pulling one of the main hosts into a barn for nefarious purposes. These kind of themes have been explored in GoT and the media has had a field day with it. I suspect we will see the same kind of coverage, despite the fact that the hosts are not actually real people. Or are they? Hmmmmm. The potential is limitless here for discussion and emotional response.
Needless to say I am excited. The cast for this show is really powerful with some amazing actors, Anthony Hopkins anyone?!
No comments:
Post a Comment