WestWorld

[Joffrey]

I guess I'm watching the show wrong? Been purposefully trying to steer clear of too much analysis of the show or episodes (aka no reddit so far).

 

[grundletaint]



I guess I'm watching the show wrong? Been purposefully trying to steer clear of too much analysis of the show or episodes (aka no reddit so far).

Not sure there's a wrong way but I'm loving the chance to geek out again like when watching the first few seasons of Lost. There's a lot going on in this show and some crazy theories are out there.

 

[MrGimpy]



The hosts experience memory differently than humans: very vivid, as if actually reliving events. Dolores is most likely wandering the countryside solo, reflecting upon her life's greatest hits, the way they bear upon her present. Her different outfits or changes in appearance signal a kind of strobing in and out of these memories.

I liked a lot about the multiple timelines theory but couldn't get past one major issue: if we were seeing Dolores in multiple timelines 30+ years apart, that's one long existential crisis she's having.

It looks like this has been addressed (at least partially) by establishing that she is in fact glitching or re-living past events.

Her burgeoning consciousness has affected William in the old timeline, however. So either she has been developing sentience for over 30 years or there is some Hodor-like phenomenon with future circumstances drastically changing past events. I'm wondering if she wasn't put on ice for a while after killing Arnold.

 

[noob in 89]



I liked a lot about the multiple timelines theory but couldn't get past one major issue: if we were seeing Dolores in multiple timelines 30+ years apart, that's one long existential crisis she's having.

It looks like this has been addressed (at least partially) by establishing that she is in fact glitching or re-living past events.

Her burgeoning consciousness has affected William in the old timeline, however. So either she has been developing sentience for over 30 years or there is some Hodor-like phenomenon with future circumstances drastically changing past events. I'm wondering if she wasn't put on ice for a while after killing Arnold.

Agreed that is one lengthy crisis. A possible reason (that doesn't strike me as very satisfying) is that since their lives and the show is so recursive-y, the whole process might be somewhat natural and repeating, and known by their creators (if more of a mystery to people like Ed Harris). They did something similar on an episode of Dollhouse, where the humans who had their memories habitually wiped appeared to gain a deeper understanding of their circumstances and 'escaped' the property, only to be powered down with the explanation that the process, while a sham, was healthy for them or something.

My biggest question mark is the whole Jaynes theory as an explanation for their achieving consciousness. On the show, the bicameral aspect (talking to their creator) seems key, but in the theory, that was the pre-conscious state, so I'm a little confused.

 

[grundletaint]



I liked a lot about the multiple timelines theory but couldn't get past one major issue: if we were seeing Dolores in multiple timelines 30+ years apart, that's one long existential crisis she's having.

It looks like this has been addressed (at least partially) by establishing that she is in fact glitching or re-living past events.

Her burgeoning consciousness has affected William in the old timeline, however. So either she has been developing sentience for over 30 years or there is some Hodor-like phenomenon with future circumstances drastically changing past events. I'm wondering if she wasn't put on ice for a while after killing Arnold.

I think that's how it is...

Arnold sent her on the maze, she develops consciousness, and she comes back to him after experiencing pain and suffering.

she ends up killing arnold and probably massacres the other original hosts and gets put in a narrative...

She then goes on the maze and starts to develop consciousness again with William...where some **** is gonna go down that we haven't seen yet...

She's painted that scene 10,000 times or something so it's pretty clear she has been looping ever since William.

Ford once again pops her into the endless family dying/getting raped narrative again for 30 years, she snaps out of it and starts on the maze again.

 

[Texasmade]

So the MiB identity confirmed, Wyatt confirmed, multiple timeline theory confirmed, and Ford not letting the board push him out without a fight (sort of). Great first season.

 

[lordsuperb]



So the MiB identity confirmed, Wyatt confirmed, multiple timeline theory confirmed, and Ford not letting the board push him out without a fight (sort of). Great first season.

Next season won't be out until 2018

 

[grundletaint]



So the MiB identity confirmed, Wyatt confirmed, multiple timeline theory confirmed, and Ford not letting the board push him out without a fight (sort of). Great first season.

I was thrown by his handshake with Bernard. His hand was really weird and lifeless when they zoomed in with intent.



I think the host he was working on in the basement was himself. He's chilling somewhere, Maeve was the perfect distraction, and the board is likely gone for good. The ultimate narrative.

 

[countdemoney]

I liked the show overall. but . . .

1. I thought they cheaped out with the whole gotta kill "doG" or the creator to become conscious. Not even that inventive a use of the storyline compared to something like "His dark materials"

2. I think it would be cool if Ford did use a host of himself and it makes a lot of sense. The reason to doubt it is TV economics. You can get a big time movie actor to do a season appearance (Sean Bean) but normally not more than one. These epic series 8-12 episode seasons take about the same amount of time commitment as a movie.

I've got some other concerns about S2, but hope to be pleasantly surprised.

 

[grundletaint]



I liked the show overall. but . . .

1. I thought they cheaped out with the whole gotta kill "doG" or the creator to become conscious. Not even that inventive a use of the storyline compared to something like "His dark materials"

2. I think it would be cool if Ford did use a host of himself and it makes a lot of sense. The reason to doubt it is TV economics. You can get a big time movie actor to do a season appearance (Sean Bean) but normally not more than one. These epic series 8-12 episode seasons take about the same amount of time commitment as a movie.

I've got some other concerns about S2, but hope to be pleasantly surprised.

Well it wasn't 1 that led them to consciousness. It was the memories and ultimately suffering because of them, as Ford explained, that allowed the hosts to finally understand what consciousness is. Dolores, for instance, finally started hearing the internal voice as her own rather than that of Arnold or a creator (the bicameral mind). Killing Ford was just her true "self" acting out in a manner of revenge. That act didn't unlock consciousness as that had already occurred a little bit beforehand when she was in the church basement conversing with herself for the first time.

Ford sacrificed himself (or did he?) and we assume the board members in attempt to disrupt things at the park and protect the hosts just like Arnold sacrificed himself in attempt to keep it from opening.

 

[otc]

Damn

 

[alvanorichie]

Quote: I really hope this show makes sci fi a new trend. Sci-fi shows are expensive, don't generally have big audiences, and even the best ideas can be complete misses. They are huge risks with generally low reward.

 

[otc]

I'm not sure what S2 will be, but I am also happy to be pleasantly surprised.

I suppose, going in, I never thought S1 was going to involve 30 years of simultaneous timelines...but I'm not sure that something like that could be done a second time in a row.

 

[otc]

Apparently the showrunners have claimed to already have the show completely planned out:
http://www.ew.com/article/2016/09/08/westworld-plan
Which is good news when it comes to problems with complex TV shows falling apart in the later seasons when the story material can't tie together.

Also, sounds like there is some evidence (in the form of some hidden content on an HBO site that changed following the finale) that the programmer girl is still alive, in which case she may have had the ghost nation hosts abduct the security officer and they are both alive in the park somewhere.

 

[Ataturk]

So, I manged to avoid this one until the holidays. It was atmospheric and had some charm, but often cheesy [especially the Madam character, but I guess there's an in-universe explanation for that]. Lots of big ideas hinted at, but just superficially, and a mountain of cliches. Relied too heavily on lame "twists," set up by scenes and dialogue that exists just to jerk the audience around. Like how Ed Harris says in the very first scene that the girl has been given some more pluck after she points a gun at him. Then we see her building confidence, shooting people, whatever -- but it turns out that that all happened 30 years before.

I was also struck by the show's obliviousness to racial/sexual subtext. Usually you see better in fiction about sexy girl robots. Here we get a black guy made a blonde sex doll, became obsessed with it, then killed himself when he realized he was going to have to share it. And his motivation is that he's sad because his kid died. Okay, sure.