Westworld | Season One

Background:
Back in 2016 HBO came out with a show that was so mind bending that it was amazing. I did not know what to expect when I first began watching Westworld. All I knew was that it was based on a movie from 1973. So I did what most people would do and went to Wikipedia and read the synopsis of the movie. Westworld the movie and Westworld the television show had similarities but were very much different. This will be the most challenging review I will do. Westworld has so many twists and turns that it is hard not to spoil anything. I will try my hardest to not spoil anything in this blog.

The Plot:

There are two different storylines in Westworld. One storyline revolves the business side and the other revolves around the actual Westworld park. The first storyline I mentioned involves a new storyline being written for the park. The hosts which are what the robots that are in the park are called are experiencing glitches. These glitches are potentially a problem for both the people in the park and the company that owns the park. The second storyline is that two of the hosts are encountering experiences of real human beings. These hosts are having dreams of their previous storylines and they are impacting their current storylines. 

The Characters:

There are quite a few characters that are in Westworld so I will only mention a few of them. The co-founder of Westworld is a man by the name of Robert Ford. Ford is played wonderfully by Anthony Hopkins. Ford is a demanding boss who is always two-steps ahead of everyone. Ford is also the creative director of Westworld. When we first meet him he is in the midsts of creating his new secret storyline. He is beginning to lose his power within the company because the board of directors is losing their faith in him. Ford is calculating and ruthless when it comes to people who are trying to double cross him. 

Dolores is one of the hosts that I mentioned who is causing problems within the park. She is the first host that was made in the park. She means a great deal to Robert Ford. She is part of a storyline where she is more often than not the damsel in distress. Early on in the season Dolores goes off script and intends to find the maze. She encounters two men on her journey to find the maze. The men are William and his soon to be brother-in-law Logan. William is immediately drawn to Dolores and truly believes that she is different from the rest of the hosts in the park. 

The final character I will mention is also my favorite he is simply known as the Man in Black. the Man in Black is played spectacularly by Ed Harris. Much like Dolores, the Man in Black is determined to find the center of the maze. He believes that park should be more lifelike in that the hosts should be able to fight back. As it is now the hosts cannot harm a human and for the Man in Black this takes away from the experience. He has a dark past that he does not mention to anyone because he doesn't want to take it away from the experience. The Man in Black is a ruthless man who does hold back when interacting with the hosts. As a veteran of the park he knows of every host and of their background. 

My Problems:

There were not that many problems that I had with Westworld either the first time I watched or the second time through. One problem I had with the show was Dolores. Through much of the season we see her crying or whining about not knowing what was going on. It got annoying especially when William was trying to help her along the way and all she would do is cry. This was about the only problem that I had with this show. 

Conclusion:

Westworld is one of the best shows that I have ever watched. The show was such a mind blowing watch. Even the second time through I was still confused by some of the stuff going on. Westworld really tries to get you to question humanity. Like what makes a human a human? If a robot has a conscious, could it be considered human? These are a couple of questions that I was wondering when watching Westworld. Westworld is not some intellectually snobby show though. Anyone can watch this show and understand the basis of what is going on. I enjoy thought provoking shows that can create twists that I don't see coming. Westworld was all of this and more for me.