If it were up to me, I would have written my wrap-up post on Westworld last week after its season finale aired. But... you know, motherhood. I don't get to watch as much with the little one around, and not just because she would clamor for an animated film whenever she can. Now that she's two, she's a little bit more aware of what we're watching and Westworld is heavy on the mature scenes. So, after some serious opportunity grabbing of every possible pocket of time I could watch and a late night viewing of the season finale (which I don't like doing anymore... sleep becomes sacrosanct when you're a parent), I finally got to finish it.
TV proved to be more entertaining than film this year, and not just because I don't get to go to the theaters anymore. While the film industry stuck to sequels and rehashed formulas with a few notable exceptions, TV and streaming services are offering great storytelling across different genres. It's an exciting time to be a couch potato... if you can actually find the time to watch.
Westworld is a sprawling amusement park, but not one filled with wholesome joy and rides. It's a western themed wonderland, filled with actual towns and dusty desert landscape for you to explore. There are 'hosts', state of the art robots that look like humans, and are there to cater to your every whim. Westworld is expensive to go to, and for good reason. You can do anything in Westworld, whether it's to simply travel and roam its expanse to sightsee. Or you can interact with any of the hosts and become a part of a storyline. You can do anything to the hosts, and for many guests, or 'newcomers' as the hosts know them, it's an excuse to act out on your desires, including the ability to rape, kill or pillage without consequence. Hosts are programmed to follow their storylines and at day's end (or after they are killed), they are patched up and their memories wiped, ready to start anew and play their respective parts the following day.
It sounds straightforward enough. Humans, at least the rich ones, get the chance to dress up and play-act like they're in the west. They can choose to be the hero or the villain, knowing that once they board the train back out of the park, they can return to their usual lives. It's easy enough to understand how freeing that can be, whether you believe that Westworld offers the ultimate chance to act out or that how you act there is actually your real nature. While a handful are treating Westworld as a destination to explore the usual way, many, unfortunately, are using it as an excuse to live out violent fantasies. But it doesn't take long for viewers to realize that the less than humane actions towards hosts aren't really without consequence.
We are introduced to the different hosts, ranch owner's daughter Dolores Abernathy (Evan Rachel Wood), her love interest Teddy Flood (James Marsden), madam of Sweetwater's brothel Maeve Millay (Thandie Newton), prostitute Clementine Pennyfeather (Angela Sarafyan), and outlaw Hector Escaton (Rodrigo Santoro). Each has their own storyline, which they follow to the letter or deviate from depending on their interactions with the newcomers or the park guests. Behind the scenes, an entire corporation keeps Westworld running, including those who work directly to ensure its uninterrupted operation, from the creator Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins), head of programming Bernard Lowe (Jeffrey Wright), Bernard's staff Elsie Hughes (Shannon Woodward), operations head Theresa Cullen (Sidse Babett Knudsen), and security head Ashley Stubbs (Luke Hemsworth). They all make sure that the hosts are working properly and continue to pose no threat to the guests, which notably include the Man in Black (Ed Harris), who takes pleasure in bringing Dolores pain and is obsessed with a mythical maze that he believes can be found in Westworld. Another frequent guest of the park is Logan (Ben Barnes), who brings along for the first time his future brother-in-law, William, who's reluctant to partake in the more sordid parts of the Westworld experience.
There's nothing small about Westworld, with its large cast, complex setting and rather daunting themes. It wastes no time in setting up its biggest plot point, which is the apparent beginning of awareness among the hosts, particularly Dolores and Maeve. Each begins to remember some of their past, especially for Maeve, who recalls a life wherein she's not a prostitue, but a mother who just wants to save her child. One is determined to follow what she believes is her path, while the other aims to escape the scripted existence that is all she knew before becoming aware. Their stories are the most engaging and the ones that make you feel that the most is at stake. And with masterful performances by Evan Rachel Wood and Thandie Newton, from their blank robotic states to every instance they embrace the emotions they are feeling, they elevate an already exceptional story by creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. It's not just Evan Rachel Wood and Thandie Newton who bring the acting chops to the project, with every single actor committing to their respective characters with aplomb and commanding every scene they are in. Ed Harris and Jeffrey Wight, in particular, add gravitas to their scenes, with the former giving the series a flavor of menace and the latter offering a sense of world weariness and grief.
A lot happens in Westworld. While Dolores and Maeve follow their respective fates, Bernard and Elsie try to make sense of the unusual activity among the hosts, and Theresa works hard to keep the board happy in light of how Westworld is losing money, often butting heads with Bernard and Ford in the process. And Ford... he's marching to the beat of his own drum, happily playing the part of the eccentric genius who is intent on creating a new narrative for the park he created with his former partner Arnold, even as the board threatens to steal his very company from him. It's all a lot of things happening, but the writing is exceptional in the series, ensuring that all the different plot points work together while still remaining cohesive enough that you don't feel it's going off tangent at any time.
I remember telling my sister-in-law that Westworld is a thinking person's series, but it never makes it too complicated for you to get on board with the science and philosophy it covers even if you're not a sci-fi fan or if you prefer your viewing material light. The TV series creates an impeccable balance of discussing big themes without making the audiences work too hard in appreciating them. Although, it's been known that you can lose sleep in exploring the different theories that ran rampant before it ended its 10-episode run.
In previous posts, there are titles, whether books, film, anime or TV series, that I would recommend viewers or readers discover for themselves. While I try to avoid spoilers as much as I can, even talking about my thoughts about certain parts can lead to making educated guesses about what happens. So, I'll stop at telling you how wonderfully talented this cast is, how the story is both creative and intelligent, and that the sum of those parts make for a memorable show to watch and definitely made my viewing more worthwhile given that I can only watch sporadically.
What I will add is that Westworld is not something you should miss, if you haven't watched it yet. I didn't know what to expect when I started watching, but I'm pretty sure it'll stay with me until HBO and creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy grace us with new episodes to watch.
Soon, I hope.
Happy viewing!!Labels: Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, HBO, Must-Watch, Sci-fi, Thriller, TV, TV Series, Western, Westworld
