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Westworld
Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2016 9:09 am
by Mori Chu
Let's have a dedicated thread to talk about this intriguing HBO drama.
Spoiler policy: Feel free to talk about anything that has aired, but please don't paste any crazy spoilers from Reddit about things that haven't happened on the show yet (e.g. leaks from production or from advance copies of episodes or whatever). If you aren't sure, use a spoiler tag.
Re: Westworld
Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2016 9:11 am
by Mori Chu
There have been four episodes so far. I think it's a fun show. The one thing I'll say is that I am not sure the central conceit of the show works for me. They seem to be asking the question, "Can robots be alive?" And to me it's so obvious that it's boring; of course they're alive. They are completely realistic and act like humans all the time, except for being able to be cleaned up and rebooted back to life. Maybe I'd have more suspense about it if the robots acted more, well, robotic.
The show has introduced a lot of mysteries, but I worry that it will be hard to deliver satisfying conclusions to all of them. What if the Man in Black is just a rich guy on vacation? What if Arnold is just dead? What if Bernard is just a regular guy? Will it be interesting if we discover that some character is really a robot? Will it matter?
Re: Westworld
Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2016 9:31 am
by Superbone
Marty [Mori Chu] wrote:What if the Man in Black is just a rich guy on vacation?
I'm pretty sure that's the case, isn't it? They even had a real world fan try to engage him in the last episode before MiB shut him down. What are you thinking? I think they're just using the character to explore the deeper meaning and goings on of Westworld. The game behind the game, if you will.
Re: Westworld
Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2016 7:31 am
by Mori Chu
Well, there are some theories about the Man in Black. Some say:
that he is the same person as Jimmy Simpson's "William" character, and that William + Logan's scenes are actually flashbacks to 30 years ago.
And others say:
that he is really Arnold, the former partner of Dr. Ford.
I think the former theory may be true, and the latter is very unlikely to be true.
Re: Westworld
Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2016 7:48 am
by Mori Chu
There are a ton of crackpot theories out there. For me the big thing is trying to figure out who's really a robot. I think that's one of the big twists the show will use as it goes along: Surprising reveals where a character we thought was human turns out to really be a host. I have two characters who I most strongly think are robots, based on my own thoughts and not on any particular web page. They are:
1. Bernard. I think the show has been giving us a lot of little clues about this. For one, he repeats verbatim things that Ford tells him, like, "evolution created all life on this planet using only one tool: the mistake." Just like when he tells Dolores, "This pain is all I have left of (him/them)." to describe a lost loved one. Bernard also notices weirdly specific things like the furrowing of the female QA director's brow. And there's a scene where he is in bed with that gal and they are talking about how hosts talk to themselves a lot. Bernard says they are practicing. She says, "Is that what you're doing now? Practicing?" There are other clues, like when Ford talks to Bernard, he often says, "You'll ____ now, won't you Bernard?" And Bernard always immediately replies with, "Yes," or, "Of course."
2. Ashley Stubbs, played by the Hemmsworth brother. Clues: The robot down in that little ditch is able to physically attack him; that's a huge clue. Also when he and Elsie, the plucky brunette worker gal, he cites some facts about constellations. She says, "What are you, Gali-effing-leo?" He says, "Maybe it's part of my backstory." He is also frequently a voice that speaks to malfunctioning hosts, like Bernard, back in the repair room. I think these two characters talk to the hosts as part of their programming, like how Ford says that they were programmed using the Bicameral Mind to hear voices of the gods in their heads. Also, if you believe the theory about some scenes being in the past, Ashley is around in almost all parts of all episodes, and he looks essentially the same, which would only make sense if he is a robot.
Re: Westworld
Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2016 7:41 am
by Mori Chu
Any thoughts on last night's episode 5? It seemed to imply that there are ...
multiple copies of each host. Dolores saw herself in the crowd in town.
Re: Westworld
Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2016 12:40 pm
by Shabazz
Marty [Mori Chu] wrote:Any thoughts on last night's episode 5? It seemed to imply that there are ...
multiple copies of each host. Dolores saw herself in the crowd in town.
I think that was more her having visions than an actual clone.
Re: Westworld
Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2016 6:03 pm
by Wally_West
This theory is pretty interesting but not sure if I buy it.
http://collider.com/westworld-man-in-bl ... explained/
Re: Westworld
Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2016 6:22 pm
by Shabazz
Very interesting and I kind of wish I hadn't read it.
Re: Westworld
Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2016 12:21 am
by Superbone
Shabazz wrote:
Very interesting and I kind of wish I hadn't read it.
Good to know. I'll stay away.
Re: Westworld
Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2016 12:24 am
by Superbone
Shabazz wrote:Marty [Mori Chu] wrote:Any thoughts on last night's episode 5? It seemed to imply that there are ...
multiple copies of each host. Dolores saw herself in the crowd in town.
I think that was more her having visions than an actual clone.
Yeah, I thought they were visions too. Interesting that she's keeping secrets from Hopkin's character though.
Re: Westworld
Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 4:51 am
by Flagrant Fowl
I know it's vital to the plot, but...
the whole thing with the two butchers and Maeve is annoying. They're intimidated by her while simultaneously controlling her personality. If they were truly scared when she wanted to make changes, they could've just fucked her over with a simple swipe.
Re: Westworld
Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 5:37 pm
by Mori Chu
FFowl: You put your comments in a spoiler tag. I think you probably didn't need to do it. I think the spoiler rule we should use for this thread is, if it's about an episode that has already aired, you can post it. If it's a theory or link from Reddit or some site trying to give away something they've inferred or guessed or been told about the secrets and mysteries of the plot, don't post it / put it in a spoiler tag. Your message is about content of the 6th episode that aired last night, and I think that's fair game to post outside of spoiler tags. Anybody reading this thread should do so after catching up on all episodes that have aired.
Re: Westworld
Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2016 8:12 am
by Mori Chu
The end of this past weekend's episode (S01E07, "Trompe L'Oeil") was pretty freaking incredible. One of the best scenes of television I have watched in a long time.
Re: Westworld
Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2016 9:47 am
by Superbone
Yep, and you were right about ol' Bernard.
Re: Westworld
Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2016 3:13 pm
by Mori Chu
I'm now wondering if in ep 8 they will:
Replace the now dead Theresa with a host clone of Theresa who is under Ford's control. That way the board won't know Theresa is dead and won't go after Ford for it.
Lately I think that the overall arc of the William/Dolores story is going to be:
They have a love affair, William is head over heels in love with Dolores; he decides that he should undo his marriage plans to Logan's sister. But then they reset Dolores' loop and wipe her memory. William returns to the park or sees Dolores again or whatever, and he finds out that she doesn't remember him. His heart gets broken. So he goes ahead with his marriage to Logan's sister.
Re: Westworld
Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2016 4:47 pm
by specialsauce
William is beyond annoying
Re: Westworld
Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2016 3:24 am
by Flagrant Fowl
This plot line with Maeve is still annoying the hell out of me.
I know it's dumb to clamor for realism in this show, but the two butches ability to be manipulated and controlled just comes across as lazy writing.
Re: Westworld
Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2016 11:27 pm
by Wally_West
I was a pretty big skeptic of the two major fan theories regarding this show but after this most recent episode I think they are pretty hard to deny at this point. So watch out when googling the show.
Re: Westworld
Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2016 12:58 pm
by Mori Chu
Flagrant Fowl wrote:This plot line with Maeve is still annoying the hell out of me.
I know it's dumb to clamor for realism in this show, but the two butches ability to be manipulated and controlled just comes across as lazy writing.
Yeah, considering how much Ford knows about everything that goes on in the park in other contexts, it's stunning that he seems to know nothing about what's going on with Maeve. But ... maybe he does know? Maybe that's the swerve we'll see at the end, that Maeve isn't really subverting or escaping anything at all. She's just doing what Ford is allowing her to do. Who knows.