Bad Robot/Jonathan Nolan Bringing "Westworld" to HBO

[jmc]

I just finished watching the first two episodes of this and already I'm getting the feeling this is going to end up pissing me off like Lost did by dragging the story out far longer than it needs to be.

 

[DigificWriter]

The big difference between this and LOST is that this has a 5-season arc that's already been mapped out in detail.

 

[Sithborg]

It seems like every human guest is a *****ebag except for Jimmi Simpson's character.

There was that family that ran into Dolores painting.

 

[SuperBatman]

The big difference between this and LOST is that this has a 5-season arc that's already been mapped out in detail.

Yeah idk who reported it but I heard they had a 5 season plan and a series finale.

 

[jmc]

The big difference between this and LOST is that this has a 5-season arc that's already been mapped out in detail.

This to me doesn't feel like a concept that can be sustain for that long without dragging its feet.

 

[Man in the Suit]

'Westworld' Premiere Rises to 6 Million Viewers as HBO Boosts Sampling

The series opener of Westworld has now reached 6 million HBO subscribers.

That tally, which combines HBO Go, HBO Now, on-demand and various network plays, is up 82 percent from premiere weekend to more than 6 million viewers. HBO took a different approach with the second episode, making it available on streaming and VOD platforms over the weekend, for a combined 2.7 million viewers. Though the sampling does come with a linear dip in Sunday's network plays, it is pretty steady with the prior week.

Sunday was not an easy night for any TV outlet not airing the debate or the NFL.

 

[Asgard]

There was that family that ran into Dolores painting.

Them too.

Hopefully Jimmi's character isnt corrupted.

 

[DigificWriter]

This to me doesn't feel like a concept that can be sustain for that long without dragging its feet.

Then I'm not sure you're thinking about it very deeply, because we've already got so many layers just in two episodes that they could easily keep going for the foreseeable future and not even scratch the surface narratively.

 

[Kaleb]

[BLACKOUT]Anyone else buying into the theory going around that William = MIB(30 yrs later)[/BLACKOUT]

 

[kvz5]

[BLACKOUT]Anyone else buying into the theory going around that William = MIB(30 yrs later)[/BLACKOUT]

I've always had this theory that [blackout]each episode is showing different timelines so yeah I can buy that. My initial theory was that the kid talking to Ford is a young MIB (instead of the more popular theory that he's the young Ford) but I've soured on the theory because well Ford should look younger then if it's a flashback. [/blackout]

 

[slimshady247]

Then I'm not sure you're thinking about it very deeply, because we've already got so many layers just in two episodes that they could easily keep going for the foreseeable future and not even scratch the surface narratively.

I too was really impressed by the amount of information/depth we got in just these two episodes. I'm excited to see how the rest of this season plays out and how it leads into next season (for which it'll no doubt get renewed).

 

[jmc]

Then I'm not sure you're thinking about it very deeply, because we've already got so many layers just in two episodes that they could easily keep going for the foreseeable future and not even scratch the surface narratively.

I don't really care for the condescending tone of this reply, however I will say at present I'm not convinced there's enough story that can be mined from this concept and it's inevitable outcome to sustain an interesting narrative for 50+ episodes.

 

[DigificWriter]

^ I wasn't trying to be condescending, and apologize if you took my comment that way.

 

[jmc]

No problem.

 

[Bruce Malone]

The Man in Black is essentially playing a video-game on God-Mode. I get tired of that after about 5 minutes let alone 30 years.

What fun is being an expert gunslinger when you are literally invincible to any threats? Hell at least make the bots shoot him with paint-balls as that'd at least piss him off.

 

[Marvolo]

I don't really care for the condescending tone of this reply, however I will say at present I'm not convinced there's enough story that can be mined from this concept and it's inevitable outcome to sustain an interesting narrative for 50+ episodes.

Really?

There is the question of what is "life", the rights of the Hosts, their own existential crisis, the morals of what the creators do. The Hosts and their own stories and backstories as they begin to "wake up". The Maze. The various levels of Westworld. The Man in Black, his story, and his agenda. Management and their agenda. The people above Management that have their own motivations and agenda. Dr. Ford and his agenda. Lowe and his own agenda. Lowe and Cullen's relationship and how it will complicate things. The Guests that visit the parks. The condition of the world outside of the parks. The other parks that the showrunners have already said would feature in future seasons. And this stuff is just off the top of my head after only two episodes.

You really think there isn't enough to cover 50+ episodes?

And frankly what you consider "dragged out" I consider damn good television and a well executed mystery. I don't need or want all the answers to questions when they are posed. The showrunners can take their time and play it out drip by drip like a good mystery should. Lost was and still is the most fun I've had with a television mystery. I'd be thrilled if this show was able to bring back and maintain a continuous sense of mystery the way Lost did.

 

[elgaz]

This to me doesn't feel like a concept that can be sustain for that long without dragging its feet.

It's only 2 episodes in though? 2 episodes into LOST, none of us had any idea where they were going to go with it in Season 2, 3, 4 or onwards. IMO it will be at least half a season or maybe more before we can speculate if it's a sustainable concept, the MIB's talk of it being a 'game' with other levels is certainly a hint that there may be much more to come which will expand the world we've been introduced to and thus open up the possibilties.

Not to mention the possibility of also seeing other simulations besides Westworld, as per the original - Medieval World and so on.

 

[elgaz]

The Man in Black is essentially playing a video-game on God-Mode. I get tired of that after about 5 minutes let alone 30 years.

What fun is being an expert gunslinger when you are literally invincible to any threats? Hell at least make the bots shoot him with paint-balls as that'd at least piss him off.

I've noticed a few replies similar to yours understandably questioning how the park could be any way enjoyable for such a long time when you're impervious to gunfire.

I think in time this will be answered. We've already been informed that there are deeper levels within the park, and the family who meet Dolores while she's painting refer to one area as being too 'adult'. IMO there are many, many layers to the park catering to all types of visitors - family groups, single males, single females, groups of mixed genders, and so on.

It's not just about shooting people and being invincible either. It's a massive roleplay scenario really - shooting is one element of it, there's also the human/robot interactions (including sex), exploration, possibly re-enactments of things like the Civil War, and so on. It's this variety which prevents it from becoming repetitive and boring.

Much of what we've seen so far is set in the small Western town which serves as the entrance point for humans arriving on the train. This seems to be reset on a daily basis. I'm intrigued to know if this reset extends to the entire park, or if (as I suspect) there are areas where humans can 'play' for much longer periods. Imagine a scenario where you can spend months or years playing a role in the park and accumulating wealth, status and so on.

 

[Asgard]

At first I thought the Man in Black was trying to do something illicit in the game but now with the girl revealing a hint to the location of some maze, it seems more like hes playing a secret quest programmed by Ford a long time ago.

 

[harlequinade]

The big difference between this and LOST is that this has a 5-season arc that's already been mapped out in detail.

I think they said they have enough ideas at the moment for 5 seasons, not that they think it's 5 seasons and that's it

[BLACKOUT]Anyone else buying into the theory going around that William = MIB(30 yrs later)[/BLACKOUT]

I've always had this theory that [blackout]each episode is showing different timelines so yeah I can buy that. My initial theory was that the kid talking to Ford is a young MIB (instead of the more popular theory that he's the young Ford) but I've soured on the theory because well Ford should look younger then if it's a flashback. [/blackout]

A critic from Slate saw first 4 episodes and he said

Spoiler

it's not true William is MiB. I am glad that would be such a cheap twist. I think two time frames is possible, though.

 

[jmc]

Really?

There is the question of what is "life", the rights of the Hosts, their own existential crisis, the morals of what the creators do. The Hosts and their own stories and backstories as they begin to "wake up". The Maze. The various levels of Westworld. The Man in Black, his story, and his agenda. Management and their agenda. The people above Management that have their own motivations and agenda. Dr. Ford and his agenda. Lowe and his own agenda. Lowe and Cullen's relationship and how it will complicate things. The Guests that visit the parks. The condition of the world outside of the parks. The other parks that the showrunners have already said would feature in future seasons. And this stuff is just off the top of my head after only two episodes.

You really think there isn't enough to cover 50+ episodes?

And frankly what you consider "dragged out" I consider damn good television and a well executed mystery. I don't need or want all the answers to questions when they are posed. The showrunners can take their time and play it out drip by drip like a good mystery should. Lost was and still is the most fun I've had with a television mystery. I'd be thrilled if this show was able to bring back and maintain a continuous sense of mystery the way Lost did.

I honestly feel like the concept will eventually be stretched too thin. It's evident there will be some sort of Host uprising, I'm just doubtful that can be sustained for anymore than one or two years. Lost was interesting for the first 2 seasons before it finally just became a chore to watch. I'm getting a similar vibe from this show already. I'll continue to watch it for now because it has some interesting concepts, but I'm not 100% sold that as a whole it has the legs to stand for 5 years.

 

[Kaleb]

I think they said they have enough ideas at the moment for 5 seasons, not that they think it's 5 seasons and that's it





A critic from Slate saw first 4 episodes and he said

Spoiler

it's not true William is MiB. I am glad that would be such a cheap twist. I think two time frames is possible, though.

[BLACKOUT]Ah ok,I dont mind the twist, I just think it would have been too soon (2nd episode) to show some backstory into his past[/BLACKOUT]

 

[slimshady247]

I honestly feel like the concept will eventually be stretched too thin. It's evident there will be some sort of Host uprising, I'm just doubtful that can be sustained for anymore than one or two years. Lost was interesting for the first 2 seasons before it finally just became a chore to watch. I'm getting a similar vibe from this show already. I'll continue to watch it for now because it has some interesting concepts, but I'm not 100% sold that as a whole it has the legs to stand for 5 years.

Sure, but Lost didn't have Jonathan Nolan, and he's a huge asset to the show's writing.

Considering he co-wrote my favorite film of all time, I'm willing to have some faith.

Also, we haven't even seen the entirety of the first season yet. Isn't it a little early to judge whether the show has enough content for more seasons in it?

 

[DigificWriter]

They're already working on stories for Season 2, so there's definitely more than enough content in the premise to sustain a long-term narrative.

 

[Kaleb]

I think its interesting that both Jonathan Nolan and JJ Abrams worked on ''Person of Interest'' and I don't think I ever recall reading any ''theories'' floating about POI while the series was on and yet we are 2 episodes into ''Westworld'' and Ive seen at least a dozen floating around.