Westworld: 3 Weeks In

I have a question on my mind, and that question is as follows:

"What?"

As of this writing u have just finished the third episode of HBO's Westworld. I half expected to have a semi concrete idea of what is in store for the series after this episode, in fact I exclaimed near the beginning that I would now be willing to bet actual money that Will's story is a flashback story of the Man in Black in his first trip to the park. After the ending resolution, I feel maybe I should have hedged said bet. And that is what I love about this show.

Well, that and other things...

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Lets, to quote an Ed Harris line from episode 3, start from the beginning.

Westworld establishes right out of the gate that things in this series are not always going to be as they seem. We are introduced to James Marsdens character in a way that suggests he is a guest in the park. Similarly, Ed Harris character, The Man in Black, seemed at first to be this shows version of the Yul Brynner "Gunslinger" Host character from the original 1973 film. These two notions are almost immediately flipped on their heads, leaving the viewer scrambling to re-learn what they already thought was a given. A "known".

In Westworld, there are no knowns, and over the course of the series so far, the park technicians understanding of this seems to be growing at near the same rate as their dismay.

But not as fast as their lady boners.

Of particular interest is Bernard, who some seem to believe is a Host for reasons I can understand yet not accept. Let me get this out of the way immediately: I don't think Bernard is a Host, and if he turns out to be, I'm going to be pretty disappointed that the show runners went that direction. I do believe that a few of the other technicians/park security could be possible hosts, some of (head security guy)'s dialogue in the latest episode is either pretty obvious foreshadowing (or to be fair an even more obvious red herring) of that notion.

Bernard cant seem to help himself when it comes to his interests in the Host potential sentience. He is shown worrying that a problem could occur, to the point that he keeps bringing it to the attention of Dr. Ford, yet he decodes to continue his talks with Delores as she continually shows further signs of sentient growth. I think he's going to have the highest chance of survival when the shit does inevitably hit the fan, as he has shown a definite empathy for the Hosts where the others regard them as mere toys.

Dr. Franken-, sorry, Dr. Ford(played brilliantly by the ever graceful Anthony Hopkins), is a truly interesting character. One cant miss the obvious inspiration from Dr. Tyrell of Blade Runner fame, but I suppose a grand creator with a God complex is a given on this branch of the sci-fi tree. His interested yet callous attitude toward the hosts is what I have a feeling will get him killed by them in the end. His creations would certainly enjoy directing him in a "narrative" that I cant imagine he'd find enjoyable.

Gonna go Hannibal on his ass.

Will and Logan's story really too hard to predict at this point, it seems like it could go anywhere. I truly felt that we were dealing with 2 separate timelines until Delores stumbled upon them after having "woken up" and remembering the Man in Blacks (presumed)rape and her previous deaths. Unless that was the best misdirect in the history of television, I think we can safely say we're dealing with one timeline here.

Also, I have to say I loved seeing Will getting blown back by that Hosts bullet after watching the Man in Black take so many without flinching. It shows that the Man in Black has gotten so used to the pain over 30 years that it's nothing to him, while also indicating that those bullets could potentially carry more weight, so to speak (can you imagine getting hit in the eye with one of those things? I can't see that being survivable).

I'm sure(?) to have many more revelations to go over with you fine guests when my next review installment comes after episode 6, until then, try not to malfunction, and may you rest in a deep and dreamless slumber.

No, not here. Go home..... Now.

...Goddammit.

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