Westworld – revisited
released 2016
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I chose “Westworld” as this years revisit because of the story, talent, skill that went into it and the ideas, that are more relevant than ever. You can check out what I wrote last year about it on the link below. I want to add to what I wrote because so many good ideas came out of the series so far.

Westworld October2016 ink2quill blog 

Westworld IMDb website

“Westworld” is an American sci-fi, drama, thriller, action, adventure, western, TV series produced by Jonathan Nolan, J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk. It is inspired by a 1973 film of the same name written by Michael Crichton. It was directed by Jonathan Nolan and his wife Lisa Joy Nolan and stars a huge cast of talented actors, among which are Anthony Hopkins, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Luke Hemsworth, James Marsden, Evan Rachel Wood, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Simon Quarterman, Angela Sarafyan, Shannon Woodward, Ed Harris, Jimmi Simpson, Rodrigo Santoro, Ben Barnes, Clifton Collins Jr., Tessa Thompson, Vivienne Taylor, Louis Herthum, Oliver Bell, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Bradley Fisher, James Landry Hebert, Mike Watson, Izabella Alvarez, Paul Edney, Eric Shakleford, Jamie Soricelli, Ardeshir Radpour, Eddie Shin, Leonardo Nam, Demetrius Grosse, Olga Aguilar, Bianca Lopez, Jasmyn Rae, Cody Buchanan, Cynthia Dallas, Frantz Durand, Nia Kingsley, Mykell, Donnabella Mortel, Micah Tillman and many many others. There is no doubt that part of this series worldwind success is from its casting.

So if you don´t know it yet, I can safely say…without spoiling anything for you, that “Westworld” is the story of a futuristic park with androids that look too human and where the visitors/ guests can do anything they like to the androids or in the park. So, as you can guess, the androids, also called hosts, are treated horribly most of the time. Let me start by congratulating the crew of people responsible for the worldbuilding because it is truly amazing. There was great care taken on the sets, customs and technologies portrayed. We should also thank the late Michael Crichton for his book that inspired the series. And we cannot forgot to mention the very well written script, that goes without saying. So, all the people that took part in this project deserve a pat on the back and a fistful of dollars in the pocket because they did a great job.

One thing that I want to mention about the story is to watch how the story progresses. You have main characters that are humans and main characters that are androids. I have to say that the most interesting characters are the androids because they are going through a transformation, a period of self discovery. They are learning the cold hard truth of what they are and the world that was built for them to live.

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Spoiler alert for the next paragraph:

There is a scene where Maeve Millay, played by Thandie Newton, has the opportunity to leave Westworld but goes back for her child. That scene not only shows the evolution of her character but how good her decision making process is. She was not seduced by the prospect of freedom  into making a bad decision. The thing about the androids is that they are an incredibly talented bunch who are in a struggle for their lives and their freedoms. So that makes them formidable characters and does villianize humans because, quite frankly, most humans are villians here. Basically, what I´m saying is that if you wanted to break up the story into good guys and bad guys, the androids are, for the most part, the good guys. I find it easy to root for them.

End of spoiler:

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An interesting thing to note too is how the humans are kind of stuck in their pleasure cycles while the androids are struggling to reach self awareness and sentience. It is a difficult journey for them but they are not afraid to take it.

An interesting theme in storytelling that you see often, especially in sci-fi is the idea of how society treats beings not create through a man and woman union. Such beings, in so many cases, are not considered fully sentient or alive by society. That struggle is the stuff of great stories and that is at the heart of “Westworld”.

So, again, I highly recommend “Westworld” as a must see. Not only is it good sci-fi but it is great television. So go out and enjoy “Westworld”. It´s worth watching.

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