If you are like me, you never really bought into the hype surrounding HBO’s Game of Thrones; however, I have always respected HBO’s production quality, as it is generally the highest on television. Westworld is HBO’s newest venture, and it is absolutely blowing my mind.
The show is an adaptation of Michael Crichton’s — writer of Jurassic Park and other popular works — novel of the same name. Described as a science-fiction western thriller, the show takes place in a theme park of sorts, where wealthy “Guests” pay to do whatever their heart desires. With an old Western setting, Guests can be heroes or villains, and have complete control over their own story-line. Within the park are “Hosts,” artificial humans that perform scripted narratives that change whenever the park director decides to create something new. These narratives do not always play out as planned, however, due to Guest interruption. While most first-time Guests partake in the scripted narratives, namely bounty hunts, bank robbing and sightseeing, some Guests prefer to spend their time drinking and entertaining their other vices.
While the show does not revolve around any singular protagonist, there are multiple main characters that are followed. Bernard Lowe, one of the parks primary directors, makes sure that Guests are in working condition for every new narrative beginning, but his true identity and motives are currently unknown to the viewers, including myself.
The show has been praised for its outstanding visuals and acting by many critics, and these qualities about the show absolutely live up to the hype. With each episode furthering the narrative of both recurring Hosts and Guests, I am continually on the edge of my seat throughout each episode. Currently I am only three episodes in, but I am desperate to watch more.
As Westworld's plot continues to thicken, I have never found myself asking, "What the f*ck is happening" as many times as I have with this show. Without straying too far into spoiler territory, my intrigue with the primary antagonists search for "the Maze" continues to grow. As his prevalence in the series events is blotted out by other important events, my internal begging for him to garner more screen time has reached a screaming level of volume. Beyond his search for the Maze, my interest in newly introduced villain Wyatt's involvement has begun to replace my previous intrigue. Park Director Robert Ford has a new narrative in play, and while the show's original narrative isn't within my grasp entirely, his new narrative is even further removed.
While my ability to be spoiler-free prevents me from giving away more involved details, there are so many reasons to be watching Westworld. Lovers of science-fiction, westerns, dystopian novels and mysteries alike will all have interest in the show. If you are not yet watching Westworld, hop on the train and join the rest of the world on this wild journey.
