[7.7/10] I find pilots fascinating, both good and bad ones, because they’re unlike any other episode of television. They have to accomplish so much. They have to introduce the audience (and by extension, the studio execs and advertisers) to the world of the show. They have to give you enough info about the characters to want to see more of them without giving everything away. You have to tease places to take the series, storylines and motivations that might be unfurled as the show goes on. And most importantly, you have to communicate the feel of the show, what it’s going to be about, what place it’s going to take the viewer to week after week.
Westworld’s pilot is far from perfect, with elements of craft and performance and dialogue that stumble here and there, but it’s impressive how well it manages to do each of these things.
With minimal exposition, it’s easy to understand the basic premise of the show. There is a Wild West-themed amusement park, populated by lifelike robots who are realistic enough to pass for human in their interactions with the “guests,” but unaware of their mechanical, programmatic roots. The park has been in operation for at least three decades, allowing a continual progression of “rich assholes” to live out their fantasies, whether that’s shooting local bandit or bedding a gal at the saloon or just enjoying being a part of this immersive, multi-faceted story and experience.
And behind the scenes, there are a series of operators: those who program the robots, those who write the stories, those who take care of security, and those who oversee the whole operation. That’s a job which requires replacing and repairing the robots, making sure that the stories make sense with enough room for improvisation and flexibility to keep the guests’ adventures fun but safe. And hey, it’s all based on a story by Michael Crichton novel, so if you’ve read or seen Jurassic Park, you can probably predict that a thing or two will go wrong by the time the season’s over.
Westworld mostly conveys this by showing you everything in operation. There’s some trickery and surprises at the margins, and a few blatantly expository statements here and there. But for the most part, the show drops you into Westworld, both in front of and behind the camera, and lets you witness the various moving parts of this immense, hinted-to-be-dangerous operation as a means of getting you up to speed, rather than taking the viewer on a tour.
“The Original” also gives you a fair sense of the characters, who are more archetypes than fully-fleshed out individuals at this point, but established well-enough for an opening salvo. Behind the scenes there’s the fascinated programmer, the tough-as-nails pragmatic boss, the shitheel writer, the tech who seems a little too attached, the no nonsense jerk security head, and the wistful, philosophical owner. Some of these are stock personalities, but there’s enough in the milieu to promise some compelling clashes and surprises.
And in the park itself are the “guests” and the “hosts.” The guests are regular people, mostly interchangeable and living out their fantasies, all except for a man in black who seems more interested in torture and something worse than some harmless-if-unnerving fun. But more importantly there are the robots, the young woman who believes everything in her life has a path, the young man who returns to be with her, the slick cowboys and courtesans who toe the line between just good writing and the hint of some deeper personality. In all of these personalities, we get the sense of a deeper ecosystem that we’re just getting a glimpse of.
But better than that, the pilot conveys tone and interest. Rest assured, Westworld wants to let you know that this is an HBO show, specifically one aiming to be the next Game of Thrones, and so it offers the requisite quotient of nudity and violence. The characters curse at one another and do unspeakable things, and the production values are through the roof to let you know this isn’t ordinary television.
And yet, the opening episode also gives the hints of what causes us to overlook any gratuitousness in these things -- the chance to aim at something a little more high-minded in the process. “The Original” spends a great deal of time teasing the idea that these robots might become dangerous. One milk-spewing villain-bot malfunctions and starts to sound more psychotic than cantankerous; another spits out unnerving Shakespeare quotes and promises vengeance against his makers whilst looking them square in the eye, and Dolores, the eponymous original “host” and an apparent protagonist, tells her human handler that she could not hurt a fly, only to end the episode doing just that, and revealing that she can both exert violence and tell falsehoods.
But more than the teases that things could get ugly, what’s compelling about the story “The Original” tells is the idea that these robots, continually “upgraded” to become more and more lifelike, are starting to graze sentience. The layers of memories they have, from constant reboots and refreshes, are starting to resurface. The images of something other than this Wild West Town are starting to creep into their brain and wreak havoc there. The things that make us human -- the ability to understand where we came from and whom we used to be, the ability to make our own choices, to have our own wants and desires -- are starting to emerge in these erstwhile automatons, a fact that is both frightening and exciting.
It’s a complication with any number of wrinkles. Ford, the owner and founder of Westworld speaks of humans having reached their limits, and hints at the idea that he may be trying to advance these artificial lives beyond ours, maybe even to use them to bring back departed loved ones or preserve himself. The hard-nosed boss suggests there’s greater forces at work, who may have ideas about using these replicas beyond hedonistic tourism, whether that’s war or espionage or infiltration.
And beyond even that, “The Original” implicitly asks questions about the morality of this exercise in the first place. The guests laugh and delight at blasting away the simulacra of a human being. They seek out grim thrills and debauchery, using a crop of disposable human-like things as their toys. And the man in black seems to revel in his worst, pitch-black impulses, not only delighting in unspeakable acts, but seeking something deeper beyond them. There are thorny ethical issues about indulging people’s fantasies with something that even brushes against sentience, and Westworld’s pilot seems to promise a thorough dive into them.
That’s what a good pilot does -- it gestures towards what’s to come while serving up just enough of what’s in front of the viewers to satisfy their appetites. It twists the viewer, intimating a romance between human and robot that turns out to be the prelude to an atrocity, and the introduction to the dark underbelly of a seemingly innocent lark of a getaway. “The Original” gives you the flavor of Westworld, planting the seeds of storylines that will no doubt be harvested over the rest of the season, and also the sense of what the show is, and will be, with all the blood and philosophy that entails.
This show is - just as the original movie was, in retrospect - a fine example of why we can't have nice things: we're such a bunch of a*******s, that enjoy destroying and perverting everything we dare to touch. There's never a middle ground. Westworld is a late-21st century place where you can f++k, rape and kill at pleasure - feeling no guilt - at $40,000 US Dlls a day per guest (around $9,000 of today's money), running under the same 3 premises that Crichton had for Jurassic Park: any sense of control is always a delusion, any complex system becomes inherently unestable with every new element that is added, and wherever we try to harness and control something (let's say, nature, genetics, the atom, chemistry, etc) it will invariably turn against us. Putting aside the philosophical and moral implications, the entire primise is outdated. Why would someone travel to somewhere in the middle of nowhere just to f++k, rape and kill, when virtual reality and neural-feedback (that will be most likely available by the end of the century) could provide a better experience (including the f+++++g, of course) without ever leaving your living room?. A late-21st century virtual reality experience will probably be better than anything Westworld has to offer, in a more cost-effective way... and it'll be probably available, even more gory, sexy and violent than whatever this show has to offer for the rest of this season. Anyway... this episode looks very expensive, so Westworld needs to grab the audience fast, lest this be its only season, following the usual curse that J.J. Abrams seems to have right now.
“How about I give you the first shot? After all, every dog has his day.”
What the actual F is this and why haven't I watched it before all the crap I've eaten so far?
WOW.
Agree with the comment noting this is the best pilot I've watched.
Definitely promising beginning, lots of world and character setup, but the premise is intriguing. Feels a bit like Firefly crossed over with Assimov and maybe a bit blade runner. Let's see where this goes.
I'm giving the first season a rewatch as I move to start watching the second and third seasons. When I watched the original season the first time, I wasn't incredibly blown away. I'm not quite sure why. I watched it as it aired and perhaps my expectations were just different from what the series was offering.
It's now nearly four years later and I'm seeing it differently. The pilot, at least, boasts an interesting take on its influences. There's the obvious philosophical themes, of course, but deeper down there's a reliance on the pseudo-mysticism found in weird fiction. The unknowable truth that will surely drive you mad. That's where I keyed in. I think it's fascinating how the pilot borrows from western tropes but skews them significantly past their original intent. It feels very Stephen King--probably the real reason I found myself so interested, as an avid fan of the The Dark Tower series.
Last question, Dolores. Would you ever hurt a living thing?
Dolores: No, of course not.
Just received season 1 on Blu-ray and I just had to start binge re-watching it right away.
This episode, this first episode held no punches. Honestly I don't think their could be a better paced first episode. It was immersive, it was impactful, and it left you hanging. Gotta see more. =) Even a dabble of programming will make you delighted about their attempts to discover the causes of these bugs. But just the whole problem, the premise, and the characters just kinda suck you right in like a black hole. Theirs no quarter given, no drop in pacing or drama. Gotta say that Ed Harris dude squares the crap outta me. A sociopath and psychopath serial killer in the making.It strongly reminds me of the matrix but is so much better than that. =)
It lived up to every expectation I had and much more. I loved the movie as a youth and this series has brought out a new perspective rather than just rehashing some remake of a classic. I had to watch this episode twice due to the amazing narrative which at first watch I thought was just part of what I was watching. It wasn't, it's basically two episodes in one.
First episode is looking like a nice update to the classic original. There were enough interesting threads raised to make me want to see a few more episodes at least. I think it is going to be interesting to see the various factions wrestling for control of the destiny of the robots - including, I think, the emergent AI of the robots themselves - which I think seems to be part of Dr Ford's expectations.
I pretty much loved this. It's taken the general setup of the movie but is completely doing its own thing with it and going in a very different direction. A lot of unexpected things being turned on their head. The actors playing the hosts are fantastic (notably, Delores and her father). I loved the way their accents changed. The scene with Hopkins and the father speaking creeped me out, and meanwhile Ed Harris is terrifying.
The music was also wonderful throughout and added a lot. Wonderful use of Black Hole Sun and Paint It, Black. My only disappointments were the English administrator and his boss, they were poorly written and frankly poorly acted scenes that didn't flow well with the rest of the episode.
At this point, I also don't have much idea where things are going. That's not a problem, as the episode sucked me in and I really want to continue. The final shot was excellent and the whole thing looks incredible.
Jesus this is wild. If you have any doubts just ignore them and watch it.
My first 10 for an episode in what? 4 years! Westworld is King!
This was just as good as I hoped it to be, and I loved the ending.
Pretty strong opening in my opinion. A tad on the nose, but I'm ready for episode 2.
Don't vote before the episode is out!
Just 25 minutes in and I think Westworld could be the next Battlestar Galactica. It's more dark than the movie from the 70's. Just not sure why the engineers don't see all the crazy shit Ed Harris has been up to though. If they are always watching the robots.
Still, as a fan of the original movie, this show is pretty kick ass and I can't wait for more. The movie is pretty outdated and this show makes a great insanely awesome update. Even if all of it doesn't make complete sense so far.
Black hole sun on a player piano. Fantastic.
When HBO speaks, all the others should sit and learn.
Reminds me of Whedon's Dollhouse for some reason. The premise is interesting, but it feels kinda flat (for me). Off to the second episode!
This is a top notch cast and an impressive production. The plot gets more and more evolving and mysterious as the episodes are released. The concept reaches the complex question of how much human a machine can be. AI and the complex question. For me 10/10 top Series that I recommend!!
I bet those errors occurring in the system is not just a glitch but someone doing it on purpose. I bet it's the Hopkins's character. He gave the bots "subconsciousness" after all and he seemed more fascinated by the old dude malfunctioning than worried. And if something like that happened before a long time ago you'd think they'd figure out the problem.
This is huge!! this is something different
@Op This episode's name is "The Original", the second episode's name is "Chestnut" and the season will have 10 episodes.
decided it was finally time to watch this again and I didn’t realize that so much happens and sets the tone for the entire show. I am very intrigued to watch Bernard in particular in retrospect!
Music
Paint It Black — The Rolling Stones[1]
Ain't No Grave — Johnny Cash[1]
Black Hole Sun — Soundgarden[1]
Sweetwater — Ramin Djawadi
This World — Ramin Djawadi
This episode was dedicated In loving memory of Eddie Rouse (1954-2014) who played Kissy and who died after filming the first episode.
Decided to try this series out because... there’s nothing but free time on my hands lol
Ok what the hell did I just watch?
Seen this series some time ago, liked it though I could not like its plot. Maybe its time to watch again.
Bit slow in the beginning but it's growing on me. i didn't find the behaviour of the guests towards the hosts particularly shocking, but then, I just came out of re-watching Altered Carbon and that takes psychopathic abuse to the next level. I'm interested to know how this goes on, though I don't yet feel that mystery je ne sais quoi that other shows have - i.e. the thing you know is there but you don't know what it is. The labyrinth on the gambler's scalp is somewhat intriguing, but does not pull me in as much as the first episode of Lost, for example. I really like the characters, especially Dolores, Hector and Maeve, and the ending was brilliant. "Wouldn't hurt a fly," indeed.
Of course, I wouldn't be me if I didn't have something to nitpick - in the background, they constantly show new automatons be made, and they have freezers full of them, but ultimately it sounds like they keep repairing the same old ones, so why do they need new ones in the first place? And if they can so easily make new ones, and presumably make them look like whatever they want to, why does the new Peter Abernathy look different? I suppose this is done for effect, a case of form over function.
This episode was Great, but because of the intriguing premise, I'm rating it a 9/10. Let's see where this journey takes us :)
Say iam watching all l get is a blank screen?????
Starts out good....excited for the rest of the season.
Took me for a loop to see Brigitte Nyborg speaking English. Otherwise, great first episode! Can't believe it took me this long to start this show.
This idea is very interesting.
Watched S1E1 last night and was fairly impressed. I'm excited to get involve and dive deeper into the storyline. I am still hesitate as I'm not much of a "western" theme TV/movie watcher, but I am into anything futuristic, sci-fyi, digital/computer, etc. That will draw me into watching this show. Also, some surprise actors that I didn't know were involved; Jeffrey Wright, Ed Harris, and Anthony Hopkins!
About halfway through, I heard a familiar melody being played on a piano in WESTWORLD, and I thought Hey, I know that song!
"Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden, and then later there's an orchestral version of The Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black" during the shootout, both of which are well fit for the show.
a very interesting premise and a decent execution so far, but the main chick is really boring and annoying.
Great first episode - reminded me a lot of Dollhouse (in a good way). Lots of red herrings and twists in the tale
For sure one of the best premieres i've ever seen, with a great beginning and a greater ending. Too much stuff for just one episode imho, and i can understand that the fools who never saw the original movie might be disoriented. If there was less plot, this episode would be suitable for everybody, there's why it's not the best premiere. It would be a 10 if it was for me, but let's stick to objectivity. Very good actors, maybe the most "disappointing" is Sir Hopkins, because he is not even struggling a bit, he's just too good for this kind of products.
uuuh,what happened! did i just fell in love :o this show is gonna become one of THE SHOW OF THE DECADE.
Great start. I was waiting for this and had a lots of expectations, all of them exceeded. Can't wait to see more. Also I have a lot of hopes in the cast and crew.
I barely remember the movie it´s been to long but this definately made me want to see more. Great Atmosphere and I especially like the soundtrack. If there is one small question in my mind it´s how much potential the story really holds moving forward.
Amazing, this is so dope!
Enjoyed this way more than i expected to, looking forward to ep 2
Off to an excellent start.
Wow, what a first episode! Dark, engaging, and leaving me immediately wanting more. This could be the next big thing and I can't wait to see where the show goes from here.
Shout by Dankest-DJBlockedParent2016-10-03T05:26:29Z
I haven't been this intrigued by a show in this genre since Lost & Fringe were around.
Very brutal & dark in a lot of places. Lots of questions about morality & playing God here. This show has some serious potential & I hope it only gets better as the season goes along.
I really love the casting choices for this show. Excellent performances by all. Especially Anthony Hopkins and Ed Harris. Even Trevor (Steven Ogg) from Grand Theft Auto V showed up only to get killed. Twice. Haha.
The background soundtrack was very well done & they even threw in a few different twists on modern songs into the episode that I really liked. "Black Hole Sun" on the piano & also "Paint it Black".
Fuggin' awesome.
Yup, this one's gonna be a hit. I'm already hooked & I need MORE.