The first hour of “Westworld” introduces viewers to the world of the series, establishing many of the primary characters and highlighting the rules of the land. “Westworld” is a show with many layers — some more effective than others. Ultimately, the first episode, “The Original,” is a fun yet flawed pilot, with the ability to either grow into the next “Game of Thrones” or fade into the abyss like “Vinyl,” a recent flop.
HBO desperately needs a big hit with “Westworld.” With critical darling “The Leftovers” finishing next spring, and only two abridged seasons left of “Game of Thrones,” HBO could find themselves with a deficit of the dramatic content the channel became famous for. The network’s last two attempts at drama did not end well. “True Detective” went from wild popularity in its first season, to bogged-down messiness in its second season, while “Vinyl” failed to ever peak interest.
The new HBO series is heavily inspired by, and potentially functions as a sequel to, the 1973 film of the same name written and directed by Michael Crichton, the writer of “Jurassic Park.” The original film and current television series follow many tropes similar to “Jurassic Park,” with a new, immersive amusement park at the center of the story and technology acting as the ultimate threat.
This series differs in some ways from the original film. The show follows a Western-themed amusement park, Westworld, which is inhabited by life-like robots called Hosts. These Hosts repeat a daily cycle of narrative stories the park visitors, known as the Newcomers, are able to interact with. The park has been open for decades, and the operations have been smooth-sailing for 30 years — until the Hosts’ newest software update.
“Westworld” opens with Teddy (James Marsden) entering the park. Teddy finds himself united with Host Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood), but after another few scenes, it is revealed that Teddy himself is a Host. This subverts the audience’s expectations and skews the general theme of a stranger entering into a new world. From there, “Westworld” only expands, showing the perspective of the management as they control the park in a manner very similar to administrators in “The Hunger Games.” By the end of the hour, the episode successfully illuminates the worldview of the Hosts, who are essentially toys for the Newcomers.
This pilot episode has a lot of problems due to the point-of-view the writers decided to show. By primarily entering the theme park through the viewpoint of the Hosts, viewers don’t understand how the park works for patrons, nor do they see the management’s plans for the park’s future. Of course, the show will potentially cover these topics in future episodes, but beginning with the perspective of the Hosts is difficult: It is hard to root for them, as they show almost no signs of individual consciousness.
In typical HBO style, “Westworld” is filled with gratuitous nudity and violence towards women, problematic features of “Game of Thrones” as well. “The Original” is a very expansive and impressive hour of television, but at the same time, the show has an emptiness to it. “Westworld” has a paint-by-number feel to it. HBO obviously hopes this series will obtain the attention and relevance of some of the network’s past hits. The show does have a massive and rather impressive cast, particularly Evan Rachel Wood as the oldest Host in the park. The first episode of “Westworld” shows potential for a great series, but the show can’t expect to hold audiences’ attention for too long without beginning to peel back the many layers.
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