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Westworld - Live in Your World, Play in Ours - Sundays on HBO

UberLevi

Member
Just watched the premiere. Absolutely phenomenal, wow. I'm not a huge Western buff, but I do love myself some well crafted Sci-Fi and this looks like it could excel in both genres. Very gripping and complex narrative within just the first hour. I'll definitely be watching this as it airs, can't wait to see what's up next (preview looked equally astounding). Special mention to Louis Herthum (Mr. Abernathy) on his performance, I felt incredibly compelled by him in all his scenes.

I was watching this by myself and predicted out loud that
Teddy wasn't going to be a guest
and also that
the episode would end with a host killing a fly
. Got extremely hyped when both occurred.
 

The Mule

Member
The Discover West World site mentions needing to be work with your local port authority to chart a course to the park after booking your stay

Which implies an island or somewhere off world (i.e. charting a course through waters or through space)

I also noticed this, "LEAVING THE PARK
Even humans need to recalibrate — Westworld is an experience like no other and we have designed the world's finest decompression chamber: the Mesa Gold."

Interesting choice of words. Underwater world?
 

ZOONAMI

Junior Member
I also noticed this, "LEAVING THE PARK
Even humans need to recalibrate — Westworld is an experience like no other and we have designed the world's finest decompression chamber: the Mesa Gold."

Interesting choice of words. Underwater world?

Ah yes. Not an airlock, but decompression. Underwater is a very viable candidate. Bioshock yo.
 

The Mule

Member
Some interesting bits of info in the T&Cs on the discoverwestworld.com. Bolded the parts I found most intriguing.

TERMS OF DELOS DESTINATIONS
IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE CAREFULLY BEFORE ENTERING THE DELOS DESTINATIONS COMPOUND (THE “SERVICE”), AS THEY AFFECT YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS IN RESPECT TO YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE.

1. ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS: Upon entering the Delos Destinations Port of Entry, you are agreeing to the terms and conditions as laid out in this document.

2. LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY: Upon use of The Service, you agree that Delos, Inc. is not responsible for any injuries that are the result of gameplay. Recreational activity within the Delos Destinations compound does contain risks, and every effort will be made to ensure the safety of every guest. However, Delos, Inc. gives you license to experience the parks as you see fit, and certain injuries may occur.
(a) You dissolve Delos, Inc. of any responsibility financial or criminal that would result from dismemberment, broken bones, heart failure, loss or loss of use of hand and foot digits, shock, marital and relational strife, child endangerment, psychological trauma, delusions or hallucinations resulting from the realistic nature of the park experience, and/or any other physical, emotional, and psychological effects resulting from strenuous park activities.
(b) Statistically speaking, you are more likely to die from lightning strike than to die while in a Delos park. However, the following causes of accidental death have occurred within the Delos Destinations compound: buffalo stampede, self- cannibalism, accidental hanging, drowning, 3rd-degree burns, autoerotic asphyxiation, blunt force trauma, allergic reaction to non-native plant life, falling from great heights, common manslaughter, tumbleweeds. You absolve Delos, Inc. of any wrongdoing if you or anyone in your party suffers bodily harm while using The Service, and you agree to not sue or prosecute Delos, Inc. or any of the smaller entities falling under the Delos Corporation.
(c) All weapons and equipment used within Delos parks are the exclusive property of Delos, Inc. Gun ammunition contains proprietary safeguards related to bullet velocity, and tampering with gun safety features or ammunition automatically transfers liability to you and absolves Delos, Inc. of any injury or death that may occur as a result.
(d) All livestock within the Delos parks are Hosts, with the notable exception of flies. All humanoid and animal Hosts within Delos parks work to keep guests safe, even when the narrative calls for them to appear to endanger guests. Please note, the appearance of danger is not the same as true danger, and all Hosts utilize the Good SamaritanTM reflex to prevent bodily harm. However:
(e) Delos, Inc. shall not have a liability to you by reason of any delay or failure to perform if the delay or failure to perform is occasioned by circumstance beyond our control, which shall refer to any act of God, storm, fire, casualty, unanticipated work stoppage, power outage, satellite failure, strike, lockout, labor dispute, civil disturbance, riot, war, national emergency, Governmental action, Host malfunction, or other circumstance beyond our reasonable control.

3. RULES OF CONDUCT: All guest activity within the parks of the Delos Destinations compound is unrestricted and without limitations. However:
(a) Upon entering the Delos Destinations compound, you agree to voluntarily divest yourself of all cameras, cellular devices, and electronic technology capable of recording your park experience, including virtual reality recorders and devices, and holographic recreation devices. There is no video recording, audio recording, or written recording allowed within the park. You are allowed to utilize the in-park Host character PHOTOGRAPHERS, whose narratives allow for you to take Delos- approved photographs. These photographs will reflect the time period and location of the park narratives you are playing. No other photography is allowed.
(b) You agree that you will leave the Delos Destinations compound on your appointed leave date, and you will make no attempt to hide within the parks and avoid your leave date. A maximum of twenty-eight (28) days is allowed for being within the parks before guests must proceed to the Mesa Gold area for decompression. Any attempts to use the parks to avoid local, federal, or international court dates, jail or prison sentences, prosecution, or payments agreed upon in civil court or arbitration will not be supported by Delos, Inc.
(c) Please act responsibly while a guest at the Mesa Gold resort and while utilizing the Mesa Bar. Please be mindful of other guests, families, and children. Please note that while utilizing the Mesa Bar, you may interact with Delos, Inc. employees; any ideas pitched to Delos, Inc. employees automatically become the property of Delos, Inc., in perpetuity. Also, any mention of human-on-human crime admitted to a Delos, Inc. employee must be brought to the attention of Delos, Inc., and if falling within the laws of the Territory, may have to be reported to local authorities.

4. COPYRIGHTS AND TRADEMARKS: The Service and all materials included are protected by copyrights, patents, trade secrets or other proprietary rights under the respective laws of the Territory and are the exclusive property of Delos, Inc. These materials include, but are not limited to: the intellectual property of all Delos Destinations parks, the Host characters, Hosts’ programming code, the names of locations within the parks, the narratives within the parks, the recipes for specialized food and beverage items within the parks and featured at the Mesa Gold resort, text, photographs, graphics, video and audio content.
(a) As such, you may not copy, reproduce, distribute, publish, enter into a database, display, perform, modify, create derivative works, transmit, or in any way exploit any part of The Service.
(b) Using The Service is a privilege, and by doing so, you agree that you will make no attempt to remove anything belonging to Delos Destinations from the compound. You will not remove any food or beverage items, any Hosts, any clothing, any weapons or equipment, any signage, or any Host body parts from the compound. The only items you may remove from the compound are in-world photographs taken by designated Hosts. All other items are strictly forbidden.

5. INVESTIGATIONS/VIOLATIONS: If Delos, Inc. or any Delos Entity believes, in its sole discretion, that a violation of these Terms has occurred, it may take any and all corrective action it deems appropriate without notice, including contacting local authorities on the mainland. All human-on-human crimes taking place within the Delos Destinations compound will first be investigated by Delos, Inc.; Delos, Inc. has successfully avoided providing personal data in response to a legal process involving outside court entities for its entire history of existence. However, Delos, Inc. reserves the right to disclose personal information requested by a law enforcement agency, and shall have no liability to you for such disclosure.

6. PRIVACY: You are guaranteed absolute privacy while using The Service as outlined in this document, and all guest activities connected with use of The Service remain strictly private and confidential.
(a) You agree that while in the parks, you will respect the privacy rights of other guests, and you will not endeavor to record for the purposes of sharing the activities of other guests in the parks. You will not at any time, directly or indirectly, disclose, disseminate, or duplicate park activity pertaining to your or other guests’ gameplay.
(b) By entering the Delos Destinations Port of Entry, you acknowledge that Delos, Inc. controls the rights to and remains the sole owner of, in perpetuity: all skin cells, bodily fluids, secretions, excretions, hair samples, saliva, sweat, blood, and any other bodily functions not listed here. Delos, Inc. reserves the right to use this property in any way, shape, or form in which the entity sees fit.

7. MISCELLANEOUS: These Terms cannot be changed or terminated orally. Any failure of Delos, Inc. to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms will not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. No waiver by Delos, Inc. of any provision of these Terms will be of any force or effect unless made in writing and signed by a duly authorized officer of Delos, Inc. Delos, Inc. may assign its rights and obligations under these Terms, in whole or in part, to any party at any time without any notice. Delos, Inc. reserves the right to deny access to all or part of the Service to you or any person in its sole discretion without notice or liability of any kind.

The terraformed Mars theory seems less likely after reading that.
 
Ah yes. Not an airlock, but decompression. Underwater is a very viable candidate. Bioshock yo.
Could be the "rest and relax" definition of decompress...

But yeah, the fact that you need to go through the port authority, chart a course, and go to the decompression chamber afterwards, is telling
 

DavidDesu

Member
Pretty incredible. Loved the opening, us as the audience being led down false paths. Just fucking loved it. Seems like we have a deep intriguing plot to unravel. Production values, flawless.
 

aaaaa0

Member
Some interesting bits of info in the T&Cs on the discoverwestworld.com. Bolded the parts I found most intriguing.

The terraformed Mars theory seems less likely after reading that.

Yeah that almost certainly points to it being underwater. Probably in international waters so no country's laws apply to it.
 
I thought that could be a possibility until I read the T&Cs.

Eh, I still think that's a possibility. "Mainland" could mean it's just an island, and it makes sense that spending almost a month being a fake outlaw and killer would make them require some mental decompression time. In fact the T&Cs straight up refer to Mesa Gold as a resort and bar.
 

The Mule

Member
Eh, I still think that's a possibility. "Mainland" could mean it's just an island, and it makes sense that spending almost a month being a fake outlaw and killer would make them require some mental decompression time. In fact the T&Cs straight up refer to Mesa Gold as a resort and bar.
I presume it's serving both purposes. Psychological and physiological decompression.
 
Some interesting bits of info in the T&Cs on the discoverwestworld.com. Bolded the parts I found most intriguing.



The terraformed Mars theory seems less likely after reading that.
Other notable things
These photographs will reflect the time period and location of the park narratives you are playing. No other photography is allowed.
Does that imply that there could be other time periods?

All human-on-human crimes taking place within the Delos Destinations compound will first be investigated by Delos, Inc.
Yeah, that's just screaming "cover-ups" IMO.

By entering the Delos Destinations Port of Entry, you acknowledge that Delos, Inc. controls the rights to and remains the sole owner of, in perpetuity: all skin cells, bodily fluids, secretions, excretions, hair samples, saliva, sweat, blood, and any other bodily functions not listed here. Delos, Inc. reserves the right to use this property in any way, shape, or form in which the entity sees fit.
They must be doing some kind of genetic/bio-engineering work there too. Perhaps related to the Hosts?
 
Finally caught up on the premiere! I liked the premise, but found a lot of dialogue really clunky outside of characters interacting in the Westworld setting. That being said, there were some absolutely incredible stand-out scenes, predominantly due to the actors:
Ford with Old Bill, Peter's break down, Peter and Ford interacting, Dolores being interviewed, and Peter crying as he was led into cold storage. Louis Herthum was just superb, I hope we get to see him again. The Man in Black was horrifying and engaging all at once.

Incredible scenery, and some clever use of CGI. Will definitely tune in next week.

I also finished the show really missing Deadwood! Gimme that movie, HBO.
 
Man it's too bad that when the Dark Tower movie comes out and inevitably contains the "Hey Jude" honkey-tonk piano scene from the novel everyone's gonna be like "ugh Westworld rip-off" lol
 

The Mule

Member
Man it's too bad that when the Dark Tower movie comes out and inevitably contains the "Hey Jude" honkey-tonk piano scene from the novel everyone's gonna be like "ugh Westworld rip-off" lol

Doesn't The Dark Tower also make reference to Paint it Black at some point too? I think it's in the first book, The Gunslinger.
 
I don't usually rewatch episodes often, but I've already seen the pilot three times. Last pilot to grab me like that was...Game of Thrones
 

lightus

Member
Other notable things

Does that imply that there could be other time periods?



Yeah, that's just screaming "cover-ups" IMO.


They must be doing some kind of genetic/bio-engineering work there too. Perhaps related to the Hosts?

Yeah, there are definitely other time periods. I was looking through the page source of discoverwestworld.com and saw this:

<meta name="keywords" content="Westworld, Delos, HBO, now, go, jj abrams, jonathan nolan, lisa joy, anthony hopkins, yul brynner, western, old west, robot, host, gunslinger, future world, roman world, medieval world, evan rachel wood, james marsden, thandie newton, synths, artificial intelligence, ai, future, bad robot, theme park, sci fi, science fiction">

I'm not sure exactly what role they will play in the new show, if any.

Edit - should clarify. These periods were shown in some of the original movies/sequels. Not sure how they are relevant to the current series though.
 
I finally got around to watching it this afternoon, and it was worth the wait. I liked it quite a bit.

The use of popular music in that style was fantastic, especially Paint it Black. What was the song before it, though? I was singing it a bit in my head, but couldn't place it.

Evan Rachel Wood is smoking hot, as per usual. Dream girl material. I'm glad she's in it, because I've always liked her.

It's a really intriguing premise, and I look forward to more.
 

lightus

Member
Rome and Mid are from the movie so it might just for matching purposes (like, Yul Brynner obviosly won't be on the show).

Yeah, I realized I may have phrased my post to imply their relevance a bit too strongly. Edited my other post to clarify it a bit. You're probably right in that they may have been included just to help in matching searches etc.
 
Yeah, there are definitely other time periods. I was looking through the page source of discoverwestworld.com and saw this:

<meta name="keywords" content="Westworld, Delos, HBO, now, go, jj abrams, jonathan nolan, lisa joy, anthony hopkins, yul brynner, western, old west, robot, host, gunslinger, future world, roman world, medieval world, evan rachel wood, james marsden, thandie newton, synths, artificial intelligence, ai, future, bad robot, theme park, sci fi, science fiction">

I'm not sure exactly what role they will play in the new show, if any.

Edit - should clarify. These periods were shown in some of the original movies/sequels. Not sure how they are relevant to the current series though.

Try putting those keywords into the "live chat with Aeden"

Try typing "who are you", then "ai", and then "violent delights have violent ends"
 
Just finished watching on GO, pretty decent. Will have to tune in to a few more episodes before I can pass judgement on it though but one question I've got is that if the AI are evolving beyond their code then how long before the playground is no longer a part of the story and it just takes place in the real world? If it becomes a big enough issue then they would shut it down, or, guests would no longer want to take the trip. Essentially leaving the whole Westworld behind.

Also, what was whispered to Peter at the end?

Gotta say though that I loved hearing Black Hole Sun, it was a nice surprise.

Also, the following 8 notes in the main theme, strings followed by piano (Starting at 7 seconds if the timestamp doesn't work) are near identical to Ezio's Family.
 

Burt

Member
This show is fascinating. I keep up with plenty of shows, plenty of which I'm comfortable saying are great, but I can't remember the last time my I finished an episode 1 and the first word that popped into my head was 'fascinating'.

Total eyeroll at them not even being able to get through the opening credits without any fucking though. I love the unsexed clinical nudity in the show for the way it subverts modern TV expectations, but that opening credits bit was like the unironic culmination of everything those segments were playing off of.
 
This seems like the kind of show that will reinvent itself every season (in a good way). I suspect that they could extend the robotic uplifting over two seasons (1st mainly focused on Dolores, 2nd extending to the hosts "species" becoming sentient and breaking free), but then I could imagine possibilities such as the hosts trying to create their own society or hosts moving into the rest of the world
 

TDLink

Member
The dude who played Old Bill is amazing. The acting was so animatronic-like, it's unreal. He really nailed robot acting.
 

aaaaa0

Member
I thought it was hilarious that at the end of that episode, a guest killed the main bandit halfway through his monologuing.

Who hasn't tried to do that in an open world game? LOL
 

kinoki

Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey.
It's a good show judging my the first episode with talented people running the show. But I don't see the appeal in a whole series with several seasons. I don't see how it would work out.
 
I don't usually rewatch episodes often, but I've already seen the pilot three times. Last pilot to grab me like that was...Game of Thrones

Twice so far for me, but I imagine a third and fourth will be soon enough.

Sadly I'll be out of town and won't be able to watch the next episode until Monday though. :( (okay well, it's to see Roger Waters and The Who for free, so not that sadly lol)
 

antonz

Member
As long as HBO keeps the quality high and delivers it should have no problem with its long term goals. Westworld ratings are in and it had over 3.3 million viewers . For comparison Game of Thrones premiered with 2.2 million viewers
 

Haribi

Why isn't there a Star Wars RPG? And wouldn't James Bond make for a pretty good FPS?
Before I watched the episode I thought Westworld was some kind of computer simulation, I didn't know it was basically just a theme park in the real world. That makes me wonder, how are the newcomers invincible to the hosts?
 
Before I watched the episode I thought Westworld was some kind of computer simulation, I didn't know it was basically just a theme park in the real world. That makes me wonder, how are the newcomers invincible to the hosts?

Smartbullets I read in this thread, but I haven't really dived into it. I think in the coming episodes there will be more exposition so we understand the rules of this world better. At least that is what some reviews imply.
 

Quote

Member
there are two schools of thought:

1 - he was told the command which shuts them down (which is said a couple of times earlier in the show); or
2 - he was whispered a command that will turn him into a violent machine at a later date
3 - He told them something that makes them question their purpose, in turn causing them to become self aware.

I say this because I want the hosts to go rogue on their own, they don't need instructions otherwise they're still just robots.
 

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
As long as HBO keeps the quality high and delivers it should have no problem with its long term goals. Westworld ratings are in and it had over 3.3 million viewers . For comparison Game of Thrones premiered with 2.2 million viewers

The 3.3 million figure for Westworld includes repeat airings and multiplatform viewership (3.3 million puts it exactly on par with True Detective's multiplatform premiere). The linear ratings for Westworld were 1.96 million, compared to 2.2 million for Game of Thrones and 2.3 for True Detective.

It's hard to directly compare their ratings because the TV landscape has changed so much in between each show's premiere, but the ratings for Westworld seem to indicate that, while a good number of people are still watching HBO, more of them are opting to watch via apps, which might result in a perceived poorer comparative performance to their past shows (due to lower Nielsen ratings), when in reality it's doing just as well if not better than many of them.
 

CHC

Member
I think part of what makes this show not that intriguing to me is that the AI people just live in their own world. It's sectioned off from the rest of the world so the stakes seem a lot lower to me. If they start malfunctioning... that's bad and kind of interesting in a way but ... so what? I also think part of it also the fact that I couldn't really latch on to any character. Things were moving at a very fast pace in the pilot. I think I'll be happier next episode when I assume they'll start to slow things down.

I think it could, and likely will, get a lot more interesting but I just kept thinking there were no real stakes set up in the pilot.

I think the conversation between the writer and the woman in charge (don't have names memorized yet) implied that there is a much larger goal of the company and its research than just Westworld or various other amusements. I wouldn't be surprised if it was revealed later that Hosts are, and have been, out in the real world for some time.

I get the feeling the park is a "Beta" or a cover for a more mainstream roll-out of these artificial humans.
 
This seems like the kind of show that will reinvent itself every season (in a good way). I suspect that they could extend the robotic uplifting over two seasons (1st mainly focused on Dolores, 2nd extending to the hosts "species" becoming sentient and breaking free), but then I could imagine possibilities such as the hosts trying to create their own society or hosts moving into the rest of the world

I'm hoping they expand into the different worlds like the movie did. Show us some Rome, maybe reuse some GoT sets and do some Medieval themed world park stuff, and so on.
 
I'm hoping they expand into the different worlds like the movie did. Show us some Rome, maybe reuse some GoT sets and do some Medieval themed world park stuff, and so on.

Ending twist to Game of Thrones is that it was a theme park set in the Westworld universe. Turns out Littlefinger was just an Ed Harris-esque high level player gaming the system the whole time.
 

Packy

Member
The company is called Delos Destinations, so I assume that are multiple destinations to visit.

If the original 1973 film is any indication, there is a Roman and Medieval themed resort as well. Also, a sequel film introduced a NASA like space themed Futureworld. The potential for taking the Westworld concept to new resorts and/or spinning off new shows based on other theme parks operated by Delos Destinations is very likely.
 
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