I Saw the Future and I'm Still the Same

Right now I’m watching Westworld and I feel compelled to talk about it even though I’m only at Season 1, Episode 8. It quite obviously draws inspiration partly from popular video games. It may be the best adaptation of a video game that doesn’t exist ever.

The image of Yul Brynner in the original movie still burns in my memory. I remember the movie itself as a sci-fi horror though. This series seems to be about NPC’s come to life. The writers do a great job of illustrating NPC game mechanics in the first few episodes but I was glad to move on from Dolores’ part mundane part horrific loop.

I identified with young William right from the moment he picked his off white hat. I was also filled with dread because I know that Westworld will inexorably darken that hat. Otherwise I’m enjoying the scenery and the plot twists.

I’ve read that the author Michael Crichton was disappointed that audiences seemed to misinterpret the original Westworld’s message. This time the real villains are clearly drawn and the human Ed Harris seems to be Yul’s stand in. I’m looking forward (with some apprehension) to William’s progression and whether his story will lead me to more self contemplation.