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'Westworld' 101: A guide to the robotic wild west

Loosely adapted from the 1973 movie, Westworld takes viewers to a whole new world.

Devina Heriyanto (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Thu, October 27, 2016

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'Westworld' 101: A guide to the robotic wild west Train carrying guests to Westworld. (HBO/File)

L

et's face it: Westworld is the new Game of Thrones. Now, we are not just saying that because they have the same musical composer. 

For starters, its premiere alone has been watched by 3.3 million people. The show is supported by a stellar cast, from Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy as creators, and Ramin Djawadi as composer, who also created the iconic opening of Game of Thrones.

Loosely adapted from the 1973 movie, Westworld takes viewers to a whole new world. On the surface, it is a modern twist of the old wild west movie. With four episodes so far, viewers know that the series is more intricate than cowboys versus bandits, even though the main narrative remains a mystery.

So what is Westworld?

The series takes place in Westworld, "a meticulously crafted and artfully designed park" where guests can interact with  'hosts', lifelike machines with their own personalities and  backstories. Each guest is presented with various story lines, from hunting bandits to saving a damsel in distress.

Westworld promises visitors can "live without limits", meaning that they can do anything in the park, including raping or killing the hosts with no consequences. All characters, including animals are hosts, except the flies.

How do the hosts work?

Hosts serve as non-playable characters, guiding visitor through a story line, by simply being a prostitute or barman or even the villain themselves. Still, hosts are limited so they cannot hurt visitors.

After a story line is finished, hosts' memories will be wiped so they forget even the most horrible thing that guests have done to them. Park maintenance will repair the hosts and reset them before the hosts begin living again.

A host can be reused to play a different character. The oldest host in the park is Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood), the blonde daughter of a farmer with the current role as a damsel in distress.

Dolores played by Evan Rachel Wood.(HBO/File)

What's the premise of the series?

The story begins when Westworld's founding father Dr. Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins) introduces an update that allows hosts to make gestures, making them even more lifelike. The update works by allowing hosts to access their previous memories.

As per Murphy's law, everything goes wrong. Hosts begin to have glitches, causing disturbances in the story line. Some begin to have nightmares, consisting of traumatic episodes from their past. Even worse, the most fundamental principle that hosts cannot hurt a living thing is also compromised. Some hosts begin to contemplate the meaning of their existence, leading to consciousness and free will. 

Not only are there problems with the hosts, there are also issues with the maintenance and management of the park. There are clashes of interest among the humans, differing views on how they manage the park, how to treat the hosts and the larger purpose of the park.

Dr. Ford played by Anthony Hopkins.(HBO/File)

Who's the villain?

There's a mysterious character known as the 'Man in Black' (Ed Harris) who is presented as the traditional villain in the show, constantly torturing and killing hosts. An experienced player who has visited the park for 30 years, now aims for a deeper level of the game. The Man in Black pursues an unknown maze.

However, there might be no villain in the traditional sense in Westworld. After all, the show raises many philosophical questions that it seems to simple to have the Man in Black as the villain.

The Man in Black played by Ed Harris.(HBO/File)

What is Discover Westworld?

HBO has set up a Discover Westworld website, where viewers can interact with Aeden, a bot who will answer questions. There is also a website called Delos Incorporated, designed for viewers to learn all the tricks of the park. (kes)

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