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Westworld (HBO) Discussion Thread

So, while I enjoyed this season for what it was and what I thought it was going for, I feel like it fell flat with the finale. It could've been better. In terms of twists, I was rooting for the Mirror World theory to be confirmed, but that didn't happen. Without any sort of explanation, the season's inconsistencies were really just a result of poor writing, which is disappointing considering the previous seasons' attention to detail.

Also, the production value... *sigh*... That riot scene felt terribly low budget for what is arguably one of HBO's top-tier shows. And the graffiti all over. I mean, ugh, who graffitis on paper and TAPES it on a building? 🙄

But at the same time, I think I can see where they're going with this... adapting Futureworld (the sequel to Crichton's Westworld). Seems like the next season will probably focus on aspects of that, and this season was essentially a bridge, setting it up.
 
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ritmomundo said:
Also, the production value... *sigh*... That riot scene felt terribly low budget for what is arguably one of HBO's top-tier shows. And the graffiti all over. I mean, ugh, who graffitis on paper and TAPES it on a building? 🙄
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Now those are some considerate protesters. ;) They probably did not want to ruin their social score because of a little too excessive rioting.

I watched a few of the outtakes and it appears they really blew through some serious budget because of all the foreign location shooting this time around. They made a big deal out of setting up that (totally gimmicky and redundant IMO) Naziworld somewhere in Spain or Italy for example.

These show runners always seem like kids in a candy store when it comes to things like that.
 
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ritmomundo said:
So, while I enjoyed this season for what it was and what I thought it was going for, I feel like it fell flat with the finale. It could've been better. In terms of twists, I was rooting for the Mirror World theory to be confirmed, but that didn't happen. Without any sort of explanation, the season's inconsistencies were really just a result of poor writing, which is disappointing considering the previous seasons' attention to detail.

Also, the production value... *sigh*... That riot scene felt terribly low budget for what is arguably one of HBO's top-tier shows. And the graffiti all over. I mean, ugh, who graffitis on paper and TAPES it on a building? 🙄

But at the same time, I think I can see where they're going with this... adapting Futureworld (the sequel to Crichton's Westworld). Seems like the next season will probably focus on aspects of that, and this season was essentially a bridge, setting it up.
Click to expand...

Yeah, for a production that usually sets very high standards, the riot scenes were noticeably lacking, and unconvincing. Not unlike some shows that pretend to be in Asia by putting up some signs with vague characters not from the Latin alphabet, because that's all they could afford, or from people who have never seen what real Asian alphabets look like. Being in NYC surely helped, but Mr. Robot did a much better job of staging a crumbling society, or maybe its citizens weren't as polite!

The locations this season were largely confined to the Delos facilities and nighttime shots of city centers.

Singapore did an admirable job of filling in for a futuristic Los Angeles, and the exteriors of the Delos HQ shot at Valencia's Art and Sciences complex were suitably avant garde. I'm surprised they didn't work in the ubiquitous 2nd street tunnel into the more mundane stuff they did actually shoot in downtown LA.

As for the overall season, I liked the faster pace, but can see what others missed in not being in a Delos park. WW was a confined, but still expansive place, and exploring all the nooks and crannies gave it a freshness and sense of discovery that this season lacked.

Opening up closed boxes, and the promise of more can go some ways toward distracting from weaknesses in the writing (see--Lost).

Each season brings a mini-reboot so we'll see where it goes next. Everyone is always in play in such a world, even though William and Dolores have definitively been declared "dead." More so for the former.
 
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If Engerraund Serac still figures into Season 4, the new Marina Bay Sands store could provide a neat backdrop, or basis for a successor to Rehoboam (Abijah?).
 
ritmomundo said:
Well, bad news. HBO cancelled the show.
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Can't say I'm surprised. First season was brilliant, second "different" then it went down hill. A few good things here and there, overall way too slow and boring. I still have to finish the last season, I just can't get myself to watch it, that's how boring it is. Writing was on the wall.
 
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ritmomundo said:
Well, bad news. HBO cancelled the show right before the final season.

tvline.com

Westworld Cancelled After 4 Seasons

HBO's "Westworld" has been cancelled and will not return for Season 5 -- read statements from network and the showrunners.
tvline.com tvline.com
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GrumpyCoder said:
Can't say I'm surprised. First season was brilliant, second "different" then it went down hill. A few good things here and there, overall way too slow and boring. I still have to finish the last season, I just can't get myself to watch it, that's how boring it is. Writing was on the wall.
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As has been said on this site recently “it’s all subjective”. :)
  • Season One: Brilliant.
  • Season Two: The Breakdown, just as Brilliant.
  • Season Three: Off the Rails, down the embankment. Just not the vision I wanted.
  • Season Four: Not watched.
I can imagine a parrallel in the movie Ex Machina, after the escape you want to see what happens to this/these AI personalities in town, keeping their heads down (?), free to do what they want but in hiding, while realizing how much story telling danger there is, and just how hard it is to create a compelling Part II story. You want to be just as wowed.

In Westworld’s first 2 seasons the evolution of awakening, the interaction between the controllers and the hosts, being manipulated, the audience misdirection, and the subsequent breakdown of the system, or if you prefer, it’s planned destruction was the high point of the series. It was like being in dreamland, awakening, and escaping to face the cold hard reality, but being free at last, all with help from the boss. :D

But then, having the Hosts turn into suave and sofisticated operators overnight was a stretch for me, even though that is one direction that could be valid, if it was done right. However, the atmosphere of the show transformed completely in to something not appealing for me. :(
 
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Amazing that they were able to keep the lights on this long and keep their star cast around given what they did with the story. One season with a tease of something good followed by three seasons of expensive looking filler.

Btw. story aside: for a show that contains a lot of gunfights they sure never really made those exciting/contemporary looking. So many (war) movies in recent decades that made shootouts visceral and intense - and here's Westworld where this all feels like you are watching a late 1960's Sean Connery-era Bond flick. pew pew pew!

And as someone working in the games industry: their concept of QA always gave me the laughs. As if anyone would be able to defeat QA at their own game. These guys would be so coming at you - sidestrafing, bunnyhopping, headshotting and glitching through the world, exploiting every bug you didn't even know existed. :p
Instead their reaction time and aim is about as good as that of the imperial stormtroopers.
 
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I've been meaning to watch this and now I'm in a 'why bother?' state. Was the ending of season 4 an actual ending or would I be disappointed if I watched this now? I know it went downhill after season 1 but I'm still intrigued.
 
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JBGoode said:
I've been meaning to watch this and now I'm in a 'why bother?' state. Was the ending of season 4 an actual ending or would I be disappointed if I watched this now? I know it went downhill after season 1 but I'm still intrigued.
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I’m off two minds about this… On the one hand, I loved the first 3 seasons and was really excited about season four. On the other hand, I watched season 4 and was left wanting. While it was visually stimulating and I suppose a natural, maybe futuristic progression of the series, I felt it was lacking and was hoping that season 5 would make up for it. But if it had to end with season 4, I guess it ended well.

You may have a different take on this series than me, but overall, I think that Westworld would be worth your time.
 
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Even though the 4th season did provide some degree of closure, hopefully we'll get a proper conclusion in some form or another someday. Maybe a movie? After all, the cast is still getting paid for a 5th season regardless:
deadline.com

‘Westworld’ Core Cast Will Still Be Paid For Season 5 After Cancellation

EXCLUSIVE: The door to Westworld was slammed shut today as HBO confirmed that the dystopian sci-fi series will not get a fifth season. It was bad news for anyone associated with the show, led by creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, who had been hoping and advocating for another chapter, but for...
deadline.com deadline.com

Overall the show seemed to have a strong game plan about the journey AI self-awareness. They just didn't do a great job of implementing aspects of it. Slow and convoluted plot points that lost too many viewers (like those ppl that found the first 2 seasons too complicated, and then those that found season 3 too linear, underdeveloped and boring). And the REALLY long wait times between already short seasons. Plus, they set such a high bar with a very strong first season, they could never replicate that early success.

Season 1 (AI awakening/self-awareness) - Fantastic opening season.
Season 2 (AI escaping human control) - They tried to replicate the puzzle nature of season 1 but it didn't land.
Season 3 (Understanding and integrating with the outside world) - Weakest link.
Season 4 (AI domination over humans) - Better than the previous season but I think it was too late.
Season 5 - Maybe something along the lines of Nolan's previous show, Person of Interest, which had very similar themes involving AI? Really would've loved to know.
 
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JBGoode said:
I've been meaning to watch this and now I'm in a 'why bother?' state. Was the ending of season 4 an actual ending or would I be disappointed if I watched this now? I know it went downhill after season 1 but I'm still intrigued.
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Give the first season a try at least.

The production values are fantastic, and even though it raises questions that the writers weren't able to address in the subsequent seasons, you might just enjoy the scale and world building aspects.

I haven't watched The Peripheral, which is supposedly to be pretty decent, but if the producers were to be judged solely on Westworld, I'd put them into the same group as those of Lost, which followed a similar trajectory.
 
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JBGoode said:
I've been meaning to watch this and now I'm in a 'why bother?' state. Was the ending of season 4 an actual ending or would I be disappointed if I watched this now? I know it went downhill after season 1 but I'm still intrigued.
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I agree with @TheIntruder, if you like it at the start, there is a strong likelihood, you’ll be satisfied with the first 2 seasons, which represent a break from season 3 and can be regarded as a complete stand alone story arc.

At this point I’m thinking about a third viewing, it’s that good (IMO)… :D
 
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While we're at it: don't bother with The Peripheral. Any season of Westworld is preferrable to that. :)
 
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