Westworld - "The Stray" - Season 1 Episode 3 Review

October 21, 2016

Lowe has an interesting fascination with Dolores that leans towards trying to guide or influence her, this time by showing her Alice Through the Looking Glass and having her read a poignant passage from an already poignant selection of book. Last time he guided her toward a buried gun, and as she starts her new day in Westworld, the gun triggers (ha) a memory of the Man in Black that should have been wiped but perhaps it remained for a reason.

William and Logan are still hanging out and William gets a taste of action when he rescues Clementine from an escaped outlaw. Again there are two kinds of people in Westworld, and he parts ways with his soon to be brother-in-law to feed his newfound interest in the story of the park.

Teddy finally gets to be the one doing the shooting, along with his bounty hunter partner, and we get to see a little more into his background and relationship with Dolores. He has an odd moment with Maeve, who remembers seeing his bullet riddled corpse among the other dead hosts during her short escape into the complex. Dr. Ford is a little tired of Teddy always meeting the same fate, regardless of heroism, and sees to expanding his storyline.

Ford’s grand new vision for Westworld has Theresa worked up because it’s messing with the existing storylines, and Lowe sends Elsie along with Stubbs to find a stray host, instead of delving into why one of the hosts in the first episode went on a killing spree. Lowe talks to Dr. Ford himself regarding the hosts’ anomalous behavior, and gets an insight into an uncredited partner/founder of Westworld, whose obsession with true host consciousness parallels Lowe’s interest in Dolores, which in turn is rooted in the loss of his son.

Somewhat panicked by Ford’s casual insights into his mind, Lowe has perhaps his final secret meeting with Dolores and sends her back out into the park but it may be too late. She’s remembering past cycles and acting against her script and programming, and escapes the farmhouse shootout where she normally meets her end.

Stubbs and Elsie find the missing host, whose interest in wood carvings and constellations has Elsie confused. When Stubbs tries to retrieve the host’s head for security reasons, the host fights back...so he could take his own head off.

Between this and Dolores staggering into William and Logan’s campsite, the park’s few bugs have quickly become much larger pests.

Now, whether or not Dr. Ford intends on this happening, or knows and doesn’t care, or Lowe’s meddling with Dolores is his way of giving at least one of the hosts agency, remains to be seen. I think Ford has a massive guilt complex and it may have to do with this Arnold partner or something else in his past, but I think he wants to be punished for whatever happened between then and present day Westworld. His talk with Lowe I think was also meant to convey his disconnect with the hosts, as they are part of his creepy museum/office. There has been a loss of humanity in Ford, whereas Arnold perhaps died chasing it.

Bernard Lowe says something profound to his ex-wife regarding their son, that the pain of his loss is all he has left of him. Whatever he couldn’t control in his life or his family’s, perhaps he can guide Dolores to safety or at least to empower her to change her story. Why it’s her, I can only guess. Perhaps she’s the most “innocent” character who is always at the mercy of the nastier hosts and lustier guests.

Another interesting thing was how much Arnold wanted the hosts to be fully conscious. Ford was right in not wanting the top of that pyramid of intelligence he drew being reached, in the capacity of a theme park, but don’t they have an obligation to their creations to make them as whole as possible? How far past the Turing Test should they go, or in the real world, should we go? When you interact with NPCs in a game, part of the depth of the game is the dialogue choices. I am downright sick of the same voice lines in Whiterun (in the Skyrim video game) but was endlessly entertained by what characters had to say in the Fallout games. It can make or break immersion, and if we seek an authentic experience in Westworld, wouldn’t giving the hosts true awareness and intelligence serve that end? Of course there is the small problem of them not wanting to play the game anymore…

And what the fuck is going on with Teddy? That guy can’t catch a break. Ford was a real dick to him, casually telling him he’s just cannon fodder and Dolores is ultimately unprotectable and unobtainable, but then I thought he was at least going to get a better storyline that realizes his honorable heroism, but nope! Poor bastard gets bushwacked and probably dismembered by cowboy demon cultists, even with all that fancy pistol work. Some guys have all the luck, while some guys have all the pain...

Written by A Play On Nerds contributor, Jerry Herrera - Lover of horror, sci fi, and fantasy in that order. Semi-permanent Disneyland resident. I'm at least one of the droids you're looking for. Twitter: @FrankenJerry - Instagram: @GeraldoPedro

Supernatural - "Keep Calm and Carry On" - Season 12 - Episode 1

October 14, 2016

With all that occurred in the last season, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the season 12 premiere. I knew that season 11 ended with Sam captured by some British woman from the Men of Letters, as well as Dean being reunited with his mother. But, it was kind of annoying to see when the premiere started that she didn’t even remember him, or any of their previous encounters we saw in the previous seasons.

In a way only Dean can, he explains to the audience while speaking to his mother, that they have met before since her death, and that her memory had been wiped. So, that covers that then. I suppose the writers knew we would want that to be explained. When she asks how long she had been gone, and he replies, 33 years, I was kind of surprised. That would make Dean 37. I guess I hadn’t realized the character’s true age. But that’s beside the point.

I was happy to see Castiel’s return, and thought it was funny the way they reintroduced him. He came in with a blazing fire, quite literally. I do however feel bad for the gentleman whose truck he stole. But not as bad as I felt for the veterinarian forced to work on Sam. The threats the British woman and her counterpart inflicted upon him for his cooperation is sure to be nothing compared to what Dean will do when he catches up to him.

Speaking of cooperation, can we talk about how silly these demons are? Do they ever learn? They are constantly trying to go for whoever’s team they believe is in the lead, whether it be Crowley or Lucifer, and playing that game never seems to work out for any of them.

And the games this crazy British woman is playing with Sam, is not good. She quickly learns he is too strong for physical intimidation when she torches his foot and still doesn’t get any information from him. She claims that she is there to help, but it doesn’t seem to be the case judging by her approach. I don’t want to seem like I am always hating on Sam, but seriously, why is it always him getting captured? He is always being tortured and having to recover from his trauma. Is it because they don’t want to weaken our beloved Dean? What do you think?

Poor Castiel; his introduction to Sam and Dean’s mom wasn’t the greatest. Having a gun pulled on you is never a great way to meet someone. But he seemed more offended by Dean’s description of angels. As for Dean, he doesn’t seem to like the way his mom looks at his car. He’s used to that being his baby, and it seems his mom had that same vibe.

As predicted, Dean was able to track down the veterinarian who worked on Sam, but as they follow that lead, it seems the British woman’s lackey was tracking them. I am sure having his mother get injured in that process was more motivation for Dean to get payback. I mean, if this British woman really knows as much as she say she does about them, you’d think she wouldn’t want to make him angry. But it seems Dean gets his fight from his mom. As I was surprised to see her come in to save Dean and Castiel. But I couldn’t help but wonder if that woman was the other one on the blonde British woman's team. They had mentioned someone briefly that seemed to worry her, a rogue Man of Letters perhaps? I have a feeling we will find out just who that man is at some point in this season.

Part of me wonders, if all the British captors want to do is help America have less “monsters” and be as successful as their British counterparts at keeping all the Supernatural business under wraps, then why come at them with such hostility? Why not train them to their ways? I suppose these are questions that will have to be answered later in the season. But for now, it seems that they are a little closer to tracking down Sam. Luckily for him, he seems to be doing a lot better than in previous seasons as far as how he is holding up. I’ll be interested to see if next week continues in the same fashion as this episode did, or if they will incorporate a case as well.

Written by Kaylynn Kasandra. Awkward hippie who enjoys helping people, creating things, reading, sci-fi, fantasy, and Thor. Find more from her at kaylynnkasandra.com and
http://www.youtube.com/c/tiedyesmurf

Westworld - Season 1 - Episodes 1 & 2 Reviews - "The Original" and "Chesnut"

October 11, 2016

Season 1 Episode 1

"The Original"

The first episode revolves around Dolores; an android or “host,” who lives out each day in Westworld in a similar fashion, with her father Peter, her lover Teddy, her errands in town and some time painting by the river. Each time she wakes up, things are slightly different because of the “newcomers” or guests of Westworld interacting and having free reign. It’s not really specified how big Westworld is, but it goes far beyond just Dolores’ day. Guests at any given time are riding horses, chasing bandits, getting into bar fights, roping cattle, or settling in for an authentic bordello experience. While there are stories to be told and events to unfold, the hosts are at the mercy of the guests. Dialogues and stories are interrupted or straight up ruined, the timing of things and interactions is changed but remains very much the same and the hosts start each cycle with little or no recollection of what happened the last go ‘round.

Westworld is the theme park experience light years ahead of what we know today. In a cold, clinical location there are people working around the clock to monitor the guests and hosts, ensuring storylines play out satisfactorily. There are people fabricating new hosts, and making sure the existing ones are functioning. There are writers, programmers and management all trying to fight to get their ideas, visions and plans heard. And, like any good theme park, things must be updated and improved so that people want to visit and revisit time and again. The hosts have been updated recently with “reveries,” little touches of humanity born out of leftover data kicking around in the hosts’ “brains” after they are wiped when the overarching storyline of Westworld concludes. This was the idea of Westworld’s creator, Dr. Robert Ford (Sir Anthony Hopkins), who can be considered a more morose Walt Disney. His lead programmer, Bernard Lowe (Jeffrey Wright), admires the change but management (Theresa Cullen) and the creative director (Lee Sizemore) only see it as more trouble than it’s worth.

The trouble starts with a few simple glitches in the hosts, which is to be expected. But when Peter stumbles on a photograph left by a guest, an unknown girl in an anachronistic setting, his poring over it leads him down a strange path of thought. Another host goes on a shooting rampage, spouting off nonsense about not wanting to be the one that always gets killed anymore. Being that he is the villain of a particular storyline, that does always end up getting killed in the conclusion, this self-awareness is troublesome enough for the crew to break the immersion and take him off-line. To compensate, they move up the big finale and retool it to really wow the guests. The day the big bad outlaw Hector comes to rob the saloon, Peter has somewhat of a break in programming too because of the picture. He whispers something to Dolores as she leaves for town but soon all that is forgotten in the (almost) epic shootout.

Meanwhile there seems to be a permanent guest in Westworld, the mysterious Man In Black, who goes around trying to get his kicks in a world he already knows too well, going so far as to rape Dolores in one cycle. He kills another host, one who he thinks has some special insight on how to game the system, but we won’t know to what end until later. The episode ends with the two problematic hosts being put out to pasture, so to speak, and Dolores along with the rest of Westworld getting a wipe and diagnostic test. Dolores’ view of Westworld and its newcomers is optimistic, despite what we have seen happen to her. But with these new reveries, and the fact that she is the oldest host in Westworld, we have to wonder if she really is faithful to her programming.

One can’t help but imagine video games when watching. In particular, open world or “sandbox” games where there are perhaps stories to follow or quests to go on but the real fun lies in becoming a character and making your own reality within the boundaries of the world. The “non-player characters” exist in the world to serve your experience and you are free to treat them however you’d like. You can immerse yourself in their dialogue and your interactions with them, or you can casually dismiss them as just markers on your quest. You could even abuse them, treat them cruelly or kill them. Because they really don’t exist do they? But even still, don’t we find ourselves getting attached to certain characters, revisiting their little shops, replaying entire games just to be back in its setting? And don’t the creators of these worlds and experiences get attached too? To the stories and the events that play out, and can we blame them for being a little frustrated when the players act out of character or break the carefully crafted immersion? These ideas are extremely prevalent in Westworld, and I found myself feeling bad for Peter who keeps getting shot, Dolores who keeps getting her day ruined one way or another, and the countless other hosts that are just there to be fucked or fucked with, by the guests.

In another sense, it’s like going to a theme park and punching a character in the nose or telling them they aren’t really a superhero or princess. You forget there’s a person beneath the mask or wig, because you’re only there for your own enjoyment, however shitty and selfish that may be. But in Westworld, there really isn’t a person in there, or is there?

The concept of the “ghost in the machine” will come up a lot too. Probably not in the hard philosophy sense, but in a way that a lot of sci-fi explores consciousness in an artificial creation. The reveries are “memories” the hosts are allowed to have to give them unique forms of expression, which are built off of bits of data here and there that may or may not be purposely left over from a previous wipe. Over time, these clumps might add up and develop into all sorts of scary stuff for an android: self-awareness, personality, and the instinct for self-preservation. Given how these hosts are treated, I can’t wait to see them stop performing and start living.

I am SO excited for this show. Michael Crichton’s concept positively begged for an update. The characters are already oddly compelling, and whether we are in the cold, controlled spaces of the control rooms or the wide open vistas of the American frontier, everything looks obscenely gorgeous.

I’m already frustrated at the existence of the Man in Black, and I feel bad for those saloon girls. And if Dolores is the oldest host in Westworld, shouldn’t she have the most “memories” kicking around in that supposedly freshly wiped brain of hers? Surely she won’t take kindly to being assaulted or to Peter getting killed in front of her hundreds of thousands of times, if she becomes self-aware...

Season 1 Episode 2

"Chestnut"

While they assumed the problematic hosts had been removed and the bugs worked out, ghosts of memories, what could be considered a whispered virus, begins making its way through Westworld. Dolores seems to be back to normal but she shows signs that something isn’t quite right with her. We see that Lowe takes a special interest in her, spending time with her outside the park, either probing her “mind” or influencing it, which one remains unclear. Something her father threatened Dr. Ford with, a line from Romeo and Juliet, resurfaces again when she says it matter-of-factly to Maeve. It troubles Maeve, but her story is also being influenced by Sizemore, who wants to introduce a “horde of savages” story line and she is one of its victims. These new memories affect her “performance” unfortunately and she’s scheduled to be replaced. Until that time comes, Clementine is tasked to step up her game. We get to see just how easily and on a whim the hosts are influenced and repurposed, how their “lives” are at the mercy of the architects of the park.

Meanwhile the Man in Black continues his quest to find the entrance to a mysterious maze, this time employing the assistance of another host, Lawrence. It’s understood that the hosts aren’t real and that they serve at the pleasure of the guests, but the Man in Black approaches this fact with an odd sadism. Unable to derive pleasure from Westworld’s stories and characters, he only enjoys himself when he’s causing suffering. His path of carnage is not unnoticed by the admins (I don’t know what else to call them) but he apparently has carte blanche to behave this way. He’s finally given the clue he was seeking, and continues on his journey with Lawrence in tow.

These things occur as two very different coworkers take a trip through Westworld, one having been there before, treats the park much in the way the jaded Man in Black does, using the hosts to satisfy his lower and more violent urges. The other seems to want to be immersed in the world and its stories and instead of letting go of who he is in the world and “cutting loose” in Westworld, would rather see what arises by just being himself.

There are equally interesting characters running the park as well. Lowe is intrigued by the previously installed “reveries” and the problems they give rise to and would rather see them play out, whereas Elsie would rather correct them. Lowe is a great study of human emotion and yet himself struggles with perhaps basic communication and empathy, which makes his relationship with Theresa Cullen all the more interesting. She is not afforded the luxury of intimacy either, having to be kind of a hardass to juggle investors, guests, the visions of Dr. Ford and the aspirations of Sizemore all at once.

The episode ends with some really meaty events. We learn that while the hosts don’t dream, they are given the concept of nightmares so in case a tech doesn’t wipe their memory properly, they can fool the host into thinking whatever they retain from a past cycle is nothing more than a meaningless, if scary, figment. Maeve has figured out a way to “wake” herself from these nightmares, and Sizemore’s new storyline triggers one (first involving natives, then the Man in Black) that she snaps out of. The trouble is, she is going through a maintenance procedure (surgery for us real humans) when she wakes up. Making a temporary escape, she sees way more than a host should. It’s the first real “oh shit” moment of the show, and we can make a somewhat shallow comparison to The Matrix here.

Dr. Ford spends some of his free time in Westworld, gathering inspiration from his own creation in perhaps a redundant feedback loop. Yet he still sees possibility in it, not in the telling of shocking, titillating stories the way Sizemore wants, but in making guests feel like they’ve discovered something new on their own or being rewarded for just being themselves. As Ford completely shuts down Sizemore’s new “savage horde” storyline, you can see that Sizemore both wants to please Ford and to see him forced out of these decisions. Instead, Ford and Lowe meet in the park to discuss a new storyline that we will perhaps see next week.

Again, Ford is Walt Disney but with perhaps a bit more self-loathing, a bit more tortured creativity. He has a fascinating love/hate relationship with humanity. He knows it all too well, and at one time really loved seeing guests find their own bit of magic in Westworld, those moments are few and far between as the abuses of his creation rise. Yet he cannot stop his urge to tell stories and create experiences…

This is related more or less by the coworkers, William and Logan. While Logan would rather stab and fuck his way through town, William seeks the immersion. Probably the same in the real world, douchebag Logan may get the shallow, visceral experiences but William’s mild mannered kindness and morality bring him more nuanced and personally satisfying moments that he’ll hang on to.

The Man in Black is still a frustrating mystery. On one hand he’s grown weary of Westworld and only the most brutal of pleasures bring him any sort of joy. Instead of quitting though, he seeks to pull away the curtain, or see the dealer’s hand. For what purpose, it is not clear yet. But it seems that he had a pretty big role in Maeve’s awakening, which is dangerous to the balance of Westworld. The admins don’t seem to want to interrupt his quest though. In a gaming sense, he’s a “whale” who has spent tons of money on the game and goes thusly unpunished for using hacks or overpowered items. It isn’t fun for him anymore, but he’s too addicted to quit and move on, so all he has left is griefing and trolling.

At the same time, what’s the significance of the gun Lowe led Dolores to? And doesn’t poor Teddy look like he’s getting real fuckin’ tired of getting shot to death?

Written by A Play On Nerds contributor, Jerry Herrera - Lover of horror, sci fi, and fantasy in that order. Semi-permanent Disneyland resident. I'm at least one of the droids you're looking for. Twitter: @FrankenJerry - Instagram: @GeraldoPedro