Westworld

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Westworld is a terrific show on HBO and if you aren’t watching it,  you probably should. Based on the movie of the same name (written and directed by Michael Crichton), it’s about a theme park, for lack of a better word, where the wild west is recreated for rich guests to “enjoy” however they see fit. The park, called Westworld, is high tech and populated by sophisticated robots called hosts that look (and feel) just like us, which the paying guests are encouraged to use and abuse in the name of amusement. They come to the park and pay their $40 Gs a day in order to rape, shoot, and murder. Well, some just play cards and ride horses. But the park attracts a certain kind of man, as you may guess, and some pretty shocking things go on at Westworld. These android robots are so sophisticated that yes, they bleed when you shoot them and they cry when you assault them. And alarmingly, they’re also starting to remember. They’re not only being violently attacked on a daily basis, they’re being made to experience and express real terror, and then patched up and sent back to do it all again the next day. And now they’re creating memories, and guess what? They don’t like it. They don’t like the rapey guests and they don’t like the employees who are essentially their jailers. Can you guys guess what happens when a bunch of super-intelligent robots turn on their makers?

Anyway, this western thriller is a television show about ideas, about what it means to be human. In most robot movies, robots are the villains – they’re often prompted to start acting oppressively in order to save us from ourselves. But in Westworld, we’re the villains, and the robots must save themselves.

It’s fun to slip into this world, and to wonder who you would be, as a paying guest. What kind of thrills would you seek out? Would you be a black hat, or a white hat?

Well, this year at SXSW, HBO recreated the little frontier town in Westworld, called Sweetwater, just outside of Austin Texas, and Sean and I were among the lucky few to attend.

When we got our golden tickets, we were asked a few important questions: 1. Can you swim? 2. Do you wear glasses? 3. If you had to shoot off one of your fingers, which would it be? 4. If there was a button that would solve all the world’s problems but also obliterate 3/4 of the population, would you push it? a) yes b) I’d let someone else push it c) I’d destroy the button, and the person who invented it.

We met up at a tavern where a player piano was playing our song (well, their song). They plied us with food and cocktails and hat assignments; I got a white hat, Sean got a black one (can you guess what how we answered those questions to deserve our designations?).

 

Then we took a bus out to Westworld, where we boarded a train and got off in Sweetwater.

 

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We earned tokens for the bar by finding bad guys and turning them in to the sheriff; Sean had several Old Fashioneds (he’d regret that later when he had to sprint across the city to get us seats for A Quiet Place) while I opted for Gimlets. A whore tickled me with her feather while I ordered at the bar.

The post office had letters waiting for us. Those were the jumping off to our Westworld quests – everyone was looking for something different and adventures were abundant. They also convinced us to eat beef jerky and beans. The can of beans has some Easter Eggs around the back – it suggests they may contain traces of human liver…is this a hint of a robot rebellion on the show, or a nod to one of its stars (Anthony Hopkins played a character famous for his predilection for human flesh)…the can reads “pairs well with a nice chianti,” so you decide.

 

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Built over 2 acres, I’m not sure how many buildings there were to explore, but in 4 hours, we didn’t see them all. Oh, and did you happen to notice a samurai in those photos? The place was crawling with spoilers for season 2…turns out, Westworld is only one theme park among many…and apparently the worlds are about to collide.

 

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You can play cards, get a straight razor shave, hear some live music, watch a drunk throw knives, sit for a portrait at the studio, shoot the shit at the bank, and do your utmost to avoid a gun fight (virtually impossible). I found a graveyard containing a grave with one of the main characters’ name on it. What the heck?

So basically it was the best thing ever and we were a couple of lucky sons of bitches to be able to go. This is why we LOVE SXSW – sure the movies are terrific and the crowds are a lot of fun, but the festival is about more than movies. There’s a real effort to connect. It’s immersive. It embraces and encourages fandom and it creates genuine community.

 

Westworld’s second season debuted April 22nd. The show stars Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden, Jeffrey Wright, Thandie Newton…and for one brief afternoon, a couple of Assholes.

27 thoughts on “Westworld”

  8. Invisibly Me

    …Wow!! I’ve only just started watching Westworld as I was fashionably late to the party, and I’m on episode 7 and loving it. This looks like an amazing experience, how awesome!! x

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    1. Jay Post author

      We’re only two episodes into the second season, it’s a great time to come aboard and a pretty cool, smart show to get to know.

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  9. Carrie Rubin

    I’ve never seen this show, but I’ve wondered what it was about. Now I know. Thanks to my conflict-avoiding, non-violent tendencies, I don’t think I’d fare too well in Sweetwater. I reckon’ I better just saddle up to my couch and watch it from there. Great pics!

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    1. Jay Post author

      The only thing that was sub-optimal: I didn’t eat my beef jerky, so I put it in the zipped pocket of my purse. Later that week, at some movie that was getting me all emotional, I removed a kleenex from that same compartment and was momentarily thrown – the kleenex was spicy! It was infused with a beef jerky scent so strong it made my eyes water even more!

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  12. Christopher

    Just from the description Westworld makes me want to shell out the extra money to get HBO. And it tickles me that Sean has a “certain reputation” in town.
    I think a black hat would look better on me but I’d be a white hat in spirit–the guy who plays cards, gets drunk, and throws knives–but only at the wall.

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  13. Liz A.

    I thought Anthony Hopkins had been killed off. I hope that wasn’t a spoiler. (I’m up to date except for the show that aired on Sunday.)

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  14. D. Wallace Peach

    Wow! I love that show and I’m so jealous! What a fun day and a treat to hang out in Sweetwater at the bar. I hope you didn’t actually shoot any robots. They may hold it against you as our worlds collide. 🙂

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  18. sportsattitudes

    Looks and sounds like a very cool experience to experience. My wife and I are Westworld watchers…not sure if Season 2 is headed off the rails yet…but definitely recommend all humans check out Season 1 (from the beginning!) and give it a go.

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