Alright, alright, alright We got NitPix NitPix Remember when Westworld was on your TV? Remember how you watched and smiled with glee. The show tackled themes of human consciousness
Whilst also having robots with staggering voluptuousness This show perpetually intellectually stimulated
you Whilst you sat with your bros and watched
with your crew Sure it was hard to follow and made your head
ache, But you’d found a show that smelt of candy
and cake. Any complaints - Eyy they’re just slow minded
and thick. But underneath it all was the putrid stench
of dick As it dragged on no reap for reward,
The visuals are stunning, why am I bored? There can’t be little problems niggling
inside, I’ve invested ten hours into this shit you
cried Upon hearing I crawl out from my hole,
Criticising art is how I make art. Have you played Vikings? It’s an actual fact that 100% of all people
who like cowboys also really LOVE Vikings. And I have this sweet ass game for everyone
who vibes with them rpg games of the 90s and noughties- Vikings! I mean how can 20 million players be wrong? But it’s not just about the clan battles
with Vikings, you also have the sweet nation vs nation combat, which truly makes this game
lit. You can play the game however you like, you
want to be a peaceful leader? Go ahead my guy, or what you actually fancy
annihilating everyone? Ever? That’s cool as well you absolute don! And by downloading the game you also help
me out, Niptix, download the game now through my links below to get 200 gold, an initial
protection shield and your place in Valhalla! On paper, Westworld is a fantastic concept
and it translates really effectively to the television medium. I mean how can you go wrong with an ultra-realistic
cowboy theme park where people can do whatever they want with no consequences? The robots at the park are known as ‘Hosts’
and they function to the highest standard of artificial intelligence. Looking, sounding and probably smelling like
real people. The hosts all believe they’re human and
that the world around them is genuine. So it’s like a mix of Jurassic Park with
its otherworldly set pieces and The Truman show with its philosophical themes on the
nature of reality. I mean, who would have thought that this goofy
science fiction movie from 1973 would be reimagined and adapted to become such a beautiful epic
in modern television? Not old NitPix and I’m actually a bit psychic
so that’s really saying something. Also, on a related note I got a psychic vision
the other day. Elizabeth Brown, I know you’re watching
this. You’re going to die tomorrow. Make sure you say goodbye to the people you
love. I’m so sorry. Anyway - They legitimately took this (show goofy clip
from original westworld) and turned it into this (show cool clip from fresh westworld). I love the idea of taking a dated film with
a great concept and gave it a polish for a modern audience. Often times reboots or remakes feel like cash
grabs, trying to take advantage of a known franchise or brand. In this case, the two Westworlds couldn’t
be further apart and this adaption really takes the best thing about it – The Concept
and builds on it. Now there are three great things about westworld:
Anthony Hopkins, the music, and everything which is ACTUALLY westworld. To anyone that’s confused by that last one,
I’ll get back to that. Every single scene with Anthony Hopkins is
an absolute blast. Hopkins nails every overdrawn pretentious
monologue he’s given, and you can’t help but love it. He’s able to communicate menace, vulnerability,
whimsy and cynicism with just a few words and a look. Almost all of the scenes with Ford are structured
exactly the same. Someone threatens him, his position, his vision
or even his life and then he pauses. Smiles and explains to them exactly how he
is the one in control and how you shouldn’t fuck with him. If any other actor was given this role, these
scenes wouldn’t be nearly as convincing and would likely feel as melodramatic as the
scenes inside the park with the scripted bots. Though, these scenes are repetitive and predictable,
seeing what Ford has up his sleeve never gets boring. The music in Westworld is perfectly on point
for what it needs to be. Ramin Djawadi, who also does the soundtrack
for Game of Thrones has actually outdone himself here. The foundation of the music for Westworld
is based on covers of modern songs within the musical restrictions of the historical
era, often times played on an automatic piano in the park. These covers are hauntingly beautiful and
are composed with a high degree of skill and professionalism. The use of these covers within the show allows
the viewer to remain conscious of the larger world that exists outside the park, reminding
us that it’s all an artificial world. It gives the players who are visiting the
park dominance over the hosts, as they know something that the hosts don’t. However, it’s taken further, as every time
a cover of a known song is used it is always specifically chosen to be able to tie directly,
tonally and thematically into what is happening in each scene. So just to put this in perspective. You can watch a 30 second scene with an interesting
compelling cover of a known song and just with the music alone you understand; the context
of the universe in which the action is taking place; and, the primary theme that’s tied
into the central character within that scene. The original score is equally as good on its
own merit and often times they really serve to add dramatic tension as well as create
a truly unique ambiance. Most of the best scenes in westworld are only
as good as they are because the music is so expertly composed. Now remember when I said I’d talk about
the scenes which are actually westworld later? Well welcome to later. let’s get stuck in Gang. What I mean by ‘scenes that are actually
westworld’ is anything that is taking part in the park narrative which is specifically
made to be part of westworld. Okay, um… let me give you some examples
just so we’re clear. The scene where Hector steals the safe from
the saloon – that’s westworld. Park security fishing a bearded robot out
of a canyon – that’s not westworld. The Man in Black interrupting an execution
just in time, that’s westworld. Maeve vaguely threatening westworld employees… Well, that’s definitely not westworld. In fact, anything that happens outside of
the actual park pretty much isn’t westworld. The scenes that do this, the scenes that are
westworld are truly what make westworld unique as a show. The harsh varied western landscapes, the colourful
quirky RPG characters giving out quests, and the exciting action set pieces. These elements really make you want to be
a part of this world and makes you imagine how you yourself would interact with this
place. Despite the fact that this show does have
its problems. There are tonnes to appreciate here. I’m not saying this show isn’t worth watching,
I just really want Jonathan Nolan to chill the fuck out a bit that’s all. Now I’m glad I kicked this off by highlighting
what I liked, because I don’t hate this show, I’m not this dark cynical man who
just sits on his high horse shitting on everything you know? I’m just a human with normal human emotions
and feelings, however… having said that… this show is such a fucking shitty boring
convoluted clusterfuck, and look, I know I describe a lot of things as boring I mean
I’m not kidding myself that’s pretty much half of my video repertoire, however let’s
really look at what I mean when I say that very often, westworld Is boring as fuck. Westworld has an entire cacophony of stories
happening all at once, you have Dolores, you have Will, you have the Man in Black, you
have Meave, you have Dr Ford you have Bernard and many many more. They all have different mysterious and hidden
agendas, twists and revelations and to be able to keep up with all of it you may have
to take notes, as trying to keep track of who’s doing what, why they’re doing it
and what the emotional stakes are is beyond impossible. But I wanna ask you a question about these
characters. Which one are you supposed to connect with
and root for? In Game Of Thrones you’ve got a whole load
of them, take your pick, same with Breaking Bad, The Wire or any good ensemble television
series really. But I am honestly at a loss here with Westworld. It’s not Ford, we don’t know his motivation,
his plan or what he’s even doing until the last episode. Delores is a tag along with Will for most
of the season, rarely making independent decisions. It’s not Will, he was just playing the game,
his scenes were fun but it’s not like he was ever in any danger or breaking any of
the park rules. Everyone in this show seems to float around,
refusing to be tied into specific goals or to make decisions that have real consequences. Ultimately what you want to see narratively
from an ensemble TV series like Westworld is a series of character arcs. The foundation of good story telling is showing
change, starting one place and ending in another. Westworld is full of changes, Maeve and Delores
start as two unassuming westworld hosts and end the season completely different. Well, once Maeve has her intelligence increased
by the livestock employees, that’s pretty much her arc completed. There’s no more revelations for her to realise. Though, she does decide not to leave the park
and instead see her daughter, there was no particular moment or feeling that justified
that decision. If she had stayed on the train it wouldn’t
have felt like her story was incomplete. The Ford before he dies is the same Ford in
episode one, same goes for Theresa, same goes for the writer, same goes for Logan… Bernard realises he’s not human, but apart
from that he’s pretty much the same. Not to devalue the realization of not being
human, but the show itself devalues it because Bernard realises it twice. Ford says he’s been told many times over
the years but then he just gets reset. This is why Westworld is boring, the hosts
can be reset back to square one at any moment, which we’re made fully aware of. William also has a character arc, but it’s
not a very good one sadly. He starts off as a naïve, humble, kind hearted
business boy and ends as a brutal murdering psychopath. Is this transition done slowly, showing the
cracks early on and making his involvement in the game progressively more sinister? No it’s done as a twist! Surprise! William is a villain now. Why? Something about the corruption of humanity
and the evil in all men. It’s the revelation that two people you
thought were separate people are actually one of the same! So that means we’re watching a non-linear
story, a Nolan signature, which honestly feels like it’s simply integrated to make the
story more convoluted and offer you more twists that don’t actually hold much substance. Through a lot of it, you end up either waiting
for the characters to understand something you already know, or the twists hold no real
narrative substance. The older William, or the man in black, spends
the whole season looking for a maze, but once he finds it, it’s made clear that it’s
not for him and he’s told go to a party where he gets shot and smiles a bit. That’s his entire story. A literal wild goose chase. Bernard is another character that adds nothing
to the narrative of the show, the twist that he’s a robot doesn’t lead to anything
– it’s not like we have a shortage of robots having existential crisis here. Actually can we please talk about how tedious
robots having existential crisis becomes? It is happening constantly, and the only character
with whom it matters with, is Dolores, but sadly she’s one of the dullest characters,
acting really ditsy throughout. The hosts are written specifically to be over
the top caricatures and behave in a generic way. This is a specific choice by the writers and
is a fun idea, but it means that it’s really hard to connect with the hosts as characters
because they talk like they’re in a shitty western movie. This is particularly highlighted when the
hosts talk to each other (show clip of Dolores talking to teddy) Will is always talking about
how Delores is not like the others, how she seems human. But I don’t know how he came to that conclusion
when she’s acting like this. When the hosts are constantly acting in an
inhuman way, it’s hard to be emotionally invested. Even when they start having weird psychotic
breaks and talking to themselves which is as deep as Dolores gets really, who can honestly
tell me they were at the edge of their seat with curiosity as Dolores played tarot cards
with herself and then started crying? Dolores as a character is bland yes, but at
least she’s important to the plot, eventually leading to the host revolution and triggering
that juicy juicy cliffhanger. But what the FUCK! Is the point with Meave?! Because she also has an existential crisis
where she figures out her world is false…I think? and we have no idea what triggers that,
so for most of the show you just sort of think it’s just… randomly happening to hosts
and yes I know by the end we understand that Ford programmed her to do it, I think, but
then that just means that Maeve’s entire story leads to her staging a huge escape plan
at the same time as the party, so all the security would be distracted while someone
got all these hosts out of the basement. So everything she did in the first season
was leading to a distraction… but the very idea of THAT being Ford’s plan seems really
far-fetched and dumb. His entire plan of her escape completely depended
on the cooperation of these two westworld butchers… and we are given absolutely no
reason as to why they would help her - this is the closest we get (clip of maeve saying
he’s a bad human) what normal human being is totally comfortable with breaking all their
workplace regulations and watching what I would assume is their colleagues get brutally
murdered right in front of him. I don’t know if we were supposed to be rooting
for Maeve, like a majority of the characters, but I found her to be acting quite villainess
and manipulative to the poor mentally deficient WestWorld employees. A large amount of Westworld’s run time is
set outside of Westworld, in the corporate office. Which is what we all want to see. For example, there’s this really exciting
plot line where Elsie and Ashley the security guard look for a woodcutter who ran away from
the park, they find him and then he kills himself. Elsie figures out that someone was using him
to transmit information. I wonder who transmitted the data. No fuck the cowboy shit, I want to know who’s
been illegally smuggling data. Was it yooooou? But yeah, a series about cyborg cowboy robots
is half made up of office politics. The idea of people running a park on the creative
scope of westworld could be an intriguing space for understanding how the park works. Scenes where they’re running Westworld like
a Dungeon Master would run a game of Dungeons and Dragons could be really exciting. But unfortunately, everyone who works at westworld
is completely incompetent. There are story writers getting drunk and
pissing on peoples working space, live stock employees fucking the hosts in secret hoping
not get caught and security not noticing Maeve’s painfully obvious escape plan before it was
too late. It can be argued that seeing the inner workings
of the park leads to scenes inside the park making less sense to the viewer. Why is it that when the man in black wants
to use an explosive he needs permission to light it from the programmers, but Maeve and
Hector can just kill themselves in a fire without anyone noticing. Now you could say ford programmed it or planned
for it or whatever and yeah you could say that. That’s fine but you are a pleb because the
pyrotechnic stuff is clearly controlled by the programmers! They sit around the map, watching the park. They would have noticed it straight away. The park is also really inconsistent with
whether they should lobotomise or try to fix the hosts, which becomes really frustrating
as there are hosts which are giving off clear red flags and they still send the fuckers
out. It’s just like bad business practice. Add that with the fact that all the characters,
except for daddy (show Anthony Hopkins) just act in a really overly dramatic way which
at points feels like it’s on par with how the hosts in the park act. This show is literally as pretentious as Hannibal. The characters are constantly staring at each
other or looking off into the distance all sad, they talk in a vague way, often implementing
an anecdote or a metaphor questioning the nature of humanity in the form of overly drawn
out monologues. These scenes feel like they’re written by
an edgy drama student for their grad piece. Ultimately, When you bring it down to its
core, Westworld only has two characters that are actually relevant to the ending cliff-hanger. Which are Dolores and Ford. Every other character doesn’t actually have
any particular effect on the rest of the series nor do they seem to even have a full arc,
all they seem to do is serve the various themes of the series. The themes being the nature of human concousness,
the fact that human beings are objectively evil and the idea of constructed reality. These themes are interesting however the show
uses it’s characters for the simple fact of emphasising these very apparent ideas,
they don’t try to build these thematic explorations around characters who have stories that are
in any way relevant to the universe or result in any sort of consequences to the people
around them. The consequences of Deloraes’s story is
that it triggers a revolution. The consequences of Ford’s involvement in
the story is towards this revolution. But anyone else, William, Bernard or Maeve
have no consequences to the world around them or the long-term well-being of other characters
that we care about which makes their involvement meaningless. Watching any of their narratives feel like
a waste of time, as we are not rewarded for it and if you want to say it was worth it
for re-instating the painfully obvious themes, then you can say that. But for me, it feels like it just gives us
the illusion of depth and story progression, when in reality it’s all very generic and
bland. Now despite the many problems that this series
is plagued with, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited for season two, season
one ended on such a great note that it almost made me forget how fucky the rest of the series
was. There’s enough great ideas at play that
at the very least I’m interested and now that the park has deteriorated into the mental
civil war of hosts against humans, I’m really hopeful that they might be able to approach
this season with a much stronger sense of plot development giving us something new and
moving the story forward with each episode as well making the characters likeable and
giving them an arc. I already like what they seem to be doing
with Dolores, by just making her a crazy human hating psychopath, that will certainly be
a nice change from weird ditsy Dolores who’s always crying and talking to imaginary friends. And now that the conflict is at the forefront
it seems it’s going to be much clearer what the characters motivations and drives are
which will allow us to connect with them more deeply. But as it is, there’s still a very big chance
it will be an equally arduous pretentious clusterfuck to what season one was. It looks like it will involve more William
flash backs, and more bullshit quests for The Man In Black go on. But even then, I won’t mind too much as
long as it’s not fucking boring, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. I really wanted to like westworld and I’m
glad it’s successful because hopefully it will mean more 70s science fiction films get
a HBO remake. I myself am really looking forward to attack
of the killer tomatoes to be made into a ten episode series starring Jeff Goldblum. but as it is, I can’t say that I do like
Westworld because there is just so much shit that comes with it.
