Watching Westworld - 202 – Reunion

In this week’s episode of HBO’s Westworld, “Reunion”, they add three or four timelines to play with. No big deal.  We find out more about this “Valley Beyond” or “Place of Judgment” that William and Dolores seem to be racing towards to see who can get there first. William wants to burn the place to the ground, Dolores hopes to find a powerful weapon to use against her human oppressors. Maeve is caught in between, just a woman trying to find her daughter in this crazy ‘World. Lots of analysis, and a healthy speculation section at the end for those of you who want to out think show runners Nolan and Joy!

Watching Westworld - 201 – Journey Into Night

The opening salvo fired in HBO’s Westworld season two premiere wasn’t what we were expecting. We were expecting literal salvos fired by lots of angry hosts into lots of frightened guests, which, you know, that’s certainly there.  But there is so much more.  What to make of Bernard’s time bending descent into near death madness, Dolores oddly performative attempted takeover of the park, Maeve’s increasing attachment to various fellow hosts, to say nothing of what Delos is up to trafficking in the rich and famous DNA and memory trade. What are creators Nolan and Joy up to?  If it’s anything like last season, it will take until the finale to tease all the secrets of Westworld out!

Watching Westworld - Season Two Preview

The long awaited sophomore season of HBO’s Westworld returns this weekend, and we’ve been champing at the bit.  We discuss the open questions from last season, the tantalizing glimpses of the future we’ve seen from the trailers so far, and discuss upcoming format changes and our policy on spoilers and speculation. Why is William’s past still relevant to the story? What is the door, and how are we supposed to find it? Are Dolores and Maeve running diametrically opposed armies? What is Delos up to with their secret project? Is a robot searching for it’s artificial daughter any more sad and pointless than anything we do in our day to day lives?  Why or why not?  These and many more questions are entertained as we await answers!

Watching Westworld - Season 1 Wrapup

Jim and A.Ron put season one of HBO’s Westworld in cold storage by talking about our overall thoughts, opinions, and hopes for next season. Then we consider a giant sized mailbag where we discuss scalp maps, the nature of consciousness and free will, the impact of self aware robotic hosts on fast food chains, and much more. We’ll be back whenever Westworld returns, but we never really go away. In 2017 we have an early line up including The Leftovers, Better Call Saul, Game of Thrones, among others. Hope we see you around!