Watching the pilot again on Tuesday reminded me of how
frustrated I get with Westworld. I
really want to like it. It has a huge budget, major talent attached, and a
lot of compelling ideas. And yet, it’s so bland and uninteresting. To me, all
the characters are not only unlikable, but undeveloped. The show has all the
markers of genre such as the western, sci-fi, and even melodrama, but no
characters to back it up. I guess the whole point of the show is the central mystery—or
the multiple mysteries— who is a host?, who the hell is Arnold?, what is the
maze?, when is any given scene even taking place (there’s a lot of hidden jumps
in time)? In other words, what is going on? I watched the entire first season
while it was airing and even stuck with these mysteries, but it became so difficult
to care. I was thinking about the Katman reading, and how Lost has such a similar “complex narrative” structure, but still embraces
the plot, characters, and melodramatic elements. Westworld, I think, is another example of these new forms of “auteurist
TV,” in which we are supposed to just trust that the creator of the show has
some sort of mind-blowing reveal that will make all the hours of being in the
dark worth it.
I probably will give season two a try (the trailer is just
too good), but I’m not very hopeful at this point. If anything, it seems like the
scale of the mystery is only getting bigger, which I doubt will bode well for
the characters and story.
I'm having the same problem with Westworld. I have yet to finish the first season, but it definitely relies heavily on the viewer not having the whole picture of what is going on. I think this does sort of a disservice just because there is so much going on and the viewer just seems to be along for the ride. Maybe having to watch the pilot again will jumpstart me into finishing season 1.
ReplyDeleteI totally understand this sentiment, and even though I enjoyed watching Westworld, I think too much of the series relies on knowing the audience is so invested in the final reveal that they'll keep watching until the end regardless of the development in characters. I think HBO's recent penchant for shows with expensive sets and costumes has done away with the stronger writing it was known for. Still holding out hope for Season 2 though!
ReplyDeleteHere's something I stumbled across today:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.indiewire.com/2018/04/jonathan-nolan-spoils-westworld-season-2-twists-reddit-1201950622/
It's a really weird proposal, considering that the only thing that keeps people interested in this show is the mystery and the desire to discuss theories online. To suggest that this takes away from the experience and "accidentally spoils" it for people shows the great disconnect between Nolan and the fans of the show. As we discussed above, the whole point of the show (to the detriment of our enjoyment) is the mystery. It's as if he's blatantly acknowledging this, yet at the same time, trying to eliminate the active participation of fans. Another case, no doubt, of the auteurist ego that is currently plaguing TV like never before.