Question: at the end of the first episode (with all the hosts in the water), they cut to what appears to be Teddy under the water. Did his eyes open just before the blackout?
This episode said a lot. It would appear... that the true purpose of the park... has been revealed. Investors are motivated in blackmailing guests for their actions... in a park where they're told no one is watching. The true price of admission... is loss of privacy. An early model Dolores has visited the outside world. Giving her a memory she can look back on years (or decades) later effectively letting her know there are indeed other worlds than the one she knows. Logan gets an impressive sales pitch (was that the psycho native American from season 2 of Fargo) but it's young William that closes the deal. A more tense than you'd think meeting between Dolores and Maeve happens. The hosts think they're free. Until Maeve asks Teddy... do you think you're free? Dolores builds an army. Old William tries to as well. But Ford does what he can to prevent it. Evidently they'll need it as everyone wants to head west.
I don't think blackmail can be assumed. We know how Delos intends to use the park, but we don't know what they plan to do to monetize the collection of guest information. It would be surprising to me if S2 EP2 revealed the true endgame.
Agreed. The "weapon" of which Dolores speaks must be tied to this new reveal of collecting guest information and maybe even to the reason why the "real world" is disease free. Perhaps, Dolores knows how this information could be weaponized against humanity. They are going to let this one ride out for a while.
It'd still be implied at this point. But the fact that they were collecting guest DNA in episode 1... and bragging they can see what guests are doing when they think no one is watching doesn't leave a lot of ethical options. Extortion being another one.
I think the "Silicon Valley" episode after it, and what happened to Fiona, was a little 'dig' to "Westworld" .
I thought this was kind of interesting, in particular the comment from Delos about maybe not having to step down, and the show runner comment thereafter. Westworld - S2 Ep 2: Creating Westworld's Reality: Delos Mansion
Do you care to elaborate? My curiosity is really piqued by the dynamic between Billy and Logan/James Delos in the episode. The events in the park at the end of Season 1 must have taken place before the events at the mansion in Sunday's episode, right? Logan in the penultimate episode last season refers to Billy as his future "brother," but in the second episode of this season Billy looks to be married to his sister with a five-year old daughter. So was that a beta test of the park in what turned out to be the flashback set 30 years in the past during last season? This would explain Logan's surliness during the party. Anyway, the numerous timelines are confusing but really intriguing at the same time. At what point during all this does Dolores kill Arnold? Was there a coverup of that death, which was made out to be an accident as I seem to recall?
The reveal that this whole park is a way to spy on people is lame, IMO. That the hosts Delories and that other hosts are already rumbling like 2 gangs. I'll keep watching this season, but so far its not looking good.
Well, right now people are willingly sending their DNA to the ancestry sites for the thrill of finding out more about themselves, DNA which then can be "shared" or sold to third parties for who knows what, but it would be naive to think post-Cambridge Analytica that these corporations are using our information for completely honorable ends. It may be too much of a contemporary concern for a sci-fi but it's one that is going to be a serious human rights issue for decades to come.
What makes you think that is the sole purpose of the park? The park is obviously a commercial venture that has immense appeal to many well-heeled patrons, where the price of entry is of no consequence. That anyone would think that strict privacy would be enforced is somewhat naive in this day and age of en masse data logging and data mining.
My theory is that the first season occurred 35 years from now and the 'host' dinner party set up for Delos' potential investment is set in current times (2015 or so). So maybe 35 years from now 'privacy' may have a different interpretation than it does today.
Does anyone else think that the gigantic construction project that young William showed to Dolores is the beginnings of a dam? Maybe destroying it is how that mysterious new "sea" (with the dead hosts) appears? It certainly would make one helluva "weapon", to use her words .
I'd say confusing but intriguing is a great way to describe this show. The fact there are so many theories as to what's actually going on proves that. I like this show. I look forward to it coming on. But... you know that feeling you get when you're watching the very best of television. And you're aware you are watching greatness? The Sopranos... Game of Thrones... the Leftovers... Yeah... anyone get that feeling while watching this show? Me either.
No, certainly not but it's different kind of show and I would argue more thought provoking than the ones you mentioned. For example, when I did a recap with my colleagues about those shows, the comments were always stuff like, "Holy s&*t, did you see that coming?' "What an amazing scene!" 'I can't believe he did that." ctc. With Westworld, I am having much deeper conversations. I just got done talking to my colleague about Plato's view of education as "recollection," and that is precisely what's going on with the hosts. Plato's Allegory of the Cave? Well that's there too. Right now we got the multiple timelines written on a whiteboard. So I guess I am enjoying the postgame, water cooler talk with Westworld more than I did with those other shows. So that's saying something about the quality of the show.
