Blogocentric Formulations

Westworld

"Blog Harbor from The Talent Pond"  PROMPT (DAY 1): Let's start out simple. What is your favorite series to watch lately? It can be new or just something you found but it was canceled years ago. You tell us why you like it and what it's about.


I have a really hard time choosing favorites, so I'm glad the prompt gave me some cover and qualified it with "lately."

While there have been quite a few series that I've really enjoyed in recent months, the one that's really stuck with me with Westworld.

Anybody who knows me knows that I love me a good genre mashup, so a sci-fi western hits me right in the amygdala. The story is set in a futuristic Wild West-themed amusement park called - you guessed it - Westworld, where android hosts interact with affluent guests who are allowed to live out their every indulgence and visit their every dark fantasy upon the hosts.

But let's pretend for a minute that for some people, that premise might not make it a must-watch (crazy!). Maybe we should look at the show's pedigree. It was created by Jonathan Nolan (Person of Interest, co-writer of The Dark Knight, brother of Christopher Nolan). He created the show with his wife, Lisa Joy (Burn Notice, Pushing Daisies). Their producing partner is J.J. Abrams (you should know what he's worked on... ). It's based on a story by Michael Crichton (yeah, that Michael Crichton). And that's not even mentioning the all-star cast. I'm pretty sure Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Tessa Thompson, James Marsden, Ed Harris, and Anthony Hopkins have like a couple dozen award nominations between them, and they really have it dialed in here. Plus, it's on HBO which, you know, has a decent track record of producing okay shows.

When the show first came out, I held off on watching because I didn't want to have to wait for the episodes to be doled out a week at a time.
But then I got distracted with other shows, only recently rediscovered it and decided to jump in... and man, it was worth the wait. Even better,
all the poor suckers that watched it when it first aired have had to wait almost a year and a half for a new season. But by the time I finished binging the series over a period of a couple of days, I discovered the new season is set to debut in just a few short weeks!

Honestly, if you like mysteries, or layered storytelling, or nuanced actor performances, or surprising twists, or robot westerns... I don't think this will disappoint.