šŸ”« Westworld (rolling) šŸ”«

Yeah - that confused me. There was a short flashback shot of Ber-naaard firing that machine gun earlier on in the episode which sort of threw me.

A cliffhanger, I believe.

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Also, as I understand it, thereā€™s almost no profit to be made from a single season show. You have to make those successive seasons to make money.

So dā€™you think it was all planned out from the start with an eye on further seasons? The first one just seemed fairly well-contained and focused to me.

Iā€™m not sure. Clearly writing for tv is such a precarious venture and some writers are going to gamble and think in multiple season arcs and others plot more conservatively.

There are definitely shows where you can see that the writers had one major storyline that they pretty much complete in one season and then they dangle a couple of threads that could be developed in the next season if they get the nod from the network. Bloodline is an excellent example of the latter (and I appreciate itā€™s an example I trot out regularly).

With Westworld and its obviously phenomenal start up costs I canā€™t imagine that the writers would have been allowed to be coy about plot and arcs beyond a first season - it would be financial suicide otherwise.

I hate that itā€™s all about the Benjamins.

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my take is that there are 2 timelines running this season (although this time they are not trying to hide that there are 2 timelines). Someone, I think one of the army people said a few weeks had passed since the host revolt at the end of S1 - so timeline 1 is carrying on straight from the end of S S1 (Bernard with a machine gun, Thandi Newton coming back to westworld from the station place), Timeline 2 is a few weeks later when the army show up (Bernard saying ā€œI killed them allā€)

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Anyone listening to a podcast for the show?

Iā€™m a big fan of the Bald Move guys and am enjoying their Watching Westworld show.

Big caveat though, they do discuss theories along the way and some of these have proved particularly prescient. Theories that would never occur to me as I watch the show, because my brain doesnā€™t work like that. I think theyā€™ve decided to deal with those in the final segment of the show now, because not all listeners like to hear ideas that, while not technically spoilers, can impede their enjoyment of a slowly unfolding narrative.

Maybe heā€¦ isnā€™t real :open_mouth:

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Episode 2 was a lot slower, hey? Enjoyed the brief appearances of Breaking Baddie and Fargo S02 Baddie. What is the weapon, do we think?

I actually enjoyed it a lot more than the first episode - it was much more focused and fleshed out. Dolores is so fucking cool - very well acted, the assurance of her awakened self. Would the weapon have anything to do with the information they were gathering on everyone who visited? Something bomb-like or biological etc seems way too obvious.

@anon3515918

Slower? Well yeah, kind of. But I enjoyed it. Kind of a classic thing isnā€™t it, go out guns blazing at the beginning and then take a breather after that and look back at what has brought us to this point. I guess.

@Cervantes

Absolutely agree about Dolores, sheā€™s abvs amazing. I was a bit disappointed that she and Maeve didnā€™t team up when they finally met ā€“ but itā€™s pretty likely that theyā€™ll meet again and join forces at some point, I reckon. Iā€™m also pretty intrigued to learn more about what actually happened with Dolores and William in the end, cause even though I only watched the first season a couple of months ago I donā€™t remember anything more than her just suddenly remembering that it was not the present but actually ages ago.

Hopefully, the weapon is love.

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Or the friends they made on the way

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Finished watching the first series the other day. Liked bits but the narrative was fucking all over the place. Will get started on the second series tonight.

Iā€™ve had that sense from the first two episodes of the new series as well. Maybe itā€™s me being thick, but the jumping back and forth and all over the place just feels unclear, and not in a good way - more like True Detective season two (Westworld is much better than that, but they seem to have similar challenges telling the story well).

In the first series it felt to me like theyā€™d sacrificed telling earlier episodes well for the sake of some Big Moments in the later episodes.

its not just you being thick (unless I am too :confused: )
Just tell the fucking story. editing it up like some chopped up version of memento to create false drama and climaxes is a load of horsesheeeeeit

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yeah I got pretty fed up with Series 1 because of that - enjoyed it more when I spoilered myself reading the fan theories (which were of course correct)

Maeveā€™s appearance was way too brief! Youā€™re probably right - theyā€™re both very driven so must end up needing each other eventually to get what they want or something. Didnā€™t Dolores and William have a run-in near the end where he stabs her and she becomes aware that the ā€˜dreamsā€™ she has are memories? Or am I getting that mixed up?

One thing Iā€™m really missing is Anthony Hopkins. I could stare at his glittering eyes and listen to his honeyed inflections forever!

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Enjoyed series 2 so far. Gave up on working out what the hell is going on about two episodes into series 1 so just enjoying it for what it is. Dolores and Maeve are great, well-acted characters, and I like the idea of going back to the start and the creation of the ā€œworldā€. Itā€™s cool that the bits set in ā€œthe pastā€ are in an almost recognisable near-future, but weā€™ve got no idea how the world outside has progressed in the time since then.

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It is Jonathan Nolan tbf.