Woke Up for Westworld. Everything Else Is a Bonus.

I should not watch Westworld while it's still airing. This is the worst show to be watching without spoilers. In my attempt to find one as the show is based on a 1973 movie of the same name, naturally I ended up in the rabbit hole that is Reddit and left with a shaken soul.

Westworld is a western-themed amusement park populated by life-like robots. Guests pay $40k a day to go on adventures in the park and do whatever they want to do to the androids without fear of retaliation. And they really mean whatever the guests want to do; it's part fun, part cringing to hear.

It is a place for you, rich people, to play games in an elaborate set and detailed props. Even without the adventures, I could spend all day admiring the props alone if I ever got to visit this park. (It's in Utah, right?) Instead of bounty hunting and "killing bandits" at your desk in front of a computer screen, you get to do them while riding horses (robots) and using guns that look real enough.

I hate guns, so I probably wouldn't choose anything that requires me to use one. I'll get a team of security detail, though. But we'll be that smart group who gets the job done without using guns or violence. We'll use our brains. And I don't want to ride horses. They should have cars on Westworld. True, it probably doesn't fit the old western theme, but I don't see any harm adjusting a small detail for comfort. (And no, I don't want to just visit a museum.)

Robbing a safe would sound fun in Westworld, right? Just like heist movies are enjoyable to watch? Do we condone robbery? No. It's an entertainment in movies and amusement parks.

So, is killing ok? It would be messy and loud and gory. I already hate it for the first reason alone. But I guess I won't judge the guests who do it (that much). I'll judge a little and probably just stay in my room reading the internet if my friends decide to go on this barbaric activity. People kill on video games. Do they like to kill people in real life? I hope not. So besides begrudging the noise and mess, I'm going to ignore people who enjoy killing androids on Westworld and probably just start questioning my friends' state of sanity.

Now, if Westworld really does exist in real life, is it ok to rape robots?

F NO.

But why? They are robots. This is a game. These guests come to Westworld to indulge in fantasies. If your argument is about consent, do people now have to get consent from their sex toys back home? Is it wrong to rape a car? The androids do not consent to be killed or robbed either, which is essentially a moot point because they are programmed, so why killing is "a mess" and rape is "F NO"? If your argument is about not promoting rape culture, doesn't killing in Westworld does not mean condoning killing in real life?

Back to putting my friends into this situation: If I know that you would rape a robot, my deduction is, that interest ie rape has always been with you all this while, and that is scary. Leaving Westworld, I won't even know if I can still have drinks with you. How would you expect me to react when you start reminiscing your vacation that includes raping a robot that looks exactly like a real person? How do you expect me to react if you told me you raped a car? You need help.

Thankfully, Westworld the TV show is a delightful storytelling; one with mind-blowing imagination, great music, great acting, and carefully placed, unorganized details that make you rummage for clues and theories on Reddit like an addict. I'll wash your dishes for one week if you untangle all the show's mysteries and twists for me right now.

(We are now at episode 4, will update after the finale.)

Screen grab: HBO (from episode 6 when Maeve visiting upstairs, which is one of my favourite scenes).