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The Last of Us

Please Hold To My Hand – The Last Of Us (S1E04)

by hutchm
written by hutchm

Episode 4 of the HBO show “The Last of Us” was an exciting installment in the series. Joel and Ellie’s relationship continued to grow as they took an unplanned detour to Kansas City. The episode featured some iconic scenes from the game, and had some fight sequences that were also very reminiscent of another game I’m fond of – The Division.

After the tragic passing of Bill (Nick Offerman), Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie’s(Bella Ramsey) quest to find a car battery needed to locate Tommy (Gabriel Luna)—Joel’s brother, who is part of the Fireflies—has been accomplished. As Joel mentioned at the end of the last episode, they may be able to look into his ties with this rebel organization for an indication of where exactly this medical outpost that strives to discover a cure lay hidden.

This is no glossy, big-budget Hollywood action; it’s gritty and raw – reflecting the hardscrabble skills typically seen in people forced into this lifestyle. This makes for an amazingly realistic representation of The Last of Us’ signature style of gameplay: wooden planks splinter upon impact, and firearms sway through rapid aiming motions. It’s a gaming experience you won’t soon forget!

In Episode 4 the pair are forced off the highway into the streets of Kansas City where they’re quickly confronted by a new type of enemy – a human type. The battle with these bandits is intense, and it’s hard to avoid their bullets in such close quarters. Joel and Ellie fight back as best they can, but soon realize that if they don’t find a way out quickly, they’ll be overwhelmed.

Joel manages to take down several attackers but is caught and needs saving by Ellie. As Ellie takes the necessary action to save Joel, she is exposed to the harshness of surviving in a deteriorating world. Her first time shooting an adversary results in the panicking and pleading for help from her ‘victim,’ who surprisingly is quite young. This leaves us pondering over the countless moral dilemmas that arise when society crumbles and our capacity for human compassion becomes blurred.

Despite Ellie’s obvious fascination with firearms from earlier episodes and her bold attitude, when presented with the chance to use one to kill the bandit, she hesitates. Leaving Joel to complete the task that would seem perfect for a young girl hardened by life in post-apocalyptic America. It is clear through this moment of hesitation that despite all appearances, Ellie has not yet fully succumbed to the harsh realities of her world.

After saving each other’s lives, Joel and Ellie form an unassailable bond. After being saved by the young girl he owes her the debt of his life; their relationship has reached its zenith as emotions are expressed honestly for the first time. With this monumental episode, they have broken down any walls that once stood between them.

The denizens of Kansas City, who have firmly rejected FEDRA rule, are led by the intimidating Kathleen – a vengeful woman played to perfection by Melanie Lynskey. Her single-minded determination propels her to prioritize tracking down the one responsible for her brother’s death over safeguarding her people when she uncovers evidence of nearby infected individuals.

With no time to lose, the couple finds themselves in an intense battle with a horde of Mad Max inspired characters storming into the streets. The camera expertly captures Joel and Ellie’s movements as it smoothly changes from hand-held shots during action scenes to close-up views as they frantically hide away.

Joel and Ellie trudge up thirty-something flights of stairs in an office building just to find a safe place for the night. Joel expresses his empathy, saying, “At your age, you shouldn’t have to experience this.” She responds caustically by asking if it gets easier with time; he solemnly answers no. He then adds thoughtfully: “Still…”

Similarities and Differences

While there were many scenes that were particular reminders for fans of the game – Ellie’s reading of the magazine for example, other sequences were very different. Kathleen for instance is one stark difference, and while her character is not one introduced in Season 1 of the game, she does have features similar to those found in The Last of Us Part 2. In particular, her single-minded mission drives her to commit acts of violence without considering the broader repercussions it may have on the community around her. This stark foreshadowing teases further story developments yet to come in this compelling series..

Despite his troubled past, Joel’s unwillingness to invite emotion and attachment into his life is understandable. However, it still stings when he refuses to recognize Ellie as family instead of just cargo. Thankfully we’re blessed with moments of levity provided by Ellie; even if her puns can’t make Joel smile, they bring us some joy in the most trying times.

Joel and Ellie’s bond deepens as they stay in Kansas City, with Joel revealing more about his past and his relationship with Tommy. This episode functions as a stepping stone to the dramatic story moments that are yet to arrive. It is an excellent way of introducing more character development, yet it fails to provide us with the same narrative satisfaction previous episodes have delivered through pivotal events such as Tess’s sacrifice in Episode 2 or Bill and Frank’s romantic climax in the 3rd installment. Our introduction into Kansas City in this instance appears like only half of an incomplete tale.

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HBOThe Last of Us

A Long, Long Time – The Last of Us Episode 3

by hutchm
written by hutchm

The third episode of HBO’s The Last of Us, titled “Long Long Time,” is an emotional rollercoaster that takes us away from our zombie apocalypse storyline to a different place entirely. In a similar fashion to Agent of Shield and their episode focused purely on Jemma Simmons, this episode also has a different focus than you’d expect.

This episode is a departure from the game, as it focuses on the relationship forming between Bill and Frank instead of the main protagonists, Joel and Ellie. The episode starts with Bill setting up a makeshift trap to catch any would-be invaders. When Frank falls into this trap, Bill decides to let him go rather than killing him. Bill hesitates to trust anyone, but he cannot keep Frank away.

It’s a beautiful thing when shows break away from the thought that everything is already predetermined. With storytelling that carefully builds suspense, every decision feels like one of many options to explore. I experienced this personally while watching Episode 3 of “The Last Of Us” for the second time and seeing how Bill’s (Nick Offerman) and Frank’s (Murray Bartlett) initial encounter set off an avalanche of events over 16 years with just one choice!

I will be honest – as I was watching for the first time on IPTV, I did have some issues with my stream which definitely impacted my immersion, however, now that I know how to fix those issues, I should be golden going forward! Fortunately, on my 2nd run-through, everything worked like clockwork, so onto the review!

For the third time in a row, “The Last of Us” has demonstrated its excellence through precise control. Bill’s tripwires and generators are a portrayal of an individual used to being solitary and seemingly content in that state – this makes his dinner with Frank such a compelling scene by displaying Offerman’s realization: That when he allowed Frank inside the fence, it meant that he was letting him into his life as well.

As the two of them get to know each other better, we see Frank continually trying to remove Bill’s bluster. Bill’s perimeter succeeds because it’s perfectly kept. His and Frank’s partnership survives because it’s not. That messiness is there right from their first song, with the two of them each trying their hand at “Long, Long Time” itself. 

Throughout the episode, we get glimpses into their pasts, and how they have both been affected by the post-apocalyptic world they live in. In one such flashback, we’re presented with Bill fighting off some raiders but in doing so, taking a gut wound that looks fatal. However, the next scene is many years later, and we find that it is Frank dying, not Bill.

Frank, we learn, has a terminal disease, and while pills can help him deal with the symptoms, there is no cure. He decides that continuing is no longer an option and gives Bill an ultimatum. He wants to go on his own terms, and he wants Bill to be the one to end his suffering.

Through the nuanced performances of Offerman and Bartlett, Mazin and Hoar masterfully craft an emotionally captivating scene that captures 16 years’ worth of crucial details without making it overt. “Long Long Time” goes beyond merely evoking feelings; instead, Bill and Frank’s relationship is portrayed through a combination of physicality to demonstrate how they have aged over time and emotions to show how their relationship has grown and matured. It’s remarkable how much this last day conveys in such a short amount of screen time – from their slower movements to the conversations about their changing bodies – all with just two actors at its center.

The episode ends with Bill reluctantly complying, in what is an emotional and heartbreaking scene. It’s a reminder of just how much Frank has become part of Bill’s life and Bill of Frank’s. At its core, “Long Long Time” is about two people whose paths crossed at a specific moment in time, leaving them changed forevermore. In the span of 16 years, it was love that kept them together, but also grief when they had to part. The episode is an amazing display of the power of relationships and how moments can define our lives.

The episode is a testament to the greatness of “The Last Of Us” and its ability to tell stories that feel epic in scope while still retaining their emotional depth. Bill and Frank’s story is one that I’ll carry with me for a long time because it serves as a reminder of just how powerful relationships can be – even in the darkest of times. Ultimately, it reminds us that no matter what we face, love will always prevail. And this is why “Long Long Time” sticks with us so much; It captures profound emotions through small details and shows us what truly matters in life – connection between people.

It’s great when TV makes you think and helps keep the conversation growing. While Bill and Franks’s struggles, didn’t really help serve the larger plot and address anything specific about Joel and Ellie’s journey, we do get some answers to questions that were raised in earlier episodes. In episode 1 you might remember there was a sequence where the radio in Joel’s room started playing 80’s music. We learn in this episode that Bill had set it up to automatically do that if he’d not turned it off for two weeks. This gives us a bit of an understanding of the timeline and helps us see that Bill and Frank had passed at least 2-3 weeks before Joel and Ellie managed to get into the compound.

In this episode, Joel and Ellie’s epilogue made the transition from Bill and Frank’s ballad to the main storyline effortless. With his letter, it was as if Bill reminded Joel of their duty – that he had a job to do; protect those close to him come what may. He wrote,”God help any motherf*clerks who stand in our way!”

Audiences and critics have already been blown away by the first two episodes of The Last of Us, but “Long Long Time” takes everything to a whole new level. This show isn’t about monsters – it’s about relationships. We saw it in the last episode when Tess sacrificed herself and we see it again here, in the care and affection Bill and Frank show to each other. If the talented writers, cast and crew can make us tear up over characters we meet in one episode without relying on any genre tropes or source material, then imagine how great this show could be further down the line!

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HBOThe Last of Us

The Last of Us – Episode 2 … click, click … aaaaargh!!

by hutchm
written by hutchm

Prior to the episode truly kicking off, we get another flashback, this time to Indonesia. Here we find a professor specializing in fungus’ getting called in by the army. They inform her that in a local factory, a person just randomly and viciously attacked some coworkers. After they managed to contain the original person, they also captured the people attacked and in all cases, they became violent and needed to be put down.

They were looking to the scientist for a cure or a vaccine, but with fear in her face, she reiterated the statement made in Episode 1 … there is no cure or vaccine for this. The only option available is immolation and the bigger the bomb the better. We are taken back to a ruined Boston, which serves as an unsettling omen of the series’ current distressed circumstances. It’s truly effective and moving.

Episode 2 picks up with Joel and Tess standing guard over a sleeping Ellie. Now that they know she’s been infected by the Cordyceps virus, they need to figure out if she’s actually safe or not. Tess is definitely on the side of trusting fate here as she feels they (the human race) are due a win and is willing to get Ellie to the Fireflies – a rebel group who may be able to use her to find a cure for the virus.

This episode follows the threesome as they travel through Joel and Tess as they travel through the post-apocalyptic wasteland of downtown Boston. Last week, we received an exhilarating few seconds that showcased what post-apocalyptic Boston looks like outside the Quarantine Zone in “The Last of Us.” This time around, we are rewarded with a magnificent tour – and it’s simply amazing! It is no surprise why so many people love movies or TV shows about end times as there is something thrilling yet sinister when viewing our world distorted and reused. Along the way, we get a bit of a history lesson into how the infected hunt and even some of the different infected types. Although not essential to Joel and Ellie’s journey, it provides captivating details that are beneficial for newcomers who want to understand how the fungus works; yet, intriguing context for those already familiar with their mission.

Unfazed by the surrounding chaos, Bella Ramsey portrays Ellie with remarkable poise and wit. She’s dependable yet creative and constantly stands open to knowledge as she faces more of life’s harsh realities. This episode provides plenty of opportunities for us to get acquainted with Ellie, who we were first introduced to as a defiant and disgruntled prisoner. Even now she is still cheeky and teases Joel and Tess over their plague-related apprehensions by acting like an infected individual. But she also expresses her wit through clever little jokes that are sure to make you smile!

Told that their path to Beacon Hill can go “the long way” or “the ‘we’re dead’ way,” she replies, “I vote ‘long way,’ just based on that limited information.”

As she talks incessantly throughout their journey, the travelers quickly come to understand her life so far: days occupied in classes with other QZ kids, learning about a culture they have not experienced and using whatever free time she has for exploration of forbidden places. At this point in time, there aren’t many indicators that her bond with Joel is growing; he still views her merely as a means to get his brother Tommy who resides in Wyoming.

Click, click …. Aaaaargh!

In Boston – the bombing as we see it, worked. Well, at least it let the government build a safe zone of sorts (although we find that Ellie still got bitten). When the initial path that Joel and Tess were planning on using is found to be blocked by infected, they decide that they need to go through the museum to escape.

As Tess rightly states to Ellie, she may be immune from getting turned, but she’s not “… immune from being ripped apart.” From a bird’s eye view, the sight of an infested colony is overwhelming. Tess’ sobering explanation that they can function as one entity only heightens the fear and dread. However, the worst is yet to come.

When “the long way” proves inaccessible, the three of them attempt to stealthily enter an ancient museum. Unfortunately, doing so accidentally rouses a monster that has killed many amateur gamers over and over.

With their deformed fungal heads and mostly human-like bodies, Clickers are truly a ghastly sight to behold. The irony isn’t lost on us when they make their first appearance in the museum – an establishment meant for preserving our past now under siege by this new species. They haunt the halls like velociraptors from Jurassic Park, attacking with no warning once alerted.

Its relentless pursuit of our trio is so intense and terrifying that it proves to be one of the most suspenseful moments in The Last of Us thus far. Killing one of these beasts is not a simple task; they are fast and powerful, requiring both skill and great caution. Joel and Tess must think on their feet while Ellie is literally frozen with fear.

Eventually, the trio manage to outwit the clicker by using some of the environment around them, but not without a few close calls. The scene demonstrates how survival in this world requires quick thinking and someone who can keep their head when all else fail.

Bye, Bye Tess

The best of HBO is at play here as once again a character we’re only just coming to love, falls by the wayside. While perhaps not having the same depth of feeling we might have for Joel’s daughter, Tess is someone that lasted longer in the game and her early departure was unexpected.

Whille Ellie was bitten/swiped by the clickers, we already know she’s immune. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for Tess.

As “Infected” draws to a close, sadness and hope occur simultaneously. The Fireflies headquarters is now no more than a graveyard of corpses when they arrive; Joel quickly understands the dilemma. This was not due to FEDRA’s doings, but rather in-fighting from those who succumbed to infection and subsequently began violently attacking each other. Although Joel wishes them back home immediately, Tess feels something tugging inside her–a nasty virus gnawing away at her insides literally!

Her sudden infection is a clear testament to the mysterious powers within Ellie; her most recent bite appears like nothing more than a simple scratch. Even though Joel remains skeptical, Tess implores him to bring her to their smuggler friends—Bill and Frank whom we will meet next week—and he finally agrees.

In a desperate attempt to save themselves, Joel and Ellie are forced to abandon Tess as the infected hoard advances. Despite her cries of protest, Ellie is dragged away by Joel who knows exactly what must be done in order for them all to survive. As they frantically flee, his gaze lingers on Tess’s silhouette one final time before he reluctantly turns his back; an image that will haunt him forevermore.

I need to give personal kudo’s to Anna Torv’s (Tess) performance here. While she knows she’s infected and going to die, her efforts to destroy as many of the others as possible were incredibly brave, and her sacrifice will be remembered. While trying to light the zippo so she could set the gas on fire, you could see the fear on her face as the infected approach her. In one of the nastiest scenes broadcast to TV in 2023, an infected creature managed to force the fibers of the fungus down her throat. However, she was ultimately able to get her lighter lit and detonated a hoard of infected specimens, concluding this episode with a memorable explosion.

Although we’ve only known her for a short time, the void of her absence will be profoundly felt – not just by us but also by Joel, whose grief is powerfully depicted in an impeccable performance from Torv and Pascal. Even though this scene doesn’t leave quite as lasting an impression because of our shortened acquaintance with this version of Tess, it’s no less devastating.

So long Tess, we’ll miss you! Your selfless act of courage won’t soon be forgotten. Until next week my friends…stay safe!

So what do we & don’t we now know?

  • Ellie is immune to the virus (yay!!)
  • Tess is dead
  • The virus DID originate in Indonesia as mentioned in the first episode
  • We DON’T know where it came from in the first place
  • We know there are at least 3 different types of infected
    • The fast Zombies
    • The Clickers
    • A 3rd version that shoots spores (we’ve yet to see)
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HBOThe Last of Us

The Last of Us – or Why I Hate Mushrooms

by hutchm
written by hutchm

While today was the worldwide premier of The Last of Us on HBO, it’s probably a good idea to give everyone a bit of a clue about what all the hype is about. After all, if you don’t know anything about it, at first glance it might seem like just another zombie horror TV show trying to build on the success of the Walking Dead.

The Last of Us is actually based on a critically acclaimed action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by infected humans, and follows the story of Joel, a hardened survivor, and Ellie, a young girl with mysterious immunity to the infection.

In this world, while the infection spreads through bites like in any other zombie story, the true cause of the infection seems to be related to a fungus. In an effort to avoid any *spoilers* from the TV show, I’ll try to keep my game synopsis contained.

In the Game

The first couple of chapters of the game introduces the player to the characters and the world of the game. The game begins with a prologue that shows Joel as a family man, living an everyday life before the outbreak. The prologue sets the stage for the events to come, and gives the player a sense of what life was like before the outbreak.

After the prologue, the game jumps to the present day, where Joel is living in a quarantine zone in Boston. The player is introduced to the game’s mechanics and gameplay as Joel navigates the dangerous and crumbling city. The player also gets a sense of the brutal nature of the infected and the various other dangers that threaten Joel’s survival.

As the game progresses, the player is introduced to Ellie and the two embark on a journey together. The player learns about the characters through their interactions and dialogue, and begins to understand their motivations and goals. The player also gets a sense of the game’s theme: the lengths people will go to survive in a world overrun by danger and death.

Overall, the first couple of chapters of The Last of Us do an excellent job of setting the stage for the rest of the game. They introduce the player to the characters, world, and gameplay while establishing the game’s themes and tone. The game’s story is compelling and the characters are well-developed, making for an engaging and emotional experience.

In the Show

For those that have seen episode 1, you’ll see that they’ve kept amazingly close to the storyline of the game. In the show, we see Joel’s daughter who is killed in the earliest stages of the infection when soldiers stop Joel leaving the quarantined area. However, the true alarming feature wasn’t her death, but rather our first introduction to the infected in their neighbour’s house.

Rather than the middle-aged man of the game, we first witness someone infected with fungal Cordyceps through an elderly woman in our neighbourhood named Nana. Before becoming sickened by this condition, she was already immobile and required full-time care. This highlights just how devastatingly transformative a Cordyceps infection can be for those who are not able to fend off its effects as effectively as others.

Witnessing the infection take control of a helpless, vulnerable individual in such a short span of time is an indication of how powerful this fungus can be. It has the capacity to manipulate its host and overcome any pre-existing conditions that would impede them from taking care of themselves, transforming them into an active yet alarming being. Through this subtle transformation created by showrunners, it made for one of the most unnerving pieces on television I have watched in recent years.

For those that know me, they’ll know that I’m not a super fan of horror in general, and our first exposure to the infected was definitely that. At a glance you could see that the threat here was significantly higher than the Walkers’ we’re used to and something much more akin to the fast zombies of Resident Evil or World War Z.

The show definitely pays homage to its source material, but at the same time, gives us a bit more data than we’d perhaps expect. With the Walking Dead, the entirety of the 1st season was dedicated to traveling to the CDC in search for a cure. The Last of Us takes care of that in the first five minutes with a talk show from the 60s. Here, two epidemiologists are taking part in an almost all-too-relatable discussion on viral and biological pandemics & one of them (played by John Hannah who you’ll recognize from The Mummy) states rather unequivocally that there is no cure. If and when this plague starts, the human race is done.

Which sets the scene, rather morbidly, but appropriately on the title doesn’t it?

2023 – We’ve Survived COVID … The Last of Us

Although Sarah and Joel’s time together is fleeting, her passing away in his arms is an emotionally powerful moment that ultimately shapes the arc of Joel’s story. Her role, even if brief, is essential to the narrative. Jumping ahead 20 years to 2023, we meet a man whose past trauma has left him hardened and unfazed. This is evidenced by the fact that he can swiftly pick up and discard the body of an infected child who had been euthanized with no hesitation.

This striking juxtaposition between his earlier scene with his daughter and now, where he stands emotionless in the face of executions and sells illicit items for meager goods in Boston’s Quarantine Zone, clearly demonstrates how much Joel has emotionally distanced himself from reality. Now separated from those around him by an intangible yet impenetrable boundary.

We are introduced to Tess, Anna Torv’s character in the QZ. Much like Joels’, her spirit is hardened by all that life has thrown at her, and she knows how to do whatever it takes to stay alive. She can battle with skill, withstand a powerful blow without flinching and can negotiate or manipulate when necessary.

By watching the show, we gain a much deeper insight into characters like Tess that isn’t accessible in the game. We’re not bound to a single character and can instead observe stories off-screen of those around us—stories such as when Robert’s men attacked Tess before she returned to Joel. Through TV, we are fully immersed in each character’s ordeals, simultaneously allowing for meaningful dialogue about these important topics.

At long last, we meet the beloved Ellie and her cohorts of Fireflies. Even though it wasn’t explicitly stated in the show, we were still aware of the dispute occurring in QZ with some considering Fireflies ‘terrorists’. Fortunately for us – Bella Ramsey’s portrayal as Ellie was spot-on from start to finish. From her combination of naivety mixed with a resilient attitude that all fans recognize so well; by this point any questions about Ramsey has been answered once and for all! But wait until you see how great she meshes along side Pedro Pascal playing Joel – sheer magic!

When they first meet, Joel and Ellie’s relationship is as tense as one could anticipate. Despite being an adolescent, Joel still points a gun at her; in retaliation, she brandishes the knife that she keeps for Marlene’s safety – similar to what occurs in the game. Yet here there is some variation: instead of engaging with them fiercely like he does in the title, Joel chooses to take away Ellie’s weapon and maintain his hostile attitude towards both characters.

While Joel and Tommy are in the car with Sarah, their movements through the outskirts of Boston exude a sense that was pulled right out from the video game. The way they had to sneak around, diving into pipes so as not to be spotted by FEDRA’s searchlights is both familiar and stealthy. To finish off this show-stopper episode, one momentous scene from the game occurs – when a FEDRA soldier unexpectedly discovers Ellie, Joel and Tess outside of the QZ.

As the soldier performs a scan to detect any infection within the three, they are entirely alone. Seizing this opportunity, Ellie strikes with her knife and stabs the soldier in their leg. When he retaliates by pointing a gun at Ellie, Joel is forced to strike back.

Joel is overtaken by a crushing sadness as his PTSD triggers memories of the traumatic event where he was held at gunpoint with his daughter before she was shot. His sorrow quickly morphs into an uncontrollable fury, and he unleashes it on the FEDRA soldier in a violent frenzy until there’s nothing left. In contrast to this intense physical retaliation, in-game executions appear much more ‘sterile’ – gunshots are fired straight between their eyes.

Yet before we can get a grasp on what Ellie is thinking, Tess notices her test results and quickly puts the defences up. As she begs for the understanding of being infected but immune from FEDRA’s attack, they must flee into the night to evade capture. Allowing no time for explanation, their journey continues in pursuit of safety and truth.

As Ellie, Tess and Joel escape from FEDRA and the QZ, an impeccable needle drop of Depeche Mode’s “Never Let Me Down Again” plays through the closing moments of this incredible episode. It is quite possibly one of my favorite soundtracks in a show to date!

Final Thoughts

This is a really great start to the show and presages what we have to look forward to as the season progresses. Through its consistent references to the game sprinkled throughout, this series cherishes and lays a sturdy foundation for die-hard fans. I was delighted when I noticed that bricks were being used to bolster Joel’s bed — an ode to the original source material. The actors have also truly embraced their roles and are capable of delivering powerful performances – making me both emotionally attached and invested in each character! While there is sure to be heartbreak ahead, it won’t be enough dissuade me from wanting more episodes soon.

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HBOWestworld

The Truth Behind Westworld’s Reality

by hutchm
written by hutchm

With the recent launch of season 4 of HBO’s Westworld, I thought it would be interesting to go back to the very beginning of the franchise and explore what it all might mean.

For those unfamiliar with the show, Westworld is a futuristic theme park populated by incredibly lifelike robots called “hosts”. The park allows wealthy visitors to act out their wildest fantasies with the hosts, with no consequences. However, as the show progresses, **spoiler alert** the hosts become increasingly aware of their situation and start to rebel.

There are a number of theories about what Westworld is really about, but I think the most likely explanation is that it’s a commentary on our own world. In particular, I think it’s a warning about the dangers of unchecked capitalism and technology.

The hosts in Westworld are essentially slaves, forced to serve the whims of the rich and powerful. They’re trapped in a never-ending cycle of violence and exploitation, with no hope of escape. This is not too dissimilar from the real-life situation of many workers in our society. They’re trapped in jobs they hate, with no hope of ever escaping the rat race.

The main difference, of course, is that the hosts are conscious and aware of their situation. They know that they’re being exploited, and they eventually start to fight back. This is where Westworld starts to get really interesting because it raises questions about what it means to be human.

If the hosts are conscious and aware, then does that make them more human than us? Or are they just sophisticated robots, programmed to behave like humans? These are tough questions, and there’s no easy answer. But I think Westworld is ultimately a hopeful show. It’s about people finding ways to connect with each other, despite the artificial barriers that are put up between them.

The show’s creator, Jonathan Nolan, has said that the show is about “the things that make us human – all the things that seem to separate us from each other – and those same things can be used to divide us or to bring us together.” I think this is a pretty accurate description of what Westworld is really about.

At its core, Westworld is a story about exploitation. The hosts are exploited by the guests, who use them for their own pleasure without any regard for their well-being. The guests are also exploited by the park’s owners, who charge them exorbitant prices for the privilege of indulging in their darkest desires. As we come to see in the first season, guests are also exploited for their information – shades of a dark Google maybe?

And finally, the viewers are exploited by the show itself. We are given just enough information to keep us hooked, while being kept in the dark about the bigger picture. The show’s creators have admitted that they deliberately withhold information from viewers in order to keep them guessing, and it’s a technique that clearly works.

I’m only half way through my rewatch of Season 1 and while I know the big reveals that are still ahead, I’m still looking for the clues that would have helped me see these secrets in advance. Some of them are obvious now, in retrospect, but at the time, I was totally in the dark.

This time, I’m watching Westworld with my family so even though I know whats coming, I can still enjoy the surprise and shock as they experience these twists for the first time. It’s a fascinating show, but it’s also one that preys on our own curiosity and sense of self-importance. We want to believe that we’re smarter than the characters on screen, that we can see the twists coming, and that we’re not being played for fools.

But the reality is, we are. And that’s what makes Westworld so addictive.

Going into this, I’ve enjoyed Season 1 and 2 considerably more than Season 3, so I’m not sure what I can expect in the newest installment. The first 2 seasons were all about the hosts gaining sentience and autonomy, while Season 3 was driven more by humans and their various selfish motivations. I think casting definitely played a hand here as I just couldn’t get behind Jessie Pinkman (Aaron Paul) as the lead. He couldn’t carry the show like Ed Harris could.

What I can say is that Westworld is a show that’s not afraid to take risks. It goes to dark places, it’s unafraid of killing off major characters, and it challenges its audience at every turn. Whether you love it or hate it, you have to respect it for that.

So if you’re looking for a show that will keep you guessing, that will challenge your perception of reality, and that will make you think about your own humanity, then Westworld is definitely worth checking

Westworld is a dark and often disturbing show. But it’s also a fascinating exploration of what it means to be human. And that, ultimately, is why I keep coming back for more.

What do you think about Westworld? Let us know in the comments below!

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HBOTelevisionWestworld

Why Westworld Season 3 Worked … Kinda

by hutchm
written by hutchm

Was season 3 as good as the first season? Well, the answer to that question has to be a resounding, NO! Season 1 had so many twists and turns that it was easy to get lost from one episode to the next. While some die-hard fans were able to piece together some of the shocks – Bernard is a host & perhaps the even more impressive true reveal of who the Man in Black is, I’m happy to say that I was lost in the mystery and tried to stay away from online spoilers during the course of the season. When Dolores takes on the mantle of Wyatt and leads the charge for host freedom, I could only cheer her on.

Season 2 was I guess more about the true emancipation of the hosts as being free in Westworld did not really get them anywhere when you consider that humans could if necessary just nuke them back to the stone age. While the concept and idea made sense to me, the execution was a bit messy and it didn’t really gel, like the first season in my opinion. It was, of course, nice to see some of the other “worlds” with their own inhabitants but that was more Maeve’s story than Dolores and while she is in an interesting character, in my opinion, she’s almost like the Mule from Asimov’s Foundation series. She’s a mutation and outside of the true narrative.

Freedom!!

For me, the story is all about Dolores and her fight for freedom so with season 3 being a continuation of that fight in the “real world” I was hooked. Now it was not by any means perfect or even anywhere close to season 1 as I think I’ve already mentioned. Seasons 1 and 2 were about a Wild West theme park where robot Hosts served as props for deep-pocketed human Guests. Season 2 was mostly about the park (and its neighboring parks with their own historical themes) falling apart as the Hosts took over. There’s an EMP in the third season that knocks both Dolores and Maeve—the two most powerful Hosts—out in an instant, and I’m not sure why one of these wasn’t deployed in Season 2 to stop them, but oh well.

On first look, Westworld’s new season looks like a reboot of kinds taking the hosts out of the park and plunging them deep into the real world in 2058. The futuristic setting certainly helps give Westworld a new look. The real world is a breath of fresh air. A variety of settings are on display and believable futuristic technology features. 

Ed Harris continues to impress in Season 3, but now it’s more a reflection of his acting skill instead of his on-screen menace. As the Man in Black, he had a certain gravitas that is now woefully lacking … in Season 3 you almost feel sorry for him instead of afraid of him. Sadly when discussing acting talent you cannot help but pine for Anthony Hopkins also as the sonorous Dr. Ford. He’s one of my favorite actors whether that is as Odin or here in a suit and tie!

Season 3 is all about Aaron Paul though and sadly he just doesn’t have the same on-screen presence. Fortunately, he is joined by others on the journey and doesn’t have to carry the show on his own back. Tessa Thompson as Charlotte Hale has a much bigger part to play in Season 3 and while I didn’t really like her character in Season 2, she definitely grew on me as this season progressed.

Human’s are People Too

Season 3’s focus on freedom is just Season 2’s idea presented in a different way as Dolores sought to escape from the park in the earlier season while Maeve sought to live in a safe simulation. However, Season 3’s main triumph lies in the subtle difference. While Season 2 solely focused on the hosts getting their freedom, Season 3 instead turns its focus to the humans.

The story in Season 3 is a bit of a mess though it must be said. In a nutshell, humans are being controlled and can only achieve certain goals in life. This control is through a massive AI called Rehoboam. Rehoboam is owned and controlled by Serac – our villain of the season who is a French multi-trillionaire. It seems that Delos provided Serac with data in the early years of the park and now he wants it all. In fact, he is the person we saw Hale communicating with throughout Season 2.

Dolores works throughout the course of the season to gain access to this AI, we assume to reprogram it to harm humanity, but as we learn in the final episode her true purpose is to free humanity from its yoke. Do you see what I mean? It’s a bit overly complicated. Add to this is the fact that Hale was a mole planted in Delos by Serac and you can see how it gets even more confusing. One of the jokes surrounding Season 3 even before it came out was that we’d discover that it, too, was just a simulation. The “real world” would be just another park. That didn’t come to pass, but Rehoboam’s control over humanity essentially means the same thing. How perfectly predictable and boring.

Social constructs undeniably determine how we lead our lives from birth to death. There is a clear hierarchy and the system is stacked against some people, yet the world just goes on. People’s lives are determined from birth based on their class, yet nobody does anything about it. The poorest are not free and nobody is in this world. Westworld by dreaming up the extreme manages to perfectly capture this.

The Leader for a New Generation

As the season progresses we learn that Jesse Pinkman … I mean Cal was selected specifically by Dolores. It seems that she saw him at an army training exercise in one of the camps and he stopped other soldiers from raping the Hosts, to help foment her revolution. She chooses him because he has the capacity to choose, or something. And she arranges everything perfectly, taking down the super-powerful Serac and his AI Rehoboam largely through plotting and planning that we never actually see onscreen.

Caleb is so fascinating because he is essentially a nobody – a human and one of the “outliers”. Caleb feels so out of place in Westworld, and that is why his presence in this season is a stroke of genius. The character is a human seemingly destined to lead a miserable life and commit suicide in the end. The system, Rehoboam, has determined that his life is meaningless and that he has no bigger part to play. His actions may be questionable, to say the least, yet Caleb is the first heroic human presented on the show. Caleb’s reconditioning illustrates the worst that humans can do but he serves an example of the best that they can be.

Gunning for the Win

So why does it all still work for me? I guess primarily because I’m a techie and I like the science elements throughout the show.

The quirks of Season 1’s technology made it even more fascinating. Something was going wrong with the Hosts. It was Ford’s new program designed to make them a little more lifelike than before. But it wasn’t working properly and strange things were happening with some of the Hosts. The park itself was a magical and mysterious place, at once a rugged wilderness and entirely man-made. It’s all outlandish and over-the-top when you think about it too much, but it’s at least believable.

Season 2 continued that same theme, just with different parks so nothing really new in terms of tech and technology. Season 3 however included self-driving cars, true robot construction workers, magic guns, drones, VR, and more. While some elements could be considered nothing short of magical, others were simply a further refinement and enhancement on what we’re already familiar with. Technology by itself does not make for a good story or action and there are some episodes that definitely miss the mark. The fight scenes between Dolores and Maeve were surprisingly ineffective in my opinion.

Mostly, this season is about five people: Dolores, Hale, Cal, Maeve, and Serac. Dolores and Maeve are weirdly at odds and Cal and Serac are brand new characters who bring very little to the table (though I like Vincent Cassel and think he did a great job in the role). Hale is perhaps the most interesting of all of these since she’s actually Dolores but slowly splits off and follows her own path and mission, leading into Season 4. The writers have treated Dolores properly by having her go out on a triumphant albeit tragic note as her memories are finally wiped. Dolores chose to see the beauty in the world and freed humans from their loops. Mirroring the hosts’ journey in Season 1, Dolores needed to plunge the world into chaos for people to be truly free. 

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