Episode 2 has aired, no need for spoilers.

Ah, Futureworld,

Reminds me of the Twilight Zone episode where the guy goes to "Heaven": He gets anything he wants, he wins every game, he wins every bet ... he can do whatever he wants.

Of course, he's really in Hell.

I view him as an obsessive gamer that gets his thrills from mastering the game (and apparently raping) and pushing the boundaries, which is why he's trying to find the "deeper level". It seems like the Dolores story line is a popular one for black hats ending with a draw with Teddy, but EH goes one step further and completely messes with Teddy's programming. Remember he's been going to the park for 30 years, so he's likely seen all previous updates and how much the behaviors have changed.

Found the 2nd episode kinda boring. Just the same stuff. I don't feel anything at all for any of the robots (maybe Dolores a little but I just don't see them as real characters).

I only see this show going like 2-3 seasons, don't see how they can stretch it much farther than that, at least from a creative standpoint.

Don't think we can take anything that any of the characters say at face value yet, especially Ed Harris.

He could be mimicking a guest.

Considering they already have 5 seasons mapped, you're wrong.

I'm sure they'll keep it going as long as possible, I just don't see how it can be good or interesting.

At least right now, it's like robots becoming too aware and ******* guests, eventually they'll be an uprising/revolt...

Obviously there's way more on the horizon for the plot than a simple robot revolt - what are the deeper levels to the world (the maze, whatever EH is after), what are ulterior motives of both Ford & Bernard, what is going on in the backdrop of the real world, and (I'm guessing) hosts being introduced or escaping into it Ex Machina style etc.

The same guy did 100+ episodes of an excellent network TV show with a massive universe across 5 seasons (that shares several large themes with this show), that maybe had a handful of filler episodes. This won't be hard for him to keep going, and he doesn't have any of the constraints he had there. Whether you'll like it, well no one will know that.

This show will probably max out somewhere between 50-65 episodes, which is the equivalent of a little over 2 (on the bottom end) to a little below 3 (on the high end) network TV full seasons. He earned my trust with the other show, due to how good a storyteller he is, especially in complex universes. And this wasn't a guy who was good at this 10 years ago and can't keep up with modern television. That show had a great final season that ended last Spring.

There are endless possibilities. They could even have flashbacks for each new season telling the stories of the old characters the hosts used to play, kinda like American Horror Show. Each season the same actors play different characters. Then they go to the future (of the current plot) and play different, new characters, etc.

The boy that Ford talks to in the desert seems to be evidence that there are definitely hosts programmed to behave like guests. Speaks in a British accent and talks about being there on holiday, but clearly seems to be a host given the way he responds to Ford's directives.

Are we meant to believe that Ford's narrative with the cross is a crucifixion/Jesus related storyline?

It's interesting to note the phrases the hosts have been programmed to use in certain instances. Dolores keeps repeating "It doesn't look like anything at all" about the photo, and I think there were a few times hosts said "I understand" when guests referenced the outside world. That made me think McPoyle might be a host, although obviously a real person can say "I understand" as well.

My first thought after the scene with the boy was that the boy was a clone of Hopkins when he was young, replicating something that he liked in his childhood.

Holy **** I'm late to this thread, going to catch up, but this shows has been great so far.

That makes sense to me. Do you think the boy is meant to interact with the rest of Westworld, or is he just some weird toy for Ford?

Second episode was good but I'm wary of the maze subplot that they keep hinting at. The themes of morality, reality, and artificial intelligence are more than enough for me to keep the show going. This maze thing just sounds like something that could end up going sideways into silliness. This show is reallllly good so far, I swear to god if you **** this up....<shakes fist at cloud>

Try to make it through 12 episodes of Person of Interest. If you can (as it starts out as a relatively cut above network procedural through 7 episodes or so, which may turn you off), then you can try to make it through the rest. I think if you watch that show, and like it, you will have a lot of confidence that Nolan knows what he's doing on a show like this from a story aspect. That show basically starts small, and becomes enormous by the end. This show is starting bigger, and looks like it will go much bigger than Person of Interest, universe wise. He could spend the whole first season setting up what this place is all about, and mine the secrets and it wouldn't be bad. As I said above, he's mapped out 5 seasons, so there's no reason to be concerned he's gonna screw this up if you know some of his other work.

As for the maze stuff, you still have to keep some plot elements in there that ground it, or it becomes a meandering mess. We have a large storyline, and then we have a task and often a counter task. That's often his M.O. for universe building, and it almost always holds your interest. This guy managed to make a lot of people feel a lot of emotion for a camera with a red light. That's the baseline to start from, in my opinion.

Unlikely he's meant to interact in Westworld as a pretend guest. More likely Ford's toy project, or an older retired host Ford repurposed as a sometimes companion.

Given guests are free to stab hands and otherwise abuse hosts in a manner that would also harm humans, it seems like the controllers would want as little confusion as possible about which is which to avoid lawsuits.

But some of the guests bring children, as we saw in the first episode...

This phrase is the "infection" the tech working with Bernie suggested was the reason her dad lost his mind. Bernie dismissed it but it seems clear that Delores has gone and infected the hooker with the accent when she quoted the same line to her.

He may not be able to get out of the park via the train, and wants to find another way.

👍

But he also said that he was born there. I still maintain that he is the host who went sentient 30 years ago, but I can't really figure out what happened since. As far as Hopkins' minime, I think he created him so that if/when the hosts become sentient, he will also be able to live again, essentially giving himself a chance to live a second life.

This. The clue the little girl gives the MIB pertaining to the entrance to the maze "follow the blood arroyo to the place where the snake lays its eggs" could be referencing the spot where Anthony Hopkins was hanging with his minime. It's definitely still unclear about how the hosts are programmed to engage without harming, for example knowing how much they can physically wrestle the guests without hurting them (like a couple of them with mib in the Mexico town). I do hope they clarify it all at some point and don't leave us with questions a la Lost. This could prove to be one of the most ambitious shows ever as far as just how much it's trying to tackle. I mean, there are essentially 3 universes that they're trying to explain to us simultaneously: 1. Westworld itself 2. The inner workings of the behind the scenes of the theme park 3. The actual futuristic post-apocalyptic (or maybe not, we don't know yet) that they all actually live in.

If there's anything I've learned from my handful of LSD experiences, it's that this is actually most likely the reality behind OUR universe. wat What are everyone's thoughts on the smoke show hostess who gets the new guy started? Is she a host? If so, she'd be the first host we've seen who would be aware that she's a host. So I guess she's not, otherwise they probably would've explored this more? Or maybe they will later on. Idunno. I'm super high.