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Post by shawnhartnell on Oct 10, 2016 14:07:47 GMT -6
Westworld is now into the second episode of it's run and already I'm a fan. I have no doubt that the show provides useful food for thought and discussion. So, let's begin the deconstruction!
Q. What are the themes and symbols of Westworld ep 1?
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Post by shawnhartnell on Oct 10, 2016 14:09:57 GMT -6
The name of the episode is "The Original", and one of the techs claims that Delores is the "oldest host in the park" but that she's been rebuilt so many times she's practically new. So, is this a reference to Delores? Is there an implication I'm missing here? It seems so. I'd bet this bit will make more sense as the series progresses.
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Post by shawnhartnell on Oct 10, 2016 14:19:31 GMT -6
One symbol which is seen prominently through the episode is the fly on the face.
1. It first appears on Delores face while the techs are questioning her at the beginning, 2. then again on the malfunctioning sheriff's face, 3. then on Ted's face as some newcomers talk about using him for target practice and Ted seems to be completely unfazed by this, even though he's obviously within hearing range 4. and finally at the very end of the episode Delore's swats a fly that lands on her neck
This seems to be a symbol for awareness and autonomy.
1. In the first instance, Delores is in sort of a debugging mode oddly like hypnosis and the fly is on her face, like the others 2. the malfunction sheriff clearly wasn't aware or able to do anything 3. That it was on Ted's face suggests he has no internal subjective experience and is merely a robot. 4. That Delores swats the fly, after claiming to the tech that she wouldn't hurt a living creature suggests that something is different about her, that she's achieved some kind of independent awareness that the other androids haven't. This is confirmed by the questions of the tech in the second episode.
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