The Original (Westworld)

Plot

Westworld is a technologically advanced, Western-themed amusement park populated by android "hosts" who cater to high paying visitors dubbed "guests" (also called newcomers, especially by the hosts). Placed amid intricately choreographed interactions among the hosts, the newcomers can do whatever they wish within the park while remaining safe from any aggression by the hosts, who are programmed to not harm living things.

A young man named Teddy arrives in town on the train and is reunited with the beautiful Dolores. He follows her home, where they find Dolores' parents being murdered by the bandits Walter and Rebus. Teddy shoots them to death, but their leader, the Man in Black, remains unharmed by Teddy's bullets. The Man in Black kills Teddy, revealed to be a host, and bemoans that Dolores does not remember him after all his years visiting Westworld, before dragging her off screaming to the barn. Teddy and Dolores subsequently begin a new day the same as before with no memory of previous events, but this time they miss each other in town.

After a recent software update implemented by the park's creator Dr. Robert Ford, Westworld's sheriff malfunctions. Head of operations Theresa wants to quarantine all of the hosts that have received the update, but is convinced by lead programmer Bernard to hold off until he can determine the problem. Narrative director Lee privately voices his concerns to Theresa that the updates are making the hosts too lifelike, which risks making the newcomers too empathetic to them. Soon Walter malfunctions and slaughters a number of his fellows in an off-script tirade, convincing Theresa to pull all of the updated hosts out of Westworld. Elsewhere, the Man in Black tortures card dealer host Kissy with an unrevealed agenda. After scalping Kissy, the Man in Black examines a drawing under the scalp.

Dolores' father Peter Abernathy begins behaving strangely after finding a discarded photo of the outside world. He whispers something to Dolores and she goes to town seeking help where she runs into Teddy. They are caught up in a newly-scripted massacre of townspeople by the bandit Hector, intended to disguise the removal of the hosts affected by the update. Teddy is killed in the firefight, and a devastated Dolores is deactivated by programmer Elsie. Robert questions a malfunctioning Peter, who seems determined to warn Dolores about the true nature of Westworld and insinuates that he will seek revenge against those who have harmed her. Robert dismisses the odd behavior as a side effect of his new programming, which was intended to allow hosts to access certain aspects of their suppressed past experiences in the park. Dolores is revealed to be the oldest host still functioning in Westworld, and admits to head of security (Ashley Stubbs) that Peter whispered "These violent delights have violent ends" to her, which he does not understand. Behaving normally and assuring Ashley that she would never harm a living thing, Dolores is returned to service, while Peter and Walter are put into cold storage.

Dolores relives her morning as usual with a new host as her father, but casually kills a fly, something a host should not be able to do.

Production

"The Original" was written by series co-creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, based on the premise of the 1973 film Westworld by Michael Crichton. The episode had a budget in the range of $25 million.

Filming

Directed by Nolan, "The Original" was filmed in August 2014 in and around Los Angeles, California. Locations in California included Santa Clarita, at Melody Ranch in Newhall and at Paramount Ranch in Agoura. The episode was also filmed in southern Utah, specially Castle Valley and Fisher Valley.

Music

The score is composed by Ramin Djawadi. The episode also features piano and orchestral interpretations of Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" and The Rolling Stones' "Paint it Black". "Ain't No Grave" by Johnny Cash was played over the end credits.

In an interview, Djawadi spoke about the modern songs used in the episode. He said, "The show has an anachronistic feel to it, It's a Western theme park, and yet it has robots in it, so why not have modern songs? And that's a metaphor in itself, wrapped up in the overall theme of the show." Djawadi continued, "What's so great about using these pieces instead of the score is that they are known melodies, which enhances the idea that this is all scripted". He noted, "'Paint It Black' happens during a really big action scene, and it has all these great ups and downs — the shooting, the talking — and so I bring it down and then back up a bit, which was a lot of fun to arrange for the orchestra."

Ratings

"The Original" was viewed by 1.96 million American households on its initial viewing. The episode also acquired a 0.8 rating in the 18–49 demographic. The premier drew 3.3 million viewers over three airings that night and early viewing on HBO’s streaming platforms, making it the most viewed series premiere HBO has had since True Detective. In the United Kingdom, the episode was seen by 1.7 million viewers on Sky Atlantic (the channel's highest-rated broadcast that week).

Critical reception

"The Original" received critical acclaim from critics with particular praise towards the visuals, story, thematic elements, and world building. The episode currently has a score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and has an average rating of 9.2 out of 10 based on 26 reviews. The site's consensus reads "The Original lays the vivid playground of Westworld before us in all its detail-heavy, morality-questioning, and mystery-filled glory."

Eric Goldman of IGN wrote in his review of the episode, "HBO's Westworld makes a strong first impression with its excellent premiere, as a theme park provides the setting for a fascinating exploration of the human—and not so human—psyche." He gave the episode a 9 out of 10. Scott Tobias of The New York Times wrote in his review of the episode; "Based on the first episode of HBO's Westworld alone, creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy have built themselves a better model—which, in Crichton’s thinking, should increase the likelihood of things going awry. Crichton never invited us to think of the androids as anything more than exceptionally lifelike machines". Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club wrote in his review, "'The Original' is a terrific way to start. There are all sorts of possibilities here, and actors who don't get much to do (Thandie Newton, hello) but who'll presumably be more important as events unfold. And it's impressive to see how, with just some minor tweaking, the show manages to remake Westworld into something distinctively new." He gave the episode an A-. Liz Shannon Miller of IndieWire wrote in her review, "It's just the first episode, and already that control seems in flux as more questions arise. Can't wait to get a few more answers." She gave the episode an A-. Erik Kain of Forbes also reviewed the episode, saying, "I found the season premiere of Westworld gripping from start to finish. It ended on the perfect note, though I wish it had gone on much longer. I can’t wait for episode two, and hope desperately that this show continues to be as good as its opening episode. I love the mystery. I love the juxtaposition of two of my favorite genres—Westerns and science-fiction—and I love the sense of dread hanging over everything."