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HBO's "Westworld", starring Anthony Hopkins/produced by J.J. Abrams

Which also makes me wonder why they needed to make that trek to the Valley Beyond at all. The show has already established that the robots all have a wireless connection-- it's the basis of Maeve's and Clementine's mind powers, for one thing-- so why couldn't every robot in the park be uploaded where they stood?

Because while the hosts do have the data about the place existing, they've still needed to travel to where the door would be appearing. It was to the hosts, a physical manifestation. Besides, long trips on horseback are a Western trope ;)
 
To your first point, this was never once shown, and, in fact, we were shown the opposite; he had to heal himself using first aid technology or be healed using said technology by someone else...
He got first aid, sure, but he was shot about twenty times, laid in the sun for a while, and then was dragged around and tossed on a horse, among other things-- unless the first aid of thirty years in the future is the equivalent of a modern inner city trauma unit, it's not a very realistic situation.

and to your second, two of William's defining characteristics - prominently displayed in his ID profile when Juliet viewed it - were "paranoid subset" and "delusions".
So you think he was already starting to believe himself to be a robot before his wife committed suicide? Possible, I guess.

Because while the hosts do have the data about the place existing, they've still needed to travel to where the door would be appearing. It was to the hosts, a physical manifestation. Besides, long trips on horseback are a Western trope ;)
I think the latter is the most important part. :rommie: But apparently they did cover themselves by establishing the limits of the wireless network, anyway.
 
Oh, so is that why the library looked so familiar? ;) Almost expected Samuel Tarley to look up from a book and ask if Dolores needed help :D
 
That would be hilarious if in some random scene, there was just some character from GoT in the background standing completely motionless. Or, they walk through a room and Robb Stark is being repaired for a stab in the chest.

Is it assumed that all the hosts in the other worlds were systematically mowed down without trouble? Bernard seemed pretty sure he was the last of his kind.
 
It's unfortunate that this isn't a series that can be enjoyed by the general public, but it has a high enough budget to need the general public to tune in. I mean half of this message board is confused, and this is, generally speaking, a pretty intelligent lot.
 
It really does not need the general public to tune in - not right now.

They've got a year to run. I'll bet on some extension after that. Then...who knows?

This show is not a failure if it doesn't run forever. It's something of a failed experiment if the creators yield to calls and pressure to mainstream and dumb it down.
 
It's unfortunate that this isn't a series that can be enjoyed by the general public, but it has a high enough budget to need the general public to tune in. I mean half of this message board is confused, and this is, generally speaking, a pretty intelligent lot.
Well, I don't know about that. I've got friends and family who watch that aren't the least bit interested in the mystery or minutiae of the show before it plays out, and they don't read speculative articles or cryptic social media posts from the cast and crew or check the Westworld subReddit looking for clues, but they still enjoy the ride each week nonetheless.
 
HBO shows don't strictly-speaking depend upon ratings for business success. It's a premium channel costing roughly $180 per year to subscribers. The viewers who actually matter are the ones who would not purchase an HBO subscription without new Westworld episodes. Take that number, multiply it by $180, and then reduce the amount by the production costs.

I believe the estimate is that Westworld season 2 had about 1.5 million U.S. viewers per episode. Let's say 700,000 of those viewers would not purchase an HBO subscription without new Westworld episodes, and let's assume a season 3 cost of $100 million (which was the publicized estimated cost of season 1). $180 multiplied by 700,000 viewers is $126 million. Take away $100 million, and you get $26 million in profit (before accounting for international viewers, DVD/BluRay sales, the long-term effects of keeping a subscriber happy, the public relations buzz for the show, etc.). Add in another $18 million in profit for every 100,000 such viewers above the 700,000.

Alternatively, if only 500,000 or fewer viewers are in the above category, the show probably doesn't make financial sense. Only HBO would have that type of research.
 
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It's a 5 year show. If it gets cancelled before 5 we are getting an incomplete vision. if it goes over 5 we are getting padding. Let's hope for 5.
 
Looks like the show is bleeding viewers a bit. 1.56 million for season 2 finale. Season 1 had 2.24 million. Hopefully it holds steady from here and we get out 5 seasons.
 
It's unfortunate that this isn't a series that can be enjoyed by the general public, but it has a high enough budget to need the general public to tune in. I mean half of this message board is confused, and this is, generally speaking, a pretty intelligent lot.

I have to think that the fact they deliberately made a confusing show that isn't accessible to mainstream audiences, that they must have built-in that into their expectations for how the show would end up doing. Obviously, right off the bat, it's not going to be a show as popular as GoT, but it at least still has that watercooler buzz going on about it, and I think that shows it's still a healthy show. Other HBO shows have been cancelled for far less. Vinyl comes to mind.
 
Shows like Succession and the new one with Amy Adams do nothing to raise HBO's media profile on any given day.
 
I am not saying the show is trouble, at least not yet. Just saying that the general public is very very confused.
 
I am not saying the show is trouble, at least not yet. Just saying that the general public is very very confused.
If that were not the case, our current political situation would be even more difficult to explain.
 
So episode 11 was really good last night! How did Delores get hold of a nuclear weapon?
That was shocking but I really enjoyed the part where Bernard spent his vacation time at WesterosWorld. Nothing says relaxing like getting away from killer robots and hanging out with the Mother of Dragons as she burns anyone who gets in her way.
 
That was shocking but I really enjoyed the part where Bernard spent his vacation time at WesterosWorld. Nothing says relaxing like getting away from killer robots and hanging out with the Mother of Dragons as she burns anyone who gets in her way.

How about the very last scene of Game of Thrones, flashs to Ford in the Mesa map room saying "That's a very impressive narrative! This park will make a great edition the other 5 we have." .. fade out...
 
Meh, I thought the scene with the Robert Ford Host washing up on Bondi Beach was reaching. But at least the reveal is out of the way for the year.
 
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