Person Of Interest

Published April 15, 2020 · Updated July 6, 2022

Hi guys & gal,
This is not necessarily a submission for the podcast, but – while bored in isolation & looking for something to binge, I’ve been watching Jonah Nolan’s previous tv show “Person of Interest”. First, I can see why it won awards & was a commercial hit. The amazing thing is that the underlying premise is pretty much identical to Westworld. (Especially the current season) The moral/ethical questions surrounding AI. However, it made me wonder about why Westworld has so much hate from the critics & public, while POI apparently did not. My guess, POI had a familiar weekly “crime to be solved” format. Very standard network tv & relatable for any audience, despite the underlying deep debate about the use of AI. More importantly, I think that a lot of people had trouble with Westworld from the beginning because they couldn’t identify with characters which they know are not human. Even among those who continue to watch the show, many people are more interested in William or Caleb or Serac. To those of us who love the show, part of what makes it great is the very fact that even after watching Dolores “grow” for 3 seasons, we cant possibly truly understand her & that is fascinating. But that also prevents a lot of viewers from getting emotionally invested, as they do with all sorts of “normal” tv characters. I guess you could say Dolores is the ultimate outlier.

Be well, everyone.

Rick in Florida (damn it’s hot when 90 degrees & wearing a mask)

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