The Unfulfilled Search For A Protagonist And Antagonist In Westworld

Published July 2, 2018 · Updated July 6, 2022

Hey Guys,

Points to consider:

What are our expectations of a TV show? What are our expectations of ourselves? Both are defined not by ourselves, but by a set of rules, that must be obeyed or collective opinion will banish you forever.

The unfulfilled search for a protagonist and antagonist in Westworld, and the ambiguity of the characters suggests that they are not only breaking this rule, but they are highlighting the reality of this expectation. The reality is that both pro/ant are illusions developed in our conscience by the tools exploited by the author. Who in this case happens to be Dr. Ford, hence the uncertainty as to whether he was good or bad. But on another level of reality, it is Jonah and Lisa.

I think it is fair to say that the collective expectation of the show was that it would be about human consciousness, and yet in the second episode Ford dismisses the very existence of such a thing. He repeatedly expresses his dismay with humanity, the delusion of consciousness as a divine gift from the creator, when in fact it comes from the brain itself, the vanity of our elaborate mating rituals. Our inability to change. He does express some hope in his conclusion that man forged the entirety of sentient life using only one tool, “the mistake”.

Onto expectations of the self.

We are all expected to live a “good” life. And most people are happy with that expectation. Why wouldn’t they be? But by what standard do we measure our behaviour? In the season 2 finale we discover that “what humans consider sane is a narrow range of behaviours, most states of consciousness are insane”. What can this mean? It could mean that free-will does not exist, but it more likely means that free-will is restricted by the collective acceptance of normal behaviour. Nobody has the courage to act on free-will, in fear that they will be judged by the same measure we judge others. A kind of self regulation programming.

That’s all for now. Did I mention I love the show and your, often equally frustrating, contribution to it’s enjoyment.

Stan.

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