Westworld series premiere synopsis: The Original

The long awaited series premiere of Westworld is finally upon us, and we take a look at the official synopsis to see what we might be able to learn from it ahead of Sunday night.

Who’s ready to finally visit Westworld?

We’re as psyched as we could possibly be since it’s seen like such a long time coming. It’s easy to forget that HBO’s update of the cult classic 70s movie was originally announced back in 2014 and was supposed to debut last year.

Early reviews have been positive, and the stellar cast and big names working behind the scenes (including J.J. Abrams and Jonathan Nolan) have given fans hope that this will be HBO’s Next Big Thing. But we really won’t know for sure until we see the first episode.

Said episode is titled “The Original,” and here’s what HBO has to say about it:

"In the premiere of this sci-fi drama set in an Old West theme park where guests interact with automaton “hosts,” the park’s head of programming is alarmed by subtle changes in some of their main attractions, and a rancher’s daughter is reunited with a gunslinger even though her father might not approve. Based on the 1973 feature film directorial debut by Michael Crichton."

Advance articles and reviews have already conditioned us to expect a subversion of the original Westworld. It’s quite possible that some of the “hosts,” the artificial beings who take the place of robots this time around, are really the heroes this time around, or at least more “right” than the humans. And the Man in Black (played by Ed Harris) appears to be a murderous human, not a host.

It’s quite possible the series will play with other elements of the movie in unexpected ways, and there’s sure to be a much longer, richer overall narrative considering there are 10-plus hours of TV instead of a single film.

Be sure to check back here at HBO Binge, as we’ll be eagerly soaking in all aspects of the series premiere and will be discussing Westworld nonstop this coming week.

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