The Original (Westworld)
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Episode 1
- Jonathan Nolan
- Lisa Joy
- Michael Crichton
- Jonathan Nolan
- Lisa Joy
| "The Original" | |
|---|---|
| Westworld episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 |
| Directed by | Jonathan Nolan |
| Story by |
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| Teleplay by |
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| Featured music | Ramin Djawadi |
| Cinematography by | Paul Cameron |
| Editing by |
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| Production code | 276083 |
| Original air date | October 2, 2016 |
| Running time | 68 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"The Original" is the first episode in the first season premiere of the HBO science fiction western thriller television series Westworld. The teleplay was written by series co-creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, who also receive story credit with Michael Crichton, writer and director of the 1973 film upon which the series is based.[1] The episode was directed by Nolan, and is dedicated to the memory of Eddie Rouse, who played Kissy.[2]
"The Original" introduces the eponymous Western-themed amusement park from the perspectives of both the androids and the humans. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised the visuals, performances of the cast, story, thematic elements and world-building.
In the 2050s, Delos Inc. manages and produces futuristic amusement parks in the South China Sea. These parks do not actually have rides but rather adventures and narratives for the people, with each park having a variety of different adventures that are fit for anyone. Among the most popular parks is Westworld, a huge Western-themed park where wealthy human guests can interact with lifelike android "hosts", programmed to run through a daily narrative, without memory of prior days' events, and interact with guests. As hosts are unable to harm guests, guests often live out their darkest desires, including violent, sadistic and sexual ones.
Hosts are artificially manufactured and don't exhibit some normal human reactions; for example, they don't react to flies crawling over their faces. They can be put in hibernation or into other special states by code phrases said by park operators.
Dolores says goodbye to her father Peter and travels into Sweetwater for supplies where she meets Teddy. They rekindle their old flame, and she invites him back to her farm, but when they arrive they hear shooting inside the house. They find Peter beaten by two bandits, Walter and Rebus, bragging about raping and killing his wife. Teddy shoots and kills the bandits but finds he cannot kill a third approaching figure from elsewhere, the Man in Black. The Man in Black reveals he is a guest, kills Teddy, and then drags Dolores off. He is upset she does not recognize him after thirty years of visits.
The next day, the Sweetwater sheriff host malfunctions. At the operations center in the central Mesa, they find the problem due to the recent Reveries update from park creator Dr. Robert Ford, but lead programmer Bernard suggests they leave the other hosts with Reveries in place to help debug. That night, the bandit Walter, also updated with Reveries, turns violent on his men. Park QA director Theresa orders all hosts with Reveries to be brought in and checked, using a temporary narrative of a bandit massacre to hide this from the guests. The Man in Black tracks down a specific host, kills and scalps him to find an image of a map under his scalp.
The next morning, Peter finds a guest's photograph of the outside world, and he becomes confused. He whispers something to Dolores before she leaves. In town, the massacre starts. At the Mesa, Ford learns Peter wanted to tell Dolores the true nature of the park, while head of security Ashley Stubbs interviews Dolores who says Peter only told her "These violent delights have violent ends" but does not understand its meaning. After careful analysis, all hosts but Peter and Walter are cleared to return, while Peter and Walter are put into storage.
Dolores, Peter and other hosts are periodically questioned via checklists as part of QA. Dolores is asked whether she can hurt any living being and she answers resounding "no".
The next day, Dolores begins her usual routine, unaware of the surrogate in Peter's place for her father. While watching the sunrise, she swats and kills a fly that lands on her neck.
Production
"The Original" was written by series co-creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, based on the premise of the 1973 film of the same name by Michael Crichton.[3][4] The episode had a budget in the range of $25 million.[5]
Filming
Directed by Nolan, "The Original" was filmed on August 29, 2014 in and around Los Angeles, California.[6] Locations in California included Santa Clarita, at Melody Ranch in Newhall and at Paramount Ranch in Agoura.[7] The episode was also filmed in southern Utah, specially Castle Valley and Fisher Valley.[7][8]
Music
The score is composed by Ramin Djawadi.[9] 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."[10] 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".[10] 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."[10]
