1. Plot

2. Production
     Filming   Music 

3. Reception
    Ratings  Critical reception  Accolades 

4. References

5. External links

• Louis Herthum as Peter Abernathy
• Steven Ogg as Rebus
• Michael Wincott as Old Bill
• Eddie Rouse as Kissy
• Brian Howe as Sheriff Pickett
• Demetrious Grosse as Deputy Foss
• Ptolemy Slocum as Sylvester
• Leonardo Nam as Felix Lutz
• Kyle Bornheimer as Clarence
• Bradford Tatum as Bartender / New Peter Abernathy
• Lena Georgas as Lori
• Currie Graham as Craig
• Trevante Rhodes as Bachelor

"The Original" is the first episode of the HBO science-fiction thriller television series Westworld. The teleplay was written by series co-creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, who wrote the story with Michael Crichton, writer and director of the 1973 film upon which the series is based. The episode was directed by Nolan, and is dedicated to the memory of Eddie Rouse, who played Kissy.^[1]

"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.

Plot

Westworld is a technologically-advanced Western-based theme park, where guests can engage with the lifelike android "hosts" in complex narratives. Humans can interact with hosts however they desire, including violent and sexual acts, without retribution as the hosts are programmed not to harm living things and restart each day anew without memories of past events.

Host Dolores visits Sweetwater and meets Teddy, who has just arrived in the town. The two spend time rekindling a past romance. She brings Teddy back to the farmstead and hear gunshots coming from the house. Two bandits banter about her mother being raped and murdered, and her father still alive but shot before Teddy arrives. Teddy kills two of them, Walter and Rebus, but finds himself unable to kill their leader, the Man in Black. The Man in Black reveals he is a guest, and after killing Teddy, who is revealed to be a host, drags a struggling Dolores to the barn, upset that she does not remember him after thirty years of his visits.

The next day, the sheriff host starts to malfunction. The park staff bring him to their operations center and find that the recent "Reveries" update, developed by the park's creator Robert Ford and applied to some of the hosts, is at fault, but lead programmer Bernard suggests they monitor those hosts to better diagnose the problem. However, Walter malfunctions later that day, killing his fellow bandits in a tirade, and QA director Theresa orders them to remove all the affected hosts by the next day, using a temporary narrative to have the bandit Hector wipe out all of the townsfolk so that the hosts can be removed without question. Overnight, the Man in Black kills a dealer named Kissy and cuts off his scalp, finding an image of a maze underneath it.

During the next day, Dolores' father Peter finds a photograph of the outside world dropped by a guest. He becomes confused by the image, and whispers something to Dolores, who then races into town and runs into Teddy again, but just at the start of Hector's massacre. Hosts suspected to be affected by the update, including Peter and Dolores, are taken to operations. Robert speaks to Peter, discovering he wanted to warn Dolores about the true nature of Westworld and seek revenge on those that have harmed her in the past. Robert dismisses this as part of the "Reveries" update which allowed hosts to have limited access to their past experiences. Meanwhile, head of security Ashley Stubbs interviews Dolores, remarking to an assistant that she is the oldest operating host in the park. Dolores tells him that her father whispered "These violent delights have violent ends" to her, which she did not comprehend. Ashley believes Dolores to be running normally and has her returned to the park, while Peter and Walter are put into cold storage.

Dolores wakes up the next day and greets her father, unaware he is a new host. As she watches the landscape, she swats and kills a fly that lands on her face.

Production

"The Original" was written by series co-creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, based on the premise of the 1973 film Westworld by Michael Crichton.^[2][3] The episode had a budget in the range of $25 million.^[4]

Filming

Directed by Nolan, "The Original" was filmed in August 2014 in and around Los Angeles, California.^[5] Locations in California included Santa Clarita, at Melody Ranch in Newhall and at Paramount Ranch in Agoura.^[6] The episode was also filmed in southern Utah, specially Castle Valley and Fisher Valley.^[6][7]

Music

The score is composed by Ramin Djawadi.^[8] The episode also features piano and orchestral interpretations of Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" and The Rolling Stones' "Paint it Black".^[9] "Ain't No Grave" by Johnny Cash was played over the end credits.^[9]

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."^[12] 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]

Reception

Ratings

"The Original" was viewed by 1.96 million American households on its initial viewing.^[11] The episode also acquired a 0.8 rating in the 18–49 demographic.^[11] The premiere drew 3.3 million viewers over three airings that night and early viewing on HBO’s streaming platforms, making it the most viewed series premiere HBO has had since True Detective.^[11] In the United Kingdom, the episode was seen by 1.7 million viewers on Sky Atlantic (the channel's highest-rated broadcast that week).^[12]

Critical reception

"The Original" received critical acclaim from critics with particular praise towards the visuals, story, thematic elements, and world building.^[13] The episode currently has a score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and has an average rating of 9.2 out of 10 based on 26 reviews. The site's consensus reads "The Original lays the vivid playground of Westworld before us in all its detail-heavy, morality-questioning, and mystery-filled glory."^[14]

Eric Goldman of IGN wrote in his review of the episode, "HBO's Westworld makes a strong first impression with its excellent premiere, as a theme park provides the setting for a fascinating exploration of the human—and not so human—psyche."^[15] He gave the episode a 9 out of 10.^[15] Scott Tobias of The New York Times wrote in his review of the episode; "Based on the first episode of HBO's Westworld alone, creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy have built themselves a better model—which, in Crichton’s thinking, should increase the likelihood of things going awry. Crichton never invited us to think of the androids as anything more than exceptionally lifelike machines".^[16] Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club wrote in his review, "'The Original' is a terrific way to start. There are all sorts of possibilities here, and actors who don't get much to do (Thandie Newton, hello) but who'll presumably be more important as events unfold. And it's impressive to see how, with just some minor tweaking, the show manages to remake Westworld into something distinctively new."^[17] He gave the episode an A-.^[17] Liz Shannon Miller of IndieWire wrote in her review, "It's just the first episode, and already that control seems in flux as more questions arise. Can't wait to get a few more answers."^[18] She gave the episode an A-.^[18] Erik Kain of Forbes also reviewed the episode, saying, "I found the season premiere of Westworld gripping from start to finish. It ended on the perfect note, though I wish it had gone on much longer. I can’t wait for episode two, and hope desperately that this show continues to be as good as its opening episode. I love the mystery. I love the juxtaposition of two of my favorite genres—Westerns and science-fiction—and I love the sense of dread hanging over everything."^[19]

Accolades

References

External links

• [https://www.hbo.com/westworld/season-01/1-the-original "The Original"] at HBO.com
• {{IMDb episode|4227538}}
• {{tv.com episode|westworld/the-original-3416872/|The Original}}

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