We have been living in a sci-fi novel for the last few weeks and while I would love to make a post about the comparison of the global pandemic occurring in real-life to sci-fi novels and movies, I feel like the only topic of conversation in my life has been COVID-19. However, what the virus is forcing us to do it cope with the impending boredom of isolation, and what better way to do that then watch and read sci-fi.

“Westworld” an American sci-fi TV show that is aired on HBO was my pick for the show I was going to binge in order to follow the social distancing ideology that is recommended by professionals. I write this in the past tense because it proved to be unpleasant to watch, more on that later. Anyway, for those that have not seen the show, it is about a hyper-realistic park that “guests” can enjoy. Once guests (real humans) enter, they can do whatever they want with no repercussions, because everything that lives in the world are a robots. These robots are so realistic however, that the guests can’t tell the difference. In true sci-fi fashion these robots start to glitch, do things that they weren’t coded to do, and begin to take on a mind and consciousness of their own.

https://www.hbo.com/westworld/season-01

What I enjoyed about the first three episodes was just how much I could relate back to class. The producers use much of what makes sci-fi work, and they even managed to build onto examples that I have seen in class. For example, the setting, the characters, and the ethics resemble big themes in Sci-Fi. The setting is in essence a space western, where ordinary humans are dropped into a fictional wild west scene. The main characters are both robot and human, with this interaction showing a new side of human nature and its interaction with the creations that they made. And finally, this show is ethically messed up. The hyper-realistic nature of the robots means the scenes are brutally graphic but the audience is continually reminded that these characters are only robots. Unfortunately, it reveals the true nature of some characters as it is clear just how violent and abusive people can be when they know there are no consequences. This show reminds me of “Bokko-Chan” by Hoshi because it is about humans being completely captivated by robots. In “Bokko-Chan” the robot is much more simple but life-like enough to still attract men as if she was real. The story ends with the robot inadvertently killing the bar patrons. While I have only seen three episodes, I feel like “Westworld” could be headed down a similar path.

I have unfortunately stopped watching “Westworld”. The “Uncanny Valley” idea brought up in class a few weeks ago is exactly why I can’t watch the show anymore. The violence and abuse of the robots is too realistic because the robots are indistinguishable from the “guests”. On top of this, the show has lots of jump scares, and I really don’t like jump scares. Overall, Westword is a great example of a current sci-fi show that has its roots in everything we have been reading. For me, however, it is onto the next sci-fi show to binge. Let me know if you have any suggestions!