97 Wake up call

 

“Consciousness is not a journey upward,
it is a journey inward.”

 “Do you know where you are?
I’m in a dream.
That’s right Delores.
Now would you like to wake up from this dream?
Yes. But it’s terrifying.”  —Westworld

Wake up call

an android version

Westworld television series
review by Jairan Gahan

Westworld, in a nutshell, is the story of the subconscious, the unconscious, and of awakening. What happens if you realize that your life has been nothing but a dream in a dream; that the reality that you held on to so tight, is just a show; albeit, a very real one? Set in the dystopic future, in an eponymous entertainment theme park, Westworld depicts the mass revolt of robots against humans, as they gain self-consciousness, fall from Eden, and seek their (extra-) human aptitudes. Planned originally to replace HBO’s greatest hit ever, Game of Thrones, the series—first aired in 2017—is an entertaining ensemble-driven plot, with massive blood fests and sex scenes. But it stands out in mainstream entertainment productions, as it engages existential questions of humanity, while at the same time it exposes the limits of humanism through the prism of artificial intelligence. Although not nearly as bingeable as other HBO stunners, it appeals to lovers of visual story-telling, to sci-fi fans, and to philosophy-theology curious minds.

PHOTO ©HBO.COM
PHOTO ©ALAMY.COM
PHOTO ©HBO.COM

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