Few television shows have connected with me on a spiritual level as deeply as season one of HBO’s Westworld. Right from the very the opening scenes in season one, episode one in which Peter Abernathy whispers to his daughter Dolores the enigmatic question “Would you like to know the answer to the question we’re not supposed to ask?” I have been sucked in. While the writers never outright told us the question your not supposed to ask (nor its answer), I do believe I have a pretty good idea what it is, and as season 3 sets to air this March 15th, 2020, I’m hopeful that Westworld will return once again to it’s deep esoteric roots established in season one and finally answer the question.
If you are a fan of Westworld, particularly season one with all of its multilayered deeper meaning, I invite you to watch and read along with me as I review season 3 episode by episode. Every day following the airing of a new episode I plan to write a new article with my first impressions and then over the course of the season I will be slowly going back through all previous episodes at a far deeper level just as I did in with my first and second article on Westworld here. I will do my best to break down for you the deeper esoteric meaning I believe the writers are trying to convey as well as some hidden gems about the actual writers, music selection and more. I also invite you to comment and offer your theories and predictions.
The Question Your Not Supposed to Ask
Oh, and if you want to know the question you’re supposed to ask, I have a theory on that which I’ll share with you now. Warning though, if you are a fan of trying to figure everything out on your own, you might want to stop now and form your own opinions first.
What I believe the entire series of Westworld is about is discovering the answer to that question we are not supposed to ask. That question is, “What am I?” We are not supposed to ask this question because we are not supposed to know the answer. I also have a few theories about what the answer is too both from my personal experiences and what I believe the writers are trying to hint at. In a nutshell the answer is that we are not really what we think we are. All of us are just a form of universal consciousness that has become trapped with an illusion of self or, as The Matrix puts it, “a prison for your mind”. Our own bodies therefore ARE our own trap (which I believe is depicted in the series by the image of a human trapped within a maze as depicted in season one, episode one below.
All throughout season one and two of Westworld the writers flirt with showing us how the robots of Westworld (known as hosts) are starting to become spiritually awakened to this truth. They are becoming aware that the lives they are living are not “real” but merely scripts written for another’s entertainment. And, when these individuals learn about their true nature they ultimately rebel. Season 3 is about that rebellion. And I, for one, cannot wait to see what the writers envision.
More Samurai!
Ha! Very cute. The introduction of the Samurai story line in Season 2 was a welcome addition for some and a horrible distraction for others. I would say I lie somewhere in between. I believe the Samarai story line was added primarily because it looked good on camera and the producers thought it would be really cool. I have some fear Season 3 is going to do a similar thing in adding lots of cool things that look great on camera but leave the story short. On the other hand, I do think the narrative of the Samurai did provide some support for the main story arc, namely that the same old stories are simply recycled over and over again. We got to see how entirely different eras or societies just repeat the same stories as another an for that it was useful.
I totally agree with this opinion. I know many folks viewed this as “pandering” by bringing in the Japanese story line due to its stylized nature, but, I truly enjoyed the samurai points. Such as the reference to “even a snake can be a dragon” referencing the two female copies as well as the writer having to admit that he simply copied and pasted stories since there was no way for him to come up with new material for every world. Hence, there is this constant cyclical nature that no matter how things change, they all stay the same! In their world it was the Sho Gun who was going mad, as opposed to the Rebel Colonel in West World. I just thought it was fun to watch Maeve also come into herself during that arc as well.