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I for one could use a brief distraction from *gestures to everything* so it's #Westworld 
episode deep dive time!! Spoilers ahead for season three, episode five: "Genre."
episode deep dive time!! Spoilers ahead for season three, episode five: "Genre."
As always, you'll find my full write up of the episode here: https://www.insider.com/westworld-season-3-episode-5-details-analysis-explained-2020-4
The episode starts by establishing a voiceover from Engerraund Serac as he narratives some of his most "formative" memories.
This means once again seeing the shot of the "thermonuclear" event in Paris, and the curious parallel to this shot of Bernard from S3E1
This means once again seeing the shot of the "thermonuclear" event in Paris, and the curious parallel to this shot of Bernard from S3E1
Bernard's cornerstone was the loss of his son Charlie, and Arnold was a major misanthrope.
Perhaps the theme grief and loss of faith in human nature is the key parallel between Serac and season three's Bernarnold hybrid. I'm still pondering this link. But it's food for thought.
Perhaps the theme grief and loss of faith in human nature is the key parallel between Serac and season three's Bernarnold hybrid. I'm still pondering this link. But it's food for thought.
Then the Serac-host-link gets doubled up with this shot from his childhood:
When Serac's hands are shown grazing the tall stalks of grass, it seemed like a clear callback to Maeve's memories of the homestead and her daughter.
In the next Serac memory, all the various names given to the AI system are mentioned: Saul, David, and Solomon.
The version in the current 2058 timeline is called Rehoboam.
The version in the current 2058 timeline is called Rehoboam.
All of these are names of biblical kings of Israel. I previously believed the names were chosen as a way to draw parallels between this season of "Westworld" and historical accounts.
But that was wrong.
But that was wrong.
Jonathan Nolan told me it's a tribute to a 1969 sci-fi book by John Brunner called "Stand on Zanzibar." https://www.insider.com/westworld-rehoboam-name-meaning-stand-on-zanzibar-jonathan-nolan-interview-2020-4
*1968 (it won the Huge for best novel in 1969)
"In that book there is an AI owned by the General Technics corporation called Shalmaneser. Shalmaneser is literally in the lobby of the General Technics incorporation — an idea that I love. And that's the reason why Rehoboam is in the lobby of Incite."
In our real history, Shalmaneser V was a King of Assyria and Babylon in the eighth century who subjugated Israel.
So Nolan was making a reference to "Stand on Zanzibar" by going with other historical, kingly nomenclature. And sticking the whole machine in the lobby of Incite.
So Nolan was making a reference to "Stand on Zanzibar" by going with other historical, kingly nomenclature. And sticking the whole machine in the lobby of Incite.
Nolan talked at length about this homage in our interview here: https://www.insider.com/westworld-rehoboam-name-meaning-stand-on-zanzibar-jonathan-nolan-interview-2020-4
Rehoboam, and the way no one but Serac actually understands what its doing, is its own reference back to Michael Crichton's 1973 "Westworld" movie.
Moving on! Serac's associate might have given us a hint about where the other Dolores copy is located.
"They found a connect between encrypted devices in Jakarta, Berlin, San Francisco, and Los Angeles."
"They found a connect between encrypted devices in Jakarta, Berlin, San Francisco, and Los Angeles."
Connells copy + Dolores herself = LA
Chalores = San Francisco
Musashi copy = Jakarta (at least I'm assuming so, since they were last in Singapore)
So Berlin = ?????
Chalores = San Francisco
Musashi copy = Jakarta (at least I'm assuming so, since they were last in Singapore)
So Berlin = ?????
okay, genre time! In addition to my details post, I also published an in-depth interview with Jonathan Nolan all about the idea behind the Genre drug. https://www.insider.com/westworld-movie-homages-genre-explained-jonathan-nolan-interview-2020-4
The idea was partly inspired by "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate" factory and the meal-in-gum candy Violet eats that changes flavors over time.
"So here, as Marshawn [Lynch's character] points out, you gotta be careful with that last act," Nolan said. "There's the idea that this experience would have a distinct progression. And that somewhere in there is a [M. Night] Shyamalan movie waiting."
@jowrotethis did a very thorough analysis/theory rundown of how all the various movie references might add up to a bigger picture when it comes to Caleb. Read this one, my dudes: https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/04/westworld-genre-music-movie-score-caleb-flashback-who-is-caleb
The Genre drug starts with film noir. For this scene, Nolan asked #Westworld composer @Djawadi_Ramin to pay "homage to the great scores of film noir."
"With Ramin's music the note was, 'Give me something that is the love child of 'Out of the Past' and 'Vertigo,'" Nolan said.
composer @Djawadi_Ramin to pay "homage to the great scores of film noir.""With Ramin's music the note was, 'Give me something that is the love child of 'Out of the Past' and 'Vertigo,'" Nolan said.
Next Caleb enters the action genre with an ode to "Apocalypse Now" as Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" starts playing.
"It's kind of an amazing thing when you can use a piece of music in a movie so effectively that it almost annihilates anyone else's ability to do that," Nolan said, referring to both "Valkyries" in "Apocalypse Now" and "The Beautiful Blue Danube" used in "2001: A Space Odyssey"
The next two genres, romance and drama, pay tribute to the 1970 movie ''Love Story" and 1996's "Trainspotting" with the music selections: https://www.insider.com/westworld-movie-homages-genre-explained-jonathan-nolan-interview-2020-4
Whoops. Broke my own thread. It continues here: https://twitter.com/kimrrenfro/status/1249844584378556417
