Westworld? More Like BESTworld!

Yep. Still need to work on my title game. Note taken.

But I stand by the sentiment. Just five episodes into its inaugural season, and Westworld has already skyrocketed up my list of favorite TV shows. I mean, only time will tell how high it goes up the list. If season one ends with a kid shaking a tiny western-themed snow globe, my affection will fade.

But if the show continues to be as enthralling as it has been so far, it may be surpassing some much beloved programs in the not too distant future. What makes the show so great? It’s easy.

S-C-I-E-N-C-E.

S - Setting

There's something amazing about the grit, grime, and gruffness of the American West. Before you even think about plot, you just know you're going to get booze, debauchery, cussing, shoot-outs, and horse-chases. Westworld gives you all of that (and then some #Pariahtown), coupled with the beauty of the untouched frontier. There's stunning vistas, beautiful plateaus, and truly gorgeous gorges. And the fact that you even notice them as people are mangled, tortured, and murdered: that's saying something.

C - Chaos

Speaking of torture and murder - this show is off the rails. In just five episodes we've seen scalping, self-inflicted stab wounds, a man bash his own head in, a sip of milk drain out through multiple bullet holes, and another man's head explode via cigar. And that's just the really noteworthy stuff. Exit wounds are like mosquito bites in this world. But - and this is going to be hard to say after the previous lines - nothing seems over the top. The violence of this world - as per mechanism of the plot - all seems purposeful and sensible. Everything that happens here gives us a glimpse into the park, it's inhabitants, and the guests who come to visit. Or looks cool enough for me to not care. One or the other.

I - Intrigue

I think this is honestly why I love this show so much. We're halfway into the first season, and I have no idea what is happening. And - well, for the most part - not in a bad way. Nothing in the show is really "confusing." It's more so just wonderfully mysterious. What's happening to Dolores? What's happening to Maeve? What is the Maze? Who's siphoning info out of the park? What's up with Dr. Ford? Or Stubbs? Or anyone, ever, in the entire show? There's 300 plot points, all interacting and evolving over two very distinct worlds, and the possible outcomes and interactions seem limitless. That's the best kind of TV. Where you can watch, and dissect, and immerse yourself in a world; only to be completely wrong and wildly off-base. Like season one of King Of Queens. Who knew Leah Remini's character wasn't held against her will and forced to love Kevin James' character. Shocking twist!

E - Expendability

I think the problem with most TV is that right from the get go the viewer - whether implicitly or internally - defines a premise's end game. Jim needs to date Pam, Jack Bauer needs to thwart the terrorist, the "Golden Girls" need to not die. Good shows make the journey to that point fun, exciting, or intriguing. Great shows never really let you get a lock on what the end game is. Think Game of Thrones for a second. There's lots of reason to love that show, but the biggest is that no character is ever safe. Important people die all the time, and as an audience, you're left trying to figure out what comes next. This aura of expendability - where character's fates aren't knowable in advance - is exciting. And Westworld takes that concept and ratchets it up to eleven. The inhabitants of Westworld - I'm hesitant to call them robots - can, and do, die all the time. But they can come back. And they can come back as new people. Or "different" people. You never know who is still in the game, or out. And you never know - for sure at least - who is and isn't a "robot." It makes it very tough to lose interest.

N - Nudity

I know what you're thinking. And you're right. Boobs, boobs, boobs. Sometimes too many to handle (again #Pariahtown). But - lest that not interest you - there's also a surprising amount of other genitals as well. We've seen an extended shot of an inconsequential character spilling a drink while hanging dong. If that's not in your formula for great TV, I don't know what is.

C - Casting

This cast is beyond amazing. I could waste your time and talk about Marsden, or Jimmi Simpson, or Thandi Newton. They'd all be deserving of adulation. But lets just be honest here: Ed Harris is putting on a freaking clinic as the Man in Black. I mean the guy has been in like 60 movies - and been great in all of them - but this may be his defining role. Rugged, ruthless, methodical, driven, and dapper AF. We're approaching "Omar-esque" levels of character love, and we haven't even begun to explore his back story. Which I guarantee will be amazing. Harris is so good in this role, he makes you forget about Anthony Hopkins perfected performance as a nuanced inventor struggling to regain control over his creations. Who makes Anthony Hopkins a freaking footnote?!

E - Evan Rachel Wood

Still - as good as Ed Harris has been - I feel special praise must be heaped upon Evan Rachel Wood. As Dolores, the show's centerpiece, she's been truly fascinating to watch. Mainly because as at any one given time Dolores is going through about 45 layers of character evolution and growth. In five episodes she's gone from "peaceful unaware robot who wouldn't hurt a fly" to "bad-ass gunslinger desperately longing for answers at all costs." She has visions, and dreams, and hears voices, and has a secret mission from said voice, and is experiencing the world for the first time. And Wood nails all of that. You believe every second of it, even when a single scene has her unfold up to three unique layers of personality. And if it's tough to follow any of that - which it is - imagine acting it. Preach on sista, you're doing the Lord's work.