Ep 1. The Original

In Westworld season 1 episode 1, titled "The Original," viewers are introduced to the world of Westworld – a high-tech amusement park where guests can live out their wildest fantasies without any real-world consequences. The episode opens with a quote from Shakespeare's The Tempest: "These our actors, as I foretold you, were all spirits and are melted into air, into thin air: And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, the cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces, the solemn temples, the great globe itself, Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve and, like this insubstantial pageant faded, Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff as dreams are made on; and our little life is rounded with a sleep."

We are introduced to the central focus of the show – the robots, or "hosts" as the staff calls them. They are incredibly lifelike and have been designed to cater to every guest's whim. They are reset each day to begin their programmed storylines anew, with no memory of previous encounters with guests. The hosts are divided into different "loops," each with their own storylines and objectives.

The episode centers around a character named Dolores Abernathy, played by Evan Rachel Wood. Dolores is a host who works on a farm with her parents. She is established as an innocent and kind character, who is happy to help others whenever possible. Her father Peter Abernathy, played by Louis Herthum, discovers a picture that has been left behind by a guest, which causes him to experience a glitch in his programming.

We also meet one of the main human characters, a newcomer to Westworld named William, played by Jimmi Simpson. William is hesitant to fully immerse himself in the experience and expresses his doubts to his more confident friend Logan, played by Ben Barnes.

The episode takes a darker turn as one of the park's creators, Dr. Robert Ford, played by Anthony Hopkins, introduces a new storyline for the hosts that he promises will be more exciting and intense for the guests. Meanwhile, a group of rogue hosts begin to display unusual behavior and question their existence.

"The Original" sets up the central conflicts and themes that will carry throughout the rest of the season. The episode establishes the nature of the hosts and their limitations, introduces the main human and host characters, and hints at the darker aspects of the park's creators and their hidden agendas. Overall, it sets the stage for what promises to be a thrilling and thought-provoking season.