PODCAST + Discussion: Westworld, Virtual Fandom, and Comfort TV with Alex Bair
- heidi ippolito
- Mar 21, 2020
- 5 min read
Podcast episode three is here! Let's chat about what we're watching and how things are starting to change amidst these strange times...
Stills from the Westworld season three opening title sequence (HBO).
Why Do We Watch What We Watch?
Watching TV and movies can bring us ritual, comfort, catharsis, escape, and entertainment. This is nothing new, but now, these watching practices seem heightened, magnified by our collective actions of staying indoors and creating new routines.
I am curious to see how watching and fandom evolves in this time of Corona and #SocialDistancing. But there is an important distinction to be made here: socializing has not become distant, it has merely morphed into virtual spaces and tele-communal activities. Our bodies are separated, but these devices reconnect us emotionally, mentally, and physically. Virtual connections have material affects on our bodies.
My family, like countless others, found new ways to interact this week. For my parent's anniversary, we each ordered takeout from our favorite local restaurant and settled in to simultaneously watch Pitch Perfect via a group Zoom video call. Clicking glasses through our screens and giggling as we struggled to sync up our streaming services, we finally managed to watch and sing along to a favorite family flick.
My family gathers around the virtual hearth as I document our evening on Instagram
Virtual Fandom
Last Sunday I chatted about Westworld (2016-present) with Alex Bair, local Denver writer and fellow watcher. Alex and I connected after I posted about Westworld on my Instagram story (virtual connections are essential in this time of increased social distancing). We recorded just before the premiere of season three, and we were eager to see where the showrunners (Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan) would take us in this new chapter. For Alex, season one felt communal and inviting, but subsequent seasons of any show involves more of an investment, and fans tend to claim a bit more ownership and have higher expectations. Case and point: the universal rejection of the finale of Game of Thrones. Luckily, there are those who are more hopeful that Westworld has a"much deeper potential to say and do interesting things"in comparison.
Shows like Westworld and Game of Thrones "bring people together," especially in the midst of physical distancing and separation. Often unable to discuss the latest episode with people around her, Alex turns to online recaps and reddit threads, where she can find a treasure trove of deep "debriefs." Some fandom that emerges out of popular on-screen stories could be compared to cults and other religious followers. This becomes particularly true as fans are able to congregate and discuss across virtual spaces. If the TV (or movie theater) is your altar, then your laptop may be your pew. TV fans have been seeking online connections in virtual spaces since the dawn of Web 1.0, but as Web 2.0 mutates into a necessity rather than a luxury (now that we are physically limited to our home spaces), online fandom may continue to become the norm rather than the obscurely nerdish.
Still from the Westworld season one opening title sequence (HBO).
Not only will fandom continue to take up space online, but our watching rituals may also transition deeper into virtual spaces as well. HBO's legacy structure of releasing episodes each Sunday allows us to look forward to watching every week. In the age of normalized binge-watching, these rituals keep us sane. In the era of COVID-19 and social distancing (no church, no concerts, no live sports), these rituals become essential. Viewers who once gathered in living rooms now find themselves gathered via social media; physically distant but socially close.
These new rituals are often determined and punctuated by new technologies and online platforms. In the weeks leading up to the new season, Westworld leaned into their A.I. and algorithmic themes in their promos on social media. Replying to one of their promotional tweets promised to, in turn, "analyze your tweets" using the fictional company Incite (a featured plot point in season three). As a viewer and an online user, this tactic felt as cheeky as it did disturbing.
Source: Tweet by Westworld (@WestworldHBO), Mar 13, 2020
You're Either a Contagion-Watcher or a Contagion-Avoider
What kind of on-screen stories do people find comfort in? During our podcast conversation I suggested that there are two types of watchers: those who find comfort in watching the 2011 film Contagion (which has seen a sudden resurgence since the spread of COVID-19) and those who avoid watching at all costs. There is, of course, room for those who don't care much either way, but most of us fall somewhere on this spectrum. Movies and TV shows that feel particularly relevant are able to take our pulse and report back symptoms that infect our current culture. Just as Contagion feels like a antidote (or inflammation) to our pandemic crisis, Westworld aims to reflect on our ubiquitous consumption of technology and trust in tech companies.
Plenty of us are here for the TV robot takeovers and pandemic movie experiences, but Alex also makes a good point that "watch[ing] fluffier stuff" is just as vital in times like this. Sometimes it "feels good to have to have a reason to cry" or to laugh or to think about anything other than the doom-filled reality that threatens to overwhelm us.
Still from the Westworld season three opening title sequence (HBO).
Alas, Westworld does not bring much fluff. Even though "season two was challenging for a lot of people," HBO is a platform that Alex, like many others "trusts." The show is fraught with faulty narrators, elusive twists, pointed easter eggs, and violently harsh villains and heroes, but this is what we have come to expect from the on-screen storytellers at HBO. Some may find this off-putting, but others (Alex and myself included) find comfort in shows that mirror the current political climate, pandemic panic, economic downturn, and corona confusion. With so much content available on our screens, we will all find ways to comfort ourselves, whether it be through dark catharsis or light-hearted escape.
Big Shows Asking Big Questions
As Alex and I ended our conversation, we noted how Westworld approaches big questions like data mining, artificial intelligence, and what it means to be human. In comparison, a film like the recent Jumanji (2017) reboot takes an entirely different approach to human consciousness and body humor, proving that different genres can provide different lenses to these questions. And, more importantly, that prestige dramas do not inherently contain the most important answers (here's looking at you, Scorsese). Many of us have had cathartic experiences with on-screen stories like Contagion and Westworld, but there is room for deep discussion and revelation in comedy, action, romcoms, and yes...even reality TV.
These are strange times, and it looks like we will continue to indulge in and connect over on-screen stories as the next several weeks (months?) of home-bound isolation continues. If we are going to keep watching, we might as well keep talking about how the watching makes us feel. So fire up your video calls and let's keep watching, together!
Still from the Westworld season three opening title sequence (HBO).
References:
Barsani, Sam. “Westworld Isn’t the next Game Of Thrones, but It Could Be the Anti-Game Of Thrones.” AV Club, March 16, 2020. https://tv.avclub.com/westworld-isn-t-the-next-game-of-thrones-but-it-could-1842100048.
Scorsese, Martin. “Martin Scorsese: I Said Marvel Movies Aren’t Cinema. Let Me Explain.” The New York Times, November 4, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/opinion/martin-scorsese-marvel.html.
Morris, Wesley. “For Me, Rewatching ‘Contagion’ Was Fun, Until It Wasn’t.” The New York Times, March 10, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/movies/contagion-movie-coronavirus.html.
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