That might actually be why I wasn't completely blown away by the first season (I've thoroughly enjoyed the two newest episodes, btw). I couldn't put my finger on it, but for some reason, every time a twist or new component was revealed, my reaction was sort of just "....eh ok, got it". Almost like it was trying too hard to trick you or to be vague so that they could have someone explain it to you in a long speech as some big reveal. Maybe that was necessary though because I feel like now that they've established all of the "rules" and shed some light on the direction that all of the characters are heading, season two is much more enjoyable to watch for me.
Ya I'm down with how deliberately paced this is. I love this world, the performances, the atmosphere, and being able to ruminate on the show's ideas without having to worry about keeping up with the plot.
Ya I would probably say Thandie Newton too. I think all the lead performances have been great, though.
evan is pretty awful, imo. james too. i liked jimmi season 1 when there was “mystery” to the character, but now it kinda seems like he’s trying to do ed harris karaoke. jeffrey wright is an incredible actor but the writing doesn’t let him cook at all.
I love Wood in this, especially in the flashbacks/non-sentient scenes. I don't enjoy Jimmi Simpson as much this season either, but I think it's also partly because his character isn't as interesting.
Ed Harris is undoubtedly great, but I feel like I’ve seen him play this character a dozen times before. Even though he hasn’t, his acting style just seems to work with any role he is asked to play.
Haha I mean it's true because all he's doing is playing ed harris... But ed Harris is perfect for this role
Got a six month deal on HBO through Hulu, used this week to catch up on Westworld, see what the fuss was all about. I didn't know much about the series going in, but I wasn't initially interested in the whole sci-fi western thing. Now, it makes me think of what Dollhouse could've been like if it had been allowed to go on. A lot of it feels like twists for twists' sake, though, just for the initial superficial shock value of it, undeniably jaw-dropping in the moment, but of lesser value in retrospect. I somewhat agree that a lot of the time it feels excessively slow and so heavy with exposition, but even with extended episodes, I'm never quite as bored as I am when I'm watching The Walking Dead or the first three seasons of Mad Men. But I'm never as engaged for an entirety of an episode as I am when I'm watching an FX show like Fargo, Legion, Atlanta, or one of the better American Horror Story seasons. Game of Thrones has been my only other HBO show, so I don't know if this holds any weight at the moment, but I feel like FX is just generally more on my wavelength. With GoT and now Westworld, there's some parts I like a lot and some parts that are just kind of eh. William--past and present--is consistently the least interesting character this show follows. I had minimal interest in the Ford/Bernard/Theresa power struggle until the Bernard reveal. Now that the initial draw of the series' concept has worn off--it's basically an android rebellion at this point, right? I mean, we've seen this before--Jeffrey Wright, Thandie Newton, and Evan Rachel Wood--their characters and performances--are what keep me. I find it interesting that I've grown to find the storylines of these three hosts more poignant and compelling than any of the humans. Like, I'm not too interested in the big picture, but I'm fascinated in where their stories go, who they end up becoming. tl;dr a bit of a mixed bag, a little overhyped in some ways, but in some ways I'm also hooked and excited for how this will play out.
Based on your examples, I think you would love the first season of True Detective. I also recommend The Sopranos as just a general HBO viewer rule, also because it's my favorite show of all time.