Westword: Evidence supporting the Irradiated Earth theory
Below are some clues that might indicate that Westworld is on the surface of earth after some sort of nuclear event, where most life is underground because of radiation. Feel free to challenge, or post other possible clues.
- 28 day limit, after which guests must "decompress," is not due to story loop continuity, but radiation exposure maximums.
- Added benefit of paying $40K a day: you get to visit the surface of the earth; and why folks seem OK just camping out or on long horse rides for hours at that $40k/day rate.
- Explains why families also visit a place where the seeming draw is drinking, sex, and killing.
- Also could explain the extreme look of wonder guests like William have upon seeing the landscape (ie. earth's surface) the first time.
- Plenty of underground trains, but no airplanes or airports
- The old Delos plaza (ie. cold storage) is about 83 levels underground.
- Explains why there are NO other living things in Westworld (except flies): they all died. It is way too expensive to: kill off all wildlife prior to opening park; keep life out (from surrounding areas); and not leave some harmless ones convenient alive for realistic backdrop or to eat (like rabbits, birds, possibly cattle, etc).
- Explains how it was hard for Bernard's wife to get a signal to Skype him.
- Explains why the "Others" who attacked Teddy were completely covered: they are humans (hence his bullets didn't work on them) who are hiding out over 28 days and are physically scarred and deformed from the radiation, and needing to cover themselves for radiation protection.
- Explains the radiation suits some of the clean up crew wears.
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Comments
Surface: Perhaps you get to enjoy the only remaining true "outdoors". The rest of the planet is complete cityscape (ecumenopolis). Like New York vs. Central Park.
Activities: I assert that certain narratives play out depending on the nature of the Guests arriving. So far, we have seen guests arriving Sweetwater who really want to play out high-adrenaline scenarios - generally with morally questionable social attitudes. The family (they who come across Dolores painting along the river) may have arrived Sweetwater during a loop of relatively wholesome family narratives - Maeve being the proprietress of a 39-flavor cotton candy saloon. (Ep4 seems to show that narratives can be "orchestrated" or "conducted".)
Underground: I reserve judgement until we see an episode showing outside the park. I expect this to happen no sooner than the series finale - the big reveal. However, I see no reason to assert there to be only one embarkation plaza.
Embarkation Plaza: The elevator panel seen in Ep1 shows "Shaft B" descending to floor 83 or whatever. There are also indicators for Shaft A and Shaft C. (Which makes me ask: can the elevator go sideways, like a Star Trek turboshaft car?) The subway William and Logan rode in on -- time long enough to take a nap.
Living Things: Flies would die too if there were no living things for a fly to eat. Cockroaches, on the other hand.... I maintain that, while flies are not hosts, they are not "alive" either. They have a purpose other than to pester.
My thoughts:
I think Earth finally went past the point of no recovery for runaway global warming. We need to leave the planet.
This was the impetus to build the park: to find the population who has the psychology to populate a Generation Ship (with AI to manage and maintain the ship) without having devolving to baser human instinct (caste systems, civil war, etc).