Living Without Limits

      HBO and Westworld have both committed themselves to the theme of living without limits both on screen and off. As a network and a TV show, the two draw of this theme to attract a specific and loyal audience, in which members of the audience themselves can relate to the guests and their motivations for entering the park.
      This theme  of living without limits is explicitly stated in Episode 6, The Adversary, when Maeve has taken her tour of the many levels and creative realms of Westworld's facilities and she spots the commercial inviting participants into the theme park. It's context within the show is obvious, and it is clearly expressed beginning with the first episode. Westworld revolves around the idea of hosts escaping their "real" and chaotic lives at home to engage in a world where limited rules exist, where they are free to be whoever they choose, and where they can create their own 'path'.
      But what most people do not notice is the network's commitment to that theme outside of Westworld.  Some viewers of the show are just as excited by the idea of living in the type of society that Westworld provides, at least in some sense. The idea of a life without limits, where people are free to choose their own path and fate without any additional boundaries or limitations, is one that viewers are attracted to. The creation of discoverwestworld.com, a product of HBO, furthers the shows theme by attracting viewers and fans who are enthralled by this idea of living without limits.
     The website is designed to give fans and viewers of the show to see for themselves what Westworld would be like if it existed in this society. There is a virtual 'application' where viewers answer 20 questions ranging from physical health to lifestyle and values. The form itself asks questions like "True or False: there is one true love for everyone," and "True or False: society must have clear structure or it descends into chaos," to which it offers an alternate answer choice "a little chaos never hurt anybody."
     At the completion of the "application", participants are assigned a character whom they would resonate with the most, and a ten day itinerary describing what their trips to Westworld would involve if they could actually experience it themselves. Complete with videos, plot explanations, and a brief narrative line, the website gives audience members the opportunity to really dive into this "limitless" world. The theme of living without limits is what draws viewers back to Westworld episode after episode, and it is one that HBO plays on both on screen and off, creating a stronger, committed audience.