The conflict between television's ability to produce narrative and its ability to produce art, or if it can even be considered art itself, is one that we have been discussing a lot recently in our conversations about Westworld. Like Leo pointed out, the narrative storylines seem to go off in many different directions, and he wonders if the connection between them will ever be made. In addition to that discussion, Dr. Weiss shared his entry "TV as Art". In it, Dr. Weiss summarizes Kellner's arguments going back to the Frankfurt School, stating that television's production for the purpose of providing more popular entertainment may put limitations on our ability to view television as art.
I would like to this discussion about TV and art by discussing The Man in Black and his quest for the deeper meaning of it all. The Man in Black is a complex character; in terms of narrative, at least for the first half of season one, the writers leave The Man in Black as a mysterious character whom we have yet to figure out. In these first episodes he is just a pawn in the narrative realm of Westworld serving as the key focus on one of the many simultaneous storylines. He is used to represent power, violence, manipulation, but yet we as viewers have yet to determine just who he is and why he continues to play this strange reoccurring, but not very informative role within the story of Westworld.
Yet, that all changes in episode 8, when we find out that The Man in Black came to Westworld for a very specific reason; after his wife's suicide, he wanted to find if he could be the monster that other people (his wife and daughter) apparently thought he could be. This is an event that first becomes isolated from the rest of Westworld's narrative; The Man in Black is no longer acting for the purpose of finding the maze, but rather it is a first time we see a narrative deviation for his character. He deviates from his usual role in the storyline, and this deviation is one that directly calls attention to this narrative or art conflict that seems to be ruling our discussions recently.
In ""Westworld," Episode 8, Maeve, the Man in Black, and Backstories Galore," author Susannah Kemple makes connections to this debate as well. She writes "the world-building of the engineers behind Westword mimics the TV magic of the show runners behind "Westword": the process of creating story is the story. The eighth episode deployed flashbacks and monologues even more frequently than usual, as hosts and guests alike give in to a hunger to relive their pasts." Her statement "the process of creating story is the story", suggests, at least to me, that there may still be the potential for TV to create art. The narrative stories the writers of Westworld are telling may not be just stories, but rather one that make serious statements about culture and society in a way that has the potential to be viewed as artistic.
Even in the chaotic, dark, violent world of The Man in Black, he attempts to find the meaning of it all in a context that seems both so twisted yet so intriguing and almost (emphasis on almost) inspiring. I do not think there will come a time that I ever see The Man in Black as a good person, but I do find his dedication and determination to find meaning and purpose interesting, and it is part of the show in a way makes it seem as though the writers of Westworld have some sort of artistic ability in that respect.
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