Westworld: The exclusive content from the season 1 DVD extras

Do you own the Westworld season 1 DVD? If not, you’re missing out on some exclusive content that you’ll want to get your hands on.

Westworld season 1 feels like so long ago, right? Yet it feels like just yesterday we met the handsome Teddy and beautiful, innocent Dolores. And were introduced to the town of Sweetwater and the immersive experience known as Westworld.

Since it is Throwback Thursday, we wanted to revisit the first season, more specifically, the exclusive content within the season 1 DVD. The world was caught by surprise when we came to comprehend what Westworld was about. And in a similar sentiment, HBO inserted some surprises within the DVD as well.

Not only can you rewatch the ten episodes that make up the first season, but you can listen to commentary from the cast and creative team including the Nolans, J.J. Abrams, and Evan Rachel Wood. So without further ado, let’s talk about 3 things we can learn from the extras–taken from the official HBO website.

The metaphorical opening sequence

Westworld music composer Ramin Djawadi (who also composes for Game of Thrones) states “It starts with the violin and then the piano answers.” Showrunners Jonathan and Lisa Joy Nolan are in agreement when it comes to instrument. Nolan says, “Almost like a creator teaching their creation to mimic their behavior, at a certain point, the music takes over.”

Isn’t the Westworld music unbeliveably amazing? Kudos to Djawadi for creating a phenomenal soundtrack to go along with a fascinating series.

Player pianos are the O.G. robots

According to HBO’s official website, player pianos existed long before robots came to be, circa the late 19th century. Their design allowed them to play on their own via music sheets that look very much like binary code.

There is a DVD extra titled “Key to the Chords” where Djawadi discusses his process to creating the Westworld music. His method and insight into how music works in the context of Westworld is incredibly fascinating.

"“Taking a song that has a full band arrangement and putting it on basic piano — it really strips it down to its core elements and you can make it fit into [Westworld’s] time period.”"

Nolan refers to the connection between the hosts and the player piano (and this is part of many theories). He calls the piano “their great, great granddaddy.” Eliminating everything we know from season 2, it’s intriguing to think about “host DNA” and how the piano sheet music could essentially be their code.

The park of Westworld had to be just as epic as the technology that ran it

“Realizing the Dream: First Week on the Set of Westworld” is another one of the extras in the season 1 DVD. Within it, fans can learn more about the different locations they filmed the series in, and what went into the costumes and production design.

If Westworld was a real park, you’d better believe the technology within it would have to be just as cool as the actual hosts in it. According to Lisa Joy Nolan, guests aren’t just coming to play around with the hosts, but they want to see and be a part of the world they’re visiting.

"“The guests wouldn’t just come to see these hosts. They’re also coming for the world itself, so it would have to be similarly as impressive, perfect and unique.”"

Do you own the season 1 DVD? Tell us in the comments below or on our Twitter, @BeyondWestworld.