Covid, sex, death ... and TV: why Westworld, Dark and co matter

Covid, sex, death ... How television uses plot lines to turn you into a fanatic.

The Sightgeist, by Glen Le Lievre

The lunch discussion was going well: mask etiquette, lemon curd tips and the end of the world as we know it.

And then someone had to raise the series, Dark. Why did Mikkel have to kill himself? Is it about the time zones or different worlds? Is Adam really Jonas with an acne breakout?

As the backyard conversation disappeared down the wormhole of explanations and theories, I thought I’d put them out of their misery by searching for the answers online. And, indeed, there was an answer online but it wasn’t the answer to their questions.

“Dark”, wrote one critic, “isn’t a show you watch, it’s a show you solve.” And another, “the thing about Dark is you are not ever really going to understand it”. And again, “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a series as mentally exhausting as Dark”. Finally, “the series is a nine-hour puzzle and some parts are still missing”.

If Dark is a series designed to be incomprehensible, it’s not alone. Not too long ago, another lunch was interrupted by suppositions about Westworld, which starts off in a theme park and ends up in Fascist Italy, via replicas, and the deaths of lots of characters no one can remember. Here’s how the online news boards discuss Westworld. “Season 3 feels like a long con”. “Westworld is too smart for viewers”. And, “you end up with a show about a maze in which it’s not just the characters but the viewers that feel trapped”.

Other series follow the same script – one with pages missing. Take the Emmy-nominated series, Watchmen, “more manipulative than meaningful”. And there’s The Expanse, “in space no one can hear you snore”. And then there’s Devs, “get ready for Devs to break your mind”.

These series are all popular, mostly acclaimed, well resourced (Westworld cost $7 million an episode to produce) and supported by the giants of streaming services. There’s no excuse for the befuddlement, so we have to assume that it’s deliberate. They’re making shows they know no one will comprehend. But why?

As we’re becoming experts in figuring out mysterious plot lines, let’s do some sleuthing. Firstly, streaming services are fighting for customers. Apple and Disney have joined an already crowded streaming service space, dominated by Netflix, Foxtel Now, Stan and Amazon, plus the on-demand services like SBS.

The services are also battling against the multi-screen phenomena, where viewers switch on the TV set and then sit on the couch with their fingers on small screens, social media on another screen and, possibly, a friend chatting on a Zoom connection. Promiscuous screen behaviour is killing the narrative – and the mood – of big screen serials. So, the services need customers. They need viewers to pay attention. And, as with everything online, they need engagement. They want people to click on; to like or share; to comment and then comment on other comments and, even better, carry the conversation into lunches, however boring that might be to those who would prefer to stir a lemon curd than binge an incomprehensible TV series.

They want to turn viewers into fans. No, not just fans, but fanatics. They’ll hook them on the first series, tease them with the second series and kill them with the third because how can you watch nine hours of a story and end up ignorant about what just happened? There’s a joke there and I’m not sure what it is but I know who the joke is on. So, take a leaf from Westworld – erase your memory, turn into a replica of yourself and tune into the latest tips from lemon curd fanatics.

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