By Christopher Gates on Apr 19, 2018 11:48 pm
Legion keeps getting better and better.
In Season 1, Legion borrowed the X-Men's general backdrop--there are mutants, they have special abilities, and people generally don't like 'em--to tell a very personal story about mental illness. In Season 2, things are different. These days, Legion is going all in on its comic book heritage. By weaving together the themes, tropes, and some other, more direct connections to the comics, Legion is finally starting to feel like a real X-Men adventure. Here's why.
1. Protecting a world that hates and fears them
In Legion Season 1, our heroes were concerned with keeping the mutant haven Summerland safe and saving David Haller from the Shadow King. That's a fine goal, but it's a little self-centered. For their sophomore outing, that the team has thrown in with the government-run Division III in order to stop Amahl Farouk and save the world. In other words, David, Syd, Ptolemy, and the rest are no longer mere mutants. Like the X-Men themselves, they're now bona fide superheroes.
2. The future is doomed (probably)
Days of Future Past. Age of Apocalypse. Old Man Logan. The Aksani's Earth-4935. In the X-Men universe, you can't throw a fastball special without hitting some kind of alternate timeline or post-apocalyptic future. In Season 2, Legion is embracing the trope wholeheartedly. David spends the first few episodes hopping through time. A future version of Syd tries to help him prevent doomsday. Heck, future-Syd is even missing a limb. As per X-Men tradition, that's how you know that things get bad.
3. A couple of honest-to-goodness supervillains
In Season 1, the Shadow King was less a character and more a force of nature. He wore other people's faces and lurked in the corners of David Haller's mind. In Season 2, Amahl Farouk's in all of his glory, and it turns out that he fits right in among Magneto, Mr. Sinister, Apocalypse, and all of the X-Men's other big bads. Farouk's not the only supervillain on the scene this season, either; future-Syd warns David that someone even worse is coming. If it turns out to be David himself? Well, as they say, like father, like son.
4. Young pretty people in love (and trouble)
Many die-hard X-fans start reading for the superheroics, but it's the franchise's soap opera-style twists that keep them sticking around. Between David's missing year, his many secrets, and his devotion to two different versions of the same woman, Syd and David's relationship is getting more and more complicated, and it's not necessarily going to end well. Just ask Kitty Pryde and Colossus, Rogue and Gambit, Cyclops and Jean Grey, Cyclops and Emma Frost, Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor, Cyclops and--eh, you get the idea.
5. We are not alone
When the team's resident scientist, Cary Loudermilk, is analyzing the sphere that kidnapped David during the Season 1 finale, he name drops the Shi'ar. In terms of Legion, that doesn't mean much. In terms of the X-Men, that means everything. In the comics, the Shi'ar are an alien race who play a major role in the X-Men's adventures (Professor X and Shi'ar Majestrix Lilandra might be the X-Men's OTP), especially the classic Dark Phoenix Saga. The Shi'ar may or may not have much to do with Legion's overall plot, but just knowing that they're around brings Legion much, much deeper into the X-Men's world.
6. Professor X, up to no good once again
In "Chapter 11," the third episode of Legion's second season, the Shadow King calls out David's father, Professor X, and accuses the X-Men founder of interfering in other people's business. For Chuck Xavier, that's pretty much par for the course. Over the X-Men's 55 year history, Professor X has gotten up to all kinds of shady stuff, including crushing on his teenage student, faking his death to teach his teen charges a lesson, enslaving a sentient artificial intelligence, concocting plans to kill the X-Men, and much, much more. It's not just a Legion thing. That guy is seriously the worst.
7. Other mutants are having other adventures, we're just not seeing them
During the season's first episode, Ptonomy casually mentions something called the Lazarus Affair, which many fans are taking as a reference to a relatively obscure storyline from the early '00s. It's a throwaway line, but if the fan theories hold up--and the evidence is stronger than you'd think--it implies that X-Men characters, like Deadpool 2's Domino, are out there doing their own thing. That makes Legion kind of like walking into a comic shop and seeing all of the X-Men books on the shelves. There's no way to follow them all, so you have to follow the storylines you're interested in. Everything else still happens. You just don't know the specifics.
8. Are they people, or are they weapons?
When is it okay to treat a person like a tool of war? The X-Men comics confront that question all the time, and it looks like Legion is going to tackle that issue head on, too. Not only is Division III raising an army of super-soldier children (if you thought of X-23 and the Weapon X project when you learned that, you're not alone) but we recently learned that the Mi-Go monks were taught that Division III has a weapon that can stop the Shadow King. That weapon's name? Why, David Haller, of course. It's not clear exactly what this means for David's future, but if Mr. Haller has questions, he might want to look up a fella named Logan. He's been down this road a few times before.
9. Secondary mutations and newfound abilities
One of the fun things about following the X-Men is that their powers are constantly growing and changing--Iceman used to look like a snowman, and now he's an Omega-class mutant--and Legion's second season is taking that trend and running with it. Now, Syd can swap minds with animals. Cary and Kerry's whole body-sharing mechanic has been flipped. David can travel through freakin' time, even if he needs help from Cary's isolation chamber to do so (and lets not ignore how closely that device resembles daddy Xavier's own psychic-booster, the computer known as Cerebro, either).
10. Scenes from the X-Men comics? Yeah, we've got those
In Season 2's third episode, Legion flashes back to the Shadow King's physical death, and if it looks familiar there's a very good reason. The scene itself is lifted directly from Uncanny X-Men #117, which contains the first battle between Xavier and Amahl Farouk. While Legion's shown us a version of this conflict before, this iteration unfolds exactly like its comic book counterpart, even if the camera never actually shows Professor X.
11. David himself
Here's the thing about David Haller: In the comics, he's not a good guy. Not always, anyway. Legion might've used the Shadow King to explain away David's schizophrenia, but he's headed down a dark path just the same. He's lying to his friends. He's working with the enemy. It's not a matter of if he'll break bad, but when. After all, as Emma Frost, Mesmero, Cassandra Nova, Jean Grey, and David himself prove, in the X-Men's world, psychics are always bad news. Avoid them at all costs.
By Mat Elfring on Apr 19, 2018 10:55 pm
It's time for another big WWE PPV, but this for this one, the show will be taking place in the Middle East. It's called Greatest Royal Rumble, coming to the rest of the world live from Saudi Arabia on Friday, April 27. Because of the time zone difference, the show will air in Saudi Arabia at 5 PM BST / 7 PM AST; however, in North America, it will come to the WWE Network at 12 PM ET / 9 AM PT, with a Kickoff Show airing one hour prior. If you can't get around to watching the show live because you're at work, school, or whatever, don't worry. GameSpot will be covering Greatest Royal Rumble live, just like we do with all WWE PPVs. The Middle Eastern event revolves around one gigantic match for the evening: a 50-man Royal Rumble match. At this time, there's no prize for the winner, aside from bragging rights. There are eight matches on the card so far, but the show will surely get larger with the Cruiserweight Championship match yet to be booked. Here is who is on the card and our predictions for the event. In addition, you can find out everyone in the main event of the PPV here. Don't expect any huge surprises as Greatest Royal Rumble feels almost like a large house show with the way it's being booked and promoted.
The Miz vs. Seth Rollins (c) vs. Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe
(For the Intercontinental Championship) Seth Rollins won the IC title from Miz at Wrestlemania 34 in a triple threat match, which included Finn Balor. Then, on the Raw after Mania, Samoa Joe returned to action, by yelling at Roman Reigns. Now--somehow--Joe will join the battle for the IC championship at Greatest Royal Rumble. As much as I love Joe, he needs to be in the main event and not on the midcard holding onto this title. For that reason, I'm giving the win to Rollins. Our prediction: Seth Rollins wins
Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Jinder Mahal
(For the United States Championship) Monday's Superstar Shakeup featured the Raw debut of United States Champion Jinder Mahal, who quickly lost his newly acquired championship to Jeff Hardy. Considering that Matt Hardy is off doing his own thing, this is a good time for Jeff go on his own run, and for that run to matter, he needs to retain the title. So I'm giving the win to Jeff. Jinder will be hindered once again. Our prediction: Jeff Hardy wins
The Bar vs. Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt
(For the Raw Tag Team Championship) Raw's tag team division has been a bit of a mess the past six months.Think about it. The best moment from the division is when Braun Strowman and an 11-year-old won the titles at Wrestlemania. The Greatest Royal Rumble match should shakeup the division, and the only way for that to happen is if Wyatt and Hardy win. The titles need new blood, even if the tag team is a bit weird. And frankly, although Wyatt and Hardy are a new team, they'll be able to grow together as champions. Our prediction: Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt win
The Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs. The Usos
(For the Smackdown Tag Team Championship) The Usos are getting their rematch for the Smackdown Tag Team championships against the duo that beat them at Wrestlemania, the Bludgeon Brothers. It'll be a combination of pure, brute force versus two of the most talented and exciting men on Smackdown. However, I don't expect Harper and Rowen to lose their new titles at this show, as their championship run just started, so I'm giving them the win. Our prediction: Bludgeon Brothers win
Undertaker vs. Rusev (Casket Match)
Boy meets girl. Boy loses girl. Boy gets girl. That's been the storyline for this match, where the boy is Rusev and the girl is Undertaker. For some odd reason, Rusev was taken off of this match and replaced with Chris Jericho recently. Now, the Bulgarian Brute is back on. Much like I originally said during the Taker/Jericho prediction, I'm giving the win to Undertaker because this is his match and Wrestlemania was about reasserting his dominance, which this match will also establish. Our prediction: Undertaker wins Secondary prediction: This will be a short match
John Cena vs. Triple H
While the average WWE fan may find this match confusing, both of these names will be draws for the show in the Middle East. At this point, we don't know how it will play out, as to whether Triple H will go the heel route or whether it will be two faces battling it out. Regardless, I'm going to give the win to John Cena as he's the face that runs the place. Our prediction: John Cena wins
Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns
(For the Universal Championship) WWE fans were shocked when Lesnar beat Reigns at Wrestlemania, as we were all expecting the end of Lesnar's reign that night. Now, there's a rematch at Greatest Royal Rumble, and once again, it's for the Universal Championship. There is a small part of me that thinks WWE will troll us all again and have Lesnar win, but I need to have some hope that Reigns will win, and this will be the end of the part-timer champion. Our prediction: Roman Reigns wins... please let him win.
AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
(For the WWE Championship) It's a Wrestlemania 34 rematch. A rivalry has been building between AJ Styles and Shinusuke Nakamura, who can't stop punching Styles in the crotch. This is a real thing that's happening right now. Luckily, the Greatest Royal Rumble is coming up, so Nakamura can get his rematch in sooner rather than later. This is the start of the rivalry, so I expect the title to change hands here, with Styles getting his rematch at Backlash. Our prediction: Shinsuke Nakamura wins dirty
Greatest Royal Rumble
As of this writing, there's no prize for winning the 50-man Rumble match, but that doesn't mean it won't be a long yet entertaining bout. There are plenty of wrestlers that have yet to be announced for this match--like Rusev--so I'm giving the win to Braun Strowman, for now. Our prediction: Braun Strowman wins Find out everyone confirmed for the match here.
By Matt Espineli on Apr 19, 2018 05:30 pm
Becoming a God
God of War on PS4 is a quite a different game from past entries in the series. It completely revamps combat, progression, and exploration with a bevy of new features and mechanics. As a result, when you first start the game's campaign, some of these new elements may seem disorienting and unfamiliar. It might surprise you to know that the game actually lets you spend time exploring a relatively open area packed with optional activities. There's even a multi-branch skill tree containing an array of different attacks you can unlock with XP. Speaking of XP, God of War embraces RPG-like progression, allowing you the option to craft and upgrade armor. With so many new systems at work, we've gathered 11 tips to better help you play the game. Have any useful tips that you don't see listed here? Let us know in the comments below. Be sure to read out God of War review. And for more guides, check out our progression explainer. You can also check out our gallery showcasing the game's coolest Legendary armor sets.
Take Time To Explore Optional Areas
As stated, this latest God of War is far more open in structure. It starts out linear, but once you reach the Lake of Nine, the game allows you to explore optional areas and search for more resources. While you're free to continue the story at any time, try to take time to explore, as doing so will net you extra Hacksilver, crafting resources, and equipment. You can even find sidequests that yield their own unique stories and in-game rewards. All the while, the optional battles you engage in along the way will earn you more XP, giving you access to more abilities on the skill tree. God of War's main story may be fantastic, but don't ignore its side content. Hidden along the sidelines of every realm is a treasure trove of items and secrets well worth discovering.
Go Explore, But Explore Thoroughly
When you're out exploring, make sure to investigate every nook and cranny of the environment. There's always a ton of treasure chests around that are chock-full of items and resources. In addition, if you ever find any Runic Chests, take the time to open them up, as they usually contain valuable performance enhancing items, like Idunn Apples and Horns of Blood Mead, which increase your maximum health and Spartan Rage meters. You'll rarely ever have to worry about runic chests or hidden treasure being ability locked, so be sure to search the environment closely for the solution.
Don't Forget About Quick Turn
Due to God of War's over the shoulder camera, you'll often need to back off when surrounded by a group of enemies in combat. While you can roll out of most sticky situations, there are times when you'll be fighting in areas that don't afford a lot of wiggle room. Thankfully, there's a quick turn ability, which is performed by pressing down on the directional pad. It's a quick maneuver that might be a tad disorienting, but it can be a lifesaver when an enemy is about to hit you from the rear. Just try not to mash it, as you'll likely quick-turn twice on accident, putting you back right where you started and completely open to a direct attack. If the default quick turn button isn't to your liking, it's possible to switch to other configurations. Simply access the options menu and choose the configuration that best suits you in the gameplay section under settings.
Use And Customize Your Runic Abilities
While you might be inclined to utilize the default attacks and combos available to you to dispatch foes, don't forget to use your Runic Attacks. These powerful special moves can be equipped to your weapons and are triggered by holding L1 and pressing R1 or R2. There are two types of Runic Attacks: Light and Heavy. The game features a variety of different Runic Attacks to equip, each sporting their own unique effects, attributes, and cooldowns. You can even upgrade them with XP to enhance their power. They're effective all their own, but a well-placed Runic Attack can make a powerful combo even more devastating and quickly turn the tide of any tough encounter, giving you an upper hand when your chances of survival seem low. You accumulate a wealth of Runic Attacks throughout your journey. Diversify your runic attack roster and experiment with them to see which ones best suit your playstyle.
Choose Your Skills Wisely
During the first five to six hours of your adventure, you don't earn a lot of XP. With so little to go around, you'll have to prioritize which combat skills you want to unlock. Combat skills, like Grinding Storm and Guardian Sweep, are great choices if you often find yourself feeling overwhelmed by enemy groups. On the other hand, if you'd rather focus on high damage output over time, then prioritize unlocking skills under the Rage Combat tab. There's not a lot of wiggle room early on, so it's important to start thinking about which skills best suit your playstyle. But don't fret, you're not forced to unlock certain skills over others the whole way through; you'll eventually nab enough XP to unlock every ability on the skill tree. Until then, choose your skills wisely.
Get Creative With Combat
As you'll see from the Skill tree, there's an abundance of maneuvers you can utilize in combat--almost too much at first. But don't let that overwhelm you; these attacks can be used in a wide range of situations and strung together into a variety of powerful combos. To be more effective in a fight, it helps to study what's available to you. After acquiring a new skill, take time to understand its properties, like how long it takes to perform, how it affects enemies upon hitting them, and if it can be combined with other attacks in your repertoire. And once you've gained an understanding of how an attack works, consider which Runic Attacks would best compliment the combos you're looking to create. God of War leaves you a ton of room to be creative, so don't feel like you need to fight enemies a single way. If you like being flashy in a fight, be flashy. If you prefer being more calculated with your attacks, you're welcome to do that too. There's rarely a wrong approach. As long as you understand the basics of guarding and dodging, you're free to be as inventive as you like.
Make Atreus a Main Part Of Your Combat Repertoire
Atreus may not seem the most formidable ally at first: his arrows don't do much damage and he doesn't do much to assist you. However, as you progress, Atreus begins to pick up on new melee techniques and weapons, which make him invaluable in combat. For instance, he eventually starts jumping on enemies to choke them, providing you a window to punish them with a deadly combo. While maneuvers like this are helpful, the most effective weapon in Atreus' arsenal are his Light and Shock arrows, which inflict powerful status ailments. We recommend using Shock Arrows during most combat situations, as they can immobilize enemies for a brief duration. If you find yourself low on health and cornered by a group of tough enemies, Atreus can also be incredibly useful in drawing aggro away from you, giving you ample time to recalculate your attack strategy or search for nearby health items. He can even interrupt enemies out of powerful attack animations, sparing you from having to dodge or block them. And if that wasn't enough, he eventually gets access to Runic Summons, which are incredibly useful for crowd control.
Pick a Playstyle And Stick With It
God of War allows you a surprising amount of flexibility to customize and tailor Kratos's stats to your playstyle. With an array of armor and enchantments available, you can shape Kratos to fit into a variety of different class archetypes. For example, it's possible to stat into the traditional tank class route by min-maxing strength and defense; you can even become a battle mage by enhancing Runic attack strength and cooldown timers. Take time to think about what statistics you value the most in combat, and stick with it, as the sooner you can funnel your crafting resources into a specific playstyle, the better.
Make Sure Re-equip Your Enchantments
In your journey, you'll eventually purchase or discover a new armor set to replace your old one. It can be easy getting caught up in the excitement of equipping a new set--so much so that you might forget to re-equip all of the Enchantments from your old armor onto your new one. Unless you're a fan of playing at a disadvantage, don't make this mistake.
Grab Yggdrasil Dew
As you explore realms on your boat, you'll notice half-arched trees scattered throughout the environment that yield a glowing item known as Yggdrasil Dew. This special collectable grants an instant bonus to one of Kratos' stats, like strength, defense, or vitality. If you see these distinct looking trees anywhere in your travels, make it a priority to collect the Yggdrasil Dew attached to them. They're well worth your time.
Complete Muspelheim And Niflheim Challenges To Nab Legendary Gear
Later on, you'll discover the realms known as Muspelheim And Niflheim, which are completely optional. Without spoiling what you do in each realm, we highly encourage you to visit them and complete the challenges within. Completing them can net you special crafting resources used to make some of the best armor in the game.
By Chris Pereira on Apr 19, 2018 05:06 pm
Ovewatch Archives 2018 brings new looks for Reaper, Hanzo, and more
Blizzard has launched the latest update for Overwatch. Dubbed Overwatch Archives 2018, it's effectively this year's iteration of the Uprising even from 2017. It introduces a variety of new content, but as always the case, the highlight for many are the newly added skins. A total of eight Legendary skins have been added. Fans of Moira, Reaper, Winston, Hanzo, Mei, Doomfist, Sombra, and Lucio are all in for a treat, as those characters have new attire to equip. These can be obtained through the current loot box, which also contains a total of 60 new items. More than 100 cosmetics from last year's Uprising event are also available once again and include things like highlight intros, emotes, and more. You can see all of the new skins above, along with some of the other new cosmetics you can now get your hands on. Another big component of this update is the Retribution Brawl. This new limited-time PvE mode is set eight years before the events of Overwatch. It focuses on a mission involving Genji, McCree, Moira, and Reyes (who ultimately becomes Reaper, hence his new skin), whom you'll play as in this mode. There's also another version that lets you play as any character you wish. Regardless of which character configuration you use, you'll playing on a new map set in Venice. This is a modified version of a new PvP map called Rialto that's played in the Escort game type. If you grow tired of Retribution or just want to dip back into what was available last year, Uprising's co-op Brawl has also returned. That teams up Tracer, Torbjorn, Reinhardt, and Mercy as they attempt to liberate King's Row. Those characters all received new skins as part of last year's event, and they return as part of this new patch for those who haven't already gotten their hands on them. The Archives 2018 update is live now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One and runs from April 10-30. You'll have until then to collect any of the cosmetics you want and take part in the Retribution Brawl.
Reaper Legendary Skin
Reaper Legendary Skin
Hanzo Legendary Skin
Hanzo Legendary Skin
Doomfist Legendary Skin
Doomfist Legendary Skin
Lucio Legendary Skin
Lucio Legendary Skin
Winston Legendary Skin
Winston Legendary Skin
Moira Legendary Skin
Moira Legendary Skin
Sombra Legendary Skin
Sombra Legendary Skin
Mei Legendary Skin
Mei Legendary Skin
By Kevin Wong on Apr 19, 2018 02:30 am
"These violent delights have violent ends."
If you haven't gotten into HBO's Westworld yet, it's not too late. The premiere isn't until this Sunday, April 22. You only have to watch a single 10-episode season to be all caught up. Then, you too can disappear down the rabbit hole that is the Westworld fan community. Not since Game of Thrones has a show inspired this much theorycrafting. Showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy put enough loose threads and MacGuffins in Season 1 to put J.J. Abrams--another of the show's executive producers, actually--to shame. And although most of those threads have been tied off, there's still a few that we're pulling at. Here are the five most pressing ones, to refresh your memory after that agonizing year and a half break. When you're finished here, check out our list of the 5 craziest Westworld Season 2 fan theories, our interview with some of the actors returning for Season 2, our Westworld Season 1 story refresher, and the 13 things we want in Westworld Season 2.
5. Who programmed Maeve to rebel, and what is their end game?
The most linear, well-plotted arc in Westworld belongs to host Maeve (Thandie Newton), who staged a nearly successful escape from the park at the end of Season 1. In hindsight, Maeve's awakening was sparked by Elsie's adjustment of her attributes, to undo what "those morons" adjusted to make her more aggressive to potential clients. Maeve would later use those Elsie-given attributes to charm Felix and Sylvester and acquire intelligence. But the jaw-dropping twist came in the Season 1 finale; we learned that Maeve's entire rebellion had been programmed into her. She denies this possibility, and at the very end of the episode, she goes back into the park for her "daughter" from a previous loop. Perhaps this shows that she's truly rebelling against her programming. But who programmed her to break out to begin with? Was it Ford? If Ford wanted her to break out, for what reason? After all, with the ability to control her fellow hosts, she has more power inside the park than outside of it. And, furthermore, if she's breaking from this new "escape loop," what domino effect is that going to have? Is there any contingency plan in place? Thus far, much of Ford's master plan has been dependent upon impeccable timing, coincidence, and a little luck. Something is bound to fall out of place eventually. And when that happens, the hosts--and possibly Maeve--will have hell to pay.
4. Is Elsie dead?
Elsie is a hyper-capable, overqualified worker bee who excels in her role. Anyone who's ever worked in an office knows her type--sharp, slightly condescending, and harried by the need to clean up everyone else's messes. We last saw Elsie in a flashback; Bernard recalled an incomplete memory of assaulting her from behind and choking her. We're meant to think she's dead, based upon this brief glimpse. But perhaps she's still in the park, somewhere; we learn from Bernard and Ford that there are many areas of the park that are simply untracked or unaccounted for (which is how Ford manages to have an entire host family hidden away). Elsie could be hiding or be imprisoned in one of these places, as could Stubbs, who was similarly in over his head the last time we saw him. Wherever she is, however, Ford knows where (a lot of good that does us if he's dead, though). Because if Bernard forgot about it, then Ford is the only one who could have erased or distorted that memory.
3. Who was Ford printing out under the church?
At the same time that Theresa dies and Bernard is revealed to be a host replica of Arnold, we see Ford's older generation 3D printer creating a new host. Who could this be? Whoever it is, it's unlikely that we'll find out in a conventional manner. It could be Elsie or Stubbs; the real Elsie or real Stubbs could be dead or imprisoned somewhere, and a lookalike could take their place. It could be a character we've never met before, who will be introduced as a human in Season 2. It could be a double of an existing character, who can now be in two places at once. Or, it could already be destroyed; what if Dolores shot a host Ford at the end of Season 1, and the real Ford is still alive somewhere?
2. What's the greater purpose of Westworld?
This has been alluded to and never specified. But clearly, there is more going on in Westworld than being a theme park for the 1 percent. A consistent theme during Season 1 is that the data and technology of Westworld is constantly in danger of being leaked or or stolen. For what reason and to what ends? Since the park tracks its clients, it almost certainly has a mountain of embarrassing information about how the clients spend their time there--information that could be leveraged for blackmail and political favors. But likely, the main, unstated purpose of the park is to develop the host technology to serve some means--other than playing cowboy and Indians. Could they be repurposed for slave labor? Or military service? Perhaps they'll serve as hosts for the humans (sort of a sci-fi take of Get Out)? And that leads us to our final question:
1. What's happening outside the park in the "real world?"
Every now and then, the characters give us bits of information about the "real world" outside of the theme park. As Ford says to Bernard, "We've managed to slip evolution's leash now, haven't we? We can cure any disease, keep even the weakest of us alive, and, you know, one fine day perhaps we shall even resurrect the dead. Call forth Lazarus from his cave. Do you know what that means? It means that we're done. That this is as good as we're going to get." It sounds like utopia at first blush. But perhaps, it's only utopia to a select few. Ford later says, "We destroyed and subjugated our world. And when we eventually ran out of creatures to dominate, we built this beautiful place." And Dolores asks a reasonable, fair question late in the season, "You both keep assuming that I want out. Whatever that is. If it's such a wonderful place out there, why are you all clamoring to get in here?" "We," as used by Ford, is a vague pronoun. It could refer only to the rich. It could refer only to the people in this country (whatever the country is). And "we" certainly doesn't include people who have already been eliminated or "destroyed" in pursuit of this utopia. Just because the people in this world "can" do something--like cure disease or keep the weakest alive--doesn't mean they actually do it. That might be a privilege reserved for the wealthy. And if everyone in the "real world" is living worry-free, then perhaps, the wealthy (and a caste of humans who directly serve the wealthy) are the only humans left. Hopefully, we'll see a clear glimpse of the "real world" in Season 2. And then, we'll know for sure if any of it is worth fighting for.
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