Westworld season 3 spoilers? Not in this article, friend.
At the end of Westworld's second season, Dolores left the park behind and stepped out into the real world for the very first time. Moving forward, the violence and destruction she leaves in her wake can no longer be reset. No-one is going to creep in quietly overnight and take away the dead bodies for repair.
It's ironic then that damage control is at the forefront of everyone's mind moving into season three. Show runners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy claim that they always intended to leave the park behind by this point, but it's hard not to see this reset as a deliberate move in response to the negative response season two received.
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By the end of the show's sophomore season, the Westworld park was left in tatters and the reputation of Westworld itself didn't fare much better either. What started out as a thought-provoking and addictive example of prestige TV soon got lost inside its own maze, confusing viewers with unnecessarily complicated timelines which sucked the fun out of watching.
Watch Now Westworld seasons 1-3
HBO president Casey Bloys claimed that the backlash wasn't "widespread" (via Deadline), but it's no coincidence that season three has downscaled Westworld's more confusing elements.
Gone are the erratic time jumps and in their place stands a leaner, meaner narrative that should help claw back some of the goodwill generated back in season one.
The season three premiere kicks off right after the Westworld park massacre, following Dolores on a new mission to take down the tech company Incite and humanity at large. However, valuable data contained in her programming makes her a target in this futuristic – but real-world – version of Los Angeles (actually Singapore).
Other narratives are threaded throughout, starring the likes of Bernard, Charlotte, and a resurrected Maeve, but season three is now far more linear than long time Westworld fans might be used to.
That's not to say the show has been dumbed down. Instead, perplexing time-related puzzles have now been swapped out for questions surrounding identity, namely; Whose consciousness inhabits each of the "pearls" Dolores smuggled out of the park?
If you skipped large chunks of season two – and who could blame you? – this might not make sense at first. However, with a little patience, these new episodes are comparably easier to understand, and importantly, they're also more fun to watch too.
New characters like Aaron Paul's Caleb provide an intriguing entrance point to the real world of Westworld and even without the genre mash-ups of yesteryear, the fight choreography remains both thrilling and unpredictable throughout, much like the twists and turns of the narrative.
It helps that the storytelling is more concise, both in terms of structure and this season's overall length, which has been cut down to just eight episodes. Bringing our beloved hosts into the real world ups the stakes in ways no previous season has managed before, making the consequences of every decision feel far more direct and real.
It's not all just high production values and deep philosophical musings though. Among the genuinely breathtaking effects and award-worthy acting, Westworld just feels more fun in season three too. Thandie Newton and Tessa Thompson in particular shine brighter than ever, and Evan Rachel Wood has never found a better balance with the complexity of Dolores, giving us the action (anti?) hero TV deserves.
But will all this be enough to bring fans back into the fold? Despite the allure of an upcoming Game of Thrones cameo Easter egg, Westworld still isn't as accessible as Westeros — or most other prestige shows for that matter either. With more viewing options than ever before, it's going to take a lot to convince mainstream audiences that Westworld has been rewired for the better in 2020.
However, if you're willing to reboot your opinions following season two, then it's absolutely worth creeping back in overnight and getting back to work on one of the most impressive shows airing today.
Westworld returns on March 15, airing on HBO in the US, and on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the UK.
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Warner Home Video Westworld (1974) - 40th Anniversary Edition [Blu-ray]
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After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
