‘Westworld’ Season 3 Will Undergo A ‘Radical Shift’, Confuse Everyone Again
Westworldseason 2 left a lot of viewers scratching their heads, and it looks like season 3 will take things even further. Showrunners and creatorsJonathan NolanandLisa Joysay that whenWestworldseason 3 arrives, we can all expect a “radical shift” in the world of the show as we know it.
WhenWestworldseason 2 kicked off, I found it to be a bit of an improvement over season 1 (which I also liked). But by the time the season had ended, the show had gone off into some very strange, very confusing directions. Many fans were perplexed, wondering just what the heck was going on, and where the show would go from here. The answer: somewhere different. Season 3 is going to take us extensively outside of the park in ways the previous seasons didn’t – a move described as a “radical shift” by co-creator Jonathan Nolan (speaking withTHR):
“I think it’s a radical shift. What’s compelling and appealing about these characters is that they’re not human. As we said in the show, humans are bound by the same loops the hosts are, in some ways even smaller. You couldn’t expect human characters to withstand and survive the kind of story that we’re telling. The hosts have a different version of mortality, a different outlook. I think clearly with Dolores, as she’s laid out, there is a longer view here, a larger set of goals. They’re existential. They span eons. And that’s a fascinating level of story ?to engage in.”
Getting outside the park is a neat idea, and I’m curious to see what happens here. At the same time, the park was such a huge part of the show that moving beyond it is a tad strange. If the showrunners can make it work, though, I’m all for it.
Lisa Joy goes on to say that while things may seem confusing for now, they had a clear plan regarding what’s happening, and what’s going to happen next. Specifically, Joy confirms that the showrunners always had a specific idea about what to do withTessa Thompson’s character, who –spoiler alert– was killed last season and recreated as a host robot with Dolores' consciousness inside.
“We always knew that we were going to do this reveal and let her expand into this new role,” Joy says. “We have a very diabolical arc for her planned out. Part of the fun for the character will be self-realization. She will be realizing the things we know about who she is.”
While I got a bit frustrated withWestworldnear the end of season 2, I am curious to see where the show is headed. A “radical shift” may be exactly whatWestworldneeds now to shake things up. Or it could backfire spectacularly and confuse everyone again! We’ll see!
