Westworld: Season 3 - SPOILER-FREE Review
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Created by: Jonathan Nolan, Lisa Joy
Starring: Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Tessa Thompson, Ed Harris, Aaron Paul
The third season takes place immediately after events of the second season, with Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) having escaped Westworld along with the cores of a few hosts, including Bernard's (Jeffrey Wright). Taking residence in neo-Los Angeles in 2058, Dolores develops a relationship with Caleb (Aaron Paul), and comes to learn how artificial beings are treated in the real world.
Meanwhile, Maeve (Thandie Newton) finds herself in another part of the Delos park, one based on Fascist Italy during World War II.
Original Review
(based on the season’s first four episodes handed to press)
HBO hit a massive fail with the final season of Game of Thrones, but their quality regarding TV shows didn’t seem to suffer from that. Westworld is one of HBO’s biggest/best series, and in my opinion, it’s the one that currently occupies the throne that GOT ruled for years. Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy created an extremely complex narrative, filled with mind-blowing twists, and truly remarkable character-building. Season three promised to be totally different, having in mind last season’s game-changing finale, so expectations are undoubtedly very high…
While it’s true that Westworld packs jaw-dropping twists, the previous seasons differ from one another concerning this aspect. In season one, the twists serve the story, but in the second one, it felt like the story was serving the twists. This resulted in a few “less great” episodes due to the loss of tension and of well-balanced pacing, occasionally losing the interest of its viewers. In addition to this, most twists were so foreshadowed that the last few episodes lacked that powerful punch to knock us out.
Season three goes back to basics. Last season’s finale works almost like a reboot of the series regarding its environment, rules, and even characters. Most of the series is set in the real world so far, but there are a few sequences in familiar places. Dolores’ plan seems simple, but since this is Westworld, the last half of the season will probably provide a few surprises, so keep your eyes wide open.
I can’t really delve into what each character is doing, but according to the trailers, writing that Bernard and Maeve have an essential role in this season shouldn’t come as a shock. Both possess two very intriguing arcs, and I’m definitely interested in knowing how they will connect to Dolores’ storyline. Aaron Paul’s Caleb doesn’t have that much screentime in the first four episodes. Nevertheless, he receives a well-written backstory, and his subplot not only tells the audience everything about him, but it also shows how the real world works.
My biggest compliment to the first half of this season is about each episode’s structure. Every single episode starts and ends with something impactful. Each time I started one, I was instantly captivated by what was happening, and every ending left me with an extreme curiosity to watch the next one. Fortunately, I had the “next episode” button, but it will definitely be interesting to see how fans will react to weeks of waiting for the next (great) episode. Throughout each chapter, the story flows naturally without those confusing, exaggerated, twistful narratives of season two.
So far, it’s a pretty straightforward main plot, but the unsolved mysteries still carry that aura of unpredictability, which makes season three a perfect structure to deliver a phenomenal, shocking finale. The acting continues to be top-notch with everyone just giving their all. So far, my standouts are Tessa Thompson (Charlotte Hale) and Evan Rachel Wood. Ed Harris (William) also delivers an outstanding display, but the two women are unbelievably good, especially Thompson. Technically, the episodes were still a work in progress, but the production and visual quality of HBO are impressive as always.
All in all, Westworld returns with a perfect season’s structure to blow every fan’s mind away once again. The real world looks incredible, every character gets a very intriguing story, but the first and last few minutes of each episode are absolutely fantastic. Each chapter instantly grabs the viewer’s attention, and the ending leaves everyone craving for the next episode. Tessa Thompson is the absolute standout, but Evan Rachel Wood continues to prove her impressive acting skills. Aaron Paul should have more screentime in the last half of the season, but so far, both he and Caleb are pretty great. Excellent pacing, brilliant tension-building regarding the central mystery, and wonderfully-written dialogues. Four episodes, nothing truly negative to point out. Hoping for a second-half as great or better than the first.
Final Thoughts
(based on the remaining episodes and the entire season)
Ironically, the fifth episode (which is also the very first after the ones handed to press) went to become one of the most divisive chapters not only of the season but of the whole show. Directed by Anna Foerster, the entire episode is played through several genres. From film noir to romance, the viewer gets to see the story unfold through the hallucinatory eyes of Caleb, who had taken a drug. It’s undoubtedly a weird experience that polarized opinions, but fortunately, I enjoyed it pretty much. Technically, the series shines throughout the whole season, but Ramin Djawadi proves that he’s one of the best composers working today. Phenomenal score on every episode, but Djawadi raises the bar on the fifth.
Most characters (three could have received much better treatment) get an incredibly efficient and emotionally satisfying conclusion to their arcs. Tessa Thompson demonstrates that she truly is the MVP of the season, and her character is definitely the most well-written. Caleb, as expected, has more screentime in the second half of the season, and also a lot more impact in the narrative decisions. While his arc is one of the most simple and easily predictable ones, Aaron Paul does a really great job of elevating him. Finally, Evan Rachel Wood takes Dolores to a whole other level in the last few episodes. She steals the spotlight in the finale with an award-worthy display, and her character development possesses a remarkable structure.
However, the last few episodes follow such a predictable path that they end up being a mix of satisfaction and disappointment. One of them plays out an obvious revelation like some sort of mind-blowing plot twist with a huge build-up, which makes the respective episode lack true tension and emotion. Then, Maeve is arguably the least developed character of the season sadly. She went from being a badass in control of all hosts to be someone’s puppet with no clear goals or motivations. Her character arc feels inconsistent, and her dialogue doesn’t seem to fit her persona. The finale tries to rush things and patch her flaws, but it’s too late and comes off as a desperate attempt at giving her something genuinely compelling.
The other two characters who lack a truly impactful arc are Bernard and William. Both serve as exposition devices with no real significance to the primary story and end up exactly like that: forgettable characters in a season that didn’t use them at all. The former supposedly has a vital role in Dolores’ plan, but the season stalls his narrative with a frustrating MacGuffin. The latter started as a rather interesting classic-Westworld host-or-human mystery, but once again, Ed Harris’ character serves only as a device to give the viewer information. The last couple of episodes shine a light over the character, but the finale shuts it down in a not-that-shocking and honestly, a bit lazy plot point.
In the end, season three of Westworld is still far from its near-perfect debut, but it’s way better than the last one. With a surprisingly linear and less twisty narrative, Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy put the hosts in an unbelievably crazy real world, and chaos follows. Most characters receive outstanding (if a bit too predictable) arcs, especially Dolores, Caleb, and "Charlotte". Unfortunately, Maeve is extremely inconsistent throughout the whole season, as Bernard and William lack genuinely captivating and impactful subplots. The last episodes are both satisfying and disappointing due to the disparity between character treatment script-wise, and the trademark plot twists don’t carry that aura of surprise anymore (most are fairly obvious a couple of episodes in). Nevertheless, it’s still a great season overall, packed with tons of action, exceptional dialogue, and Ramin Djawadi’s epic score. Technically, it’s phenomenal as expected from (probably) the main series of HBO post-Game of Thrones. Hopefully, its next season will be even better...
