Westworld season 3 explained

Season Number:3
Bgcolour:
  1. FAD7BB
Network:HBO
Num Episodes:8
Episode List:List of Westworld episodes

The third season of the American science fiction dystopian television series Westworld (subtitled The New World) premiered on HBO on March 15, 2020, and concluded on May 3, 2020, consisting of eight episodes.

The television series was created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, and it is based on the 1973 film of the same name, written and directed by Michael Crichton. The third season stars an ensemble cast led by Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Tessa Thompson, newcomer Aaron Paul, and Ed Harris. Vincent Cassel is introduced as the main antagonist.

The third season initially received positive reviews from critics, though reception became mixed during the second half. Reviews praised the performances, visuals and change in tone from the first two seasons, but criticized the story, dialogue and pacing, as well as the perceived lack of thematic depth.

Plot summary

The third season takes place three months after the events of the second season, with Dolores having escaped Westworld along with a few processing cores ("pearls"), including Bernard's. Taking residence in neo-Los Angeles in 2053, Dolores develops a relationship with Caleb and comes to learn how artificial beings and lower-class humans are treated in the real world. Meanwhile, Maeve finds herself in another part of the Delos park, one based on Fascist Italy during World War II.[1] William, who also left Westworld at the end of the second season, is now haunted by visions of his daughter Emily and Dolores.

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Guest

Episodes

See also: List of Westworld episodes.

Production

A third season of the series was announced on May 1, 2018.[15] Production began on April 13, 2019.[8] Parts of filming took place in Downtown Los Angeles and Singapore during June 14, 2019.[16]

Additional filming took place over a ten-day period in Singapore around July 2019, which was used to present a version of Los Angeles about 40 years out from the time of the production of the show. Showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy had considered how they would introduce the "real world" outside of the park in the early days of developing Westworld. They wanted to go in the opposite dystopian direction that the 1982 film Blade Runner had gone and instead show a more optimistic view. The two had seen how Spike Jonze had filmed Her in Shanghai as a future Los Angeles, and took inspiration from many of Shanghai's designs.[17] Joy, who had been suggested to shoot in Singapore by her friend and architect Bjarke Ingels, said the city was apt for the show as "It's the ways in which nature entangle with modernity here".[18] The show's main cast, including Wood, Newton, Wright, and Paul had been spotted at several Singapore locations during the shooting period across Pulau Ubin, Chinatown and the Central Business District (CBD) within the city, and included specific landmarks such as the National Gallery Singapore, Esplanade Park, School of the Arts, the Helix Bridge, Marina One, the Parkroyal Hotel, LASALLE College of the Arts, and the Oasia Hotel Downtown.[18] Additional filming took place at the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, Spain.[17]

Filming also took place in Los Angeles, using computer-generated imagery to fill in actual buildings from Shanghai, futuristic buildings inspired by those from Shanghai, as well as those from Ingels' unused portfolio.[19] The production team collaborated with Jon Favreau who led the advances in the special effects filming for The Mandalorian on how they combined full exterior filming with on-set filming and digital post-production to create virtually expandable sets at these sites as needed.[17] When filming interior shots that took place in Los Angeles, the production team had a mandate to try to show as much of the city skyline as possible through windows or other features.[20] Much of the city's brutalist architecture was also features given how frequently these buildings were repurposed from their original function.[20]

While they had been able to film in the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Millard House in Pasadena, as Arnold's home in the second season as it was available on the market, by the time they started filming season three, the home had been sold and they could not arrange filming rights. Instead, they opted to rebuild the home on set for this season.[19] With Ingels' help to negotiation with Ricardo Bofill's son, they were also able to obtain rights to film one day at Bofill's La Fábrica near Barcelona, which stood in for Serac's laboratories and home, though they had to later build additional sets with the building's design principles for later filming.[19] According to production designer Howard Cummings, they wanted to focus on concrete buildings that could look like the result of 3D printing.[19]

The structure of the third season is more linear than past seasons, which Variety Adam B. Vary said was a "sleek, fleet, Heat-style-crime-thriller-with-robots" rather than a "time-twisting structure" from the second season.[17] Nolan and Joy stated that season 3 would have a much more comprehensible story line, with Nolan stating "This season is a little less of a guessing game and more of an experience with the hosts finally getting to meet their makers."[21] However, they also said that they were able to take a more direct narrative approach as, according to Nolan, "We're very lucky in that we're at a place with HBO where they let us make the show we want to make" without having to "dumb the show down".[17]

Music

See main article: Westworld: Season 3 (soundtrack). Ramin Djawadi returned as the series composer. An orchestral cover of Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child o' Mine" was featured in the main trailer and released as a single on February 21, 2020.[22] [23] An orchestral version of Moses Sumney's "Doomed" was featured at the end of the episode "The Absence of Field", alongside the original song.[24] An orchestral version of The Weeknd's "Wicked Games", featured in the episode "The Mother of Exiles", was released as a single on April 5, 2020.[25] The soundtrack album for season 3 was released on May 4, 2020.[26] An orchestral version of "Brain Damage" from Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon was featured at the end of "Crisis Theory", alongside the original song; the song was also used in the first trailer for the season.[27]

Marketing

A first teaser trailer was presented at the 2019 San Diego Comic Con on July 20, 2019.[1] A teaser for season 3 was released on November 9, 2019, presented as a video advertisement for the fictional company Incite, Inc.[28] At the Consumer Electronics Show on January 9, 2020, HBO held a special event hosted by Incite, with "hosts" attending the invited guests' needs.[29]

The premiere date for the third season was announced on January 12, 2020, alongside a teaser trailer for the season.[30] The full season's trailer was released on February 20, 2020.[31] Additional teaser videos were found through an alternate reality game via the Incite website that was updated on February 22, 2020.[32]

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 73% for the season based on 223 reviews, with an average rating of 7.05/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Westworld succeeds in rebooting itself by broadening its scope beyond its titular amusement park while tightening its storytelling clarity – although some may feel that the soul has been stripped from this machine in the process."[33] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 64 out of 100 based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[34]

Reviews became increasingly mixed as the season progressed, with the episodes "Genre", "Passed Pawn" and "Crisis Theory" receiving the lowest Rotten Tomatoes approval ratings for the series to date.[33] Reviewers criticized the season for its dialogue,[35] thin characterization,[36] and depiction of the real world, which was said to lack the vastness and depth of the park.[37]

CNNs Brian Lowry wrote that "the show has become increasingly incomprehensible, at least for anyone not willing to put in the work trying to remember all the assorted connections, further complicated by the fact that dying in Westworld is often not a permanent state of affairs, amid the questions about who's truly human and who actually isn't."[38] Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Kristen Baldwin gave the series a "B−" and said: "After spending three seasons struggling through maddeningly complicated time-loops, it's time the writers let Dolores, Maeve, and Bernard control-alt-delete themselves" while Darren Franich wrote that series had "lost its way" and gave the season a "C".[39] Reviewing the season finale for IndieWire, Ben Travers said: "Season 3 made a point of stripping away the rest of Westworlds building blocks: The park? Left behind. The maze? Gone. But the moral questions meant to keep you invested in the characters largely disappear, too. Season 3 doesn't bother developing its characters because it refuses to let them question the nature of their own reality."[40]

Accolades

For the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, Thandiwe Newton was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and Jeffrey Wright was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. The series received nine additional nominations in creative and technical categories.[41]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Westworld's season 3 trailer questions the relationships between hosts and humans . Alexander . Julia . July 20, 2019 . . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190720222707/https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/20/20699736/westworld-season-three-trailer-san-diego-comic-con-sdcc-hbo . July 20, 2019 . July 20, 2019.
  2. Web site: 'Westworld' Stars Score Big Raises Ahead of Third Season (Exclusive) . . Bryn Elise . Sandberg . October 17, 2018 . January 13, 2020 . April 13, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200413224719/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/westworld-stars-score-big-raises-third-season-1152435 . live .
  3. Web site: HBO's 'Westworld' Season 3 Trailer Introduces Aaron Paul . . Anita . Bennett . May 19, 2019 . January 13, 2020 . February 17, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200217182923/https://deadline.com/2019/05/hbos-westworld-season-3-trailer-introduces-aaron-paul-1202618589/ . live .
  4. Web site: 'Westworld': Aaron Paul Joins HBO Sci-Fi Series For Season 3 . . Nellie . Andreeva . September 13, 2018 . September 13, 2018 . September 13, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180913211810/https://deadline.com/2018/09/westworld-aaron-paul-cast-season-3-series-regular-1202464194/ . live .
  5. Web site: 'Westworld' Gets Season 3 Premiere Date On HBO . . Denise . Petski . January 12, 2020 . January 13, 2020 . January 13, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200113141423/https://deadline.com/2020/01/westworld-season-3-premiere-date-hbo-1202828540/ . live .
  6. Web site: 'Westworld': Vincent Cassel Joins HBO Sci-Fi Series Cast For Season 3 . . Nellie . Andreeva . April 30, 2019 . January 13, 2020 . April 30, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190430192509/https://deadline.com/2019/04/westworld-vincent-cassel-cast-season-3-hbo-series-villain-series-regular-1202604783/ . live .
  7. Web site: Westworld Gets Season 3 Premiere Date . . Dave . Nemetz . January 12, 2020 . January 13, 2020 . February 24, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200224204745/https://tvline.com/2020/01/12/westworld-season-3-premiere-date-hbo/ . live .
  8. Web site: 'Westworld' Season 3 Adds Lena Waithe To Its Cast – HBO Will Air In 2020 . . Bruce . Harling . April 13, 2019 . January 13, 2020 . April 14, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190414160719/https://deadline.com/2019/04/westworld-adds-lena-waithe-to-cast-1202595405/ . live .
  9. Web site: WESTWORLD Returns to HBO on March 15 . Broadway World . March 5, 2020 . March 5, 2020 . September 25, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200925111307/https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/WESTWORLD-Returns-to-HBO-on-March-15-20200305 . live .
  10. Web site: Kid Cudi Stars in "Westworld" Season 3 Trailer: Watch . . Jazz . Monroe . May 20, 2019 . January 13, 2020 . April 17, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200417164356/https://pitchfork.com/news/kid-cudi-stars-in-westworld-season-3-trailer-watch/ . live .
  11. Web site: Westworld Looks Like Another Show Entirely in First Season 3 Teaser . Mitovich . Matt Webb . May 20, 2019 . . May 20, 2019 . May 20, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190520030302/https://tvline.com/2019/05/19/westworld-season-3-trailer-aaron-paul-dolores/ . live .
  12. Web site: Westworld: How the Music Unlocks This Week's Big Twist . Joanna . Robinson . April 12, 2020 . April 12, 2020 . . August 4, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200804074948/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/04/westworld-genre-music-movie-score-caleb-flashback-who-is-caleb . live .
  13. Web site: Westworld star Leonardo Nam (Felix): Fans will be "pleasantly surprised" with Westworld season 3 . Winter Is Coming . David . Harris . March 14, 2020 . March 18, 2020 . March 23, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200323093108/https://winteriscoming.net/2020/03/13/wic-exclusive-we-talk-to-leonardo-nam-felix-about-westworld-season-3/ . live .
  14. Web site: 'Westworld' Season 3 Trailer Drops, Hinting At A New Direction For The HBO Series . . Bruce . Harling . November 10, 2019 . January 13, 2020 . December 14, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191214220326/https://deadline.com/video/westworld-season-3-trailer-debuts-incite/ . live .
  15. Web site: 'Westworld' Renewed for Season 3 at HBO . . Joe . Otterson . May 1, 2018 . January 13, 2020 . July 20, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190720222707/https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/westworld-renewed-season-3-hbo-1202794092/ . live .
  16. Web site: L.A. What's Filming: HBO's 'Westworld,' Season 3 . Ashley . Steves . June 14, 2019 . January 13, 2020 . . January 13, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200113230502/https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/hbo-westworld-los-angeles-filming-june-2019-68345/ . live .
  17. Web site: 'Westworld' Showrunners on the Series' Bold New Direction for Season 3 . Adam B. . Vary . March 12, 2020 . March 12, 2020 . . March 9, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220309165413/https://variety.com/2020/tv/features/westworld-season-3-hbo-lisa-joy-jonathan-nolan-1203529268/ . live .
  18. Web site: Why Singapore was chosen as a filming location for HBO's hit series Westworld . Genevieve Sarah . Loh . July 11, 2019 . January 13, 2020 . . January 13, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200113225456/https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/trending/westworld-season-3-singapore-11706008 . live .
  19. Web site: Westworld's production designer drew from global architecture to realize 2058 . Shane . Reiner-Roth . April 2, 2020 . April 6, 2020 . . April 6, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200406123003/https://archpaper.com/2020/04/westworld-production-design/ . live .
  20. News: How 'Westworld' Uses Present-Day L.A. to Imagine the Future . Nicholas . Slayton . April 13, 2020 . April 20, 2020 . . February 3, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230203114938/https://www.lamag.com/culturefiles/westworld-locations-los-angeles/ . live .
  21. Westworld season 3 to be 'less of a guessing game,' producers say . Hibberd . James . July 17, 2019 . . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190718131341/https://ew.com/comic-con/2019/07/17/westworld-season-3-interview/ . July 18, 2019 . July 23, 2019.
  22. Web site: Hear a stirring piano version of Guns N' Roses 'Sweet Child O' Mine' in new 'Westworld' trailer . . Charlotte . Krol . February 21, 2020 . April 5, 2020 . April 7, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200407164949/https://www.nme.com/news/tv/hear-a-stirring-piano-version-of-guns-n-roses-sweet-child-o-mine-in-new-westworld-trailer-2613194 . live .
  23. Web site: Sweet Child O' Mine (From Westworld: Season 3) - Single . . February 21, 2020 . April 7, 2020 . April 7, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200407115805/https://music.apple.com/us/album/sweet-child-o-mine-from-westworld-season-3-single/1500091249 . dead .
  24. Web site: Top TV Song Last Week: Doomed by Moses Sumney . Tunefind . April 8, 2020 . May 5, 2020 . February 3, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230203114927/https://www.tunefind.com/blog/2020/04/top-tv-song-doomed-by-moses-sumney-westworld/ . live .
  25. Web site: Wicked Games (From Westworld: Season 3) - Single . . April 5, 2020 . April 7, 2020 . April 7, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200407115803/https://music.apple.com/us/album/wicked-games-from-westworld-season-3-single/1505317420 . dead .
  26. Web site: Westworld: Season 3 (Music from the HBO Series) . . May 4, 2020 . May 4, 2020 . February 3, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230203114927/https://music.apple.com/us/album/westworld-season-3-music-from-the-hbo-series/1511001397 . live .
  27. Watch Aaron Paul Join 'Westworld' in Futuristic Season Three Trailer . Rolling Stone . Emily . Zemler . May 20, 2019 . May 5, 2020.
  28. Web site: The Newest Teaser for Westworld's Next Season Is an Ad for a Menacing Tech Company . Julie . Muncy . November 9, 2019 . February 22, 2020 . . December 2, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191202170943/https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-newest-teaser-for-westworld-s-next-season-is-an-ad-1839743209 . live .
  29. Web site: HBO's 'Westworld' CES Incite Activation Has Creepy Fun With Data Sharing . Dino-Ray . Ramos . January 9, 2020 . January 9, 2020 . . January 10, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200110014753/https://deadline.com/2020/01/hbo-westworld-incite-warnermedia-hbo-max-ces-consumer-electronics-show-1202825934/ . live .
  30. Web site: Westworld's season 3 teaser trailer finally puts the show on a timeline . . Owen S. . Good . January 12, 2020 . January 13, 2020 . January 13, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200113040642/https://www.polygon.com/2020/1/12/21063098/westworld-season-3-release-date-trailer-teaser-video-timeline . live .
  31. 'Westworld' Season 3 Trailer: Androids and Mankind Face Off in 'The New World' . Daniel . Kreps . February 20, 2020 . February 20, 2020 . . February 3, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230203114928/https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/westworld-season-3-trailer-2-955649/ . live .
  32. Web site: Intrepid Fans Found A Set of Hidden Trailers for Westworld Season 3 . Julie . Muncy . February 22, 2020 . February 22, 2020 . . February 23, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200223004434/https://io9.gizmodo.com/intrepid-fans-found-a-set-of-hidden-trailers-for-westwo-1841856510 . live .
  33. Web site: Westworld: Season 3 (2020) . . June 23, 2020 . June 17, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200617104350/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/westworld/s03 . live .
  34. Web site: Westworld: Season 3 Reviews . Metacritic . April 7, 2020 . March 21, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200321101021/https://www.metacritic.com/tv/westworld/season-3 . live .
  35. Web site: Secrets are revealed in an unrevealing way on Westworld . Zack . Handlen . The A.V. Club . April 26, 2020 . May 5, 2020 . May 6, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200506003959/https://tv.avclub.com/secrets-are-revealed-in-an-unrevealing-way-on-westworld-1843091586 . live .
  36. Web site: Westworld offers a shallow hope for the future . Zack . Handlen . The A.V. Club . May 3, 2020 . May 5, 2020 . May 4, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200504184949/https://tv.avclub.com/westworld-offers-a-shallow-hope-for-the-future-1843232670 . live .
  37. Web site: 'Westworld' Season Finale: Brain Damage . Rollin Stone . Sean T. . Collins . May 3, 2020 . May 5, 2020 . May 5, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200505051140/https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-recaps/westworld-season-3-episode-8-crisis-theory-991619/ . live .
  38. Web site: 'Westworld' will be back, but where it goes after that finale is anyone's guess . Lowry . Brian . . May 4, 2020 . May 4, 2020 . May 5, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200505023806/https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/04/entertainment/westworld-season-finale-trnd/index.html . live .
  39. Westworld season 3 leaves the park and loses its way: Review . Kristen . Baldwin . Darren . Franich . . March 6, 2020 . May 4, 2020 . May 1, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200501033820/https://ew.com/tv/tv-reviews/westworld-season-3-review-hbo/ . live .
  40. Web site: 'Westworld' Finale Review: Episode 8 Makes It Hard to See the Beauty in All This Disarray — Spoilers . Ben . Travers . . May 4, 2020 . May 5, 2020 . May 6, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200506064438/https://www.indiewire.com/2020/05/westworld-season-3-episode-8-review-finale-crisis-theory-spoilers-1202229034/ . live .
  41. Web site: Emmy Awards Nominations: The Complete List . Deadline . Patrick . Hipes . July 28, 2020 . July 28, 2020 . July 28, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200728212758/https://deadline.com/2020/07/emmys-nominations-list-72nd-annual-television-nominees-1202996949/ . live .

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