Anyone else here care besides me?

Season 4 of "Westworld" comes back on 6/26 on HBO. I am quite pumped up about it especially since I'm pretty sure this will be the final season.

Yep, I'll be watching it but maybe with 'Matrix sequel-like' expectations.

It seems that any sci-fi series that starts out well will degenerate into more CGI 'action' or fighting trying to divert attention from an increasingly ridiculous plot.

While I've been enjoying the show now just as much as I did when it first premiered, I can completely understand why some fans have tuned out of the series. The multiple time structure used for season 2 confused a lot of viewers.

I'm an old dude, and saw the original movie in the theater. I was interested in the series when it first started, but once it changed into a different kind of show, I just lost interest. I don't like getting into a show and then it completely changing to a different approach, I guess.

I assume you are referring to season 3? If yes, then I can definitely see where you are coming from. There were some major changes with season 3.

I thought all three series were visually stunning, but also being an old dude, I had to go online to get a walkthrough of what I just watched after every episode.
When the first series of Westworld first came out, I had just watched first series of ST:TOS which was produced almost exactly 50 years earlier and I found the contrast quite stark.
This made me realize that I'd generally prefer the 'televised theatre' of ST that doesn't require much effort to watch than these over-convoluted plots which only just make sense once the series is over.

Crime dramas seem to have gone this way as well.

Yes, after the changes with Anthony Hopkins’ and Jeffrey Wright’s characters, and a shift away from the park setting, as far as I could tell.

Mostly my issue with the show is Season 2. Watch first and last episode, skip the rest and miss nothing.

Season 3 was okay but I stopped watching on the second to last episode I think. I think season 1 was really good, but the writers dropped the ball afterwards and could have gone in completely different directions yielding a more interesting story.

For complex, evolving multi-layered plots watch "Mr. Robot" to completion to see this done right, or perhaps "12 Monkeys"(the series) to a slightly lesser degree.

A couple of my friends at work (fellow scifi geeks) described season 3 of Westworld as a "Blade Runner spin-off series". That's actually quite accurate!

I don't know if anyone else here saw the season 4 opener tonight but here's my spoiler-free review:


The show has reinvented itself again it seems with putting familiar characters in very unfamiliar circumstances. Don't try to find any answers or try to fully comprehend what is going on because this episode is 100% set-up for what will happen later in the season. If you have been watching the show since season 1 and you have a fairly good grasp of where the story left off at the end of season 3 then by all means, I highly recommend you watch season 4. If you are one of those who maybe watched the first season but then drifted away sometime during season 2 or 3 then quite honestly I don't recommend season 4 because you will be completely lost and frustrated!

Having said all of that, The producers of the series (Joy and Nolan) are absolutely fearless when it comes to making major creative changes in their story-telling. Even with these major changes though, you can clearly see a parallel between "Christina's" life and the life of Dolores during season 1. For clarification, "Christina" is played by Evan Rachel Wood but that's all I'm divulging right now. smile

Definitely a setting things up episode. Let’s see how it develops…

Based on that, I’d say the production budget has been slashed.

Personally, I have trouble differentiating the ‘guys with beards’ characters (Caleb, Hector etc) ,especially when the context changes all the time.

Anyway, I'll be tuning in for the next episode.

Two episodes in and it’s quite clear what the master plan is from “Charlotte” and William (host version). “Christina’s” storyline is still a mystery and we haven’t even seen Bernard yet but I think we will see him in episode 3.

"it's quite clear what the master plan is" Really?

I suppose Bernard waking up explains why things are kicking off again after a gap of a few years, but hard to guess why.

There isn't any link between the Christina thread and the rest as far as I''ve seen, which is probably some sort of simulation due to the 'supernatural' goings on.

I have a theory about where this might all be going, but that would pretty much rule out a Season 5 if they go that route.

No spoilers of course but that ending of episode 3 was really freaky and disturbing wasn't it?

Thanks for the 'No spoilers' as we're a day behind the release in the USA. Anybody who's into WW will have seen this by now, so I'm not so concerned about giving anything away and the following is mostly speculation...

Not sure about' freaky and disturbing' but a lot of effort was put into getting those main characters into that position. The flies remind be a bit of the X-Files black liquid, but no doubt their true purpose will be revealed later.
Nice to see Bernard again, but have no idea what he's up to.

I have to say that was quite a brilliant reveal concerning Caleb near the end of tonight's episode.

I don't bother trying to speculate anymore, but am enjoying this series more than I thought I would.

Only 4 more episodes to go so hopefully we'll get more answers to some of these mysteries.

And yet another brilliant mind fu** episode last night! This show just keeps surprising me.

I'm half expecting Charlotte to snap her fingers and change into Q. ''oh, come on Jean-Luc..."