The Season 1 finale of Westworld was some of the best television of 2016, and the bar is high as we head towards Season 2. How do you pick things up after such a chaotic ending that featured an uprising, a change of heart, and a major death? The executive producers are remaining tight-lipped about the major story elements, but they did drop a little info regarding where Season 2 begins in the quote below:
We are definitely not picking up right where we left off.
Seems like a smart decision to fast forward through time after such a traumatic event, provided that's what happens.
In case you don't remember what happened in the final moments of Westworld's Season 1, Dolores shot Robert Ford in the back of the head at a gala celebrating the big reveal of a new storyline he was working on. The audience then saw the hosts descending upon the human guests in attendance. Was the action all part of Robert's plan, or was it the deceased former partner Arnold's doing? Did Dolores actually kill the real Robert Ford? The show has tricked us so many times before, it's hard to believe anything we saw truly happened the way it was presented.
Cliffhanger aside, there's a lot more to chew on than just the robot rebellion. Remember that Bernard (who is actually a robot version of Arnold) informed Maeve prior to her escape that she was reprogrammed to want to escape Westworld. Maeve successfully escapes only to re-enter the park, presumably for her "daughter". Where will this new time jump place her?
That's hard to say for sure, as reports prior to EW's findings have seen shakeups as interesting as the Season 2 time shift. Minor cast member Talulah Riley (Angela) has been promoted to a series regular and her character description has left some cryptic clues that have Westworld fan theorists reeling. Another minor cast member Louis Herthum, who you'll remember as the broken father of Dolores, has been upgraded to series regular as well. How will these hosts play into the presumed assault on humanity?
Speaking of humanity, what's going to happen to William? Jimmi Simpson is unsure whether or not he'll be used for Season 2 last we heard for him, which is a shame because I love young William. As for Ed Harris, he was badly bruised heading into the event, but alive and well and armed with the knowledge that "the maze wasn't meant for him". Considering William is the most seasoned patron of Westworld, I would imagine his past and present stories will be integral to unlocking some of the show's greater mysteries going forward.
Season 2 of Westworld likely won't release until 2018, but we'll be sure to let you know should a concrete date or more details on the series be revealed. Head over to our midseason premiere guide and summer premiere schedule and find some new shows to watch while you wait for more info to pop up on our "what we know" guide for Westworld.
