{"id":6382,"date":"2016-04-03T23:22:52","date_gmt":"2016-04-03T17:52:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=6382"},"modified":"2016-04-03T23:22:52","modified_gmt":"2016-04-03T17:52:52","slug":"coronavirus-bingewatch-when-real-life-gets-apocalyptic-westworlds-sci-fi-dystopia-is-comforting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=6382","title":{"rendered":"Coronavirus Bingewatch: When Real Life Gets Apocalyptic, Westworld\u2019s Sci-Fi Dystopia is Comforting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

T<\/span>wo years ago, the last season of HBO\u2019s science-fiction-by-way-of-philosophy-lecture epic, Westworld<\/em>, came to its conclusion. Ever since, Westworld<\/em> fans can be broadly grouped into two major types: Those who remain invested in its constantly shifting plotlines and ruminations on the nature of free will, and those who were dizzy from the ride and wanted to hop off. Today morning, the show\u2019s third season premiered on Hotstar, and in the first episode, showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy have found a way to cater to both groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though their opinions on the show may differ, both sets of fans \u2013 the loyalists and the wantaways \u2013 were asking the same question: Is it worth returning to Westworld<\/em>? Funnily enough, even Westworld<\/em> doesn\u2019t feel like returning to Westworld (yet), as Season 3\u2019s first episode takes place entirely outside the titular Wild West-themed park. However, despite the new milieu, this is still Westworld<\/em>, and the premiere episode feels familiar to long-time viewers, with more character monologues about free will and feeling powerless over one\u2019s own narrative. Luckily for viewers, these don\u2019t feel indulgent or detract from the pacing of Season 3\u2019s first episode like they did for so much of Season 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the question remains: Is it worth returning to Westworld<\/em>? My answer, for both fans and detractors, is the same: A resounding yes.

The new season of Westworld promises a return to form, to fans both faithful and lapsed.<\/blockquote>
It\u2019s the doubters who are going to need some convincing, and they\u2019re not entirely wrong. Westworld<\/em>\u2019s second season was a case study in unfulfilled potential, and how there can be too much of a good thing. In trying to replicate the appeal of the intricate, elegant puzzle box that was Season 1, the show went off track in Season 2 and became wilfully, stubbornly, even confusingly cryptic, leading to the criticism that the writers were adding mystery just for mystery\u2019s sake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Season 3\u2019s first episode, titled \u201cParce Domini\u201d, marks an attempt at course-correction. Rather than focusing on lofty themes or delivering surprising twists, Nolan and Joy have injected Westworld<\/em>\u2019s plot with a much-needed dose of urgency and pacing. The episode\u2019s main storyline features the android Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) operating under her own will outside the park for the first time, and her violent exploits underscore the message that the time for philosophical monologues has passed. So, for those worried that Westworld<\/em> had devolved into a stoned humanities student\u2019s ramblings masquerading as a TV show, I\u2019m happy to inform that era of the show has passed. \u201cParce Domini\u201d is like a mission statement promising to refrain from straying into the weeds.

It\u2019s the doubters who are going to need some convincing, and they\u2019re not entirely wrong.<\/blockquote>
That doesn\u2019t mean that Westworld<\/em> is completely devoid of its signature character reveries. Only, these are no longer brought to the viewers by the park\u2019s dozens of robotic hosts discovering their sentience, but via a new human character, a blue-collar war veteran named Caleb (Aaron Paul). Using Caleb as a single conduit for these ideas, as opposed to a vast array of tertiary characters, gives them a sharpness that was missing in Season 2. Caleb\u2019s helplessness to improve his lot in life reflects the frustration the hosts felt at having to repeat their fixed loops in the park in the earlier seasons. Knowing that Caleb is in fact a flesh-and-blood person and not a pre-programmed robot makes his predicament even more sympathetic and poignant than we\u2019ve seen with some of the secondary characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new season of Westworld<\/em> promises a return to form, to fans both faithful and lapsed. It feels refreshed, yet familiar, and there is a sense of purpose to the plot that was missing in the last season. All of which adds up to being a good reason to revisit HBO\u2019s garden of violent delights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And for those who\u2019ve never been, there\u2019s no good reason to continue missing out. All three seasons of Westworld<\/em> are available for streaming, and with a global coronavirus pandemic<\/a> coinciding with the new season\u2019s release, there\u2019s enough time to sit on the couch and binge the whole series. When real life feels apocalyptic, Westworld\u2019s<\/em> science-fiction dystopia feels oddly comforting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Those worried that Westworld had devolved into a stoned humanities student\u2019s ramblings masquerading as a TV show, I\u2019m happy to inform that era of the show has passed. So is it worth returning to Westworld? For fans, detractors, and even people quarantined because of the coronavirus, the answer is a resounding yes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":6383,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10108],"tags":[10392,1462,1341,5237,2315,2963,3710],"class_list":["post-6382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coronavirus","tag-bingewatch","tag-hbo","tag-netflix","tag-serial","tag-series","tag-tv-show","tag-westworld"],"yoast_head":"\nCoronavirus Bingewatch: When Real Life Gets Apocalyptic, Westworld\u2019s Sci-Fi Dystopia is Comforting<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Those worried that Westworld had devolved into a stoned humanities student\u2019s ramblings masquerading as a TV show, I\u2019m happy to inform that era of the show has passed. So is it worth returning to Westworld? 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