The second season of “Westworld” premiered on April 22, 2018. After a shocking and mind-boggling first season, the second season is setting up to be just as surprising.
The first season of Westworld was like nothing that has ever been seen before on television. The show takes place in the future in a technological-advanced amusement park called Westworld. In the park, the guests interact with “hosts,” robots that are designed to act like humans and are programmed to think that they are. The people attending the park can get the feeling of what it was like to live in the Wild West without risking their lives.
The story focuses on many characters, one of them being Delores (Evan Rachel Wood). Delores is a host who begins to glitch, which allows her to realize that her reality is fabricated. Along with Delores, Maeve (Thandie Newton), another host, begins having memories that she had in another life before she was reprogrammed, allowing her to realize what is going on and to become self-aware. Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) is in charge of programming these hosts, and as he is trying to figure out what is happening to them, he discovers something shocking about himself.
The series premiered on October 2, 2016 with 10 episodes, ending on December 4, 2016. The show was quickly renewed for a second season in November 2016 due to its massive popularity and great reviews. In fact, it is the most watched first season of any HBO original series.
The premiere of the second season was just as mysterious as the first, but does not pick up directly after the first. The show tends to jump between different times and flashbacks, leaving many unanswered gaps in between that leave the viewers wanting more.
Freshman Gerard Piccini says, “I really like how the show switches between times and characters because it adds a mysterious element to the show. Sometimes it’s impossible to tell when things are happening in the present, past, or future, which makes the show so mind-boggling.”
There are many things in the premiere of the second season and all throughout the first that set the show apart from others. The foreshadowing and plot twists throughout the series are used to perfection. In the first season, things happen so fast and so many things change that re-watching the season is almost necessary to understand the previous episodes. So far in the second season, there have been so many small details that will mean something in the future, but as of now, the audience has to wait and see.
Also, the development of the characters in the series is incredible. At the beginning of season one, characters like Delores are completely different than they are now. Originally, Delores was fairly innocent and kind, but her experiences have caused her to take a darker turn.
Freshman Andrew Nazarenko says, “The character development in ‘Westworld’ is absolutely insane. Because the show is so fast-paced, characters can completely change within a short time period. There are so many tragic things happening to the characters that really shape them into who they are now.”
The emotions that the show causes the audience to feel make “Westworld” so intriguing as well. The connection between the viewers and the characters allow them to feel for the characters in the show.
The major difference so far in the series is the shifting of the main character from Delores to Bernard. Delores’ story was the main focus of season one, showing the process of her discovering who or what she really is and how it changed her character. Season two, however, is taking a deeper look into Bernard’s character and his conflicted relationship between humans and hosts.
What is also interesting to note is that the title sequence of the show has changed. This season, the title sequence has clips of a buffalo, a mother and her child, and a flood. These will likely have a large part in season two because the title sequence tends to hint at what is going to happen in the show.
Season two looks to expand on the idea of what it means to be alive, and if the hosts are any less human than real people. It will also look into what the true desires of humans are and their savage nature. The premiere is just the beginning, and in “Westworld” anything can happen.
Would you consider watching “Westworld?” Why or why not?
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