Westworld creator promises they know how the show will end
Westworld season 2 has come and gone, but people are still talking about that mindbending finale, and where the show will go from here.
Not everyone loved the second season, with outlets accusing it of everything from falling far short of fan expectations to being the biggest letdown since True Detective season 2. So if the show’s timeline jumps and overbearing monologues left you adrift, you weren’t alone; some fans are wondering if all the show’s careful plotting and subtle symbolism aren’t going to add up to anything in the end. On a show that leaves as many bread crumbs as this one, that could be a big problem. Are the showrunners just making all this up as they go along?
But fear not: speaking to Stuff, creator and shorunner Lisa Joy said that she and her husband/co-creator Jonathan Nolan have known what the end of Westworld would look like since the start:
"We have an ending in mind; we’ve had it from the pilot. It’s very emotional, I think. I can’t tell you exactly when that ending will come but I think for every season what we try to do is tell a chapter of the story that gives you closure and then opens a door to a new chapter. The overarching question of the series is, what will become of this new lifeform? So I feel it would be irresponsible to not have an end goal in mind."
It’s reassuring to know that the creators know what they’re working towards, although if you’ve been paying attention since season 1, you probably always knew this would be the story of the hosts fighting to survive in man’s world.
Speaking of new lifeforms, Joy doesn’t think people are taking the rapid development of AI seriously enough. “I think people tend to minimize the threat of AI, in part because shows like ours do a disservice to it,” she said. “If you’re expecting AI to come and the only way that it’s a threat is if it looks like Evan Rachel Wood and carries a gun, then you’re probably right to not be afraid – because that’s not how AI is going to develop.”
Instead, Joy is worried about corporations gathering data on people to the point where they can predict our actions, something else the second season of Westworld explored.
"That doesn’t seem so farfetched at all – you just have to log on to Amazon or Google. The computer knows what I need before I do; they know when I need more diapers, they know what kind of clothes I’m going to like. It’s storing data on you – and data in itself I guess is harmless, until you can aggregate it and start to selectively curate reality for individuals."
If anyone needs me, I’ll be clearing my browser history and converting my basement into a doomsday shelter. Someone poke me when Westworld season 3 comes on the air, if the robots haven’t taken over by then. Until then, you can catch up on seasons 1 and 2 at HBO NOW.
Next: Westworld season 2, episode 10 recap: “The Passenger”
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h/t Study Break, LRM