Five ways Westworld could improve in season 3

2. Let the characters drive the story

The first season of Westworld did a better job of giving its characters clearly defined wants and needs. For the hosts, who were trapped in cycles of violence and torture, it was easy: they wanted to break out of their loops. Maeve’s slow story of self-discovery, which saw her turn the park against itself from the inside, was exciting to watch, as was Dolores’ mounting feeling that something was amiss with her reality. When you know what the characters want and why they want it, it’s easy to get invested in their journeys.

In this regard, it looks like season 3 can improve on season 2. We have a new status quo. Dolores and Bernard are out there in the real world. Dolores wants to subjugate human beings. Bernard wants to coexist with them. These desires will drive the characters to make new choices. Maybe they’ll choose the same thing. Maybe they’ll make different decisions and come into conflict. Other characters can choose to follow or oppose them. Whatever happens, it promises to be way more interesting than watching people race to reach some ill-defined endpoint for some hazy reason.

Or at least it will be if the writers let the characters forge their own paths. In season 2, it felt like showrunners Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan had something they wanted to say about human nature and were willing to let the plot drag so they could say it. They have interesting characters. If they let those characters lead the way, they’ll say everything that needs saying.