Five ways Westworld could improve in season 3
By Dan Selcke
5. Nix the timeline jumps
In season 1, Westworld presented viewers with multiple timelines. In the past, a young man named William (Jimmi Simpson) ventured through the park, fell in love with Dolores, and got to know the darker recesses of his own mind. Much later in time, the Man in Black (Ed Harris) violently tore through the park searching for the elusive “maze.” Only at the end of the season did we learn that the two men were one and the same — until then, it was possible to believe the two characters were going on separate journeys concurrently. It was a clever way to underline how the park could change the lives of its guests.
We also jumped around in time a lot in season 2, courtesy of Bernard’s scrambled memories. But unlike the William-MIB parallel stories, these time jumps were very noticeable, and intentionally so. Yes, they were also covering for a plot twist (Bernard nerfed his own memories so the humans couldn’t extract any useful information out of him; specifically, he didn’t want them finding out he had installed Dolores’ mind into a new host modeled after Charlotte Hale), but we didn’t need clashing timelines for that twist to be effective. As used in season 2, the time jumps were more annoying than clever.
In season 3, I hope the show tells its story chronologically. The characters have a new start, and should be strong enough to carry the narrative without relying on what increasingly look like editing tricks. Making the audience piece together a few things can add to the experience. Making them piece together everything is tedious.
We’re not sure how long we’ll have to wait until Westworld season 3. When it finally comes around, I hope it’ll be bigger, bolder, and a shade more coherent.
Next: “Alexa, open Westworld”—Amazon’s new game lets you be a host
To stay up to date on everything Game of Thrones, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Watch Game of Thrones for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channel