Westworld is the bleakest show on television, or at least the bleakest show that also has a mondo-sized budget behind it. The series follows Dolores Abernathy (Evan Rachel Wood), a lifelike robot — or “host” — built to please visitors of a futuristic theme park who gains sentience and makes it her mission to topple humanity, whatever that means. It’s very possible this show could end with humanity’s extinction at the hands of the mechanical “gods” we ourselves made. It’s heavy.
Or is it? If you go by a new trailer recently uncovered by fans, the show’s upcoming third season is going to be a sweet romantic romp about Dolores falling for mild-mannered human construction worker Caleb (Aaron Paul), whom she meets now that she’s left the titular theme park where she was born and has been set loose on the human world:
“I’m just a girl trapped in this mechanical body, and I’m starting to fall for you.” That could have been a line from a Julia Roberts romantic comedy from the ’90s…with a few tweaks. And the music! And the tagline! “The show you love is back…New and improved…And 35% more romantic.” The show clearly knows what it’s doing.
But don’t expect the actual episodes to have this jaunty tone. They’ll more likely be along the lines of this other hidden trailer — HBO has been squirreling them away all over — which is a lot more grim.
Also, beware, because there are some SPOILER-y images in this one:
I’m sorry, did we catch that image of Dolores with her arm chopped off at the elbow? Did Maeve Millay (Thandie Newton) do that? We have seen her walking around in trailers with a samurai sword, and we know that she’s been sent to stop Dolores’ anti-humanity crusade.
Maeve also puts a darker spin of Dolores’ meet cute with Caleb, comparing him to William (Ed Harris). “You’ve turned a young man before, haven’t you?” she asks. “Unleashed the darkness inside him?”
Caleb, if you think Dolores is some kind of romantic comedy dream girl, I might reconsider.
Westworld season 3 premieres on March 15.
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