Is William (The Man in Black) still alive?
Is Dolores gone for good?
Prior to the post-credits, at the climax of theWestworldseason 3 finale, viewers are privy to the Maeve (Thandie Newton) and Caleb (Aaron Paul) duo as they exit the Incite building, leaving Dolores’s lifeless shell behind still strapped to the now-deleted Rehoboam. Despite the erasure of her entire memory log, Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) could still very well be back in action for Season 4. The crushing of Hector’s data ball by the Dolores in Charlotte’s body (Tessa Thompson) in episode 6 is proof that hosts can survive until their minds are completely compromised, allowing only a small glimmer of hope for her continued survival. With no indication of her being alive or dead at the end of season 3, Dolores emulates the similarly situated William, existing in a Schrödinger’s cat predicament of uncertainty. Like opening the box in that thought experiment, only season 4 can alleviate the data-clogged confusion.
AVariety interviewwithWestworldco-writer and creator Jonathan Nolan casts only more unknowns upon the character’s future role in the series. Upon being asked if Evan Rachel Wood would be leaving the show, Nolan states, following a six-second delay:
“I f—– hope not. Let me clarify. Dolores is gone … I think it’s important with a show in which death is impermanent — these are robots, after all — to mark the occasion with Dolores. That version of that character is gone.”
What happened to Stubbs and why is Bernard covered in dust?
Will Halores continue copying the plot ofFutureworld?
What of Maeve and Caleb?
The unlikely pair share the screen at the end ofWestworldseason 3 with little to go on other than a world now cracked open to their choosing. As Maeve relates to Caleb under the backdrop of a city split asunder, echoing her past lines from Season 1 as the park’s brothel madam:
“This is the new world and, in this world, you’re able to be whoever the f— you want.”
It’s anyone’s best guess what Maeve and Caleb might be up to in season 4, though it’s entirely dependent upon if they remain attached at the hip. With a host-wrought future presented by the menacing Halores, Caleb and Maeve might be better off together in staving off yet another far more gruesome apocalypse. Though, even when joining forces, can they expect to beat the Dolores-Charlotte offshoot and her forthcoming host army? Thus, a speculatory door opens upon the potential return of Lawrence (Clifton Collins Jr.), whose brief appearance in the season 3 finale most certainly leads into a more pivotal season 4 role.
Venturing with uncontrolled abandon into speculation town, variousReddit userselicit an even more critical question on when the follow-up might take place: Shortly after the events of season 3 or exponentially further into the timeline? Harkening back on theWestworldseason 2 post-credit scene and even the plot of that season taking place in the near-future span of two weeks, a hefty time-jump isn’t beyond the bounds of the HBO series. Fan conjectures still swirl in the background and will continue to grow as the wait forWestworldseason 4 only just now starts ticking.
With a slatedtwo seasonsfollowing its fourth outing,Westworldis in for one wild if not harrowing future, blending its ever-present sci-fi tropes with post-apocalyptic horror and cyberpunk noir to deliver a promising new batch of content hopefully by 2021.
