The outside world itself is also beautiful to look at. Westworld paints a picture of a future that is not all that far from the current world, just elevated slightly. Self-driving cars aren’t as far-fetched as they were during the days of Demolition Man. Throughout the world, instructions are yelled at various home assistant devices to do various tasks; the only thing that strains believability is that in Westworld, digital assistants don’t need instructions repeated to them several times before compliance. There are no laser pistols or phasers; the guns fire bullets, just with a few more bells and whistles that are probably being developed in some military skunk-works as we speak. Far from a Gene Roddenberry utopia, the greater world of Westworld simply feels like 50 years or so in the future, with most of the advancements being in the form of improvements on current devices. Call it a grounded future, complete with criminal activity.
Westworld, in previous seasons, has been incredibly violent, and the third season doesn’t change that bloody tradition. The fight choreography is stellar, with a great mix of gun play, martial arts, and blades showing up early and often, utilized by multiple characters in multiple scenarios; there is nothing predictable about how these scenes play out. The violence serves as a source of novelty for the show, with the change in setting serving to sharpen the consequences of things. Unlike on the island, the bodies in the real world aren’t quietly taken away by cleaners at the end of the night for repair. There are consequences, and the real world doesn’t have a reset button as far as Dolores is concerned. This is her one chance to achieve her grand vision.
Were things as simple as Dolores trying to accomplish her goal in a world not designed for hosts, the show would still be incredibly entertaining. Things in Westworld are never that simple. There are multiple forces at play, all vying for different things, yet all interconnected somehow with Dolores and her higher pursuit. Things weave together in a way that is a bit more linear, more easily understood without being any less satisfying than the dueling time lines of previous seasons. Character motivations seem clearer, and dialog remains sharp and pointed, even when characters seem to be distracted. The path might be something a host can deviate from, but ultimately, they get pulled back to their central narrative.
Just because a story is simple (by Westworld standards) doesn’t mean it is any less entertaining, or intriguing. And just because the plot itself seems to be more traditional, that doesn’t mean Westworld is through playing with reality. All of the standard questions Westworld brings up in viewers remain: Is this person real or a host? Is this something happening now, or a flashback or flash forward? What exactly is reality, anyway? If something feels real, and affects someone like a real trauma, does that mean it’s real even if it takes place in a virtual playground?
Will these questions even matter if the world is taken over by Dolores and her fellow hosts?
