Season 1 of HBO’s Westworld was a whirlwind of a new television universe for fans to immerse themselves in and an internet overflowing with theories on what direction the show might take. So, here’s a quick refresher ahead of the Season 2 premiere on Sunday night just in case you don’t have 10 hours spare to watch Season 1 all over again.
Westworld Season 1 Synopsis
Westworld is the name of a theme park that caters to people who like an immersive experience when on holidays. For a fee, people can board the train to Westworld and become a part of the Wild West.
Within Westworld are “hosts” which is just a fancy world for robots that look and act exactly like humans. In fact, as viewers discovered by the end of Season 1 of Westworld , sometimes it is impossible to distinguish between hosts and humans — here’s looking at you Bernard.
Alongside the hosts are “narratives.” These are story loops that play out repeatedly. Depending on how humans interact with the hosts and narratives depends on how the storyline plays out.
A person’s experience in Westworld can be as vanilla or as spicy as they like. From sex to murder, Westworld allows all of it. However, while humans can kill hosts, hosts cannot kill humans.
As to be expected in a world filled with the artificial intelligence of the hosts, things start to go wrong. When “revelries” are introduced, some hosts start glitching. As for others, well, they are well on their way to becoming sentient beings. By the end of Season 1 of Westworld , some hosts have managed to rise up and Season 2 looks set to explore this conflict.
Westworld Season 2 Expectations
Season 1 of Westworld saw many mysteries still remaining. However, as for the fates of Elsie Hughes and Ashley Stubbs, they have survived according to Variety . Alongside this, while Dr. Ford is dead and Anthony Hopkins won’t be back to reprise the role, Ford will still occur in Season 2 of Westworld to some capacity, albeit a younger version of him that will occur in flashbacks.
If you are not a fan of the Wild West and were wondering if Westworld Season 2 will expand out into other fantasy lands such as was suggested in the Season 1 finale, then Season 2 will please you. Variety also states that Shogun World be present in Season 2 of Westworld . However, the show’s creators have not yet confirmed whether Westworld will expand outside of those two worlds.
As Variety has also pointed out, there are plenty or newcomers to Season 2 of Westworld . The new cast members include the following.
- Vikings actor Gustaf Skarsgard who plays Karl Strand. He is described as someone who is “comfortable in the field.”
- The Leftovers actress Katja Herbers will play Grace, a “seasoned guest.”
- Rogue One actor Fares Fares will play Antoine Costa, a “tech expert.”
- Alongside the above new Westworld regulars will be Betty Gabriel, Jonathan Tucker, and Neil Jackson in recurring roles. Gabriel will play a character called Marling who “restore order on the ground.” Tucker will play commanding military officer Major Craddock. According to Deadline , Jackson’s character, Nicholas, is described as “a charming, resourceful man who finds himself in uncharted territory.”
You can also view the trailer for Season 2 of Westworld below.
Finally, if you are brave and have plenty of time up your sleeves, you can fall down the Reddit rabbit hole with the subreddit /r/westworld . Just be careful the show’s creators don’t Rickroll you though.
Season 2 of HBO’s Westworld premieres on Sunday, April 22, at 9 p.m. ET.