9: am PT by Josh Wigler
“I was born into this world, and my first memories of it are pain.” So speaks Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood), the artificial intelligence icon who broke free from the park confines of Westworld at the end of season two, trading her original world for a new one – our world, to be precise, albeit with some pivotal technological upgrades.
That nearish-future version of our world is front and center in the brand-new official trailer for Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy’s science fiction series, returning for its third season on March 20, with veterans like Thandie Newton and Jeffrey Wright along for the ride , as well as space for newcomers, including Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul.
Dropping with time to spare before the premiere, the latest look at Westworld season three is far and away the best one yet. Composer Ramin Djawadi provides a piano cover of Guns N ‘Roses’ “Sweet Child of Mine,” as the trailer electrically clarifies multiple plot points established only as teasers up until now. For instance:
• Will the Westworld park still exist in season three, despite its veritable abandonment in season two? Looks like the answer is a yes, albeit the exact form remains unknown. Jeffrey Wright’s Bernard is seen near the iconic church in the park at one point, though it’s not clear if he is reliving an old memory, is actually at the park itself or is building something new yet familiar.
• How will Thandie Newton’s Maeve return to the story, after her death in season two? The Comic-Con trailer offered an answer of sorts, depicting Maeve in a Nazi-occupied locale that may or may not be a new park. (More grimly, given the season’s 2020 s setting, it’s possible the location isn ‘t a Nazi-themed park at all but a place where Nazis reign freely with power.) The latest trailer shows Maeve crossing paths with Vincent Cassell’s new character, who gives her a mission: Track down Dolores and kill her.
• Dolores, meanwhile, is seen in various scenes opposite Aaron Paul’s Caleb, a construction worker in Los Angeles who becomes a key part of whatever the rebellious host is planning. She suggests that a person – or even a “something” – has been watching Caleb and is responsible for taking away his future.
• If the person is someone we already know, there’s a very likely suspect in the trailer: William, aka the Man in Black, played by Ed Harris. The dark gunslinger is seen clad in all white, clearly imprisoned or institutionalized. “Welcome to the end of the game,” Dolores tells him at one point. For his part, the Man in Black’s quest-craving mood remains intact, as he later expresses a plot of his own: “I’m going to save the fucking world.”
• What’s next for Luke Hemsworth’s Stubbs, revealed at the end of season two as an undercover host? Jury’s out, but at least we know one of his scene partners: Bernard, the two of them working in concert as Dolores moves forward with a plan to do things “the old-fashioned way: We kill everyone.”
• “The old gods are coming, and they are very angry,” Dolores says at the end of the trailer. She’s standing on a dark highway across from a familiar face: Maeve, once again wielding a sword, not unlike her Shogun World days. The Dolores and Maeve showdown may finally be upon us, mere weeks away.
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