Westworld, adapted from a 1973 film of the same name that was written & directed by Michael Crichton. The show starts Anthony Hopkins, Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton, Aaron Paul, Jeffrey Wright and Ed Harris. The show was created by Jonathan Nolan & Lisa Joy. It has been 8 years since we got the first season of Westworld. I came across the show during the pandemic. Having heard a lot about it I tuned myself in and what a great decision it was. The 1st Season of the show was absolutely flawless, it was felt like watching a Nolan series. The element of time so wonderfully played around with. It had twists that were genuinely surprising. The 1st Season of course ended on a huge a cliffhanger. Thankfully the 2nd Season picked up from where the 1st had left us.
As excited as I was for the 2nd Season, the more disappointed I was. The main reason for that is the sheer brilliance of the 1st that was almost impossible to replicate. It was evident, the creators are trying to replicate the mind bending story of the 1st. The problem with it was they went so overboard with the multiple timeline and non-linear way of story that it felt forced on a story that was genuinely compelling. The 2nd Season too ended on a note of uncertainty. It looked like in the 3rd Season they learnt from their mistakes and tried to tell a more grounded story. The subplots and characters were also limited as the episode count was chopped from 10 to 8. Although, it seemed like they learnt from their mistakes, a new problem had risen in the 3rd Season.
It felt as they don’t have a compelling story anymore. The story they wanted to tell was over long ago and this felt like a cheap extension of it. However, like the previous seasons of the show, the 3rd Season too shared ideas or concepts that raised dramatic questions but it lacked the story power. The whole idea of amalgamating the Western and Dystopian Sci-Fi genres was lost. With the end of Season 3 it felt like Westworld is done but not quite, HBO quickly renewed it for another season. After almost 2 years of the 3rd, we have Westworld Season 4, continuing Season 3’s story. The 1st Episode titled “The Auguries” is out. Does it absolve the past seasons of the show? Is it really worth watching again?
WARNING – The Following section Contains Spoilers for the Episode
Rating – ★★
Westworld Season 4 Episode 1 Review – “The Auguries”
It seems like everyone, host William and Charlotte are behind the info Dolores hid in Bernard’s mind. That appears to be very important to Delos. However, in the first episode we’re unaware whether Delos still exists or no, given the events of Season 3. After this, we’re shown the new new intro of the Season coupled with the soul soothing yet haunting track by Ramin Djawadi. Soon we meet Christina, Evan Rachel Wood’s new character, who works for a company named Olympiad Entertainment. They seem to create games and hence require writers to create stories for them. She lives a flat mate and is getting calls from an unknown paranoid person.
Maeve appears to be laying low somewhere in the woods and Caleb has settled down with a wife and daughter. Oh this might be good time sprinkle in this detail- It is set 7 years after Season 3! I mean why? Maeve is attacked by William’s men and so is Caleb’s daughter. They team up to stop William with whatever he is up to. Christina appears to be human but the calls she is getting suggests the story she is writing, people are living them. This is an assumption, Westworld hasn’t really been kind for answers. She sees someone has painted The Maze figure in her apartment. This gives it away that she indeed is Dolores but maybe doesn’t have the same pearl or her memories were deleted or are malfunctioning.
The episode ends with Teddy, yes, the same guy who she killed in Season 2. He is back and it appears he is on a mission to wake her up from this limbo mode she is in. That’s it. The first episode fails in answering any questions we had from Season 3’s ending. We don’t see Charlotte, Bernard, Stubbs. We don’t know what is up with Dolores or rather Christina. Frankly,, we have no clue why anything is happening as of yet. It felt like watching an extension of Season 3’s resolution. The main story I suspect would begin in Episode 2 or I hope it does. The one thing I hate that the show always manages to repeat is why can’t it just let its characters to die? Everyone comes back.
Verdict
Trust me as a fan of the show, I wanted to like this Episode but it seems like Westworld has gone beyond the point of saving. It seems any addition to the series will only lead to its destruction. The show was at its peak in Season 1 and every season since has deteriorated in quality. I can only hope the Season 4 betters as we move ahead but the start isn’t looking promising. The one thing I think the 1st episode did well was to tell a coherent story with no sudden jumps and alternate timelines. I hope they continue with this further. To wrap up, I think Westworld Season 4 Episode 1- “The Auguries” is a 2 out 5. This me being generous. Let me know what did think of Season 4 Episode 1. Do you agree with my thoughts or do you have your comment?
Westworld Season 4 Episode 1 is streaming on HBO Max or Disney+ depending on the region you live. New episodes will debut on every Sunday 9 pm ET or Monday 6.30 am IST.
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