Westworld season 4 writer Alison Schapker breaks down the show's latest park story and how it connects to its recurring themes. The HBO science fiction series returned for its long-awaited season 4 on June 26, debuting a little over two years after Westworld season 3 came to a close. The series stars Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton, Tessa Thompson, Jeffrey Wright, Ed Harris, Aaron Paul, and James Marsden, who returns after being absent in season 3. Due to its ambitious and twisting plotlines, Westworld has often fielded criticism for its approach to its storytelling; so far, though, season 4 is offering up a newer world.
Westworld season 4 takes place seven years after the events of season 3 and continues to explore the show's thesis of artificial life on a dystopian Earth. The series began primarily set in an Old West-style immersive theme park, before moving out of it in the third season. Westworld season 4 has featured the introduction of the 1920s Prohibition-era gangster park, the Golden Age. At the end of Westworld season 4, episode 2, Newton's Maeve and Paul's Caleb arrive in the new park thanks to the machinations of Charlotte Hale (Thompson) and are expected to stay for a while.
When asked by io9 (via Gizmodo) how Westworld's new park will subvert tropes, Schapker ties it into the main themes present throughout the show. She talks about the familiarity of returning to a park in contrast to the characters' development since their introduction, and how it affects them going back into a simulated environment, largely hinting at what it means for the entire season. Read her full quote below:
I feel like in some ways, the show’s metaphors really do apply to the writing process. We are, kind of every season, taking a loop and that loop is getting bigger, and it almost starts to feel maze-like a little bit in terms of the obstacles to that path. But I think we wanted to tell a bigger story this season; [creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy] really had this vision. They could tell you what all the seasons are about. And this one very much was about now that Hosts have left the park, now that we freed ourselves from this kind of—I want to say, like a more incipient moment of being controlled by algorithms and big data and all that stuff. We think maybe we put the genie back in the bottle, but can you ever? And if you can’t, where will this go? Where could this go? Those are very much questions that have an almost loop-like quality, but hopefully more like in that spirally sense of you’re getting somewhere new with each season’s go-round. I think in season four, hopefully fans will go on a ride, and I think we do go somewhere new and bold.
With Westworld season 3 being criticized for its muddled plot and lackadaisical world-building, it's a smart move for the writers to have a richer setting that harkens back to the show's early days. Schapker talks about how Westworld's stories often go in loops, and the new Prohibition era setting suggests a return to familiarity through simulated history. At the same time, the added character growth and world building from Westworld season 3 can add expanded context and make this less of a rehash of what has come before.
Though it's too soon to tell if Westworld will be able to regain the audience it lost with its last season, the writers' continued commitment to ambitious storytelling and weighty themes is worth commending. Science fiction has always been a useful tool for exploring where society is going, and what steps will have to be taken to get there, and Westworld remains a fascinating example, despite some narrative shortcomings. As long as Westworld season 4 commits to being more accessible, and continues expanding on its fascinating ensemble, Schapker and the other writers can keep exploring the bigger themes of the series with the ambitious drive that made the show a hit. With a new park now opened up, it will be interesting to see where Westworld will go next.
Westworld season 4 releases new episodes Sundays at 9pm EST on HBO.
Source: io9 (via Gizmodo)