Star James Marsden, who returns to the series after season 3's absence, teases the violent story and themes Westworld season 4 has in store. HBO's cerebral sci-fi series was created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, loosely based upon the 1973 film Westworld written and directed by Michael Crichton, author of the Jurassic Park novels. Westworld season 1 begins inside the titular Wild West-themed amusement park populated with hosts who allow high-paying patrons to indulge in wild and violent fantasies without any fear of repercussions. As the hosts gradually gain consciousness and escape Westworld, the show has strayed further and further from its amusement park premise.
Evan Rachel Wood previously led Westworld's ensemble cast as prime host Dolores Abernathy who sacrificed herself to destroy the dominant supercomputer known as Rehoboam at the end of season 3. In Westworld season 4, Wood will be playing a mysterious new character reminiscent of Dolores, a writer named Christina who lives in a futuristic city with her roommate, played by recent Oscar winner Ariana DeBose (West Side Story). Christina is also dating a man played by James Marsden, who also appears to be playing a new character following his season 3 absence.
During a recent interview with EW, Marsden talked about his return to Westworld and teased season 4's violent story and themes. According to the actor, the upcoming season will continue to explore humanity's inclination towards violence and control and whether or not the hosts will inherit these urges. Read what Marsden said below:
The themes of exploring human urges of violence and things like that are going to continue. And this season maybe we explore what the world looks like after Dolores set the humans and the robots free. Are they going to cooperate or are they going to vie for control? What happens when they vie for control? Will the hosts inherit these urges of violence? Some of the basic things that we continue to explore on this show, and definitely in season 4 — we ask a lot of those questions. What happens next?
Marsden's character, Teddy, died by suicide in season 2 when Dolores reprograms him to become a ruthless killer, which his host brain couldn't handle. Dolores also died at the end of season 3, but it appears the former host lovers will now be reuniting in Westworld season 4 as they take on different forms outside the park. Even though the show's setting and characters have changed over time, Westworld continues to explore the same core themes such as violence, consciousness, self-awareness, memory, free will, and human nature.
Since the start of the show, Westworld has revolved heavily around the spectacle of violence, famously touting, "These violent delights have violent ends," a quote from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet that is repeated numerous times throughout the series. With Dolores having destroyed Rehoboam and setting all humans and hosts free, along with Halores raising up a host army, Westworld season 4 could prove to be the most violent season of the show yet. The wait is almost over, as Westworld season 4 premieres June 26 on HBO.
Source: EW