Westworld is a strange beast of a show. When it first launched, it was heralded as HBOs new Game of Thrones but it was quickly apparent that despite its large budget and scale, this was a very different sort of show.
It is packed full of mystery, plot twists, and ‘intellectual’ examinations of the world. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it makes it a lot less mainstream.
I enjoyed the first two seasons greatly, with the scale and cast being very impressive. Both of those things still apply here, although this season they are the only saving graces.
Season 3 sidelined the majority of the usual main cast (Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Ed Harris) and while the very strong finale provided and promised pay off for this, it still left the show feeling like it was lacking something.
Evan Rachel Wood is more central here than she has ever been before, and she does a strong job. Her role next season is very up in the air, but I’m sure she will play some sort of part.
Aaron Paul, famous for his incredible performance on breaking bad, is given a key part this season and for the future, and it takes an actor of his quality to pull it off.
Tessa Thompson proves to be the acting stand out this season, and her role is likely to continue to grow as her star power grows as well. She is great here.
The stage has been set for a very different and fascinating season 4, with it likely to feature Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, and Tessa Thompson as the main leads, and I am still very excited for it.
Rating = 3.5/5
Howe's World of Film and TV 