(Mild spoilers for the “Westworld” season 2 finale below.)
If you’re a fan of mindscrew TV shows that failed to stick the landing, you might be worried “Westworld” is being made up as it goes along. But that’s not the case, says Lisa Joy.
In fact, the HBO show’s co-creator says it would have been “irresponsible” not to have the ending mapped-out in advance.
“We have an ending in mind; we’ve had it from the pilot. It’s very emotional, I think,” Joy told Stuff.com New Zealand. “I can’t tell you exactly when that ending will come… but I think for every season what we try to do is tell a chapter of the story that gives you closure and then opens a door to a new chapter. The overarching question of the series is, what will become of this new lifeform? So I feel it would be irresponsible to not have an end goal in mind.”
So at minimum, there’s probably not a “it was purgatory all along” ending in store when the show freezes motor functions for the last time.
If you’re dying to know what’s next after the insane Season 2 finale, you’re in luck. In a June interview, Joy told TheWrap a little about what to expect when the show (eventually) returns for its third season.
“It was always the plan to explore the real world and we have Dolores there, Bernard’s there and a creature that is certainly inhabiting Hale’s body is there,” said Joy. “So we’ll come to know more of who ‘Hale’ is. There are three Hosts out in the world and next season will really be an exploration of what they find and who they become.”
'Westworld': Every Sad or Confused Face James Marsden Made in the Season 2 Premiere (Photos)
(Warning: Spoilers for Season 2 premiere) If Thandie Newton and Evan Rachel Wood's "Westworld" characters have been fully awakened to the realities of their robot existence, James Marsden's Teddy is like that moment right after you first open your eyes, when you're still groggy and confused and aren't entirely sure where you are. And Marsden plays the role admirably, spending much of the season premiere looking as resolute and bewildered as a "Westworld" fan scouring the trailer for clues. Here are seven photos of James Marsden trying to figure out what's going on.
HBO
From the very beginning, Dolores rides into Season 2 like a badass, shooting down guests from the back of her horse, with the sunset on her face and the wind blowing through her inexplicably clean hair. Poor Teddy can barely keep up.
HBO
It's unclear how much Teddy actually understands, as far as the robot revolution goes, but he's apparently willing to follow Dolores' lead on things like murder, torture and delivering monologues.
HBO
"Robots? If you say so."
HBO
This is the face you make when you ask your girlfriend to stop murdering people, and she just delivers another monologue about identity and free will. You don't really understand what she's talking about (and you already stopped listening), but you know enough to know that she's definitely not going to stop murdering people, and you just have to be cool with that.
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"But why can't we just buy a house, settle down and, you know, not murder people?"
HBO
Teddy, like Jon Snow, knows nothing and needs to have this fact explained to him repeatedly.
HBO
This reveal at the end of the premiere is a surprise, for sure, but once you sit with it for a while -- was anyone really expecting this guy to survive?
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Poor Teddy might be in over his head
(Warning: Spoilers for Season 2 premiere) If Thandie Newton and Evan Rachel Wood's "Westworld" characters have been fully awakened to the realities of their robot existence, James Marsden's Teddy is like that moment right after you first open your eyes, when you're still groggy and confused and aren't entirely sure where you are. And Marsden plays the role admirably, spending much of the season premiere looking as resolute and bewildered as a "Westworld" fan scouring the trailer for clues. Here are seven photos of James Marsden trying to figure out what's going on.