Well, if you already thought Jimmi Simpson was going to be in Season 2 of “Westworld” 1) you were right and 2) he figured you knew. Oops!
“I thought it was already a thing,” Simpson said when a reporter asked him if he’d be coming back for the sophomore season of the HBO series. “But now that you’re asking me, I’m gonna shut up.”
Simpson was meant to be answering questions about his new show, “Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious BI.G.,” during the Television Critics Association press tour on Tuesday.
As many a Delos Destinations fan will remember, it was revealed at the end of the first season that Simpson’s character, William, was actually a younger version of the rough riding antagonist, the Man in Black (Ed Harris). Because the finale wrapped with this revelation, viewers didn’t know if they’d get any more flashbacks to Simpson’s time with the object of his affections and the oldest host in the park, Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood).
“I mean, yeah, I pop in,” Simpson said when pressed further, giving us all the confirmation we needed to start making up more crazy theories for Season 2.
He went on to say what he really hopes to see for his character when the show comes back.
“I wish there was exploration between the time when William’s heart is broken and we see the result. I’ll say that,” Simpson said. “I want to know how much it takes and how hard he tried not to go there. But, I don’t write the story, you know? But that’s for me … Yeah, I love that.”
“Westworld” Season 2 is set to return to HBO this spring, though no official premiere date has been announced yet.
5 'Westworld' Season 2 Fan Theories That Make Perfect Sense (Photos)
"Westworld" concluded its first season on Sunday with an episode chock full of answers, but it also set up plenty more mysteries for viewers to ponder until Season 2. Here are some of the best fan theories about what's next.
1. William/The Man in Black will survive.
At the end of the episode, he took a bullet to the arm, but seemed more amazed than hurt, which leads us to the first theory...
"Ford and the MiB had a mutual respect for each other," says Redditor bachus2015. "He allowed the MiB/William to survive so he could witness the one thing he's wanted to witness all along - the hosts breaking from their programming."
2. Characters will visit new worlds in Season 2
This one seems like a given. The note in this photo, containing the location of Maeve's daughter, suggests there are multiple parks (or prisons, if you side with the hosts) under Delos' control. The other big clue came earlier when Maeve (Thandie Newton) and company passed a room marked with the letters SW, containing samurai warrior hosts, leaving viewers to believe they will see a Samurai World in Season 2.
3. Dr. Ford will return as a host.
A Reddit thread discusses the possibility that Ford built a host of himself who could live on, since a previous episode showed him hard at work creating another host in his secret lab.
4. Or perhaps Dolores killed a host version of Dr. Ford.
Redditor plorraine wrote, "I think that was a host Ford who was shot - his hands looked very odd when he shook hands with Bernard. Weird host hands were a hallmark of the hosts in the 1973 movie."
5. The current timeline takes place in 2052
If you've been wondering how far in the future the show takes place, a piece of web content in the form of security camera footage found on the mock Delos Inc. site seems to have revealed that Maeve's attempt to break out of the park occurred on 6/15/2052.
Assuming Season 2 picks up right where the finale left off, the year in which the story takes place may become more relevant.
When will we know more? HBO has renewed the critically acclaimed drama for Season 2, but has not offered a premiere date yet.
If you enjoyed this gallery, you may enjoy this: Who Was the Real Villain of "Westworld" Season 1?
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The best theories about everything from Samurai World to when the show takes place
"Westworld" concluded its first season on Sunday with an episode chock full of answers, but it also set up plenty more mysteries for viewers to ponder until Season 2. Here are some of the best fan theories about what's next.