Season 1 of WESTWORLD is most likely my favourite TV season of all time, while season 2 was a sizeable letdown (but not without its merits). After seeing the writers admit their mistakes from last season, I was more optimistic about season 3, but feared that maybe the magic of the first two seasons would be lost without the Westworld in WESTWORLD. Based on this extended premiere episode, it seems that my assumptions were mostly correct - but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
THE GOOD: * The addition of Aaron Paul as Caleb is welcome; his character is interesting, perfectly cast, and feels like a great window into this new age of WESTWORLD.
* The future world is mostly believable; there are some technologies here that require some suspension of disbelief, but generally this world doesn't seem too distant from our own.
* The opening scene was light on substance, but was a very fun introduction to what the show is about moving forward.
* The duality of Bernard - his ability to activate and deactivate himself at will especially - was cool and very well-utilized. The notion that he is possibly lying to himself and has absolutely no idea, too, was fascinating.
THE HMM: * As previously mentioned, some of the new technologies are a little hard to swallow. Dolores zooming in on Liam's meeting with her sunglasses and being able to hear the conversation clear as day got a good eye-roll out of me.
* Too many new threads were introduced in this episode. Characters, new and old, thrust into situations without enough explanation given as to their motivations or reasons for being where they are. It felt like an entire episode was just missing.
* Plot armour is a neverending trope in media, and, sadly, WESTWORLD is privy to it too.
* Dialogue has never been one of this show's strong suits; a pretentious program such as this one (I don't mean that in either a good or bad way, that's simply what it is) is always subject to instances of painful dialogue. A lot of lines felt forced and/or overdramatic, which removed me from the world a bit.
THE BAD: * Poorly structured and poorly paced. PARCE DOMINE features, hazarding a guess, 30 minutes of Caleb, 30 separate minutes of Dolores, 2 minutes of Charlotte, and 5 minutes of Bernard. If Nolan and Joy insisted this be a more simple just-Caleb-and-Dolores premiere, I wouldn't have a problem, but the pacing is disjointed by the occasional cut to someone uninvolved with the main story.
Overall, a slick and engaging finished product that naturally lacks some of the magic that made seasons 1 and 2 feel special. Sharp and entertaining, but not WESTWORLD - but maybe that's not such a bad thing. Season 2 began to collapse underneath its own weight, so it's probably a good idea they decided to shake things up. Give the season more time and I see this becoming just as much a polished and engaging show, if for different reasons than the preceding years.
THE GOOD: * The addition of Aaron Paul as Caleb is welcome; his character is interesting, perfectly cast, and feels like a great window into this new age of WESTWORLD.
* The future world is mostly believable; there are some technologies here that require some suspension of disbelief, but generally this world doesn't seem too distant from our own.
* The opening scene was light on substance, but was a very fun introduction to what the show is about moving forward.
* The duality of Bernard - his ability to activate and deactivate himself at will especially - was cool and very well-utilized. The notion that he is possibly lying to himself and has absolutely no idea, too, was fascinating.
THE HMM: * As previously mentioned, some of the new technologies are a little hard to swallow. Dolores zooming in on Liam's meeting with her sunglasses and being able to hear the conversation clear as day got a good eye-roll out of me.
* Too many new threads were introduced in this episode. Characters, new and old, thrust into situations without enough explanation given as to their motivations or reasons for being where they are. It felt like an entire episode was just missing.
* Plot armour is a neverending trope in media, and, sadly, WESTWORLD is privy to it too.
* Dialogue has never been one of this show's strong suits; a pretentious program such as this one (I don't mean that in either a good or bad way, that's simply what it is) is always subject to instances of painful dialogue. A lot of lines felt forced and/or overdramatic, which removed me from the world a bit.
THE BAD: * Poorly structured and poorly paced. PARCE DOMINE features, hazarding a guess, 30 minutes of Caleb, 30 separate minutes of Dolores, 2 minutes of Charlotte, and 5 minutes of Bernard. If Nolan and Joy insisted this be a more simple just-Caleb-and-Dolores premiere, I wouldn't have a problem, but the pacing is disjointed by the occasional cut to someone uninvolved with the main story.
Overall, a slick and engaging finished product that naturally lacks some of the magic that made seasons 1 and 2 feel special. Sharp and entertaining, but not WESTWORLD - but maybe that's not such a bad thing. Season 2 began to collapse underneath its own weight, so it's probably a good idea they decided to shake things up. Give the season more time and I see this becoming just as much a polished and engaging show, if for different reasons than the preceding years.