Beyond the Valley of The Hosts

Published May 4, 2020 · Updated July 6, 2022

Hi Daisy, Oscar and John,

well that was something of a mixed bag of a season finale. The more I reflect on it, the less I am certain about season three.

What I have been thinking about is storytelling which you touched upon in the instacast and want to compare this season of Westworld with a British dystopia drama I binged watched the other week called “Years and Years”.

Without getting into spoilers, the premise of Years and Years is a linear storyline following a family as they experience a collapsing world over 15 years 2019-34. Written by Russell T Davies, he addresses some of the themes that Westworld does but in a British kitchen sink drama meets Black Mirror horror/sci-fi way.

Years and Years can be seen to complement season three of Westworld as it builds a world where you would be delighted to have Incite offer a computer to look after you. I personally would be cuddling up to Rehoboam and saying “be my daddy” if I experienced those fifteen years.

What makes Years and Years work is that it is rooted in family, love and relationships even as you are accelerated into increasing horror. The world building is small, ordinary and relatable. And props to Emma Thompson who is a more terrifying villain than anyone in Westworld.

Westworld operates with different beats but world building relies on the same emotional attachment. We need to experience the world through understanding our protagonists and antagonists actions. This has been a struggle as several of our major characters have been little more than plot devices.

Let’s take William (again) who was introduced in season three as suffering mental distress as a result of the previous two seasons. All that gets repressed by the group therapy from Hell. He invents a story to distance himself from his actions and then is killed off.

I laughed at the post credits scene when that happened. He was as glibly dispatched as the Sand Snakes were in Game of Thrones. A cul-de-sac of a character journey.

It’s great though that we are all resetting to season one Man in Black. It means that I don’t have to think about Emily or Logan or Rachel. Who cares about consequences in drama anyway?

Well actually I do. As much as the nature of the story demands a superficiality in order to facilitate the sci-fi elements, it is the human connections that create the veneer of drama.

I felt season one Maeve finally turned up again also in that quiet conversation between her and Delores. It was pleasurable to see Thandie Newton and Evan Rachel Wood able to express their character development as sentient beings rather than the WWE subtlety of ‘we’re gonna fight now’ of the previous episode.

Also I thought that Ashley was spot on with her observation that we got season one Bernard back. It was a beautiful scene with Arnold’s wife. I did struggle with how Delores could rebuild those memories to get that sort of emotional response. I had the thought that this is bollocks but it’s beautiful bollocks from Jeffrey Wright metaphorically speaking.

This reset has potential promise if we can have season one Maeve and Bernard in season four. I’m a bit meh on the MiB plot device but as this season has established divergence in hosts then perhaps Ed Harris can be used better next season.

Another thing that I want to praise is where Delores got to in her character development. I just wish I could have seen more of that occurring in the eight episodes. Just involve me more in the character.

Equally I am pretty happy with where Charredlores ended up but am struggling to see how that character arc works. It’s as jumpy as the timeline. I am all in for ruthless Tessa Thompson next season though.

Caleb’s twist at the end where it was Delores’s memory of the man he used to be was a nice touch. It took us beyond the scope of the algorithms and into the small places to reference Eleanor Roosevelt – we cannot progress without recognising the value of human interaction. I don’t know if Nolan and Joy had that idea in mind but I like to think so.

I was disappointed by Serac’s reveal in this finale. You built this rich character with a compelling backstory for why he would go to such lengths and then you remove his agency. This is a source of frustration. Plot device trumps character. Hopefully there will be more character driven story in season four.

I was also disappointed with the world that the characters were operating in. It just wasn’t credible for me to see everyone committing suicide or rioting. Where were the ordinary people living normal lives? Doesn’t this undermine the concept of Rehoboam? I know it’s a TV show but it felt laid on too thick whilst not being that believable. It didn’t work and I wasn’t invested.

It has been a pleasure to listen to all the Shat content this season during this bizarre period. Especially so on a Saturday morning listening to the Telegraph with a cup of tea. The contributions from the community make me think, reassess my own thoughts and give new perspective which is truly a gift.

Keep well Shat family

Yours conflictedly
John Lish

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