Spoilers ahead.
What happens after the top of the world? If we’re talking about Charlotte Hale’s failed utopia on Westworld, what follows is a likelihood to begin anew.
Season 4 ended with the destruction we (especially Bernard) saw coming, with humans and hosts killing one another within the streets, descending into madness and possibly even extinction; but there’s also a spark of hope that Dolores could make a recent world, one which can actually result in freedom. We all know she’s able to it, too: because the season progressed, she (because the character Christina) began to know her ability to regulate the narrative and characters round her.
At the top of the season 4 finale, Charlotte, per Bernard’s advice, chooses to place her trust in Dolores. She uploads Dolores’ pearl (her consciousness) into the Sublime and, from there, Dolores can create one final test. “One last loop across the bend. Possibly this time we’ll set ourselves free,” she says. We will assume that plot point shall be the main target of season 5.
Here’s what else we all know.
Has Westworld been renewed for fifth season?
There’s been no public confirmation yet. However the closest thing we now have is Ed Harris’ July interview with The Hollywood Reporter, by which he said, “We’ve got yet one more season, which can start filming next April and May. I do not know where that’s going to find yourself.” While he hinted that production for season 5 will begin in spring 2023, did he just let slip that the fifth season shall be Westworld’s last?
Earlier reports have said the series could even go as much as six seasons, however the season 4 ending does look like the story is being arrange for a grand finale. Dolores’ intentions to create “one last game” and a “final test,” together with hints that next season will happen once more within the Westworld park, where it began, appear to signal that we’re reaching the top of the maze.
What’s going to season 5 be about?
We’ll must go off of our own theories for now, however the season 4 finale has given us loads to chew on. The closing scenes suggest we’re going back to the Westworld park, nevertheless it’s not physically the identical place we saw in previous seasons. This can be a version Dolores, now within the sublime, has rendered from her memories of the true park. She’s set it up as a final test—“a dangerous game with the very best of stakes: survival or extinction,” as she puts it.
Together with hosting this experiment, Dolores shall be likely on the seek for Teddy—the true Teddy within the sublime, not the version of him she subconsciously created inside Charlotte’s world. During their loving goodbye, he tells her to return find him; and we’re sure that’s exactly what she’ll do. They’re one another’s cornerstones in spite of everything. Surely they’ll’t stay apart for long.
Christina/Dolores and Teddy in Westworld season 4.
HBO
Which solid members will return?
Considering nearly every character is now a number, which implies they will be easily brought back to life in the event that they met their end in season 4, there could possibly be hope to see even the fallen soldiers back up and running come season 5. We’re hoping that Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, Thandiwe Newton, Luke Hemsworth, and Aaron Paul return. And maybe an appearance from James Marsden, who made his grand return this season, and Angela Sarafyan and Zahn McClarnon, who popped in for just a few cameos.
It’s unclear if we’ll see Ed Harris again, because it’s unclear how William can reincarnate after Charlotte kills him and destroys his pearl within the season 4 finale. Same goes for Tessa Thompson, since Charlotte destroyed her own pearl at the top of the episode. But on the other hand, that is Westworld. Anything is feasible.
Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There may be a 75 percent likelihood she’s listening to Lorde straight away.
