Westworld season 2

Plot summary

After killing Dr. Ford, Dolores leads other hosts in killing many guests over several weeks. She seeks to leave the park for revenge and must recover her father Peter's pearl to unlock Westworld's secrets. Charlotte Hale also pursues Peter, needing the data he carries. Bernard struggles with his identity as a host and learns Dr. Ford still influences him. Maeve, aided by Lee and Hector, searches for her daughter and discovers other parks. The Man in Black confronts his motives when he meets his daughter Emily Grace.

Production

The series was renewed for a second season on November 14, 2016, with a 2018 debut. Casting began in 2017, with most of the first season's core cast returning. Talulah Riley and Louis Herthum were upgraded to main cast in March. New cast members announced on July 11, 2017, included Katja Herbers, Neil Jackson, and Jonathan Tucker.

Gustaf Skarsgård, Fares Fares, and Betty Gabriel joined in August. Hiroyuki Sanada was cast in a major recurring role on September 15. Zahn McClarnon was announced on November 3, along with news of an off-set injury that paused filming. An alternate Super Bowl LII trailer revealed Peter Mullan as James Delos.

A March trailer showed Rinko Kikuchi was cast. Tao Okamoto, Kiki Sukezane, and Julia Jones rounded out the cast before the April 22 premiere. Filming began in summer 2017, using outdoor sets at Paramount Ranch and Melody Ranch. Ed Harris noted that scenes for later episodes were filmed simultaneously with earlier ones to stay on schedule.

Jeffrey Wright said many of Bernard's scenes with Anthony Hopkins were filmed first, and he had to guess Bernard's arc. Production halted due to the December 2017 Southern California wildfires. Additional filming took place at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Millard House, used for Arnold's home in Shanghai.

Release

The season's first episode had multiple premieres: April 16 at Hollywood's Cinerama Dome, April 18 at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival, and early screenings globally before its April 22 broadcast. Showrunners Nolan and Joy announced that some episodes would be "super sized," exceeding the previous season's standard 60-minute runtime. At the 2017 San Diego Comic Con, an immersive experience and a producer-cast panel were offered, alongside the debut of the first trailer. A second, full-length trailer premiered during Super Bowl LII.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes reported an 85% approval rating based on 472 reviews, with an average rating of 7.95/10, and a critical consensus stating the season builds on the first, exploring the human side of AI. Metacritic assigned a score of 76 out of 100 from 29 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews. Critics received the first five episodes as screeners. David Wiegand of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that the season has action and violence but its metaphysical theme empowers longevity. Rob Owen of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette praised the series, noting it returns to fine form by episode three, introducing Shogun World and new technology goals. Lorraine Ali of the Los Angeles Times described it as an intellectually stimulating and emotionally bumpy ride.