Westworld season 3

Plot summary

Three months after the second season, Dolores has escaped Westworld with several processing cores, including Bernard's. In neo-Los Angeles in 2053, she forms a relationship with Caleb and observes how artificial beings and lower-class humans are treated. Maeve awakens in a Delos park based on Fascist Italy during World War II. William, also out of the park, is haunted by visions of his daughter Emily and Dolores. Using host bodies fitted with copies of her own pearl, Dolores plots to destroy humanity's peace and prosperity to avenge the treatment of Delos hosts.

Production

A third season was announced on May 1, 2018, and production began on April 13, 2019. Filming took place in Downtown Los Angeles and Singapore starting June 14, 2019, with an additional ten-day period in Singapore around July 2019 used to depict a version of Los Angeles set about 40 years in the future. Joy, advised by architect Bjarke Ingels, selected Singapore for its blend of nature and modernity. Cast members including Wood, Newton, Wright, and Paul were seen at locations such as Pulau Ubin, Chinatown, the Central Business District, National Gallery Singapore, Esplanade Park, School of the Arts, the Helix Bridge, Marina One, Parkroyal Hotel, LASALLE College of the Arts, and Oasia Hotel Downtown.

Additional filming occurred at the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, Spain. In Los Angeles, computer-generated imagery filled in actual Shanghai buildings and futuristic designs from Ingels' unused portfolio. The production team collaborated with Jon Favreau, who led special effects advances on The Mandalorian, to combine exterior filming with on-set work and digital post-production. Interior shots in Los Angeles were mandated to show as much of the city skyline as possible, and the city's brutalist architecture was frequently featured.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes reported a 73% approval rating from 223 reviews, with an average rating of 7.05/10, and a critical consensus stating that the season broadens its scope and tightens storytelling clarity but may lose some soul. Metacritic assigned a score of 64 out of 100 from 23 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews. As the season progressed, reviews became increasingly mixed, with the episodes "Genre", "Passed Pawn", and "Crisis Theory" receiving the lowest Rotten Tomatoes approval ratings for the series to date.

Critics criticized the dialogue, thin characterization, and the real world's lack of depth. CNN's Brian Lowry called the show increasingly incomprehensible. Entertainment Weekly's Kristen Baldwin gave a B− and suggested the writers let the characters delete themselves, while Darren Franich gave a C, saying the series had lost its way. IndieWire's Ben Travers wrote that the season stripped away the park and the maze but failed to develop characters or let them question their reality.

At the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, Thandiwe Newton was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress and Jeffrey Wright for Outstanding Supporting Actor, with nine additional nominations in creative and technical categories.