Biggest Unanswered Questions From Westworld Season 4
Season 4 of "Westworld" completely wipes the board clean of main players, human and host alike, in the stunning finale. Host William (Ed Harris) takes over as The Man in Black and initiates a murder-crazed population-wide frenzy that decimates Charlotte Hale's (Tessa Thompson) precious Host City. Christina (Evan Rachel Wood) finally learns the truth about herself and vows to play one final game to see if humanity is truly worth saving.
Caleb (Aaron Paul) has come a long way since Season 3. While he finally reunites with Frankie (Aurora Perrineau), we may have seen the last of the "Breaking Bad" fan favorite. Meanwhile, Maeve (Thandiwe Newton) still hasn't been laid to rest with her beloved daughter in the Sublime. Along with Bernard (Jeffery Wright), Maeve is one of the many loose threads hanging as we wait for the announcement of "Westworld" Season 5.
The unique narrative style of "Westworld" creates many potential possibilities for reviving dead characters, though some Season 4 resolutions seem permanent. Hale — who, in Season 4, is not the original Charlotte Hale, but a transmutation of Dolores' pearl mind with a host body that resembles Hale, hence the nickname "Halores" — is seemingly gone for good after crushing her own pearl. Before Hale makes her grand exit, she also destroys William's pearl, leading us to wonder if he also might be out of the picture once and for all. Last season, we saw Dolores Prime — the original Westworld host played by Evan Rachel Wood — completely deleted by the destiny-determining computer Rehoboam. As Season 4 progressed, we saw this was a lasting consequence that couldn't be undone. Are these new character deaths as final as Dolores' deletion? These are just a few of the many lingering questions as we await the next installment of "Westworld."
Is there really no sentient life left on Earth?
One of the most startling reveals from the season finale is Christina informing the audience that there is no longer any sentient life left on Earth. From her perspective, that seems like a correct statement, but we know that C (short for "Cookie," aka Caleb's daughter Frankie) and her fellow resistance fighters are still out there somewhere. We've also seen several humans replaced by hosts over the course of the series, which begs the question — do any of those still remain, or were they all wiped out in William's sadistic final game? Rehoboam prophesied the end of the civilization in 23 years last season, and that prediction will come true if these possible survivors all fizzle out.
In Episode 2, the host version of Senator Ken Whitney (Jack Coleman) tells Maeve that there are 249 other upgraded hosts manufactured by Halores out in the world. In the penultimate episode, after attempting to execute Halores for wanting to retire the human cities, William uses the Tower to turn the fly-infested humans rabid. Let's emphasize that Halores talks about "cities" instead of a "city," which leads us to believe she's conquered far more than just futuristic New York. Could there be other hosts out in the world hiding for their own survival? Perhaps next season we'll be treated to some new faces with new answers.
Is human Caleb still alive in cryosleep?
Another major revelation comes in Episode 4 when Halores tells Caleb his human form died at the park expansion site 23 years ago. However, alongside that reveal, we see human William preserved and suspended in cryosleep. The common dominator here happens to be Halores, which presents us with the suspicion that human Caleb may not be dead, but in a similar cryogenic state.
In Episode 6, we witness host Caleb repeatedly try to escape Halores' cell in an effort to send his daughter a message. Halores menacingly tells Caleb she's testing for fidelity and to find out what he was so desperate to say to his daughter. With her exhausting efforts on full display — this version of Caleb is the 278th — it doesn't necessarily seem likely that Caleb is still alive; otherwise, Halores could just consult with him as she does with human William. However, we can't rule out a surprise twist like the Man in Black's dramatic Season 3 reveal. Even if human Caleb truly is gone, we hope a host version can be replicated somehow so Aaron Paul can return to the frontier next season.
What was the park expansion project?
In Episode 4, Caleb and Maeve drive to a rendezvous point which turns out to be both an active demolition site and a park expansion project. Throughout the series, we've had the supreme joy of visiting other parks outside the original Westworld, such as The Raj (India during the British occupation), Shōgunworld (Japan's Edo period), Warworld (Italy during World War II), and the new roaring 1920s-based park, Temperance. We've also seen a tease of a possible Medievalworld, which would apparently feature one of the dragons from "Game of Thrones" who makes a cameo in Season 3.
A behind the scenes clip from HBO may offer some insight for any fans speculating on what this new location could be. Production designer Jon Carlos reveals farther out from Temperance lies another Easter egg referencing 1976's "Futureworld." Carlos, while showing a painting of a desolate Temperance 23 years after opening, notes the "potential park expansion" of the ruins of the colosseum from Romanworld, another Westworld spinoff park seen in "Futureworld." Though this may not be the same location as the above expansion site, could this tidbit be a clue of the direction of an expanding Westworld?
How did Caleb disobey Halores' flies?
One of the biggest recent mysteries of "Westworld" is the outliers' ability to resist systemic control. The concept is introduced in Season 3 by Engerraund Serac's (Vincent Cassel) schizophrenic genius brother Jean Mi (Paul Cooper), who creates the supercomputer Soloman as well as its successor Rehoboam. Because of Jean's condition, he's unable to fit into the prediction algorithm that Rehoboam utilizes to calculate predetermined destinies for mankind.
Caleb is also an outlier, though it's not quite clear what allows him to disobey Halores' mind-control flies. He cryptically tells her he has something she doesn't, which could be a variety of things. By itself, his humanity doesn't differentiate him from other fly-infected humans. However, his singular devotion to getting back his daughter — something worth fighting for — may be strong enough to shake off the parasitic buzzing. Since Caleb spends most of his time this season with Maeve, who shares a similar motivation, perhaps love is the element that cuts through the noise.
Is human William really dead?
Human William feels the unkindest of cuts once again when his host-self murders him with an infamous hunting knife. The killing mirrors the post-credits scene from Season 3 where the original William is confronted with the revelation that he has been duplicated and is outmatched by this upgraded iteration of himself. He's still alive during most of Season 4 in a new machine designed to preserve him in cryosleep for Halores' personal enjoyment.
Before he dies, William inspires host William's twisted final game by giving a chilling speech comparing himself and his unnatural survival abilities to a cockroach. Could this harrowing detail hint at William's implausible survival? Season 4 seemingly clears out all but a few physical players from the game, setting a hypothetical Season 5 in the virtual haven known as the Sublime. However, "Westworld" often treats audiences to surprising twists involving the fate of the series' biggest characters, so we can't rule out another comeback for the Man in Black.
Will Christina ever find the real Teddy?
The ending of "Westworld" Season 4 opens a floodgate of possibilities for the return of any past character from the series so far. Inside the Sublime with Christina as the gamemaster, a physical body or pearl brain isn't necessary for bringing anyone back. Christina exists virtually for the entirety of Season 4, and it isn't until Dolores' wiped pearl is released from the control deck that the audience realizes the extent of her new persona.
Christina wakes herself up through a variety of subconscious manifestations — she essentially speaks to herself through characters old and new. The most welcome of Christina's helpful delusions is an imaginary version of Teddy Flood (James Marsden), who comforts Christina and navigates her to her true identity, Dolores. When she becomes aware of what's going on, she promises to find the real Teddy, who she released into the Sublime back in Season 2. Will we see the return of the real Teddy in a possible Season 5 for more chivalrous deeds?
How will the hosts come back without their pearls?
The antagonists of Season 4 meet their ends in the season finale with both of their pearl brains smashed to irreparable bits. Halores redeems herself by taking out the deranged host version of the Man in Black and saves Christina by uploading her to the Sublime. The sociopathic cowboy suffers a grim fate at the hands of Halores who cuts off the top half of his head, serving a dash of karma, before crushing his mind.
Do these acts hold any finality in the "Westworld" reality of reversible deaths and an endless ability to duplicate characters? Co-creator Lisa Joy shined some light during a chat with Deadline, saying, "Some deaths must be respected." While these iterations of Hale and William may not return, if the series is renewed, it's possible we'll see Thompson and Harris again in some capacity in Dolores' new Westworld simulation park. Joy elaborated, "There are ways of conjuring "Westworld" characters back. There are some faces we will see again, but not all of them."
Who will recover the other hosts?
In the unpredictable season finale, and even before that in the penultimate episode, several hosts are left dead yet intact. Maeve, Bernard, Ashley Stubbs (Luke Hemsworth), and Clementine (Angela Sarafyan) are killed but their pearl brains remain. This means the hosts are merely an easy repair away from instantly returning to life.
If there are still others out there — like the outliers who escape by boat, for instance — could they return to Host City and retrieve these hosts? Frankie has a sentimental attachment to Maeve, who saves both Frankie and her father on more than one occasion. The rebels could also be the key in reuniting Maeve with her daughter in the Sublime while also bringing humanity another chance at life. Season 5 could finally bridge the gap between humans and machines by integrating virtually replicated human consciousness and hosts' core programming. The two may be able to live harmoniously in the hosts' paradise if they win Dolores' final game.
What's next for Frankie and the other outliers
Assuming Dolores (Christina's remembered self) is wrong about sentient life, there are still outlier survivors on Earth. What measures will these rebels take to save humanity from total extinction? Are there other adversaries still alive that could pose a possible threat, like surviving hosts or bloodthirsty, fly-infected humans?
Frankie has trained almost her entire life for this very situation, so it's unlikely that she'll go down without a fight, especially when, like her father in Season 4, she has something worth fighting for — her girlfriend, Odina (Morningstar Angeline). It's also possible she may search for her host father, which would bring her back to Host City to stumble upon our favorite executed hosts. Caleb never masters "fidelity" — that's what Halores calls successful replication of a human as a host — during his time as Halores' prisoner. Would the rebels attempt to bring a version of Caleb back? Could they figure out how to completely replicate humanity?
Are we going back to Westworld next season?
Endless possibilities await us if we are fortunate enough to go back to "Westworld" for Season 5. Now that Dolores has remembered herself, who will she remember next for the final game at Westworld? Will William return as his younger self (Jimmi Simpson) to make different choices and become the Man in White instead? Or will she recall the god-like park director Robert Ford, heralding a beautiful homecoming for Anthony Hopkins who has been unfortunately absent from the series since Season 2.
Dolores may even remember her "old college roommate" Charlotte Hale in a new form now free from the conflicting mismatch of Dolores' wayward mind in her head. Her actual roommate Maya (Ariana DeBose) could even return as one of the many faces the rancher's daughter brings into her new world. We may even see Caleb again, as Christina met him in his host cell, empathetically commenting that he doesn't belong there.
What were the choices?
A lesser-known detail about "Westworld" is that each season actually has a subtitle that corresponds with a theme. Season 1 is "The Maze" about the path to consciousness while Season 2 opens "The Door" to the host paradise known as the Sublime. Season 3's "The New World" attempts to envision a city where coexistence between man and host machine is possible. These all culminate in Season 4 where we have "The Choice," which applies to a variety of key characters.
After a tearful exchange, Caleb makes the heart-wrenching choice to stay in Host City rather than travel with Frankie to the other outliers because of his malfunctioning host body. In a surprising turn, Halores uploads Christina to the Sublime, accepting Bernard's claim that the game was not hers to play. She then takes herself offline by crushing her pearl brain, leaving the ultimate choice up to the newly remembered Dolores. The original host chooses to run one final game in the simulated Sublime to test the worthiness of humanity. If they're deserving of being saved, they'll be let into their world and granted paradise and immortality.
How many more seasons will there be?
Season 4 of "Westworld" set its sights on the end by clearing the board and bringing everything full circle by returning to the original park. If "Westworld" is renewed for a Season 5, co-creator Lisa Joy says it will be the last. "We had always planned on ending the series next season" Joy told The Wrap, seemingly confirming the original plan for the series.
The final season would return to the roots of "Westworld." Joy reflected on the differences this time around. "I think point of view can change drastically the meaning of any kind of story or existence, and now it's her turn. How often do you get to see the damsel in distress become the leader of a society?" The first park was run by greedy megalomaniacs with god-complexes and an extreme lack of foresight. With Dolores now writing the story, what turns can we expect from the final season?
"Westworld" has yet to be renewed and fans are beginning to get worried. Ratings have been declining since Season 1 and The Ringer notes Season 4's appear to be without a pulse — "essentially a flat line." This unfortunate viewership news comes with a hefty price tag as Film LA's 2019 production report details a nearly $100 million budget for Season 3 of "Westworld." The expensive series could be victim of a hard choice in the near future.