Season 2 of HBO's "Westworld" just ended right near the conclusion of June, and I cannot be more content.
If you're not familiar with this show, "Westworld" is science fiction, but with a western image. This story has a broad range of characters - some human, others robots that are called "hosts."
In this future, there are several large amusement parks, one of them being Westworld, where the guests dress up and basically play cowboy. These parks are filled with hundreds of hosts that look, feel, and act like humans. They're virtually indistinguishable from the real thing.
Guests pay to experience each park's lifestyle and atmosphere, but they can do also do almost anything they want with the hosts. It might be important to note that the hosts cannot hurt the guests, but the guest can definitely hurt the hosts.
The story focuses on a few hosts and humans; this mainly includes Bernard, Delores, Ford, and the Man in Black; however, the cast of main characters widens as the show goes on.
More and more questions pop up as the show progresses, and the purpose and themes of the story are slowly revealed.
What I love about "Westworld" is that it questions the nature of reality, consciousness, and the definition of choice. It's dark and gritty - and not afraid to address big ideas like the ones mentioned before.
However, it's not a show that feels like it needs to last more than a few seasons. When I'm watching most shows, I expect the content to reach its peak around season 5 or 6 at the latest.
With "Westworld," on the other hand, I feel like the story is complete with the conclusion of season 2. If they decide to continue the show, I'd be surprised if the 3rd season turns out as great as the first two.
I really hope they're not planning on a third season. It didn't feel like they were with the ending of the second, but I'm always scared that Hollywood is, yet again, going to ruin something I love. It's rare to see a popular show with only a few seasons, though.
A fantastic example of this would be Netflix's "A Series of Unfortunate Events." They're only planning to release a total of 3 seasons, with two episodes per book of the written series. It was the best news I've heard about TV in a while. I knew I could relax and not be worried about Netflix ruining my favorite childhood story.
Right now, though, I'm definitely worried. Worried that this show I now love is going to end, worried that it won't, and worried that it's going to spiral into disaster with the release of future seasons.
Hopefully this isn't the case.
Either way, if you haven't gotten a chance to watch "Westworld," please do. It's one of my favorite shows being released right now, next to "Game of Thrones," and the style, story, and themes are beautiful and in-depth.
You won't regret it.
