Westworld (HBO Max TV series): History, chapters and cast

Behind Westworld there is a concept that you have surely tried at some time in an MMORPG game, those that call for persistent worlds where we have a deeply important mission and in which we do not interact with those non-player characters (NPCs who are hosts here) who they give clues , instructions and, in the worst case, they become the enemies that we must beat.

The problem comes when those hosts who have been murdered, beaten, raped, burned, dismembered, abandoned, shot and countless others wake up and become aware of who they are. What do you think can happen?

Well, now think that this brilliant idea occurred to someone, almost half a century ago , when there were no computers as we know them today, much less MMORPGs and not even the Internet. Do you know who we are talking about?

The HBO Max series

Westworld premiered in September 2016 after fueling a huge hype among fans of the legendary book by Michael Crichton , the same one who invented a theme park with dinosaurs that end up eating everything. This time the idea took us to a practically perfect recreation of the Wild West, where visitors could do whatever they wanted. Overall, those hosts they come across aren’t human, so you can do whatever you want to them, although it’s true that they have a lot of intelligence.

So much so that, despite having all their dialogues and actions predefined, they can improvise and perform other tasks as they interact with park visitors . Although what they learned does not last long because the next morning they are restarted so that the memory counter returns to zero, to the programming that leads them to repeat exactly the same thing they do day after day. Like on groundhog day…

Although, what do you think happens when one of them becomes aware and decides to rebel? It is there that Westworld begins to put together its solid plot arc that, at the moment, has been running for three seasons and a fourth is on the way, which has to be released in June 2022. So if you do not know this phenomenon, in which such illustrious names participate like those of Jonathan Nolan or JJ Abrams himself, then we are going to tell you everything you need to know.

What is the origin of Westworld?

Michael Crichton wrote a novel in 1973 that was directly acquired to make a movie of the same name and is remembered by science fiction fans as one of the best of its time. In it they tell us the story of some wealthy clients who want to spend a vacation in theme parks that place their setting in the Far West, the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages. It was directed by Crichton himself and it premiered in Spain with the strange title of Almas de metal .

A sensational Yul Brynner acts in the film, in addition to a cast of great actors who in those 70s were at the top of their careers: Richard Benjamin, James Brolin, etc. We won’t tell you exactly what it’s about, but we do recommend you take a look at it because, arguably, it doesn’t have too many points in common with the HBO Max series. Here we leave the trailer.

And if you are very interested in expanding your knowledge of Westworld , nothing better than revisiting the classic with good quality and in a domestic format.

The story did not finish there. Three years later, what we could consider the second installment of Westworld was released thanks to a film entitled Futureworld , which in Spain hit theaters under the name of Mundo Futuro . This time it was not directed by Michael Crichton and yes by Richard T. Heffron and, as the title practically already indicates, the plot takes us to a theme park that rebuilds the old Westworld but adds a conspiracy that affects the main countries of the world. It is not wonderful, but it will make you have a fun time.

The actors behind Westworld

The cast of the series was practically constituted in the first season and since then they have been advancing in the plots of that theme park in which most of them live. So we are going to tell you what is the cast that you can see in this HBO Max Westworld .

Evan Rachel Wood

She plays the role of Dolores Abernathy and is the oldest hostess (as this species of NPC is called) in the park. She initially assumes her status as a rancher’s daughter which she discovers her entire life is a lie. Her evolution will be key to the series.

Thandie Newton

It is about Maeve Millay, a hostess who follows the orders imposed on her but one day begins to have memories of events that she does not believe she has lived. Or maybe in another previous cycle? That will cause her to wonder who she is and what she can do without paying attention to the programming that conditions her.

Jeffrey Wright

Bernard Lowe is the head of the Programming Division and therefore responsible for the hosts to work correctly, without giving errors. Also, Jeffrey Wright plays the role of one of the founders of Westworld , so he has a lot to say in the plot.

james marsden

Teddy Flood is another host, specifically a gunslinger who returns to Sweetwater to meet Dolores again and who hopes to recover his previous relationship with her (remember, because it really all belongs to a single day). Follow his footsteps because he too will have a little crisis in Westworld .

Ingrid Bolsø Berdal

Armistice is also a hostess but she plays the role of outlaw and bandit with few scruples. A member of a gang, she will die many times at the hands of visitors who have to eliminate her to complete missions and earn some rewards.

Luke Hemsworth

Ashley Stubbs is Westworld’s head of security, monitoring all interactions between hosts and guests to ensure the safety of those who pay for park adventures and spend good money. Inside the compound the hosts will believe that she is the sheriff.

Sidse Babett Knudsen

Theresa Cullen is human and, also, the person in charge of quality control of Westworld, that is to say, the one who is in charge of making sure that nothing that happens in the park causes chaos. Something that, as you can imagine, will end up happening.

simon quarterman

Lee Sizemore is human and has the role of narrative director of Westworld so he is behind all the phrases, missions and stories that the hosts tell visitors within Westworld . His excessive ego will cause serious problems among the workers.

Rodrigo Santoro

Héctor Escaton is a host and leader of a gang that many guests want to hunt down to complete those missions that can follow within the park. His backstory tells us that he stole from the Mariposa Hotel and that’s why he’s being chased by almost everyone in Westworld .

angela sarafyan

Clementine Pennyfeather is a hostess and works as a prostitute within the park, and has become one of the most famous in the entire precinct. Will she become self-aware like some of her peers?

Lili Simmons

When the original Clementine Pennyfeather is removed from the park, she is replaced by another hostess who tries to fill her space with the same programming. She will be Lili Simmons.

Shannon Woodward

Elsie Hughes works in the programming division and will be in charge of preventing the strange behavior of the hosts from getting worse. She surely knows why it all happened, or maybe not?

Ed Harris

The veteran actor plays the so-called Man in Black, a violent visitor who seeks to discover the deepest secrets of Westworld and who seems to have more lives than a cat.

Anthony Hopkins

Robert Ford is one of the founders of Westworld and its director, who will have in his thoughts if everything they have done to create the most real experience has been correct or not. There may even be some secret to hide.

Aaron Paul

Caleb is a construction worker and he has a lot to tell us at Westworld. We will see how this character progresses through the plot arc of the series, but in the fourth season he already promises to have a greater relevance. Take a look at the trailer below.

Westworld theme parks

Throughout the first three seasons, several theme parks have paraded (or have been hinted at) on the screen. And are next.

Westworld

The world of the West is the one that gives title to the series and, also, appears exclusively in the first season. It is from him that a whole series of exceptional situations will be unleashed that will affect different others.

Shogunworld

After the first season, the creators of the series decided to develop new destinations, and none influenced by those that appeared in the 1973 film. This time we have Shogunworld, which they describe as “the true lover of gore can satisfy their fantasies with the cutting of a katana. Modeled after Japan’s Edo period, Shogunworld offers guests the opportunity to embrace their inner warrior, in a landscape of the most incredible beauty and the darkest horror. Let your true self take shape in the land where self-discovery is an art form . “

Imagine everything that can happen there.

Warworld

We arrive at a scenario that is inspired by the worst conflict experienced by Humanity in the 20th century, and which they define as “war is a mystery wrapped in an enigma that only a true spymaster can solve. A challenge for the guest who prefers mind over matter. This World War II epic plunges you into a dangerous labyrinth of trades and seduction from which few escape. Dare to embark on this harrowing journey of risk and romance, and have the opportunity to defeat the greatest villains in history: the Nazis.”

park 4

And we got to the mollar. To small clues that were seen in the second chapter of the third season, when they showed us without any blush a complete tribute to Game of Thrones with a plane in which Drogon appears, Daenerys’s dragon. What’s more, do you see those two gentlemen walking? Well, they are David Benioff and DB Weiss, the creators of Game of Thrones for HBO. There are many who affirm that the fourth theme park, with a medieval setting, will be based on the series. Wouldn’t that be amazing?

park 5

The fifth park is not open, so it could be a real accumulation of secrets about what it hides and why. At the moment, as you can see, the public does not have access so any conjecture will be welcome.

TheRaj

The sixth theme park is defined as a “world-class spa” where we can savor a “cup of Darjeeling tea” in a privileged setting where “the park’s jungles and mountains are your only chance to glimpse magnificent beasts that have disappeared from their world.” More mysterious, impossible.

All Seasons of Westworld

Today we have three seasons although the fourth is already on the way. Below we briefly tell you its synopsis, all the chapters available in each one and also a link to listen to the soundtrack composed by Ramin Djawadi (also creator of the music of Games of Thrones ).

Season 1

The world of the West is ready to welcome visitors. The hosts will play their role for what the adventure is served , until some of them begin to become aware of their being and decide to go out to investigate what is happening. Who manages them? Why does he have the same memories over and over again? What are their lives?

List of chapters:

1. TheOriginal
2. chestnut
3. The Stray
4. Dissonance Theory
5. Counterpass
6. The Adversary
7. Trompe L’Oeil
8. Trace Decay
9. The Well-Tempered Clavier
10. The Bicameral Mind

Listen to the soundtrack here.

Season 2

The hosts of Westworld are becoming aware, remembering all the barbarities they have had to live in the park. So, commanded by Dolores, they will create an army that will have the objective of escaping and reaching that only place that they are not allowed to visit: the real world. From the company, Delos, they will also take action on the matter to prevent the hosts’ plans from coming to fruition.

List of chapters:

1. Journey into Night
2. Meeting
3. Virtu and Fortune
4. The Riddle of the Sphinx
5. Akane no Ma
6. Phase Space
7. The Ecorches
8. Kiksuya
9. Vanishing Point
10. The Passenger

Listen to the soundtrack.

Season 3

The hosts are fully aware of everything, they have woken up and are no longer satisfied with visiting the real world. They want to go further, search for those responsible and find an explanation as to why they have memories in other places than those of the Wild West. World War II, ninjas… the future is getting more and more complicated and the thirst for revenge grows chapter by chapter.

List of chapters:

1. Parce Domine
2. The Winter Line
3. The Absence of Field
4. The Mother of Exiles
5. gender
6. Decoherence
7. Passed Pawn
8. Crisis Theory

Listen to the soundtrack.

Season 4

At the moment we only have a trailer that hardly tells us anything, beyond the fact that Dolores and Caleb are joining forces to find those responsible for Westworld. If you are eager to see how the series continues, on June 27 you will be able to watch new episodes week by week on HBO Max.