Ever since Westworld's debut in 2016, it's been a show that leaves fans asking questions. Even though the season finales traditionally reveal giant hidden twists before they are over, these are the kinds of answers that lead to more questions. For the first time, the Westworld Season 3 finale did not have had any major mindblowing reveals. But by the time the post-credit sequence was over, fans were left wondering all the same. These questions about the Westworld Season 3 finale will have fans asking the most important of all: When is Season 4 coming?
Warning: Spoilers for Westworld Season 3 follow.
To start, HBO has confirmed the series is renewed for a fourth season. As is par for the course on this series, the announcement didn't give any details. All it showed was an animation of the roman numeral "III" for this season morphing into an "IV."
Still, fans can guess at how long the wait is, looking back at the gaps between seasons so far. Season 1 aired in October of 2016, Season 2 aired in April of 2018, a break of about 18 months. The current season of Westworld began in March of 2020, not quite two years between Seasons 2 and 3. This suggests viewers can expect Season 4 to arrive no earlier than October of 2021, and as late as February of 2022.
As for the questions fans will be asked until then, here are the biggest.
01Will Dolores Be Rebuilt?
The final scene between Dolores and Maeve in the virtual simulation of Westworld was one of the finale's highlights. It also seemed to represent Dolores' passing, as she found her inner peace and then disappeared, leaving Maeve alone in the fields.
If this was Dolores' end, it was a beautiful one. It concluded the story of a woman radicalized, who, in the end, chose to see the beauty in the world and a chance to remake it better.
But Evan Rachel Wood has also been the heart of Westworld since the first episode. The idea of the revolution going on without her feels almost unthinkable. With Charlotte rebuilding hosts by the score, how long until someone brings back Arnold's favorite?
02Where Do Maeve & Caleb Go From Here?
Dolores' passing gave Maeve a chance to make a choice, pick a side. Fans have chafed against the idea of her siding with Serac, against her own kind, all season. But the moment when she came to Caleb's aide was still as thrilling as one would wish.
Without Dolores, Maeve and Caleb make a natural team for rebuilding the world in the wake of destroying Rehoboam and Serac. As Maeve says to Caleb, it's a new world, and "You can do whatever the f*ck you want," a callback to her programmed dialogue as a Madame from Season 1's premiere. For the first time, it's not a prewritten speech on a well-worn loop. It's the truth. So what next?
03What is Charlotte's Plan?
Dolores Prime may have passed on, but the Dolores who has become Charlotte Hale is alive and well and is already putting plans in motion. The post-credit sequence revealed that she created a host version of The Man In Black and used him to kill William once and for all.
Though Serac outed her as a host in front of the board, one assumes with his ouster and The Man In Black's backing, a plan to retake Delos is underway. Hale is already running the host creation beds overtime to replace the population Serac had destroyed. But what does she plan to do with her newfound power? What happens to a Delos that's run by hosts?
04Is Stubbs Dead?
Doesn't it feel like this question gets asked at the end of every season? William shot Stubbs in the chest, but Bernard did not stop to patch up his friend. Instead, he let the former security chief sit while he went on a journey of self-exploration, Then Bernard packed Stubbs in a tub full of ice, while he checked into the Sublime.
It's not clear how long Bernard was gone, but from the looks of him when he returned, the answer was a long time. Could Stubbs have survived that long? Someone, please promise he got out of that tub and put himself back together.
05When Is Bernard's Now?
As for Bernard, Westworld's final clip at the end of the post-credits sequence suggested he was in the Sublime for a good long time. The Bernard who went in was fresh and said he'd only be a few minutes. The Bernard who pulled out was covered with the dust of the ages, a wealth of dead skin covering his head and face, his beard discolored from the layers that settled on him.
How long was he in there? This was more than an hour, more than a few weeks. Months? Years? When will Bernard's now be in Season 4? Fans can only wait to find out.