Westworld Season 3 has come to a close, and if the past is any indication, it won't be until at least the fall of 2021 before it returns. And yet, the season finale left fans will tons of questions, guaranteeing it will be a long slog until Season 4 drops its first trailer. Until then, fans will be speculating like mad for the next year and change. These Westworld Season 4 theories about the most significant cliffhangers will help tide viewers over as they wonder and wait. Warning: Spoilers for Westworld Season 3 follow.
The biggest question that the show didn't address is who might return for Season 4 now that all is said and done. The core actors will be back: Jeffrey Wright as Bernard, Tessa Thompson as Charlotte, Thandie Newton as Maeve, and Ed Harris as the now host-clone version of his character, The Man In Black.
But some characters are less clear. For instance, will the show find a way to save Stubbs and continue to have Luke Hemsworth on the series? Will Aaron Paul be back as Caleb? Could Vincent Cassel return as Serac? (He doesn't die in the finale, but that last one somehow feels doubtful.) Those casting decisions will probably come when filming begins for the next season.
Until then, here are the most significant theories addressing the Westworld Season 3 finale's unanswered questions.
At the very end of Westworld's post-credit sequence, Bernard pulls out of the Sublime after entering it, saying he'd be gone for a brief moment. But his time in there has been anything but brief. Bernard has sat, unmoving, for some long, that he is covered with layers and layers of dust. Not only is his head caked in it, but his face and beard as well.
How long has it been? Months at least. Considering that The first three seasons of Westworld have, in the current scheme of things, happened over ~90 days, this is a huge time jump. If Season 4 follows from the time Bernard wakes up, this gives the rest of the cast to re-establish themselves after the events of the finale.
As for what the rest of the cast would do in that time, the most obvious is Charlotte's taking back Delos. Sure, Serac fired her and then blew up her car with her in it. But William was also declared deceased, and he showed back up again. (It was only to get killed and replaced by a host, but that's not important.)
The point is, Charlotte is obviously back at Delos and working hard to replenish the host stock after Serac's brief reign. And she has a William who is working at her side, and who will be able to throw his weight behind whatever she requires.
Add to that the Season 2 post-credit sequence, where William is getting tested for fidelity far in the future by a host Emily, and the path for these two is clear: Restart the Secor 16 project the real William shut down.
Speaking of the Season 2 finale, one of the big complaints this season from fans was how little time the show spent in the park. Not that anyone should assume Westworld will turn it's back on the real world. But with Incite neutralized, and Charlotte and William rebuilding hosts, a return to the park is almost certainly going to bring the story full-circle.
Add to that Maeve's desire to join her daughter in the Sublime, and the loss of Dolores and the real world may even take a backseat, come Season 4.
Speaking of the loss of Dolores, what does Caleb do without her? The good news is that he and Maeve may have just struck up a beautiful friendship. And viewers know that Maeve is a person who surrounds herself with the best and brightest to work together as a team.
With the loss of Hector, there's a brand new opening for a gun-toting heavyweight on Team Maeve, and Caleb will fit right in. Let's hope he and Armistice get along well. (One assumes Hanaryo and Clementine will accept him quickly too.)
But fans cannot believe that Dolores is gone. (To be fair, they haven't accepted Ford is gone either, and he's been dead for two seasons.) With Bernard pulling out of his extended stay in the Sublime, it would be a perfect time to recreate Dolores, even if she's just a figment of his imagination.
But after all, Dolores brought Bernard back at the end of Season 2. "I remembered you again," she told him. It would only be polite for Bernard to return the favor.
So what did Bernard learn during his extended stay in the Sublime and the Forge? Whatever it was, it made him completely lose track of time, and sit for months, unmoving, in that motel room. It's going to be the big question for Season 4, but fans have a pretty good guess.
Dolores leaving the revolution means someone else is going to have to help humanity avoid those extinction-level events Rehoboam was prattling on about. Caleb might be able to help rebuild the world, but he's still human. Maeve might be able to advise, but she wants to get back to her daughter. That leaves Bernard to find the solution, and help Caleb remake the world in a better image, for both humans and hosts alike.
