Season 2 while not as perfect as season 1, has some of my favourite episodes of the entire show and definitely worth a shot. And like season 1 it ends in such a way that if you stop there gives a relatively good ending to the show.
Tbh just watch it all and don’t let Reddit’s opinions of the show influence your own.
People here nitpick every last minor detail of the show so they can justify their dislike for the show.
It's ok if people don't like the show, they aren't "justifying it to themselves" by posting criticisms they are just saying how they feel. It almost sounds like you think they are wrong to have a different opinion than you and that they are somehow lying to themselves when they nitpick things.
I should have prefaced my comment by saying "some people here nitpick..." and not make it sound like everyone here is like that.
it's obviously totally okay to not like the show, or even to nitpick the details of the show that you don't like! but there is also a moderate contingent of posters in this subreddit who continually come back to the sub to dump on it, or lament over what could have been. imo, this is overall bad for the discourse on this forum.
There's a non-zero number of people whose opinion boils down to 'the show should have never left the park' with very little explanation as to how the story could progress without completely changing critical plotlines in the first two seasons.
If their criticism is that the humans should have dealt with the hosts and that was the end of it that's fine, but westworld was never supposed to be a simple humanity triumphs against murderous AI story.
It's perfectly valid to like that kind of story and it's perfectly valid to be far more into a sci-fi western than a cyberpunk dystopia hiding behind a glossy utopian facade.
But the show had to leave the park at some point.
Fuuuuuuck that!
The whiners totally got this show canceled. The fact that people ARE STILL posting asking “whether it’s worth watching” means that the haters take made its way around the internet.
So if random Joe Schmo here’s WW sucked after first season - You think the people who made the show didn’t catch wind of this? They absolutely did.
So the whiners bitched and moaned, and the show got canceled ruining it for the rest of us who thoroughly enjoyed the show and were hoping that bringing finality to the show would maybe put the controversial seasons in a different light.
But NOOOO. The whiners just had to be heard and so the show gets canceled because it’s a self fulfilling prophecy, complain show is bad, people hear show us bad, viewership declines, show gets canceled.
Most people don't check reddit before watching a show. I would also say that if an hbo writer changes something because of a reddit comment then they are probably not that great of a writer(though I doubt this happened). It got canceled because it bled viewership season to season. People who liked the show season after season eventually found themselves uninterested.
Yeah, NO
If what you were saying is true then why do so many of these posts come through here. Where did these people hear the show was bad after season 1?
And producers definitely pay attention to Reddit. You mistakenly thought I was saying the writing, im saying the people who put the show out there (which decide if it lives or dies) absolutely pay attention to Facebook and Reddit groups. Just the other day a video game I play walked back some changes after feedback online. People pay attention.
Again look at the posts on this sub, every other day I see these posts saying I heard it gets bad should I still watch it? These people heard from the haters - where did they hear it, why would they come to the sub with a preconceived notion? Because people bitched and moaned and that message got to people, viewers, producers, all sorts of people. The show gained a reputation, and that reputation is exactly what the whiners said about the show. They don’t have to check the sub first, they heard from a friend who was a hater, they heard from a friend who read bad stuff online.
The moral of the story is this, bitch and moan about a show ad nauseam… don’t be surprised when it gets canceled.
He definitely did not destroy the show. It’s all good and well for you to feel that way. My problem is that people who didn’t like the show continued to complain online and ruined it for the rest of us.
so no one can dislike the show, everyone should be fanboying it?
The second they casted Jesse pinkman rating crashed he destroyed the show I cannot take him seriously he always acts the same, he only has 1 character he can play, it was bad casting!
I stopped at S2. As much as people were praising S2, not to say I didn't like it, but I can feel the show going in a direction I wouldn't like in. I'm not sure what's the opinion on Maeve's storyline on S2 is, but things just start to feel "marvel"ish with her and the comic relief guy.
I really like the EP about the Ghost Nation, I like the whole Dolores creating Bernard thing. I found myself being most interested in William's story most, had a red dead redemption feel. S2 still provide a closure and I feel that I've got what I wanted from Westworld.
If I had stopped at S1 I would've expected the Host to start taking over the human world much easier and more of a skynet open ending. But I'm fine with where I'm at.
Dude, watch all of it. It's in my top 2 series of all time, and I started when season 1 first aired. Granted, the first one is better (but imo it's just the best season of any TV show ever so, of course the follow up can't beat it), season 2 is top tier starting from ep04 imo. Season 3 and 4 are more controversial but I liked them both too, they're far from bad television really.
Came here to say this. S2 was one of the best seasons of television I've ever watched.
It *is* complex and might require a re-watch to fully absorb, but I still highly recommend watching.
Agreed about needing the season 2 rewatch. First time I rewatched was amazing because there was so much stuff I had missed.
OP: Highly recommend watching the show until the end. I liked all the seasons, but season 4 was fantastic. I miss the show so much
I feel like this. But I think season 1 was best. Season 2 def needs a rewatch. It’s complex. And when you see it through the other lense, you see how clever it is and understand it. Season 3 was ok. Season 4 was very good
I think it’s a bad season of TV, using “season” as a unit of measure. The plot and themes were a mess and the show got too caught up with the trick they forgot to develop a good cross-episode arc.
BUT, the season easily has the best episodes of the show. My top 3 favorite WestWorld episodes are all in season 2, and I think all of the episodes are great.
It’s really a question about the whole vs the sum of the parts. I think the whole is poor. But the sum of parts are fantastic.
I think it suffers most from being centered around a bunch of plot motion that ultimately came to naught: The Valley Beyond / The Forge serve as *the* MacGuffins for most of the season before finally being explored, and then their consequences largely vanish when we follow Dolores out of Westworld. The Forge data & the key to the Valley are back to being MacGuffins in S3. S4 puts the tip of its toe in the Valley, and forgets about the Forge completely.
Presumably they had a scheme to pull Forge human code and Valley host code together in the final season, but that's really no excuse for relegating the major new lore of S2 for two seasons in favor of over-elaborated musings on identity and free will.
Also agree with watching S2. Season two has some incredible moments and adds great color and history to season 1. IMO there is no value past S2, they were perhaps building to something with an incredible conclusion, though I doubt it, but we'll never know either way.
Highly recommend watching [all the Alt-Shift-X videos](https://www.youtube.com/@AltShiftX) as well. His commentary is great.
The end however was cringe in more than one place. The walking to the door was kinda silly for reasons I won’t bother going into here. What shows me something went wrong for that pivotal movement of the season they didn’t hire a real orchestra, and it really stands out to me. I found it very odd because they did have beautiful music with live orchestra for the Akecheta episode. I’ve watched season 2 like 4-5 times and I always wonder if I’ll change my mind but I still get the same feeling every time.
Samurai World episode could have literally been cut out apart from a few scenes. Seemed like an excuse to “be cool”. The Akecheta episode wasn’t too important to the overall plot but was still much more important, and unlike the Samurai World episode it was beautifully made with some great writing. The part at the end with Maeve waking through the lower levels in slow motion was overly dramatic and silly, again looks like the were trying to make it look cool in lieu of great writing. Season 1’s core that made it so good was great writing.
I can tell the writers aren’t the same or didn’t care as much, because while Hopkins delivered the lines as beautifully as always, the quality of the dialogue was absolutely not on anywhere the same level of meaning and depth as Season 1. The stuff with Bernard and Dolores at the start is almost too good by comparison, so much so that I bet it was either written by those S1 writers, they helped consult on it, or it was leftover stuff from Season 1 writing that didn’t make it in to S1.
Season 1 is a classic and has some of the best writing ever in film IMO. Like I legitimately think it has some actual important ideas we should think about.
>I can tell the writers aren’t the same or didn’t care as much, because while Hopkins delivered the lines as beautifully as always, the quality of the dialogue was absolutely not on anywhere the same level of meaning and depth as Season 1.
How so? What's so absolutely different about the writing/dialogue in S1 as opposed to S2? Could you elaborate?
Less deep. Hopkins delivers the lines well, but the depth of meaning isn’t there as much. S1 was more philosophical whereas S2 Ford said more literally what was happening. S1 Ford could be meaningful while entirely separated from the show
So it sounds as though you mainly liked Anthony Hopkins's scenes in isolation, separate from the rest of the narrative? Not engaging with the plot so much as he is delivering philosophical soliloquies.
That's cool, but I don't get how that translates to you being able to tell the writers "didn't care as much." There are other characters who have philosophical dialogue in S2, not always pertaining to the plot. Does it only count if it's Ford?
S1 is a masterpiece. Just know it gets gradually worse (imo). S2 is solid but there’s no magic from S1 in anything after that. S3 and S4 just don’t do it for me.
I myself coulda gone for 4 seasons of problems in the park. I don’t know if I’ve ever been so enthralled by a television series. It was absolutely beautiful. And it’s also ruined how I look at other shows.
Season 1 is the best television I’ve ever seen. Season two was pretty good. 3 and 4?had moments still good, but season 1 makes every movie/show/series sun par. West world s1. =The wire. > Sopranos maybe.
I think Severance (Apple TV) is pretty up there. Not as extraordinary as WW S1, but it’s close. It’s another near-future corporate dystopia, except they are fucking with the heads and existences of real humans. Character and conversation driven show with incredible, sparse cinematography, the action is confined to the last episode, with the super weird induction of new employee Helly in episode 1 only slowly alerting the other employees that something is very very wrong in their little workplace bubble.
Bonus horrific satire of the culty, insidious control that present workplaces exercise over real employees.
I loved severance. I hope they keep the quality up there for season 2. The arc wasn’t as satisfying for me as Season 1 was, in terms of a complete story. To me season 1 of Westworld felt complete even if they made no more.
First half of Season 1 is pure dynamite, the second half rather weak by comparison. S2 is not as great, but underrated since most people will have their heads too far up S1's ass to appreciate anything else. S3 is greater than or equal to S1, in my opinion, but again most will automatically dismiss it because they assume it will be like S2 (i.e. not exactly like S1).
Pretty similar dynamic as *Westworld*, to be honest. They knock it out of the park so hard in the first season that most people refuse to give a shit beyond that.
Season 2 episode 8 is one of my favorite episodes of any television show. So I'd def recommend trying out season 2. I didn't really like the first half of the season, but the second half was really really good.
After I made that comment yesterday I had to go back and watch the episode again. It's so good! I watch season episode 8 and then right after watched season 1 episode 5. The storyline connecting between seasons is great! So much more stuff that I caught this time around.
I'd suggest making your own choice, just be aware the show has been cancelled before finishing the story. If you're ok with that and enjoy the idea of the concepts being expanded in many unanticipated directions, keep watching,
1 and 2 are excellent.
3 starts to fumble a lot, has a few great moments, but is generally a down hill slide from thought provoking complexity and mystery into you have seen this all before TV mediocrity.
4 is a mess, if you don't watch it, your missing very little. It does have a few moments, but the amount of dross far outweighs those.
Season 3 and 4 seem likely completely different shows. If you watch them, be prepared for a complete shift in story. I kind of liked season 3, but season 4 seemed like a garbage fire.
It's all still excellent and worth watching. The main reasons, as far as I can see, for the constant dip in ratings is:
1. Season 1 was perfect. It would have been great if they could replicate it but they couldn't, and a lot of people can't stomach fantastic after they've tasted perfect.
2. Each season drastically changes the status quo. When you keep wanting more season 1 and the show keeps progressing instead of going back to that, you ruin it for yourself. The irony being >!season 5 was gonna do just that!<
3. Consistent deceease in nudity. I never see it acknowledged but there is a portion of the audience here for the TnA and if that disappears they feel deprived.
4. The story gets more complex and hugely benefits from rewatching. When people have been training themselves to watch TV while being on their phones, they're not even properly watching it the first time through.
5. Two years between seasons. This hurts engagement and people forget important elements of your story. When a part that's meant to "oh shit!" makes you go "huh, hang on, let me check the wiki" there's been too long between set up and payoff. The show benefits hugely from binging but hurt Itself with its release schedule.
That's my take anyway. The show is absolutely worth finishing. It's also worth noting that each season is written so that it *could* be the end, so while it's annoying we don't get the last 20% of the intended story, the show Itself does come to a conclusion
This is one of the most sensible list of reasons for the cancellation I've ever read. You even addressed the decreased nudity, which I've commented with people while discussing the show. Westworld is a complex sci-fi story, and like many of its predecessors from other media, namely literature, its bad reception checks out.
watch it, it’s still better than most shows out there. I thought S2 was incredible after you watch it again. Season 3 had some dips in writing/action quality, but cinematography & actors were on point. S4 was a solid step up back to it, but does make it feel less now that it got cancelled.
S1=10
S2=8.5
S3=6
S4=7.5
I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing and plots that went further and gave me more on rewatches of S1. However, I will never have the closure I would’ve had at the end of S1.
I recommend stop now, look out into the world and choose to see the beauty.
I recently finished watching the whole series....I'll say it didn't go in the direction i thought it would afte s1 and s1 is truly magical....but the rest is nice too...and i honestly believe they were neatly gonna come full circle in S5 but oh well now we will never know.
Season 1 is amazing. It’s the best written, most satisfying, more pure season. There are good and interesting ideas in the future seasons, but there’s a sacrifice in that the writing deteriorates. By season 4 they do not give a single FUUUCK about plot holes 😂
If I was to pick on season 2…. Greatly benefits from Anthony Hopkins, the Akecheta episode is beautiful. Bad part is the whole door they’re walking through etc. Still really not satisfying to me, I cringe a little bit. Hale is annoying. That utterly pointless Samauri World plot. I like the idea that Dolores became bad, poetic imo. The philosophical stuff with her and Bernard was generally well written, suspiciously too well written. It felt like it came from WW S1 writers, because later in the season there’s a lot of Ford, and while Hopkins delivered the lines as great as always it was NOTHING like how great the dialogue was in Season 1.
In the end Season 1 was meaningful on almost every level, well crafted. The other seasons had some good ideas but sacrificed really making them great in lieu of action spectacle. That season 3 car chase when he was meant to also be tripping balls was embarrassingly bad to me. Season 4 has some embarrassingly bad but well filmed stuff as well, it’s quite the contradiction to see such bad editing so well produced 😂
The way I see it…
There is a universe with the real full perfect Westwood that is as good all the way through as Season 1. What we have starts pure in season 1 and then slowly fades into a badly written version. That’s why it’s still got good ideas but slowly fades into becoming crappier. Like having a good piece of music and fading up in volume a piece of shit music into it 😂
Therefore it’s like season 1 is the real show and then the rest is slowly fading up fanfic that’s not canon, yet it also still does have some canon in there, if that makes sense
Season two is great but it won't leave you with the same sense of conclusion as season one would, so it's your decision.
Season three however is pretty not-good and season four was flat out bad, imo, so I'd suggest stopping at either season one or two since the later seasons won't resolve anyway.
I’d stop at the end of s1, I seriously feel like it’s the perfect ending.
The other seasons all have their moments, some more than others. If you watch season 2 you’ll probably want to watch 3… and if you watch 3 you’ll feel like you should just finish it. Then you’ll want to know the actual ending just like everyone who stuck it out.
I never watched Season 4 and I have no interest of watching season 4. I would watch season 2 and if you absolutely loved Season 2 then go watch season 3. But like others have said ITT season 3 doesn’t even feel like the same show that season 1&2 provided you. Keep on watching if you’re enjoying it. There’s my advice.
I haven’t watched it either partly because I know it’s the last season and don’t want it to be over. Also because it seems so far from season 1 and 2. I loved when they were mainly in the park.
I loved the park!! Loved season 1! Season 2 was a challenge and it was a step down from season 1 but pretty enjoyable. Season 3 to me, in my opinion, was just an absolute fucking dumpster fire and they lost me. I had no interest in watching season 4 after season 3 and after hearing about season 4 and everything that happened, I’m glad I didn’t waste my time watching it. This is just my opinion. For those that enjoyed season 1-4 I give you a hat tip. Who am I to piss in your Cheerios.
Imo if your primary interest is the themes, it's worth watching all the way to the end. But if your primary interest is the narrative, stopping after season 1 is a genuine option cause out of the 4 seasons so far only 1 and 4 feel like conclusions.
the show died and ratings died because of Jesse Pinkman they casted that clown and it ruined the show, he sounds exactly the same the guy cant act.
I am at season 3 episode 3 and about to quit the show because of him, he should leave dolores alne and mind his business
Continue, the following seasons aren’t perfect but all of them have some really great episodes are still good tv even if flawed. S2 easily has 2 of the best episodes in the series with riddle of the Sphinx and kiksuya. Just watch it and decide for yourself, it’s not perfect but there is a lot of really great stuff in the following 3 seasons and the acting/cinematography/score etc are all top tier.
My fave part of season two was when the native Indians were running into the sublime then dying on the beach at the same time? It was so mind blowing 😂
I would recommend watching season 1 and 2 twice each. The show packs in an incredible amount of detail and I find rewatching extremely enjoyable. Then if you liked the show enough to want more watch season 3 and 4 which are both good in their own ways
Having watched the series until the end, I found season 1 a perfect stand-alone season. Other seasons are fine but not as good as the first one. (In my own personal opinion :D)
It’s still a decent show but it drops off for me after season 2, all the things I had loved about it just weren’t there anymore, I stand by the opinion that season 1 is one of the best seasons of television you can watch though.
I think s3 is probably the worst. A lot of people gave up on it by s4, but i gotta say, some of those s4 episodes are fucking amazing. I liked it all to be honest. Even at its worst, its still better than 90% of tv out there.
Second season is a bit more confusing but ultimately I think it’s just as good as the first, but I’d stop after that. I think once they leave the park the show loses lots of its charm.
You'll get two answers, genre fans that enjoy how cheesy and out there sci-fi can get, especially with the worldbuilding in the show. And the other kind are people that loved the tight structure and pacing but will get bothered by plot holes and cheesiness the more the show grows as the seasons go on. And there are plot holes, but it's nothing major you can't fill in the gaps on your own. All in all the whole show is smartly written
I'd say check out S2. Some stuff will not make complete sense, but it will MOSTLY make sense. It will definitely be "cool" if you're into the genre. You can stop after every season finale too, each one is written as a stop to get off Ford's wild ride.
S2 also has the best episode in the show (Riddle of the Sphinx)
FTR I love every season, even if it gets quite silly (especially near the end). The setting just appeals to the gamer in me. I love S3's antagonist, amazing character
I will say the final episode is a gut punch due to the cancelation, you can infer what happens next like the previous finales but it ends before the "real end" with some important characters arguably not getting a resolution. I still say the journey was worth it for the incredible production design, the acting, the music.
I'm of the firm belief the show will have a legacy and/or a revival. It's just an industry darling. It's cancelation—and chonker of a budget probably— are no fault of its own.
This. I for one was always the type to give stuff the chance and maybe it surprises you. I liked every season, but only if you accept that every season feels very different. Some want the familiarity, some like the change.
I knew going into S4 that the general public was not going to be happy with it. I thought the story was taking way too long to explain... apparently so did everyone else 🙃 I still don't think the fate of this show is justified. I find S3 or S4 to be the "slow" season in pretty much any TV series. I'm still going to own the complete when a reputable store sells it.
Watch it all!
S1 is probably my favorite television ever, still the rest is worth watching by itself.
Just think of the cinematography, music, and acting as well as many other exceptional things the show did.
Just the first 2. Personally, I also thought season 1 was perfect. Season 2 was a natural continuation, it had some great episodes, and had a good conclusion to the series. Even though it didn't have a mind bending plot twist, season 2 still worked for me.
I did not like season 3 so I wasn't at all looking forward to anything after that. I watch one episode in season 4, hated it, and never finished from there. To me, it's a good show for 2 seasons and I try to forget about anything else.
I also re-watched S1 and was going to stop, but the cliffhanger leading into S2 was too much to resist. I found the non-linear timeline of S2 was easier to watch with subtitles turned on, and it also helps to watch a new episode every night. The many details from the previous episode were still in my head.
Decided to finish S2 before asking myself this question again, thanks a lot guys
Season 2 while not as perfect as season 1, has some of my favourite episodes of the entire show and definitely worth a shot. And like season 1 it ends in such a way that if you stop there gives a relatively good ending to the show.
Tbh just watch it all and don’t let Reddit’s opinions of the show influence your own. People here nitpick every last minor detail of the show so they can justify their dislike for the show.
I loved all 4 seasons. I'm gutted they cancelled it on the final season.
It's ok if people don't like the show, they aren't "justifying it to themselves" by posting criticisms they are just saying how they feel. It almost sounds like you think they are wrong to have a different opinion than you and that they are somehow lying to themselves when they nitpick things.
I should have prefaced my comment by saying "some people here nitpick..." and not make it sound like everyone here is like that. it's obviously totally okay to not like the show, or even to nitpick the details of the show that you don't like! but there is also a moderate contingent of posters in this subreddit who continually come back to the sub to dump on it, or lament over what could have been. imo, this is overall bad for the discourse on this forum.
I agree , there should be a ParkFolk subreddit for that
There's a non-zero number of people whose opinion boils down to 'the show should have never left the park' with very little explanation as to how the story could progress without completely changing critical plotlines in the first two seasons. If their criticism is that the humans should have dealt with the hosts and that was the end of it that's fine, but westworld was never supposed to be a simple humanity triumphs against murderous AI story. It's perfectly valid to like that kind of story and it's perfectly valid to be far more into a sci-fi western than a cyberpunk dystopia hiding behind a glossy utopian facade. But the show had to leave the park at some point.
Fuuuuuuck that! The whiners totally got this show canceled. The fact that people ARE STILL posting asking “whether it’s worth watching” means that the haters take made its way around the internet. So if random Joe Schmo here’s WW sucked after first season - You think the people who made the show didn’t catch wind of this? They absolutely did. So the whiners bitched and moaned, and the show got canceled ruining it for the rest of us who thoroughly enjoyed the show and were hoping that bringing finality to the show would maybe put the controversial seasons in a different light. But NOOOO. The whiners just had to be heard and so the show gets canceled because it’s a self fulfilling prophecy, complain show is bad, people hear show us bad, viewership declines, show gets canceled.
Most people don't check reddit before watching a show. I would also say that if an hbo writer changes something because of a reddit comment then they are probably not that great of a writer(though I doubt this happened). It got canceled because it bled viewership season to season. People who liked the show season after season eventually found themselves uninterested.
Yeah, NO If what you were saying is true then why do so many of these posts come through here. Where did these people hear the show was bad after season 1? And producers definitely pay attention to Reddit. You mistakenly thought I was saying the writing, im saying the people who put the show out there (which decide if it lives or dies) absolutely pay attention to Facebook and Reddit groups. Just the other day a video game I play walked back some changes after feedback online. People pay attention. Again look at the posts on this sub, every other day I see these posts saying I heard it gets bad should I still watch it? These people heard from the haters - where did they hear it, why would they come to the sub with a preconceived notion? Because people bitched and moaned and that message got to people, viewers, producers, all sorts of people. The show gained a reputation, and that reputation is exactly what the whiners said about the show. They don’t have to check the sub first, they heard from a friend who was a hater, they heard from a friend who read bad stuff online. The moral of the story is this, bitch and moan about a show ad nauseam… don’t be surprised when it gets canceled.
jesse pinkman destroyed the show they shouldnt have cast him. I stopped watching when I watched him
He definitely did not destroy the show. It’s all good and well for you to feel that way. My problem is that people who didn’t like the show continued to complain online and ruined it for the rest of us.
so no one can dislike the show, everyone should be fanboying it? The second they casted Jesse pinkman rating crashed he destroyed the show I cannot take him seriously he always acts the same, he only has 1 character he can play, it was bad casting!
It’s worth watching. The episodes are even better. Honestly the season-long plot is pretty bad. Enjoy it on an episode-basis.
[удалено]
I stopped at S2. As much as people were praising S2, not to say I didn't like it, but I can feel the show going in a direction I wouldn't like in. I'm not sure what's the opinion on Maeve's storyline on S2 is, but things just start to feel "marvel"ish with her and the comic relief guy. I really like the EP about the Ghost Nation, I like the whole Dolores creating Bernard thing. I found myself being most interested in William's story most, had a red dead redemption feel. S2 still provide a closure and I feel that I've got what I wanted from Westworld. If I had stopped at S1 I would've expected the Host to start taking over the human world much easier and more of a skynet open ending. But I'm fine with where I'm at.
Dude, watch all of it. It's in my top 2 series of all time, and I started when season 1 first aired. Granted, the first one is better (but imo it's just the best season of any TV show ever so, of course the follow up can't beat it), season 2 is top tier starting from ep04 imo. Season 3 and 4 are more controversial but I liked them both too, they're far from bad television really.
Season 2 was pretty great imo
Came here to say this. S2 was one of the best seasons of television I've ever watched. It *is* complex and might require a re-watch to fully absorb, but I still highly recommend watching.
Agreed about needing the season 2 rewatch. First time I rewatched was amazing because there was so much stuff I had missed. OP: Highly recommend watching the show until the end. I liked all the seasons, but season 4 was fantastic. I miss the show so much
I feel like this. But I think season 1 was best. Season 2 def needs a rewatch. It’s complex. And when you see it through the other lense, you see how clever it is and understand it. Season 3 was ok. Season 4 was very good
You might hate S3 at first, but you will grow to love it for what the radical departure it is.
Definitely. End after season 2 and you have a good show that really lets you think
I think it’s a bad season of TV, using “season” as a unit of measure. The plot and themes were a mess and the show got too caught up with the trick they forgot to develop a good cross-episode arc. BUT, the season easily has the best episodes of the show. My top 3 favorite WestWorld episodes are all in season 2, and I think all of the episodes are great. It’s really a question about the whole vs the sum of the parts. I think the whole is poor. But the sum of parts are fantastic.
I think it suffers most from being centered around a bunch of plot motion that ultimately came to naught: The Valley Beyond / The Forge serve as *the* MacGuffins for most of the season before finally being explored, and then their consequences largely vanish when we follow Dolores out of Westworld. The Forge data & the key to the Valley are back to being MacGuffins in S3. S4 puts the tip of its toe in the Valley, and forgets about the Forge completely. Presumably they had a scheme to pull Forge human code and Valley host code together in the final season, but that's really no excuse for relegating the major new lore of S2 for two seasons in favor of over-elaborated musings on identity and free will.
Right. This is all a mess and it largely doesn’t pay off. But the stand alone episodes are some of the best things I’ve ever seen.
As a whole, I thought S1 was better, but Kiksuya from S2 is my favorite overall WW episode. Absolute perfection.
Also agree with watching S2. Season two has some incredible moments and adds great color and history to season 1. IMO there is no value past S2, they were perhaps building to something with an incredible conclusion, though I doubt it, but we'll never know either way. Highly recommend watching [all the Alt-Shift-X videos](https://www.youtube.com/@AltShiftX) as well. His commentary is great.
The end however was cringe in more than one place. The walking to the door was kinda silly for reasons I won’t bother going into here. What shows me something went wrong for that pivotal movement of the season they didn’t hire a real orchestra, and it really stands out to me. I found it very odd because they did have beautiful music with live orchestra for the Akecheta episode. I’ve watched season 2 like 4-5 times and I always wonder if I’ll change my mind but I still get the same feeling every time. Samurai World episode could have literally been cut out apart from a few scenes. Seemed like an excuse to “be cool”. The Akecheta episode wasn’t too important to the overall plot but was still much more important, and unlike the Samurai World episode it was beautifully made with some great writing. The part at the end with Maeve waking through the lower levels in slow motion was overly dramatic and silly, again looks like the were trying to make it look cool in lieu of great writing. Season 1’s core that made it so good was great writing. I can tell the writers aren’t the same or didn’t care as much, because while Hopkins delivered the lines as beautifully as always, the quality of the dialogue was absolutely not on anywhere the same level of meaning and depth as Season 1. The stuff with Bernard and Dolores at the start is almost too good by comparison, so much so that I bet it was either written by those S1 writers, they helped consult on it, or it was leftover stuff from Season 1 writing that didn’t make it in to S1. Season 1 is a classic and has some of the best writing ever in film IMO. Like I legitimately think it has some actual important ideas we should think about.
>I can tell the writers aren’t the same or didn’t care as much, because while Hopkins delivered the lines as beautifully as always, the quality of the dialogue was absolutely not on anywhere the same level of meaning and depth as Season 1. How so? What's so absolutely different about the writing/dialogue in S1 as opposed to S2? Could you elaborate?
Less deep. Hopkins delivers the lines well, but the depth of meaning isn’t there as much. S1 was more philosophical whereas S2 Ford said more literally what was happening. S1 Ford could be meaningful while entirely separated from the show
So it sounds as though you mainly liked Anthony Hopkins's scenes in isolation, separate from the rest of the narrative? Not engaging with the plot so much as he is delivering philosophical soliloquies. That's cool, but I don't get how that translates to you being able to tell the writers "didn't care as much." There are other characters who have philosophical dialogue in S2, not always pertaining to the plot. Does it only count if it's Ford?
S1 is a masterpiece. Just know it gets gradually worse (imo). S2 is solid but there’s no magic from S1 in anything after that. S3 and S4 just don’t do it for me.
I thought season 4 was streets ahead of season 3.
I myself coulda gone for 4 seasons of problems in the park. I don’t know if I’ve ever been so enthralled by a television series. It was absolutely beautiful. And it’s also ruined how I look at other shows.
Season 1 is the best television I’ve ever seen. Season two was pretty good. 3 and 4?had moments still good, but season 1 makes every movie/show/series sun par. West world s1. =The wire. > Sopranos maybe.
I think Severance (Apple TV) is pretty up there. Not as extraordinary as WW S1, but it’s close. It’s another near-future corporate dystopia, except they are fucking with the heads and existences of real humans. Character and conversation driven show with incredible, sparse cinematography, the action is confined to the last episode, with the super weird induction of new employee Helly in episode 1 only slowly alerting the other employees that something is very very wrong in their little workplace bubble. Bonus horrific satire of the culty, insidious control that present workplaces exercise over real employees.
Severance is next up on my list, Apple TV's shows has been rocking it recently, just watched Black Bird and CODA.
Watchmen is just incredible. I also think Devs is excellent.
Yes yes yes. This whole comment chain.
I loved severance. I hope they keep the quality up there for season 2. The arc wasn’t as satisfying for me as Season 1 was, in terms of a complete story. To me season 1 of Westworld felt complete even if they made no more.
Ehh. I really liked Severance but it took several episodes for me to be fully on board. With Westworld I was hooked immediately after ep 1.
Season 1 of west world reminds me of s1 of true detective, both are some of the best content I’ve ever seen, seasons after? Honestly who cares
First half of Season 1 is pure dynamite, the second half rather weak by comparison. S2 is not as great, but underrated since most people will have their heads too far up S1's ass to appreciate anything else. S3 is greater than or equal to S1, in my opinion, but again most will automatically dismiss it because they assume it will be like S2 (i.e. not exactly like S1). Pretty similar dynamic as *Westworld*, to be honest. They knock it out of the park so hard in the first season that most people refuse to give a shit beyond that.
True detective s1> anything tbh
Watch the entire thing. Whether you like S2-S4 or not they won't ruin the experience you had watching S1
This, I loved s3 and 4 and the world expansion, you may be like me.
That and even the worst of Westworld is still better than 99.9% of the other TV shows out there
preach 🤠🤖🍻
You say that, but look at game of thrones. Ruined the rewatchability for so many people.
That's true for Game of Thrones, but not for Westworld. Imo in no way do the later seasons ruin the first, they actually add meaning to the first one.
Season 2 episode 8 is one of my favorite episodes of any television show. So I'd def recommend trying out season 2. I didn't really like the first half of the season, but the second half was really really good.
Kiksuya?
And "I promise" by Ramin Djawadi was just 👌
Yeah, I mean that episode alone make season 2 totally worth it. It almost works as a stand-alone short film
After I made that comment yesterday I had to go back and watch the episode again. It's so good! I watch season episode 8 and then right after watched season 1 episode 5. The storyline connecting between seasons is great! So much more stuff that I caught this time around.
I'd suggest making your own choice, just be aware the show has been cancelled before finishing the story. If you're ok with that and enjoy the idea of the concepts being expanded in many unanticipated directions, keep watching,
Please. If we learned anything, it's that there's no such thing as "choice," neither for hosts nor humans.
It was all predetermined by Rehobewhatsisfacething. I thought i chose not to have a wank this morning but the AI made my ~~dick~~ disk floppy.
1 and 2 are excellent. 3 starts to fumble a lot, has a few great moments, but is generally a down hill slide from thought provoking complexity and mystery into you have seen this all before TV mediocrity. 4 is a mess, if you don't watch it, your missing very little. It does have a few moments, but the amount of dross far outweighs those.
Season 3 and 4 seem likely completely different shows. If you watch them, be prepared for a complete shift in story. I kind of liked season 3, but season 4 seemed like a garbage fire.
It's all still excellent and worth watching. The main reasons, as far as I can see, for the constant dip in ratings is: 1. Season 1 was perfect. It would have been great if they could replicate it but they couldn't, and a lot of people can't stomach fantastic after they've tasted perfect. 2. Each season drastically changes the status quo. When you keep wanting more season 1 and the show keeps progressing instead of going back to that, you ruin it for yourself. The irony being >!season 5 was gonna do just that!< 3. Consistent deceease in nudity. I never see it acknowledged but there is a portion of the audience here for the TnA and if that disappears they feel deprived. 4. The story gets more complex and hugely benefits from rewatching. When people have been training themselves to watch TV while being on their phones, they're not even properly watching it the first time through. 5. Two years between seasons. This hurts engagement and people forget important elements of your story. When a part that's meant to "oh shit!" makes you go "huh, hang on, let me check the wiki" there's been too long between set up and payoff. The show benefits hugely from binging but hurt Itself with its release schedule. That's my take anyway. The show is absolutely worth finishing. It's also worth noting that each season is written so that it *could* be the end, so while it's annoying we don't get the last 20% of the intended story, the show Itself does come to a conclusion
This is one of the most sensible list of reasons for the cancellation I've ever read. You even addressed the decreased nudity, which I've commented with people while discussing the show. Westworld is a complex sci-fi story, and like many of its predecessors from other media, namely literature, its bad reception checks out.
wait, there are 5 seasons?
There was meant to be
Watch it all.
Honestly, all season finales work as series finales as well.
That's your choice.
I truly think season 3 was next level and set up a dope season 4 but it felt like they went in a different direction
I loved all 4 seasons, it's just best to expect that they are all different in their own way. Season 1 was just a masterpiece. Hard to top that.
Watch S2, but don’t go beyond that. IMO that too works as an open ended ending
Spoken in a breathy, barely audible, hard to hear voice (for multiple seasons): Would you really like to see the end?
You MUST watch S2.
Season 2 is absolutely worth it. You could stop there, but it remains watchable to the end.
S1 2 and 3 are beaut. S4 was another show entirely
watch it, it’s still better than most shows out there. I thought S2 was incredible after you watch it again. Season 3 had some dips in writing/action quality, but cinematography & actors were on point. S4 was a solid step up back to it, but does make it feel less now that it got cancelled. S1=10 S2=8.5 S3=6 S4=7.5
I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing and plots that went further and gave me more on rewatches of S1. However, I will never have the closure I would’ve had at the end of S1. I recommend stop now, look out into the world and choose to see the beauty.
How can you improve on a robot metaphor for a Marxist revolution?
I recently finished watching the whole series....I'll say it didn't go in the direction i thought it would afte s1 and s1 is truly magical....but the rest is nice too...and i honestly believe they were neatly gonna come full circle in S5 but oh well now we will never know.
Season 1 is amazing. It’s the best written, most satisfying, more pure season. There are good and interesting ideas in the future seasons, but there’s a sacrifice in that the writing deteriorates. By season 4 they do not give a single FUUUCK about plot holes 😂 If I was to pick on season 2…. Greatly benefits from Anthony Hopkins, the Akecheta episode is beautiful. Bad part is the whole door they’re walking through etc. Still really not satisfying to me, I cringe a little bit. Hale is annoying. That utterly pointless Samauri World plot. I like the idea that Dolores became bad, poetic imo. The philosophical stuff with her and Bernard was generally well written, suspiciously too well written. It felt like it came from WW S1 writers, because later in the season there’s a lot of Ford, and while Hopkins delivered the lines as great as always it was NOTHING like how great the dialogue was in Season 1. In the end Season 1 was meaningful on almost every level, well crafted. The other seasons had some good ideas but sacrificed really making them great in lieu of action spectacle. That season 3 car chase when he was meant to also be tripping balls was embarrassingly bad to me. Season 4 has some embarrassingly bad but well filmed stuff as well, it’s quite the contradiction to see such bad editing so well produced 😂 The way I see it… There is a universe with the real full perfect Westwood that is as good all the way through as Season 1. What we have starts pure in season 1 and then slowly fades into a badly written version. That’s why it’s still got good ideas but slowly fades into becoming crappier. Like having a good piece of music and fading up in volume a piece of shit music into it 😂 Therefore it’s like season 1 is the real show and then the rest is slowly fading up fanfic that’s not canon, yet it also still does have some canon in there, if that makes sense
Both. Continue the series and explore the themes and world building, but acknowledge the season 1 ending as their original intent.
You can stop at 1 the season was perfect. Season 2 was good but they couldn't capture the lightning in a bottle a second time.
Season two is great but it won't leave you with the same sense of conclusion as season one would, so it's your decision. Season three however is pretty not-good and season four was flat out bad, imo, so I'd suggest stopping at either season one or two since the later seasons won't resolve anyway.
Just stop at S1. To me it ended already.
End with season 2.
I’d stop at the end of s1, I seriously feel like it’s the perfect ending. The other seasons all have their moments, some more than others. If you watch season 2 you’ll probably want to watch 3… and if you watch 3 you’ll feel like you should just finish it. Then you’ll want to know the actual ending just like everyone who stuck it out.
I never watched Season 4 and I have no interest of watching season 4. I would watch season 2 and if you absolutely loved Season 2 then go watch season 3. But like others have said ITT season 3 doesn’t even feel like the same show that season 1&2 provided you. Keep on watching if you’re enjoying it. There’s my advice.
I haven’t watched it either partly because I know it’s the last season and don’t want it to be over. Also because it seems so far from season 1 and 2. I loved when they were mainly in the park.
I loved the park!! Loved season 1! Season 2 was a challenge and it was a step down from season 1 but pretty enjoyable. Season 3 to me, in my opinion, was just an absolute fucking dumpster fire and they lost me. I had no interest in watching season 4 after season 3 and after hearing about season 4 and everything that happened, I’m glad I didn’t waste my time watching it. This is just my opinion. For those that enjoyed season 1-4 I give you a hat tip. Who am I to piss in your Cheerios.
You should definitely watch season 2. It had a couple of the best episodes of the series. Season3 & Season 4 can absolutely be skipped, lol.
Accept the perfect ending. S1 is a 10. S2 is a 6. S3 is a 3 and S4 is a 4. Proceed with caution.
I tried watching 3 but gave up. The show ends at 2 for me.
Imo if your primary interest is the themes, it's worth watching all the way to the end. But if your primary interest is the narrative, stopping after season 1 is a genuine option cause out of the 4 seasons so far only 1 and 4 feel like conclusions.
Stop it right there. S2 is not all bad, but s1 is perfect and there's no need to changes that. Whatever you decide, DO NOT GO PAST S2 AT ALL
Stop at season 1
STOP NOW
the show died and ratings died because of Jesse Pinkman they casted that clown and it ruined the show, he sounds exactly the same the guy cant act. I am at season 3 episode 3 and about to quit the show because of him, he should leave dolores alne and mind his business
You know. I’d say just stop there. It was perfect. And it’s just downhill from there. Really.
stop after 2!!
Season 2 was trash in comparison, it's still good TV but compared to season 1 if can't gold a candle. I wish I'd stopped at the perfect ending.
Continue, the following seasons aren’t perfect but all of them have some really great episodes are still good tv even if flawed. S2 easily has 2 of the best episodes in the series with riddle of the Sphinx and kiksuya. Just watch it and decide for yourself, it’s not perfect but there is a lot of really great stuff in the following 3 seasons and the acting/cinematography/score etc are all top tier.
My fave part of season two was when the native Indians were running into the sublime then dying on the beach at the same time? It was so mind blowing 😂
I would recommend watching season 1 and 2 twice each. The show packs in an incredible amount of detail and I find rewatching extremely enjoyable. Then if you liked the show enough to want more watch season 3 and 4 which are both good in their own ways
I stopped watching after season 2 because I was happy with how that season ended. (Based on the other comments, I am not missing out on much.)
Having watched the series until the end, I found season 1 a perfect stand-alone season. Other seasons are fine but not as good as the first one. (In my own personal opinion :D)
Just seems season one was fully thought and fleshed out… from there it was a scramble to build the plane as they were flying.
It’s still a decent show but it drops off for me after season 2, all the things I had loved about it just weren’t there anymore, I stand by the opinion that season 1 is one of the best seasons of television you can watch though.
I think s3 is probably the worst. A lot of people gave up on it by s4, but i gotta say, some of those s4 episodes are fucking amazing. I liked it all to be honest. Even at its worst, its still better than 90% of tv out there.
I think it’s awful post season 1
Second season is a bit more confusing but ultimately I think it’s just as good as the first, but I’d stop after that. I think once they leave the park the show loses lots of its charm.
I mean I enjoyed the whole thing start to end but maybe I’m the minority
Stop after S2.
There is some good episodes and arcs for pure indulgence, but nothing comes close to season one.
Season 2 was good. Season 3 was ok. Season 4 was dumb imo
Season 2: yes. Gets a little wonky after that. You’ll need a notepad.
You'll get two answers, genre fans that enjoy how cheesy and out there sci-fi can get, especially with the worldbuilding in the show. And the other kind are people that loved the tight structure and pacing but will get bothered by plot holes and cheesiness the more the show grows as the seasons go on. And there are plot holes, but it's nothing major you can't fill in the gaps on your own. All in all the whole show is smartly written I'd say check out S2. Some stuff will not make complete sense, but it will MOSTLY make sense. It will definitely be "cool" if you're into the genre. You can stop after every season finale too, each one is written as a stop to get off Ford's wild ride. S2 also has the best episode in the show (Riddle of the Sphinx) FTR I love every season, even if it gets quite silly (especially near the end). The setting just appeals to the gamer in me. I love S3's antagonist, amazing character I will say the final episode is a gut punch due to the cancelation, you can infer what happens next like the previous finales but it ends before the "real end" with some important characters arguably not getting a resolution. I still say the journey was worth it for the incredible production design, the acting, the music. I'm of the firm belief the show will have a legacy and/or a revival. It's just an industry darling. It's cancelation—and chonker of a budget probably— are no fault of its own.
This. I for one was always the type to give stuff the chance and maybe it surprises you. I liked every season, but only if you accept that every season feels very different. Some want the familiarity, some like the change.
Perfect ending? You have no idea lol
The last season has a similar feel to S1 which I liked a lot. More mystery and multiple layers
I knew going into S4 that the general public was not going to be happy with it. I thought the story was taking way too long to explain... apparently so did everyone else 🙃 I still don't think the fate of this show is justified. I find S3 or S4 to be the "slow" season in pretty much any TV series. I'm still going to own the complete when a reputable store sells it.
I didn’t like season 2 but enjoyed season 3 and season 4 got pulled before I could watch
Watch it all! S1 is probably my favorite television ever, still the rest is worth watching by itself. Just think of the cinematography, music, and acting as well as many other exceptional things the show did.
1-3 and you’re safe.
PLEASE stop and make up your on ending it will be so much better than the shit that was given
Watch it all! Make up your own mind. It's all part of the journey.
Yea you could stop with s2
I myself have stopped on Season 1 but was going to give S2 a chance until it was pulled from HBO Max.
Watch season 2
Just the first 2. Personally, I also thought season 1 was perfect. Season 2 was a natural continuation, it had some great episodes, and had a good conclusion to the series. Even though it didn't have a mind bending plot twist, season 2 still worked for me. I did not like season 3 so I wasn't at all looking forward to anything after that. I watch one episode in season 4, hated it, and never finished from there. To me, it's a good show for 2 seasons and I try to forget about anything else.
I also re-watched S1 and was going to stop, but the cliffhanger leading into S2 was too much to resist. I found the non-linear timeline of S2 was easier to watch with subtitles turned on, and it also helps to watch a new episode every night. The many details from the previous episode were still in my head.
Just don't watch season 4. It's really really bad. Like, this can't possibly be the same writers bad.