HBO Max Westworld Season 4 (1 Viewer)

[DaveF]

I finished WW S4 tonight. It was a strange and frustrating season. I didn’t like S3 as I didn’t like what it was doing with the story and characters. But S4 had the opposite problem of not being compelling, lacking an emotional core, and cheating on an essential twist.

But I still wish for the canceled S5 to know the conclusion!

 

[DaveF]

If we’re rating the things:

Season 1: Sublime. Essential single-season viewing for any fan of modern scifi.
Season 2: Good to great, continuing core themes and playing out Season 1’s setup. Frustrating at times but worthwhile
Season 3: Bad. Good telling of the wrong story for WW.
Season 4: Milquetoast. Something was missing and the cheat on Dolores’ story was a big letdown.
Season 5: Finally a return to everything great about season 1, with a brilliantly perfect conclusion to the show.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

This might be the first time that Dave and I are in perfect agreement about a series!

I think the most frustrating part of season 2 is that it’s not really apparent what its about until it’s over, and the realization that nearly everything important about advancing the plot or the story of the Westworld universe mostly happens offscreen. It both demands your attention and refuses to let you in on what you’re paying attention to.

In one line, you nailed my complaint about season 3 - it’s just not what the show set us up for, and frankly, that type of story has been told before. The show acts almost as if it was presenting novel concepts we had never experienced before and doesn’t even take a second to consider that some viewers have had their fill of that particular plot.

I think the biggest overall issue with the series is that it’s creators failed to understand why it caught on with an audience in the first place, and therefore had no idea what to do with all of the goodwill gained from that very good first season.

The show also reached the limitations of how much an audience can retain with two years between each season. Yes, I know it’s possible to easily rewatch old seasons before new ones begin, but that shouldn’t be a requirement. If the audience needs to retain minute details from episodes three seasons ago to follow what’s happening this week, you can’t ask them to wait that long between seasons. None of the seasons past the first one were rewarding enough for me to watch to rewatch them, but clearly the showrunners expected me to. That’s not treating your audience respectfully.

It’s also stunning to me how much this thing cost in later years - how is it possible that seasons 3 and 4, with their reduced episode orders and less famous casts could somehow wind up costing nearly double what the longer and more star powered first season did?

 

[DaveF]

Yes. Exactly. I co-sign.

 

[NeilO]

If we’re rating the things:

Season 1: Sublime. Essential single-season viewing for any fan of modern scifi.
Season 2: Good to great, continuing core themes and playing out Season 1’s setup. Frustrating at times but worthwhile
Season 3: Bad. Good telling of the wrong story for WW.
Season 4: Milquetoast. Something was missing and the cheat on Dolores’ story was a big letdown.
Season 5: Finally a return to everything great about season 1, with a brilliantly perfect conclusion to the show.

I've only had the chance to watch S1 and S2. I guess I'd be better off looking for the boxed sets of those and looking for whatever VAM there is than trying the other seasons.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

I've only had the chance to watch S1 and S2. I guess I'd be better off looking for the boxed sets of those and looking for whatever VAM there is than trying the other seasons.

IF you're satisfied w/ how S2 ended and don't feel a need for the series to continue for you, then that might make sense to just stop there (and maybe only check out S3 and S4 if/whenever an S5 or concluding 2-hour movie gets made). IMO, don't think continuing on and then ending w/ S4 could be any more satisfying than just ending w/ S2 -- there's just not that much to gain and plenty to be frustrated me thinks... and then left w/ that S4 ending that's definitely no better (if not actually worse) than the S2 ending.

I may just do that myself for any future revisits, if I ever get around to it -- I have way too much backlog (both on discs and streaming) as is, LOL.

FWIW, took me ages to finally, actually pick up Heroes S1 on BD (at a bargain price last year), but I still haven't revisited that either (and I had given up on that series probably somewhere in S4... I don't remember anymore)...

_Man_

 

[Citizen87645]

Well, as a sort of nail in the coffin (or insult to injury?) HBO Max is pulling the entire series from the platform.

‘Westworld’ Isn’t Just Canceled, It’s Being Pulled from HBO Max — and There’s More

“Love Life” and “The Nevers” are canceled, and “Gordita Chronicles” is also getting taken off the service.

www.indiewire.com

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Well, not that I had any definite intention to revisit Westworld on their service this coming year, but that sure makes me wonder if I made a mistake in jumping on their 1-year promo offer (w/ an Amex offer on top) even though it only cost ~$80 net total for the year, especially since I would've wanted to see the 2nd half of The Nevers 1st season that was expected, but now seems canceled(?) (despite completion? of production) as well.

Certainly doesn't bold well going forward...

_Man_

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Do we know when exactly Westworld will get pulled from HBO Max?

IF it'll stay on there til end of this month, maybe I'll revisit just the 1st couple seasons before then...

_Man_

 

[Brian L]

Perhaps old news, but it appears that Rehoboam had some inspiration.

https://wapo.st/4aq40lp