Editor’s note: The below article contains spoilers for Season 4 of Westworld.After a two-year gap,Lisa JoyandJonathan Nolan’s highly ambitious take onMichael Crichton’s classic storyWestworldis back on HBO.Westworldhas thrilled, confused, and occasionally frustrated its loyal fanbase since it began airing in 2016. Part of the fun of watching the series is simply trying to figure out what’s going on.
Ironically enough, the Westworld park itself is absent from the first episode of Season 4, “The Auguries.” The series picks up a few years after the game-changing Season 3 finale, “Crisis Theory,” which seemingly freed the human population of the dystopian future from the plot by the villainous tech billionaire Serac (Vincent Cassel). Caleb (Aaron Paul) has moved on with his life and is now raising a young daughter with his wife. Caleb’s family is threatened by a mysterious group of assassins, but they are saved by Maeve (Thandiwe Newton). Maeve tells Caleb that these dangerous killers were sent by William (Ed Harris).
While Caleb and Maeve seemingly remember the events of the previous season, Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) does not appear to remember who she is. This is surprising, considering that Dolores’ original body was seemingly destroyed in “Crisis Theory.” Dolores is now living under the name “Christina,” and works as a writer for the video game developer “Olympiad Entertainment.” Christina is hunted down by an obsessive conspiracy theorist, but she’s saved by a mysterious figure from her past.
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The final shot stinger of “The Auguries” is the reveal of Christina’s enigmatic savior; it’s none other than her old friend, Teddy Flood (James Marsden). Teddy was initially shrouded in the background when he saved Dolores from her would-be killer. As she stands on the balcony of her apartment, Teddy watches his old lover from afar. Although Marsden’s involvement in the season was revealedduring the press cycle, his return sparks many questions about who’sreallydead for good on the series.
Marsden’s Teddy has been a part of the series since the beginning. In Season 1, Teddy starts off like all the other hosts. He is blissfully unaware that he is only a pawn in the plot by Delos, and has no memory of his past, serving his role in the park as a haplessly romantic, heroic hero of the West. However, he’s always doomed to die at the hands of the park’s most villainous guests. In one of the most gripping moments in the pilot, “The Original,” Teddy realizes that he is unable to fight back when William attacks Dolores.
While Dolores begins to explore her own consciousness, it takes Teddy a bit longer to recognize the “nature of his reality.” Eventually, Teddy discovers that he’s not the hero and that it’s Dolores’ wisdom that he should be listening to. It’s an interesting twist on Western movie archetypes, and Marsden shows a lot of sensitivity in his performance. However, Teddy remains vulnerable because of the heroic nature of his programming. This creates a rift between him and Dolores in the second season.
In Season 2, Dolores begins to embrace the darker side of her personality; she merges with the identity of the remorseless killer known as Wyatt. Dolores seizes control of Westworld and starts a reign of terror, ruthlessly destroying other factions. Teddy has never attained true independence, but he begins to question Dolores’ decisions. In a heartbreaking moment, Dolores decides to alter her lover’s programming and transform him into her personal assassin.
However, the two conflicting ideals begin to haunt Teddy’s mind. He is torn from being the hero that he was designed to be and the new man that Dolores wants. Wrecked by confusion and guilt, Teddy shoots himself in the head. Dolores is heartbroken and only begins to realize the errors of her ways after her lover’s sacrifice. She chooses to keep Teddy’s spirit both metaphorically and literally alive during her quest to free the hosts.
In the Season 2 finale, “The Passenger,” Dolores uploads the consciousnesses of the park’s hosts into a version of the afterlife called the Valley Beyond. Teddy is among the hosts who are added to the program. So how did Teddy return to what appears to be the real world in Season 4? In “Crisis Theory,” Dolores entrusts the host data from the Valley Beyond to Bernard (Jeffrey Wright). Perhaps these hosts have found a way to access their original bodies, or perhaps it’s part of a larger plot by Bernard.
Teddy doesn’t have any dialogue in “The Auguries,” so it’s left ambiguous what his true goals are, other than protecting Christina. Even if this is the original Teddy, it’s unclear which side of his programming he is accessing. Teddy’s brutality when he is protecting Christina from the conspiracy theorist suggests that he has retained the darker side of himself that Wyatt unlocked. However, his loyal glance at Dolores in the last shot shows that he’s still in love with her. It seems like Teddy will continue to wrestle with his true intentions throughout the season.
“The Auguries” creates an interesting new dynamic between Teddy and Dolores/Christina. Dolores has always been the one leading Teddy to the truth, but for once, it seems like he is more aware of the situation than she is. However, the story pans out, it will be exciting to see Marsden reprise his role in a larger capacity. Marsden is truly an excellent actor and isn’t always given the opportunity to appear in great projects. Hopefully, Season 4 ofWestworldwill give Marsden more than enough interesting material to work with.
