‘Westworld’ Flips Themes In Its Most Recent Season

Theme might be the most important aspect of any story. Of course, there are exceptions to this when stories focus more on characterization or comedy. But for the most part, theme is the foundation for which compelling stories are built. Once that foundation is set, all the other aspects of the story surround it and have to resonate with that theme in order for the story to be successful. At the same time, theme can become a detriment in sequels and subsequent seasons of television. If a theme is being hammered home too much or if the story is not growing or evolving to incorporate different ideas, everything runs risks of becoming tired and mundane. A great example of this is the HBO show Westworld, which embodied one theme for its first season and then flipped that same theme on its head during its most recent season.

For the most part, the theme of Westworld is control. In Season 1, this meant that the hosts, essentially artificial robots that populate the Westworld theme park, were under their creators’ control. In Season 2, these hosts rebelled and began to gain a sense of autonomy. As the show’s third season moved beyond the park, it failed to pivot into a new theme. But towards the end of Season 4, Westworld managed to turn this theme on its head as the hosts found a way to make the humans into their puppets instead.

When the theme of control began to look tired in its current status quo, Westworld decided to do a complete turnaround and have the control handed over to the group that was controlled. It still embodied that same core theme, but it looked at it from a new perspective. It provided a different way to view the central theme. In doing so, the show became fresh and engaging again; something long-running prestige dramas definitely need to do as they wear on.

Westworld is streaming now on HBOMax.