What I’m Watching: Westworld (Season Premiere)

Westworld: Season 3, Episode 1 “Parce Domine” (B+)

I watch a lot of shows, but I don’t feel the same way about all of them. I’m prone to distractions during some, and find others to be less than fantastic while I can’t bring myself to stop watching them. This premiere was probably the most riveting hour of television I’ve seen in a while, and I couldn’t be more thrilled about this show’s return. I had always said that, in its first two seasons, even if the twists weren’t entirely shocking, the path towards them was full of such rich and deep storytelling, demonstrating an immense and layered story I and so many others could barely hope to comprehend. I’m still not entirely sure about a few things, but I don’t want to look anything up to confirm for fear of spoilers, especially considering I’m more than a week behind on all my shows. It was exciting to see a number of familiar faces joining the cast here, including Aaron Paul from “Breaking Bad,” Lena Waithe from “Master of None,” John Gallagher, Jr. from “The Newsroom,” and Tommy Flanagan from “Sons of Anarchy.” I don’t know how many of them, aside from Paul, will continue to be part of the show down the road this season, but they were all solid in their respective roles. It’s thrilling to see (almost?) the entire episode take place in the real world, a sleek future with visually astounding technology. Dolores exactly her revenge and building her power is a formidable thing to watch, as is the new Charlotte’s ascension to power. Bernard is headed back to Westworld from whatever far corner of the world he’s found himself in, and I can’t wait until we get to see Maeve again. I’m hooked, and I need to catch up on all my shows just to be able to watch episode two as soon as possible.