On Friday, HBO dropped a teaser trailer for season three of Westworld, the network’s popular science-fiction-slash-country-western television series about a futuristic amusement park. The show’s second season was fascinating, but a little bit impossible to follow, even for those of us who love a good time jump.
But instead of featuring the typical cast of characters, this teaser appears to be an infomercial for a mysterious data company called Incite. And, similar to most of the promotional material for any real-life tech company (think “Twitter: It’s what’s happening”), the trailer is deliberately vague, with a cryptic voiceover.
The world is complex, complicated, messy. But life, doesn’t have to be.
The future is powered by you. And we know you.
Okay HBO, I’m intrigued. Creeped out, but intrigued.
I have to admit, I’m a sucker for any media portrayals of slightly futuristic but also uncannily familiar Silicon Valley companies. The more self aware, the better. And Incite is looking promising—it even has an actual website, with more sinister copy.
The world can feel chaotic: big problems, no solutions, no one to lead the way. Global issues may seem so complex that untangling the answers feels impossible. Here at Incite, we want to make “impossible” a thing of the past. Chaos is merely a pattern waiting to be uncovered. You can help us chart a better future.
So many words that communicate absolutely nothing—the tech giant sweet spot.
The first two seasons of Westworld featured a different tech conglomerate, Delos Incorporated. Delos was responsible for creating the amusement park where most of the show’s action takes place.
I only have one gripe with the trailer, but it’s a serious one. Um, excuse me, but where the fuck is Tessa Thompson? After hanging on through all of the plot somersaults and timeline hopping of season two, season three is going to have to deliver in a major way to keep viewers (me) engaged. And we all know what that means: more Tessa Thompson please. Despite her initial character’s death at the end of season two (I think?), her physical body is still present in the show as a host for Evan Rachel Wood’s Dolores (I think).
And so I ask again: Give me more Tessa.