I was pretty invested in Westworld’s puzzle-box structure in its first season, but by season 2, I was having as much trouble hanging onto the plot as I was the summer I gave myself only one week to finish my requisite AP English reading, Anna Karenina. Westworld’s known for having as many plot twists, time jumps, and hanging threads as 19th century Russian nihilists have nicknames, after all, and I got too tired of yelling “BUT WHEN ARE WE?” at the screen to keep up with the show. Thankfully, it seems the upcoming third season will be slightly less maddening.
Entertainment Weekly spoke with Westworld showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, who confirmed that this season’s plot will be a little more linear. “This is season is a little less of a guessing game and more of an experience with the hosts finally getting to meet their makers,” Nolan said. It’s also noteworthy that season three is expected to be a real departure from the Westworld of yore, now that the (SPOILER ALERT) hosts have escaped the park and presumably ended up on the set of Blade Runner.
Also, Lena Waithe is in this season! And Aaron Paul! Paul will be doing...something. Per Entertainment Weekly:
As for Paul’s mysterious new character, the showrunners revealed the “Breaking Bad” Emmy winner is playing a “construction worker in Los Angeles named Caleb who has a strong impact on Dolores.” Evan Rachel Wood is back as the fan favorite robot, who is experiencing “culture shock” now that she’s outside of Westworld and in the real world. Dolores’ experiences with Westworld visitors in previous seasons have shaped her outlook on humanity, but Paul’s character will complicate things.
“Aaron’s character will challenge Dolores’ notions about the nature of humanity,” Nolan added. “He’s the type of person who doesn’t get to go to Westworld.”
So, more Aaron Paul, more Dolores, less divergent timelines and earth-shattering twists—though if Westworld reveals we’ve been living in the Breaking Bad universe this whole time, I won’t be mad about it.