Months after HBO’s Westworld signed off its first season with a bang, fans are still buzzing about what Season 2 could bring. The show’s dark, dramatic finale in which Jimmi Simpson’s sympathetic William was revealed to be the brooding Man in Black, the center of the maze was finally uncovered, and Dolores murdered Dr. Ford while a wave of hosts converged on the park’s entire board of directors was among the year’s best finales (let’s be honest – one of the year’s best episodes) on television.
Entertainment Weekly released an exclusive interview with Evan Rachel Wood, who plays Dolores in the series, in which the actress touches upon some of the potential changes Season 2 will bring for her character. “I’m really curious to see the unleashed version of her that we caught a glimpse of at the very end of the finale,” the actress muses. “(In) Those final seconds, I think we were seeing a completely different side to her, completely different programming and completely off of her leash, so I don’t think she will be the same person; she’ll be an evolved version.”
Dolores was at the heart of Westworld’s first season and quickly became a fan favorite as she grappled with her difficult path to self-awareness, reconciled her deadly past with Arnold, managed her relationship with Teddy, and developed her romance with William. Westworld’s second season leaves many open possibilities as to where Dolores’ character arc can go. As Evan Rachel Wood expresses above, Dolores was left in a very exciting place in the Season 1 finale, having achieved sentience and individual agency. Her fate is completely up in the air, and it will be exciting to see what Dolores will accomplish next – especially considering Wood’s interpretation of Dolores’ state at the end of Season 1.
Westworld is expected to return to HBO in 2018.
