Cover Story this Breaking free

Season 3 of ‘Westworld’ ventures out into the real world

By Rachel Jones TV Media

Nothing says the Old West like robots, right? It’s certainly true for Season 3 of HBO’s hit series, “Westworld,” premiering Sunday, March 15, on the premium cable channel. In the fictional amusement park of Westworld, a troupe of eerily lifelike AI called “hosts” are programed to play the roles of townsfolk and gunmen for the park’s guests. The series entered the HBO lineup in 2016 and stars Evan Rachel Wood (“Frozen II,” 2019) as Dolores Abernathy, the oldest host in the park, and a rancher’s daughter-turned-robot revolutionist.

In this western-themed adult playground run by a company called Delos Destinations, there are no consequences. Guests are allowed to indulge their darkest fantasies, and the AI hosts have their memories wiped regularly, often after dying at the hands of a guest.

But the hosts begin to evolve. A few particularly astute and tena cious beings learn who they really are, and, more importantly, start to remember, even after their memories are supposedly wiped. The series makes you wonder if there is more humanity in these machines than in the people who oversee them.

In Season 2, the hosts (who have become self-aware) set out to take control over the park. Tes- lipped, but the trailers for this new season unveil a whole new adventure for these sentient androids. This time, it’s outside the park. This gripping show is actually based on a 1973 movie of the same name, written by Michael Crichton, author of “Jurassic

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ally housed and a Roman World. While the film was popular in its time, HBO’s take on the story is inventive and fresh.

Critics can’t help but compare this 21st century version of “Westworld” to HBO’s other smash hit, “Game Of Thrones.” The fantasydrama series ended in 2019 after an eight-season run that had an enormous following. Odds are, if you enjoyed “Game Of Thrones,” you’ll get hooked on “Westworld.” Hopefully, this foreshadows a nice long run for our ranching robots.

The show itself is full of big names who consistently turn in stellar performances. The cast so far has included Anthony Hopkins (“The Silence of the Lambs,” 1991), Jeffrey Wright (“Shaft,” 2000), James Marsden (“Dead to Me”), Thandie Newton (“Beloved,” 1998) and Ed Harris (“Apollo 13,” 1995). Oh, and if you look closely, you can even catch NFL star running back Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks making a guest appearance. This season, Aaron Paul (“Breaking Bad”), Lena Waithe (“Master of None”), Tommy Flanagan (“Sons of Anarchy”), Michael Ealy (“Stumptown”), Vincent Cassel (“Black Swan,” 2010), Kid Cudi (“How to Make It in America”), John Gallagher Jr. (“The Newsroom”) and more join the cast.

HBO has gone all out to make this experience truly immersive for fans, even developing a Virtual Reality experience with Survios, the interactive content studio. Taking it a step further, HBO created a dystopianthemed website run by a fake company, Incite Inc. Within the site, HBO tucked away two additional trailers for the show. It’s a virtual treasure hunt for “Westworld” fans.

The hidden trailers are dark and dramatic and suggest that Dolores’ journey to freedom will come at a steep price. After two intense trailers full of murder and explosions, No. 3 is a complete surprise. It reveals Dolores’ budding relationship with a new character, Caleb (Paul), and frames it as a romantic comedy. The two of them order milkshakes, take long strolls on a pier and ride off into the sunset on horseback. The trailer promises that Season 3 will be “35% more romantic.” The tongue-incheek humor is a nice break from the intensity of the hosts’ fight for freedom.

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WHAT’S NEW ON NETFLIX

“Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker”

Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer (“Truth Be Told”) takes center stage in this new biographical drama premiering Friday, March 20, on Netflix. Spencer stars as an icon of black history, Sarah Breedlove, or as she’s better known, Madam C.J. Walker, who became the first black female self-made millionaire in America. Walker’s success was a result of the launch of hair products that catered to the needs of black women and which she created after suffering from hair loss herself. Based on the book “On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker,” which was written by Walker’s great-great-granddaughter, the series follows the struggles that Walker faced, everything from business rivalires and betrayals to sexism and post-slavery racism. Spencer is joined by an incredible cast, which includes Blair Underwood (“Quantico”) as her husband, Tiffany Haddish (“Girls Trip,” 2017) as her daughter, Garrett Morris (“2 Broke Girls”) as her father-in-law, and Carmen Ejogo (“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” 2017) as her business rival, Addie Munroe. Don’t miss this look into the life of one of the most revolutionary women in black history.

“Bert Kreicher: Hey Big Boy”

On Tuesday, March 17, famous party man and standup comedian Bert Kreischer returns for yet another Netflix original comedy special. Known for being the inspiration behind the 2002 cult classic film “Van Wilder,” the self-described man-child almost always starts his show by immediately taking off his shirt and taking a drink. Like most comedians, Kreischer uses his life experiences to fuel his comedy, and he comments on everything from his children, the stuggles of parenthood and his marriage to his own health and his relationship with his parents. Despite the seemingly average subject matter, the Florida native’s life experience tends to one-up anything you would expect. For example, he tells a story about accidentally bringing a Coors Light with him to a parent-teacher conference, thinking it was a Diet Coke. You can get a taste for Kreischer’s hilarious comedy by watching his other comedy specials, “The Machine” and “Secret Time,” before catching the premiere of “Hey Big Boy” this Tuesday.

“The Letter for the King”

On Friday, March 20, this medieval coming-of-age series based on Tonke Dragt’s Dutch teen novel of the same name premieres on Netflix. For thousands of years, the land of Eviellan has been under attack by the kingdoms of Unauwen and Dagonaut, but now the war is about to change. Amir Wilson (“His Dark Materials”) stars as Tiuri, a teenage squire who dreams of one day being a knight. Tiuri’s life suddenly changes when he is tasked with delivering a letter to the king of Unauwen, a letter that could affect the fate of the entire kingdom. Bound by a sense of honor, Tiuri heads off on a dangerous mission across the Great Mountains with his friends Lavinia (Ruby Serkis, “Cider with Rosie,” 2015) and Piak (Nathanael Saleh, “Mary Poppins Returns,” 2018). Tiuri learns what it truly means to be a knight as he faces all sorts of dangers and enemies while on the adventure of a lifetime.

WHAT’S NEW ON HULU

“Little Fires Everywhere”

Reese Witherspoon (“The Morning Show”) and Kerry Washington (“Scandal”) bring the Celeste Ng bestseller “Little Fires Everywhere” to life in the premiere of this adaptation on Wednesday, March 18. Elena Richardson (Witherspoon) has a seemingly perfect life. She lives in a big house with her husband, Bill (Joshua Jackson, “The Affair”), and their four children. Life hasn’t been quite so good to Mia Warren (Washington), who is living in a car with her daughter, Pearl (Lexi Underwood, “Family Reunion”), when she meets Elena. The series opens with the Richardson house in flames and Elena being asked if she knows who may have set the fire. What follows is a look at the previous year, as Elena offers to rent a house to Mia and her daughter, and the two families become entwined.

“Big Time Adolesence” (2019)

On Friday, March 20, don’t miss Pete Davidson (“Saturday Night Live”) as he stars in his first leading role, as

Meanwhile, across town, brothel owner Enid Nora Devlin (Margo Martindale, “The Americans”) has been robbed of $50,000 and one of her girls has disappeared, so she sends a man to find her money and her girl. When Mary Beth happens to encounter this man, she accidentally kills him, sending her life into full chaos. Not knowing where else to turn, she goes to Priscilla, who helps her to cover up the murder and figure out what to do with the mysterious bag of money they found him with. Things only get more complicated for the girls when the body of Enid’s girl turns up and the town elders begin an investigation.

Zeke Presanti in this coming-of-age story that premiered last year at the Sundance Film Festival. Zeke is a college dropout with seemingly no aspirations in life, but when he meets 16-year-old Mo Harris (Griffin Gluck, “American Vandal”), he decides to teach him about the world and help him navigate the chaos of high school. The two become best friends, but the closer they get, the more Mo’s father (Jon Cryer, “Two and a Half Men”) becomes concerned about the unconventional lessons Zeke is teaching him.

WHAT’S NEW ON PRIME

“Pet Sematary” (2019)

The classic Stephen King novel “Pet Sematary” is brought back to life in this remake coming to Prime on Thursday, March 19. Jason Clarke (“Catherine the Great”) and Amy Seimetz (“The Killing”) star as Dr. Louis Creed and his wife, Rachel, whose lives are turned upside down after moving from Boston to a small town in Maine with their children Ellie (Jeté Laurence, “Younger”) and Gage (Hugo and Lucas Lavoie). When their cat is tragically hit by a truck, the family’s new and unusual neighbor, Jud (John Lithgow, “Bombshell,” 2019), tells them about a pet cemetery where Louis decides to bury the body. But the cemetery is not what it seems, and the family soon faces unspeakable evil.

“Blow the Man Down” (2019)

On Friday, March 20, this thrilling small-town film noir comes to Prime. When sisters Priscilla (Sophie Lowe, “The Returned”) and Mary Beth Connolley’s (Morgan Saylor, “Homeland”) mother passes away, they are suddenly faced with the overwhelming responsibility of the unpaid bills and loans she left behind. While Priscilla is prepared to step up and run the family fish shop, Mary Beth is not quite as ready to give up her carefree life.

WHAT’S NEW ON DISNEY PLUS

“G-Force” (2009)

The fate of the world rests in small paws in this action-packed family film joining Disney Plus on Sunday, March 15. Zach Galifianakis (“Between Two Ferns”) stars as scientist Ben Kendell, the lead of G-Force, a group of secret agent animals that have been scientifically enhanced to be able to speak with humans. The team comprises three guinea pigs: Blaster (Tracy Morgan, “What Men Want,” 2019), Juarez (Penelope Cruz, “American Crime Story”) and Darwin (Sam Rockwell, “Jojo Rabbit,” 2019). Joining them is a star-nosed mole named Speckles (Nicolas Cage, “Primal,” 2019) and a housefly named Mooch (Dee Bradley Baker, “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”). When the team goes on an unauthorized mission to gain intel on electronics magnate Leonard Saber (Bill Nighy, “Emma.,” 2020), its information is deemed worthless, and Darwin, Blaster, Juarez and Speckles are sent to be sold at a pet store. Ben soon discovers that the intel wasn’t useless and that Saber is actually trying to take over the world using household appliances, so the team members must escape their new home and stop him before it’s too late.

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