Westworld season 2: Jonathan Nolan on writing — and getting meta
Trying to get spoilers on Westworld season 2 is a near-impossible task, and in some ways understandably so. What in the world would the merit be in trying to divulge information on a show that is all about twists and turns?
One of the interesting things that came out of the show’s panel discussion at PaleyFest today was the interesting love / hate dynamic that showrunner Jonathan Nolan has with some of the internet fans — he loves them far more than hates them, as evidenced by the joke that he offered when talking vaguely about season 2 (quote via Deadline):
“We’re writing right now — we’re terribly excited about what we’re writing … Reddit has already figured out the third episode twist, so we’re changing that right now.”
In looking at this joke another way, Nolan explained that while he was thrilled that so many fans figured out some of his theories, at the same time it was frustrating that there were some viewers who figured out the truth in advance of certain episodes airing:
“It’s annoying sometimes when people guess the twists and then blog about it, but the engagement is gratifying, on one level, because if someone guesses your twist, it means you’ve done an adequate job [of structuring the series]. You can’t complain when people are that engaged. It’s very gratifying—but stop doing it, please.”
In the end, the result of Westworld is a net positive. More people are appreciating the show than loathing it, and this level of engagement is only going to be a good thing in furthering along the future of the show. It’s better for there to be twists that are detectable, as opposed to twists that come out of think air and don’t mean too much of anything. Just remember for a minute or two here just how many shows there are out there that seem to exist more on the basis of shock value than of story and worthwhile content.
Alas, Westworld season 2 will not be premiering on HBO until you roll around to 2018, but there are some ways in which you can check out some further content all about it right now! Head over here to see who from season 1 was promoted recently to series regular.
Once there is some further news out there, we’ll have it for you here — alas, we do think that there are probably not going to be any more specific updates for a good while.