What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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T2 WHATS UP! March 15 - 21, 2020 BY RACHEL JONES TV Media N othing 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 chan- nel. In the fictional amuse- ment 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 Aberna- thy, 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 Desti- nations, there are no conse- quences. Guests are allowed to indulge their darkest fanta- sies, and the AI hosts have their memories wiped regular- ly, often after dying at the hands of a guest. But the hosts begin to evolve. A few particularly as- tute and tenacious beings learn who they really are, and, more importantly, start to re- member, even after their memories are supposedly wiped. The series makes you wonder if there is more hu- manity 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. Tessa Thompson ("Thor: Ragnarok," 2017) plays Char- lotte Hale, the executive direc- tor of Delos, but in the Season 2 finale, a major plot twist has her playing Dolores as well. No worries, though, Wood is back as Delores for Season 3, in the body the escaped host pieced together in last year's season finale. As Season 2 wrapped up, it seemed like the hosts had accomplished their mission. What more could they do? HBO is notoriously tight-lipped, but the trailers for this new season unveil a whole new adventure for these sentient androids. This time, it's outside the park. Evan Rachel Wood stars in "Westworld" Violent delights continued on page T10 TV FEATURE