By Sebastian Sheath

(Disclaimer: this post contains spoilers for Westworld Season 1 and potential spoilers for Westworld Season 2. Also, none of this should be taken as fact, it is all purely speculation)

Earlier today, the first full-length trailer for Westworld Season 2 dropped and, while the first half is uneventful, it escalates to show an intense, violent, and visually stunning second instalment to the HBO show that premiered in 2016. Westworld Season 2 will air in July 2018 and in this post, I will be breaking down some of the footage we see and speculating as to what any of it could be.

Buffalo Rampage

Following an uneventful opening half of the trailer where we see lots of old footage and some simple landscapes, what would seem to be a wild buffalo herd wallowing in the wild quickly turns into the all-out carnage in the Westworld HQ that can be seen in the above frames. We see guards unsuccessfully fight off these buffalo with the guns we saw in the season 1 finale as they are gored and the Delos Westworld Headquarters are torn to shreds.

This is likely to take place not long after the events of last season’s finale and will likely act as a way to free the hosts still in containment there, not only massively increasing the host army (more on that later) but introducing them to modern-day (future) technology.

Will Maeve Become More Important?

Later in the trailer, we see Thandie Newton’s Maeve walking safely amongst the storming buffalo (left). We also see a frame of her mysterious backstory (top left) and a scene of here looking up in worry in a shower of dust. First of all, I think we are likely to see more of Maeve in the second season due to the massive positive fan feedback that HBO received from her character in the first. This, of course, requires a more fleshed-out character and for this, we need a backstory. Maeve’s backstory will likely be at least explained if not shown in full as we see gradually more and more of her on screen.

Secondly, it would seem as if the storming of the WW HQ is thanks to her planning. This suggests that post her not leaving the park on the train in order to go in search of her daughter, after finding out the truth or failing to do so, she leads a large part of the rebellion and storms the HQ as seen in the above frames.

Finally, the last frame is a bit of a puzzler. It suggests that a large fire is lit nearby but, as the humans have advanced technology, the fire is likely not thanks to them. The obvious answer is that the hosts lit the fire but this does not explain the look of fear and worry on Maeve’s face. Could this mean the hosts are fighting within themselves, or maybe the remaining humans in the park have learnt to fight with ‘western’ tech? Also, it could just be snow. It is difficult to tell.

When Will This All Happen?

The plot of season 2 will almost definitely begin just where season 1 left off. In the above frames, we can see the aftermath of the fateful dinner that freed the hosts and left the Delos execs dead. We can also see the map room in wrecks during a fight, presumably between the hosts and humans. This will likely follow on as part of the storm started at the end of season 1, meaning we will see the end of Hector and the others that were left behind in Maeve’s escape.

All Out War And Split Time Lines

In the last 30 seconds of the trailer, we see massive amounts of new footage. We see a dinner party with Logan, host troops, and incomplete hosts.

The dinner party suggests a continuation of the two timelines with Ben Barnes’ Logan (and, yes, it is Logan, not Hector), presumably furthering the audience’s understanding of the history of the park.

The host army shows the all-out war that was promised at the end of last season. We see that Evan Rachel Wood’s Delores will be acting as a leader to this uprising (though I imagine Maeve, having the best understanding of how the park works, will also play a large part) and that, as Jonathan Nolan stated in an interview:

“The first season is defined by control but the second will be defined by chaos”

Finally, the incomplete hosts may act as simple henchmen to the main characters in the Headquarters but I imagine they will more likely act as a sort of monster in an Alien/Stranger Things-esque situation (they certainly look the part).Let me know what you think in the comments.

Confusion And Native Americans

The native American tribal side of the park has always been mysterious and it looks as if we might get to see more of it in the second season. There is not much to say about what we see in the trailer but it does look like the tribes will be taking part in the uprising. Finally, and most confusingly, in the top left frame, we can see some sort of host troops, presumably from the civil-war themed battle area. This is relatively uninteresting other than the fabric masks covering their faces. I have absolutely no idea what these could be other than the undefeatable troops we encountered once at the edge of the park (but let me know in the comments what you think).

I hope you liked this post and be sure to let me know what you think or if I missed out anything in the comments. Also, be sure to check out more of our content here.