Westworld has finally returned on HBO. And true to form, the Season 3 premiere introduces a drastically different status quo while raising new questions about the hosts and the world in which they live. Assuming you stuck around after the end credits, episode 1 drops yet another bombshell with major ramifications. Check out our review of Westworld Season 3, episode 1, and then read on for a full breakdown of what’s happening in this post-credits scene and what it means for Maeve.
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Where Is Maeve?
The post-credits scene shows Thandie Newton’s Maeve waking up in a World War II setting and with a ’40s-style makeover to match. She appears to be stuck inside a new branch of the Delos Destinations park, one offering guests a chance to live out their fantasies battling German soldiers. This setting specifically looks to be an occupied city somewhere in continental Europe (France or Italy, perhaps?), with Maeve reprogrammed as part of some new scenario involving captive German soldiers.
We’ve been expecting the debut of a WWII-themed park ever since footage was first teased in the Season 3 trailer released at Comic-Con 2019. We’re assuming this park is called War World (Warworld?). Its debut seems aimed at ensuring at least part of Season 3 still takes place within a more traditional theme park setting, even as Evan Rachel Wood’s Dolores ventures out into the real world. Unfortunately, dusting off Westworld itself isn’t really an option, as the set was destroyed in the 2018 Woolsey Fire. However, the most recent trailer suggests we’ll still see the torched remains of Westworld.
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Which Host Pearls Did Dolores Bring With Her?
The biggest takeaway from this post-credits scene is the apparent confirmation Maeve wasn’t among the host “pearls” Dolores stole when she escaped Westworld in Season 2. Those pearls, each of which contains the memories and programming of a different host, are at the crux of one of the biggest mysteries of Season 3. Who else escaped the park thanks to Dolores, and whose bodies are they hiding inside now?
It would seem Maeve wasn’t lucky enough to win her freedom and has instead been reprogrammed by Delos. However, given her confused reaction upon waking up in War World, we’re guessing that reprogramming didn’t really take. She seems cognizant of her true self and will almost surely begin finding a way to escape once again.
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What’s Next for Maeve?
We assume Maeve’s plight in War World will play out alongside the main plot involving Dolores and Aaron Paul’s Caleb. She’ll no doubt work to escape her new surroundings. She’ll probably also bump into other familiar hosts who have also been reprogrammed for the new War World scenario. That should slowly clue viewers in as far as which hosts were taken by Dolores and which ones remain inside the park.
It remains to be seen what Maeve’s ultimate goal is, now that her daughter has found salvation of sorts in the Valley Beyond. Does she want to join Dolores in the outside world? Is she looking for some way of entering the host afterlife, even with the Valley Beyond being locked away?
Of course, thanks to Season 2 and its big “Halores” twist, we can no longer be sure that a host’s appearance corresponds to the brain within. We don’t even know for sure this is actually Maeve and not a different host occupying her body. For that matter, there’s always the question of when exactly this Maeve storyline is taking place. The first two seasons were notorious for playing around with our perception of time, and we wouldn’t be at all surprised if Season 3 continues that trend.
For more Westworld fun, check out our review of the Season 3 premiere and see the biggest mysteries fueling Season 3.
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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
Source: IGN.com Westworld's Season 3 Premiere Post-Credits Scene Explained