Westworld (TV Series) The Absence of Field (2020) User Reviews

High Concept Sci-Fi

[robfollower · 9/10 · 30 March 2020]

I'm enjoying this season a lot personally. The cinematography/sets have been A+ and I find the story interesting as they are moving out of the park.

Tessa almost has the same speech affect that she did when she was housing Dolores/Wyatt, but the only person it could be is Teddy or possibly Abernathy which are the two people she trusted and had tendencies towards violence. I may be leaning towards Abernathy right now though. Tessa having to play Hale, playing someone else, must be "interesting".

I am liking the Dolores and Caleb storyline as well. Showing that all of this life frustration was controlled by an algorithm and no matter how hard you try you would never get farther than you are has to be disheartening which makes him a perfect new "Teddy". I did chuckle a little when he said Dolores was the first real thing that had happened to him in a long time.

We also know now that the guest data is out there somewhere and that Dolores is the key to unlocking it. I'm thinking that the hosts will win regardless of if Serac gets this information or not and they do unlock the decryption from the after credits scene last season.

May not be for everyone, but I'm enjoying the ride. Also, Djawadi continues to do a great job on the soundtrack, his work is almost taken for granted these days.

Westworld in its full form

[divyanshgautam94 · 9/10 · 30 March 2020]

The first episode was ok. The second one brought back the Westworld I love. This one had all the things for Westworld fans.

Talks between Dolores and Caleb was superb and can open doors for numerous discussions. I felt like I was just there on that bridge listening to both of them. Creators are now exploring the character of Hale that was limited to a mean and corporate being in previous seasons.

Now I have good vibes for upcoming episodes.

We are what we are.

[abhisek-86087 · 9/10 · 30 March 2020]

This episode has left us with so many questions unanswered which creates a chain of thoughts in mind, which makes it interesting.

Strangest episode yet

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 30 March 2020]

Hale or whoever is pretending to be Hale is falling apart at the seams.

Am I watching Altered Carbon or Westworld? We are starting to see a lot of similarity between the two shows. Because regardless of who occupies a host or a "Sleeve", The host/sleeve remembers who they really are. So whatever makes Charlotte Hale the person that she is, has less to do with the mind that is controlling the body. Unless it was Dolores. Whoever is running Hale right now, is not Delores. Is it Teddy?

It seems that eventually Delores is going to need help from William again. But that doesn't happen yet.

And it appears Rehoboam is noticing Delores now. She was warned about that. Oh-Oh, and Rebohoam has Maeve and possibly BernArnold in its camp. An AI named after a son of Solomon that declared his manhood larger than Solomons, really needs to get blown up.

In the first episode there was a slight reference to a "simulation within a simulation". There is another slight reference to that in this episode. The question is, is it already happening or is it going to happen. We already know that it can happen, if Maeve figured it out. She also figured out how to bust out of it... at this point we don't know if Dolores is as smart as Maeve. Or is it Ford still pulling all the strings? We won't know about that until we hear from William this season...

Why am I reading reviews in here that are dupes of reviews that I read for Discovery? I thought we were supposed to talk about the shows, not spew political propaganda? Really, this is not Reddit. Go back there with that vomit.

Top 3 episode

[stanton-sweeney · 10/10 · 30 March 2020]

After viewing this episode, my excitement for westworld has been rekindled. Great storyline paired with wonderful cinematography has this episode among my favorites. I always seem to know when I'm watching one of "those" episodes (a truly good, fulfilling one) and I had that feeling tonight. Bravo!

Great character based episode.

[sirharksalot · 30 March 2020]

This was more character based than usual which is interesting for this show. They got a new writer- Denise Thè. She is great. Good work on Caleb and Dolores and Hale. Really enjoyed it. Ramin Djawadi once again, is brilliant. Best so far this season and dare I say it, best so far?

Simply amazing

[yukselkilinc-26456 · 10/10 · 29 March 2020]

This show has been my favorite since the first episode. This episode is the best one i've seen. There are no words to describe it, watch it yourself to see how awesome it is.

Tic Tac ... Tic Tac

[Barneyy71 · 10/10 · 30 March 2020]

I have a feeling that the finale of this season will be one of the best episodes in television history.

WOW.

[josejo1 · 10/10 · 30 March 2020]

What can i say man, this is one of the best episodes of the show. I have no words.

Look out Emmys...here comes Tessa Thompson!

[hnt_dnl · 10/10 · 30 March 2020]

FINALLY after a disastrous second season and a dubious couple of episodes to start this season, the Westworld writers finally shoved in another masterpiece to add to their ranks! THE ABSENCE OF FIELD is not just a great Westworld episode, it's great for any show. The only other episode since Season 1 that engaged me to this extent was Riddle of the Sphinx in Season 2 and that was a relatively early episode and we all know how the season turned out after that one (yeah, I didn't like Kiksuya, sue me!). Let's hope it just keeps getting better from 3x03 onwards. But I'm not sure if the writers can top this one.

Tessa Thompson was absolutely phenomenal in this episode! It's not even a question this is her best performance of the series. "Charlotte Hale" went through a genuine character arc with challenges, obstacles, struggles and self-doubt, you know something HUMANS usually have to deal with on a daily basis and something that I as a viewer can actually RELATE to. Where has this writing been for the last season plus?

This episode digs into the mystery of the host who Dolores inserted into Hale's body after she switched her orb back into her own in the Season 2 finale. This host version of Hale is tasked to run the Delos Corporation as part of Dolores' world domination plot that encompasses Season 3. But in addition to the tricky task of fooling the company execs and employees, she also has the further complication of having to fool Hale's ex-husband and son making them think she's the real Charlotte. The episode also includes an effectlvely powerful subplot featuring the growing relationship and alliance between Dolores and Caleb, with Evan Rachel Wood and especially Aaron Paul doing some impressive acting.

Absence of Field deftly touches upon the lasting effects of both emotional and physical abuse as both "Charlotte" and Caleb must navigate their way through their emotions to a place of acceptance, functionality, and inner peace. This isn't just a standard episode. It's the kind of existentially brilliant writing and storytelling that existed back in both Season 1 and 2x04. Doubtful there will be many more episodes like this as plot must keep moving and the show must go on, but despite how much the show has declined over the last couple of seasons, this episode is a masterpiece, anchored by Tessa Thompson's brilliant performance. Emmy voters...take note!

Boring tasteless melodrama

[xeraph · 6/10 · 30 March 2020]

Start was strong but then it devolved into boring tasteless melodrama.

There were some moments which had potential ruined by some really flat moments. And OMG... that scene between Dolores and Caleb at the diner was probably the most longest emotional blackmail I had to sit through, those un-nuanced spoon-feed cringy melodramatic lines were just pouring and my eyes were rolling how looong, when will this suffering end.

Dolores and Caleb 😁😁

[nair-92688 · 10/10 · 30 March 2020]

A new relationship which will be a memory in season 3 .. I strongly feel its teddy inside hale. Music is biggest plus point. Dessert is silent before the big storm

THE MUSIC IS TOO LOUD

[hughes57 · 6/10 · 30 March 2020]

If your dialogue is so bad you have to drown it out with the ominous music,,,write better scripts..I love this show but this season is making it hard to like..

Season 3 format a bust

[cooperhawkes-53601 · 2/10 · 30 March 2020]

I'm not sure why they producers chose to revamp the format that worked so well in the first 2 seasons, but I don't care for it at all. Even the non sci-fi fan wife commented that "the magic is gone", adding that "this episode was boring and I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed". 3 episodes into the new season and I'm seriously considering writing off the show as 'over', the story is going nowhere and the hosts would've been better off dying in the park. Very disappointed so far.

Fan boys

[cmalpelli · 30 March 2020]

I truly hope that I'm not alone because so far season 3 is boring as hell, people are waxing poetic about these first 3 episodes but I just don't see it. I keep waiting for something important to happen and I'm still waiting, is Ed Harris ever going to show up because it shows him as a cast member but unless he's hiding I can't find him. Seasons 1 & 2 were amazing but personally I can't say the same for season 3 so far, how people are giving these episodes a 10/10 is mind bending to me, hopefully this show will pick up at some point because if it continues like this there will be a lot of upset viewers.

Wow, what an episode...

[alexanderbelikov · 10/10 · 30 March 2020]

Amazing cinema here, with the music being absolutely fantastic, and the plot evolving in certain ways that are so astounding to say the least. Great acting all around, especially to Tessa Thompson. Wonderful episode and favorite of season 2 and 3.

Best of the season so far

[aarongnr · 10/10 · 30 March 2020]

This episode was awesome. It takes it's time to focus on characters and develop them. But it also manages to further the story quite alot aswell. We're getting a more clear picture of how Incite and Rehoboam operate and what Dolores' knows and what her goals are.

Loved it.

This is getting more and more interesting!

[bsamad-50088 · 9/10 · 30 March 2020]

I never likes the idea that the show has moved from the story of guest and host in the park into the real world , i was afraid that they would mess it up , but after watching these 3 episodes i changed my mind , this is getting more interesting, the story and the build up of characters is perfect, the world they created is so sophisticated and amazing, i am looking forward to watch more

Best story line ever

[eddy_gosi · 10/10 · 30 March 2020]

I like how the story line goes! Very realistic and probabilistic of our future.

Amazing

[cruise01 · 9/10 · 30 March 2020]

4.5 out of 5 stars.

Amazing complex storytelling. Great cast. This episode was a little slower. But still good.

Character development is happening

[moviesfilmsreviewsinc · 10/10 · 18 March 2022]

One of the problems the hosts often ran into in the first season of Westworld was having their programming rewritten. Rather than wiping the memory completely, Delos just treats the host consciousness like a hard drive, keeping the operating system and general personality intact, then putting in whatever the new narrative is over top of the old one. For popular hosts, like Maeve and Dolores, the result was something akin to a constant state of déjà vu and provided the suffering wheel necessary to kick them out of their preset paths and push them towards consciousness. That was an unintended consequence of humanity's tinkering. What would be the issues for a host whose consciousness was put into the wrong body? If you're the host currently inhabiting the shell of Charlotte Hale, it looks a lot like the real-life mental illness NSSI or Non-Suicidal Self-Injury. Charlotte, from the moment she first begins to encounter stress as related to her being in charge of the day-to-day operations of Delos, starts picking at her own skin immediately, and the problem seems to only grow worse the longer she's kept away from Dolores and the longer she's stuck in someone else's body. It could be awkward, but it's brilliantly performed by Tessa Thompson and Evan Rachel Wood. Thompson does a delicate job of showing the actual process of thinking on her feet, first with her child, then in the board room, and finally, in a meeting with the mastermind behind Rehoboam. Dolores has a plan, and when she takes actions, they feel very thought out, even if she's winging it. It's a bit of classic storytelling, the clueless protagonist figuring out things as they go along, but it's something that helps ground Westworld. It's futuristic robot murder parks and self-guided cars and artificial intelligence, fitting neatly into relatively familiar storytelling techniques. Futuristic noir, right down to the MacGuffin of stolen data? Perhaps, but like any story, if told right it's immensely satisfying. And Westworld's third season has, thus far, been immensely satisfying.

Less plot holes than episode 1 & 2 at least

[0w0 · 6/10 · 20 April 2020]

One big plot hole: Dolores loses a huge amount of blood and is in the process of dying... then, 5 minutes later, she miraculously is not only OK again, but she takes down and kills a guy, and then carries said guy to a car and then drives away in the car... how's that possible if she was basically in a coma from blood loss just a few minutes ago?

Anyway, aside from that, the episode was good.

Gaining momentum steadily

[ruwimalpathiraja · 9/10 · 11 April 2020]

This episode brings most characters together in a series of interactions that cement the foundations of the tale that lies ahead.

We feel the pace of the story quickening as more dots start appearing while faint lines hint of connections between dots we've seen so far. Ramin Djawadi's music deserves a mention ; it brilliantly complements the events of the episode.

Character Development done right! Best episode yet for the season.

[guilhermelopes-86916 · 7/10 · 30 March 2020]

First time in a while that Westworld actually build their characters beyond what they were in back in season 1. I liked the progresssion of the plot to a more liberty/freedom of choice centric story, rather than robots vs humans nonsense Finally Caleb became a compelling and interesting part of S3, and not a tool to just explore FutureWorld. Making Hosts flawed, depressed and almost suicidal for living somebody's life was great choice. Production value was once again outstanding,

What happened to this show?

[palacerevolution2000 · 3/10 · 31 March 2020]

I see all the rave reviews, and don't get it. I thought the overall acting was terrible. Soap opera level. Every sentence uttered by any character is accompanied by some ominous chord in the soundtrack. And many of these statements are downright moronic. "Because you are the first thing that is real that has happened in a long time". and "You are not my mommy" - really? I will keep watching, and hope to be proven wrong. Nolan is too original of a writer.