Westworld is a show full of twists, turns, and resurrections. Because almost all the main characters were originally hosts in the theme park and because copies of real people keep getting made, we’ve watched characters come back from the dead over and over again. Westworld Season 4 on HBO is going to be no different. Both Evan Rachel Wood and James Marsden return to the Westworld cast in spite of their characters’ deaths. But how?
Set about seven years after the events of Season 3, Westworld Season 4 introduces us to a new character played by Evan Rachel Wood, catches us up with human freedom fighter Caleb (Aaron Paul), and reunites us with our beloved badass Maeve (Thandiwe Newton). While it’s clear the Man in Black (Ed Harris) has a nefarious new plan, perhaps the biggest mystery is who Evan Rachel Wood is playing now that her original host character Dolores Abernathy is dead.
The Westworld Season 4 premiere follows this new character through a few harrowing days in the life, culminating with the reveal that this new heroine has a familiar-looking hero looking out for her. Westworld Season 4 Episode 1 gives former star James Marsden a swoon-worthy entrance accompanied by an instrumental Lana Del Rey cover.
So what do we know so far about Evan Rachel Wood’s new character in Westworld Season 4? How is James Marsden brought back to Westworld? And was that song really “Video Games”?
Who is Evan Rachel Wood Playing in Westworld Season 4?
Dolores is dead. Long live Christina!
As you’ll recall, Dolores Abernathy was not only killed, but her consciousness was totally deleted at the end of Westworld Season 3. However, as this is Westworld, and host bodies can be copied, Evan Rachel Wood is back as “Christina.”
Christina is a sweet, shy woman who works as a writer for Olympiad Entertainment. She specifically writes storylines for NPCs in the games that Olympiad creates. While Christina would rather script cozy stories about young women with loving fathers and happy endings, her boss wants her to veer into the darker side of life.
However all is not right in Christina’s world. She is haunted by a stalker who blames her for ruining his life. This man’s actions mirror that of an NPC character Christina created for her job. He attacks Christina and nearly kills her, but she is saved by a mystery man. Later, Peter, the stalker in question, jumps from a roof.
There are a bunch of Westworld Easter eggs related to Christina’s world. (Heh, it’s almost like she was named for that Andrew Wyeth painting that had big Dolores Abernathy vibes.) Early in the episode, Christina’s roommate, played by Oscar-winner and Tony host Ariana DeBose, asks her to help her choose between white and black shoes, mirroring the choice Westworld guests make to be a white hat or black hat in the park. Someone also knocks over a plant on her balcony mid-episode revealing the show’s iconic maze pattern. And of course, as it turns out, Christina’s noble protector is played by none other than James Marsden…
How Did James Marsden Return to Westworld?
James Marsden hasn’t been seen on Westworld since his character Teddy died by suicide at the end of Season 2. Dolores had reprogrammed her beloved to be a vicious attack dog for her violent cause and the Teddy trapped beneath her tweaks was horrified by what they had become. So how did Westworld bring him back?
Well, much like the origin of Christina, that’s still very much up in the air. However, we know that whoever Marsden is playing is as devoted to Christina as Teddy once was to Dolores.
The end of Westworld Season 4 Episode 1 “The Auguries” reveals that the mystery man who came to Christina’s aid is James Marsden. While Christina sadly wishes for a story with a happy ending from her NYC balcony and a Ramin Djawadi arrangement of Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games” swells, the camera reveals that Marsden’s character is keeping watch over Christina from below.
We’ll have to wait and see if Christina and this new character fall directly into Dolores and Teddy’s tragic pattern or if there might be a happy ending for these new iterations of these host bodies.
What Was the Song at the End of the Westworld Season 4 Premiere? Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games.”
Right. Yes. Westworld Season 4 ends with a symphonic cover of Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games.” The song is kind of perfect for this moment as the title is a cheeky nod to Christina’s job, while the melody and lyrics are over-the-top romantic. It honestly ruled.