James Marsden is understandably bummed about Westworld‘s unceremonious end
"I just wish it was about more than financial success," James Marden says about Westworld's abrupt ending
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What is the Warner Bros. Discovery disappearance that shocked you the most so far? Is it still Batgirl, the unfortunate “canary in the coal mine” for this vicious era of streaming? Or is it Westworld, the cancellation and removal of which prevented loyal fans from seeing its convoluted story to the end? The sprawling theme park robot reboot may have had diminishing returns as the seasons went on, but the series was once a flagship show for HBO. Now, it’s nowhere to be found. And perhaps no one is more bummed than the stars themselves, like James Marsden, who played one of the truly goodhearted hosts Teddy Flood.
“I’d be lying to you if I told you that the way we ended Westworld wasn’t a disappointment,” the actor tells Rolling Stone in a new interview. “I’m never going to speak without gratitude about any of my experiences, but it would have been nice to be able to complete the story we wanted to finish.”
He continues, “I love this Westworld family. It was one of those unique opportunities to be part of something where I also would be sitting at home ravenously waiting for the next episode as a fan. I totally understand it’s an expensive show and big shows have to have big audiences to merit the expense, I just wish it was about more than financial success.”
Don’t we all? It’s enough of a bummer when shows get canceled too quickly to find their groove. Now, shows with multiple seasons that one might enjoy returning to rewatch are being wiped from the web. Westworld’s viewership may not have justified an expensive final season, but it’s harder to understand the business sense of blipping it out of existence entirely.
Later in the interview, Marsden gushes about his upcoming appearance on the Party Down revival, saying he “was wondering why the good shows are the ones that don’t get renewed.” Regarding Westworld, however, he remains quixotically optimistic: “Who knows, maybe there’s some world where it can get completed somehow. Maybe that’s just wishful thinking, because I know we had plans to finish it the way we wanted to.”
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“. . . but it would have been nice to be able to complete the story we wanted to finish.”I’d be impressed if he could explain the last two seasons.
Where was the story supposed to go? Spoilers ahead for S4 Finale…At the end of S4 we’re told that all of humanity is dying and the hosts are back in a servers at the Hoover Dam. Without humans or droids to maintain the Dam it’s clearly going to end up falling apart due to nature.Is that it? Is that the end of the show? 8-10 more episodes of the data world until the Hoover Dam collapses?
The non sentient robot things were probably maintaining it. I guess
Honestly I would have been curious to see HOW they ended up taking over the entire planet. It seemed in the show it was more or less just one large metro area with the tower that was controlling the humans. They never really talk about or show humans elsewhere being controlled, I just assumed it was like a “test” market, so I was thrown off by Delores saying all sentient life was dead.
I think that’s a fair point. I think we’re supposed to believe that they were killing humans and replacing them with droids a lot more than it seems during the big time gap between S3 and S4.But one thing that does irk me is that the S4 finale is so much shorter than all the other finales. And I kinda wouldn’t be surprised if stuff was cut and that voiceover was added late to give closure. That’s purely speculation though.
It could be. It was just jarring like what you already replaced EVERYONE worldwide, like they never talk about other places, outside of the odd AI thing. I will say it’s the best example, especially season one, of playing with “when” like your jumping back and forth in time the entire first season and don’t even know it until the reveal of who the Man in Black actually is, which was a big “oh shit” moment.
They turned the story of Westworld from a potential to make money in the future with a completed story into something that is harder for me to recommend watching to folks in the future.
Canceling shows without endings is shortsighted. Short term profit for long term loss, artistic loss, reputational loss, and financial loss.
It’s weird for me to say that in regards to Westworld as each season up to season 3 didn’t really leave me with the need for more. I was happy they did after watching subsequent seasons. But why even make Season 4 if they weren’t going to follow through regardless?
“But why even make Season 4 if they weren’t going to follow through regardless?”
Because. They thought. People would. Still. Watch it.
Is that really so fucking difficult to grasp?
I disagree with this sentiment.While it doesn’t have an intended ending, both S3 and S4 work as finales.S3 works as a good open ended what happens next ending.S4 works as a well they all die and have to die anyway, the end ending.I’d have no problem recommending to people to watch to at least S3 if not all 4, you know if it was available to stream.
The show did a lot of make it harder and harder for me to recommend before it was canceled.
Just tell people it only has the one season. That ending works.
Show sucked.
I mean at least he got to finish out Dead to Me and 30 Rock. Plus I am sure if he can get over how poorly his character was taken out in the X-Men movies he can probably get over this.
He requested that Cyclops die quickly, so he could do Superman Returns.
““I just wish it was about more than financial success,” James Marden says about Westworld’s abrupt ending”I mean, it’s about nobody watching or liking the show beyond the first season.
Unfortunately it was also about artistic success.
If it got a proper ending, it’s not like anyone would have been able to comprehend it anyway.
The show needed to die, but I do feel for him. He seems like a decent guy. He can’t really catch a break. Underused in X-Men, Superman Returns didn’t pan out. 30 Rock and Westworld were probably his only full arcs I can think of.
You’re forgetting all the character work he put into the Sonic Trilogy as “guy who finds alien and then has crazy adventures with him”