Westworld season 4: Ending explained and is there a season 5?

Here's exactly what that Westworld season 4 ending means and everything we know about a potential season 5.

After a slump in the critical response to the previous season, Westworld season 4 came back with a bang - and a brand new Evan Rachel Wood Westworld character. The dystopian sci-fi drama regained the spark that had so many viewers hooked in its early heyday, and the ending of this acclaimed season has since had everyone talking. With humans and hosts killing each other and madness and extinction looming, can one character regain control of the narrative and make a new world? Described as a "dark odyssey about the fate of sentient life on Earth”, we break down that season 4 ending, and everything we know about season 5.

Fans seeking other exciting sci-fi TV, should check out Paper Girls on Prime Video or Netflix hit The Sandman based on the comic book series by Neil Gaiman.

Westworld season 4: Ending explained  

Dolores announces that “sentient life on Earth has ended”, and pursues one final chance for the humans and hosts to get things right. With the memories from both groups at her disposal, she plans to create a new world in the Sublime, where everyone is forced to play one final game. 

The result will either see the survival of humans and hosts, or their extinction. The original Westworld park from season 1 plays host to this critical game. 

As reported by Decider, Dolores has now shed her Christina skin and is fully restored to the original Delores Abernathy. Entering Sweetwater, a train full of passengers rolls in and Delores is seen for the final time in the season walking to the point in the original Westworld loop that would see her drop a can and be picked up by Teddy. Looking happy, it is suggested that Dolores might in fact see the real Teddy, and possibly all those she has met over the years. This could take the form of a final loop before the ending for humanity and the hosts is decided.

It’s not known if players in this final game will be totally from Dolores’s memories. However, she is definitely searching for Teddy within the Sublime. The restoration of Delores to her original form and the park where it all began, paves the way for more action to take place at the original Delos Westworld park, where the centre of the maze Delores creates will have the final say on sentience. 

Who dies in the Westworld season 4 finale?

Host William, Host Caleb, Clementine, Stubbs, and Charlotte Hale all perish during the Westworld season 4 finale.  

William 2.0 had previously killed the trapped human version of himself, and also killed his host leader and creator, Charlotte Hale. During the season 4 finale Charlotte was rebuilt and returning stronger, shot the Man in Black and crumbled his pearl to dust rendering him dead. 

Caleb was finally able to reunite with his daughter Frankie, via a human replica host of himself. With his body rejecting being a host, and a dying Caleb lives long enough to send his daughter out to sea, as she tearfully witnesses his demise. 

Clementine Pennyfeather began life as a Mariposa prostitute, later becoming part of Wyatt's gang. As one of the original park’s oldest hosts, Clementine enjoyed a brief period of independence, before fighting Caleb and eventually being shot by his daughter Frankie. 

Former Head of the Westworld QA Security Force, Stubbs’ death had previously been foreseen by Bernard. Now acting as loyal protector, Stubbs was shot in the head and lost an eye in a dramatic showdown with Clementine. He did not survive his catastrophic injuries.  

After seeing off the Man in Black, a disillusioned Charlotte Hale gives up on her ambitions to rule, and on life. Imitating the way she killed the Man in Black, Hale then removes the pearl from her own head, crushing it and ending her existence.  

Westworld season 4 ending: Fan reaction

The finale appeared to incite a whole lot of emotion in fans, with one viewer on Twitter describing it as “bleak, brutal, and beautiful”. 

Another fan, praising everything from the background scores to the acting, described the finale as “mind blowing” and “one of the best seasons.”

How many episodes in Westworld season 4?  

• Episode 1: The Auguries - 54 minutes 
• Episode 2: Well Enough Alone - 50 minutes
• Episode 3: Annees Folles - 55 minutes
• Episode 4: Generation Loss - 51 minutes
• Episode 5: Zhuangzi - 59 minutes
• Episode 6: Fidelity - 58 minutes
• Episode 7: Metanoia - 53 minutes
• Episode 8: Que Sera, Sera - 59 minutes

All episodes of Westworld can be viewed in the UK on Sky Atlantic, available through NOW TV. A flexible way to view Sky Atlantic is a Now TV Entertainment Pass, which can be purchased for £9.99 a month. Another method is through Sky TV itself, where it can be purchased as part of their Sky Signature TV packages.

Will there be a season 5 of Westworld?

There is currently no confirmation of a season 5 of Westworld. However, The Man in Black actor Ed Harris, appeared to hint strongly that season 5 is definitely coming.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Harris said “We have one more season, which will start filming next April and May. I have no idea where that’s going to end up.” This strongly suggests filming for a new series will begin in spring 2023. His words also imply season 5 could be the last. 

Emotive use of Delores’ words and intentions certainly allude to a fifth and final season. Her need to create “one last game” and phrases such as the “final test,” appear to point to an end game. 

Season 4 closed with the strong suggestion we’re being taken back to the original Westworld park. Now in the sublime, this park will have differences to the original park, as it's built from Dolores’ memories of the park. Fans will be eager to see if Dolores really does find the original Teddy, and have their love story find an ending - whether it be happy or not. 

Although the death count was high at the end of season 4, most were host deaths. With hosts easy to rebuild, this could see any number of expired hosts returning for season 5. Even Bernard and Maeve, who met their endings prior to the finale, could make an appearance and complete their character arcs, if they are rebuilt. The only unclear returning character is Ed Harris’s Man In Black, as his pearl has been destroyed. However, after serving as the show’s main antagonist throughout and alluding to his appearance, fans can surmise the ways the show could resurrect him while they wait for news. 

All eight episodes of Westworld S4 are available to own digitally now.

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