“Westworld” Season 3, episode 5: “Genre”, explained

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Once upon a time, Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) and the hosts trapped in loops. In the third season of HBO Westworld, however, it is humans stuck in routines that they cannot break – all thanks to Rehoboam, a super computer with the power to predict (and subsequently shape) future events based on human data.

Since “Genre”, the fifth hour of the third season of creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, the loops of humanity have also been broken – all thanks to Dolores. During the episode, Dolores and her cohorts (including Caleb of Aaron Paul, Ash of Lena Waithe, Giggles of Marshawn Lynch and a small army of various other Doloreses) manage to publish all of the data collected by Incite and fed by Rehoboam. The result: people now know how they should die, the jobs they are considered eligible for, and a whole host of other personal details – and to say that the news is going wrong with the masses would be an understatement.

Listen to the Regular series: Westworld podcast as hosts Josh Wigler and Marya Gullo break down “Gender” events.

Among the most furious humans of all: Engerraund Serac, the co-founder of Roboam played by Vincent Cassel. Positioned as the antagonist of season three, Cassel says that we can only see Serac as the main villain based on their interpretation of his intentions – intentions he believes to be rather noble, although too drastic in their execution . Throughout season three, Serac has been at odds with Dolores from afar, waging an invisible war between humanity and the hosts. Now, thanks to Dolores, humanity has suffered a massive loss, and Serac feels it most.

In front of, The Hollywood Reporter speak with Cassel to work in the mysterious world of Westworld, how he sees the philosophy of Serac and what to expect next as the co-founder of Rehoboam backs away from the attack by Dolores that changes the world.

You joined Westworld in season three as the new central antagonist. How do you compare the experience of filming such a secret program with the vision of completed episodes?

When you are involved in something, it is really difficult to look at it for what it is. Let’s face it, it’s almost impossible. But I was a big fan of the first two seasons before I got involved. I must say that even if they mention the character a lot, he often does not appear until the end of a given episode – so I tend to forget that I’m in on it, and so I can enjoy the show . ((Laughs.) I am really actually take advantage of it.

There is no way to forget that Serac is in episode five. This is an important episode for the character, as we discover his brother, the experiments he carries out on outliers and the fact that he survived a nuclear attack on Paris.

I’m not crazy looking at myself, yes … there is always some discomfort. I think it’s a big problem, however. [Nolan and Joy] told me everything before I even read the scripts. It was a long call with them, where they gave me the whole concept of the character and his place in the series. From there, I sometimes only got a script one day before the shooting. I had the whole idea for him, the whole spectrum of the character, all that was in mind … but I discovered how it was revealed almost day after day.

When it comes to playing such an enigmatic and powerful man, and using the Westworld jargon, is there a cornerstone for your approach to the character?

I understand what he wants. I understand why he wants to do it. I don’t necessarily agree with the way it works! ((Laughs.) But I think it’s a nice thing, what he wants to achieve – and what he actually accomplishes. How? ‘Or’ What he wants to do it? You know… (Laughs.) You could say he is a very nice fascist, or something like that.

He suffers serious losses in this episode. We see Serac getting angry. It is a speed that we are not used to seeing with this man.

Right. In its first episode, it’s very discreet. His speech, his emotion, everything was very empty and cold. I was happy to finally express something else here as an actor. But I knew it was going to happen. That’s why I kept things so fluid during the first few episodes.

In their scenes together, Serac seems impressed by Maeve. Now that he’s face to face with Dolores, what do you think he thinks of her?

Well, I don’t think he really considers her “someone”. He sees it as “something”. He really sees it as a disease from which he must cure his world. I think there is definitely something a little stronger with Maeve. It’s a match, you know? It is a match for him. With Dolores, I think it’s more something to get rid of – but personally, he also has to get something of her. It’s a big problem.

You said earlier that what Serac is looking for is something “beautiful”. What do you think of its objectives: to ensure the authorship of humanity through a computer program?

I think freedom is more important than anything, but at the same time … strangely enough, I think it is happening a bit already, you know? The ways we want to be entertained by bullshit all the time, but at the same time, there are some really important decisions that are made in a strange way. We are supposed to believe that we can make a change, but it is not very clear if we can really make it. I don’t know, man. It does not seem like a huge extrapolation.

What’s next for Serac after Dolores’ last move?

You know, it’s going to be an interesting thing, [depending on] who are you for. Who are you for? Are you going to root for robots, or are you going to root for humans? Sometimes the robots in this series are more human than humans. At the same time, if the robots do what they want, we have to fear for our own survival. So what do you choose? Do you choose to survive, or do you choose that good philosophy, freedom, is more important? I do not know. I do not think so anybody has the answer. But it’s the mind game we play at the end.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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