Breaking Down The Many Westworld Timelines

When you think of Westworld, one quotable theme seems to reign supreme: “These violent delights have violent ends.” As loyal viewers know, the entire series is built around the chaos that ensues once the robots of Westworld rebel against the three-and-a-half decades of violence inflicted upon them by their human guests. Yet, Sunday night’s “Reunion” suggests another running line from the futuristic series holds just as much import as those violent delights and violent ends.

The recurring thread we’re talking about is, “When am I?”

It’s a question asked by both Dolores Abernathy (Evan Rachel Wood) and Bernard Lowe (Jeffrey Wright), who can arguably be seen as Westworld’s protagonists. “Reunion” nods towards that question, which viewers themselves have been forced to ask over the HBO drama’s time-jumping past two seasons. The episode hurtles through multiple points in Dolores’ “life” and that of the rich human who’s obsessed with her, William (played as a young man by Jimmi Simpson and as a black suit-clad old man by Ed Harris).

After two seasons of not knowing exactly when we are in Westworld — a series whose “present day” is set in 2052, over three decades in the future — it’s time to hammer out all the details. So, we created an exhaustive timeline of the series’ world, which explains where the events of both season 1 and season 2 fall. Unsurprisingly, the entire history is a criss-crossing maze of violence, orgies, nefarious business schemes, and robots. Keep reading to reach the true valley of Westworld understanding.