Based on Michael Crichton’s 1973 movie, Season One of Westworld brought us a tale of a fantastic theme land. This notion came to HBO for a series in 2016, one that explores the same concepts and pushes past the confines of the 88-minute movie.

We get more adventures in Season Three. This package includes all eight episodes of Westworld for that span, and the plot synopses come from IMDB.

Parce Domine: “Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) sets out to find the architect of the Rehoboam. Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) tries to blend in. Ex-soldier Caleb (Aaron Paul) tries to find his way in neo-Los Angeles.”

Westworld took a two-year break between Seasons Two and Three, though we can’t blame the COVID pandemic on the gap. S3 debuted literally right as the world “shut down”, so the shows were essentially in the can pre-virus.

After so much time away, “Domine” needs to act as a refresher of sorts, one that reintroduces us to characters and situations. That doesn’t make it dull and expository, though, so it becomes a pretty invigorating launch to the year.

The Winter Line: “Maeve (Thandie Newton) finds herself in a new park and meets a ghost from the past. Bernard makes his way back to Westworld.”

“Domine” ended with a post-credits hint at “Warworld”, the fresh setting mentioned in the synopsis. That adds some intrigue to S3, and the focus on Maeve makes this a compelling show.

The Absence of Field: “Charlotte (Tessa Thompson) grapples with reality. Dolores and Caleb begin to form a key partnership.”

Though she played a small role in the first couple shows, “Field” gives us a better look at Charlotte. That allows the episode to offer added narrative intrigue, even if it lacks the “fun factor” of the last program’s Warworld.

The Mother of Exiles: “Bernard and Ashley (Luke Hemsworth) infiltrate a private charity event, while Dolores and Caleb make similar plans. The Man in Black (Ed Harris) prepares to re-enter society. Maeve comes face to face with an old comrade.”

As S3 progresses, it starts to feel more and more like The Matrix - or more accurately, that movie’s sequels. Vincent Cassel’s Serac gives off major vibes that make him reminiscent of that series’ Merovingian, and I don’t really view that as a positive.

The return of Harris’s “Man in Black”/William gives the episode heft, though. Despite some lackluster elements, “Exiles” moves along the narrative fairly well.

Genre: “Serac's past is revealed. Dolores pressures Liam for access to Rehoboam. Caleb is dosed with an unusual party drug.”

As implied by the last episode’s discussion, Serac initially left me cold. However, this show’s expansion adds to his tale and makes the role more engaging. Throw in some action and the clever use of the “Genre” drug to make this a solid show.

Decoherence: “As the world falls into chaos, Serac gains control of Delos, changing Charlotte's plan. Maeve gets one last chance to stop Dolores. William starts his therapy.”

In theory, that William-related aspect should seem intriguing, but in reality, it becomes a bit of a slog. At least the more plot-driven aspects of the episode add balance and ensure “Decoherence” moves along reasonably well despite some slow spots.

Passed Pawn: “Caleb gets an insight on the true nature of his past. Dolores seeks out Rehoboam's predecessor, while Maeve tracks her down. Bernard, Ashley, and William escape from all the chaos.”

On its own, “Pawn” doesn’t become an especially scintillating episode. However, as the set-up for the finale, it really just needs to prime the pump. It does that in a reasonably efficient manner to push us toward the next program.

Crisis Theory: “Dolores' true intentions are revealed. Bernard confronts a ghost from his past. Maeve is conflicted. Serac's voice is dominant. Caleb's role is revealed. and William faces an unexpected villain.”

S3 concludes on a reasonably positive note, as it brings the year’s narrative to a satisfying close while it also leaves open room for Season Four. I don’t know if S3 becomes the series’ best, but it offers a pretty high standard overall.

Footnote: expect a Season Four “teaser” during this episode’s end credits.

Westworld appears in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 on this Blu-ray Disc, though a few sequences went 2.35:1 as well. This was a positive presentation.

Sharpness looked solid. A few shots were slightly soft, but not to a substantial degree, so most of the episodes seemed accurate and concise.

No jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and I saw no edge haloes. Source flaws were a non-factor, as the movie stayed clean.

Like most modern shows, Westworld favored a teal tint with a dollop of amber as well and some dingy shades of green and yellow. Within their parameters, the colors appeared solid.

Blacks seemed deep and tight, while shadows were smooth and well-delineated. In the end, the transfer proved to be appealing.

As for the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Westworld, it became a reasonably involving mix. With a fair amount of action scenes, we got some lot of good material from all sides.

Various elements blended around the spectrum and added a nice sense of activity to the film. Stereo music also worked well, and this turned into a moderately vivid soundscape.

Audio quality seemed fine. Speech was crisp and distinctive, with no edginess or other concerns.

Music was full and rich, while effects came across as lively and accurate. The track boasted good low-end when appropriate. All of this was enough for a “B+”.

Spread across all three discs, Creating Westworld’s Reality consists of seven featurettes, with one per episode except for “Mother of Exiles”.

These fill a total of 41 minutes, 53 seconds and include comments from co-creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, stunt coordinator Ken Clark, director Richard Lewis, production designer Howard Cummings, VFX supervisor Jay Worth, writers Denise The and Matt Pitts, on-set VFX supervisor Bruce Branit, locations manager Mandi Dillin, costume department head Shay Cunliffe, supervising art director Jon Carlos, illustrator Thang Le, on-set VFX supervisor Joe Wehmeyer, stunt coordinator Marielle Woods, drone technician Robert Stagg, chief drone pilot Loic Mahaes, head of hair department Terrie Velazquez-Owen, and actors Aaron Paul, Evan Rachel Wood, John Gallagher Jr., Jeffrey Wright, Tessa Thompson, Marshawn Lynch, Lena Waithe, Thandie Newton, and Vincent Cassel.

The segments of “Reality” cover story/characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, various effects, photography, costumes, and stunts. The clips tend to feel somewhat superficial, but they offer a decent view of the season.

On Disc One, Escape from Westworld spans a mere one minute, 53 seconds and involves Joy, Nolan, Newton, Paul, Cummings, Wright, Harris, Thompson, Wood, Branit, Cummings and Dillin. This becomes little more than a promotional teaser.

Exploring Warworld goes for three minutes, 56 seconds and brings notes from Nolan, Newton, Joy, Cunliffe, Cummings, Lewis, Branit, Worth, and actor Rodrigo Santoro.

As expected, this featurette discusses aspects of the series’ “Warworld”. It feels like an expansion of the “Reality” clips – and repeats some of that info - though with a little more happy talk.

Disc Three brings We Live in a Technocracy, a 13-minute, 44-second program that involves Nolan, Joy, Wood, Cassel, Thompson, Pitts, Wright, Paul, and Gallagher.

“Technocracy” looks at S3 through the prism of the modern technological domain, with some notes about cast and related elements as well. Though it tends to feel like an extension of “Reality”, it still gives us some decent notes.

A Vision for the Future spans 14 minutes, nine seconds and delivers remarks from Joy, Nolan, Cummings, Pitts, The, Carlos, Wehmeyer, Worth, and Le.

Here we discuss various design choices for the series’ universe. It becomes a nice take on the topics.

Next comes Crime and the Gig Economy, a seven-minute, seven-second reel that features Joy, Nolan, Paul, Waithe, and Lynch.

“Gig” looks at the series’ “RICO” app and its reflections in the criminal world. It becomes a compelling view of the subject.

Westworld On Location goes for 11 minutes, 20 seconds and brings material with Nolan, Santoro, Newton, Joy, Cummings, Thompson, Dillin, Wright, Wood, Cassel, Paul, co-producer Freddie Yeo, director Paul Cameron and location manager Michael Glaser.

Unsurprisingly, this reel discusses the locations used in S3. It brings a decent overview, though it can feel a little too oriented toward happy talk.

Four clips appear under Welcome to Westworld: “Evan Rachel Wood and Aaron Paul – Analysis” (3:46), “Evan Rachel Wood and Aaron Paul – Who Said It?” (3:43), “Thandie Newton and Tessa Thompson – Analysis” (3:22) and “Thandie Newton and Tessa Thompson – Who Said It?” (2:57).

The “Analysis” clips give us minor thoughts about story and characters, while the “Said” segments look back at prior shows. Neither seems memorable but both feel mildly enjoyable.

Season Three of Westworld continues the same fairly high level of quality found in its initial two years. While not quite as good as its predecessors, S3 still becomes a satisfying journey. The Blu-rays offer positive picture and audio with a moderate collection of bonus materials. Bring on Season Four!