It's WestWorld, but not as Maeve knows it - here's every similarity between the original park and World War II in season 3 (that was a simulation actually, never mind), Westworld season 4 resurrects 1920s prohibition with all its glamorous gangster fun. Built by the new leader of Delos - a Charlotte Hale host developed from Dolores' personality - Maeve and Caleb visit the Golden Age quite by accident, walking headfirst into certain doom.
Westworld's parks prove Delos isn't afraid of cutting corners. Each follows the same basic framework, with narratives, hosts and locations all resembling the company's original wild west resort. Despite the new landlords, Golden Age is no different. Aaron Paul's Caleb might be experiencing his first dose of mechanical paradise, but it's all too familiar for Maeve, who looks beyond the prohibition-era coat of paint and sees her same old prison.
Not much fun for Maeve, perhaps, but great for Westworld viewers, who can feast upon the Easter eggs and crossovers between Golden Age and WestWorld. Here are the hosts, the in-park storylines, and the subtle details giving audiences déjà vu in Westworld season 4.
Golden Age & WestWorld Both Begin On A Train
Just as Teddy entered Sweetwater on a train during the very earliest scenes of Westworld season 1, the Golden Age adventure begins in similar fashion, with Caleb and Maeve exiting the station directly onto the main street of a town called Temperance. Indeed, it was the ominous lurch of a train journey that first made Maeve realize they were being escorted into a Delos resort. The streets may be a little less dusty and the lights a little less waxy, but Golden Age's train station and street setup is virtually identical to WestWorld's Sweetwater.
Westworld's Blacksmith Is Back
As an awe-struck Caleb takes his first tentative steps into Temperance, he looks over to an unseen steel worker creating sparks with a blowtorch. Back in Westworld's very first episode, a blacksmith would be hammering away on heated metal in the exact same location. The 1920s advancements in technology are the only real change here, as Westworld utilizes exactly the same camera angle in both instances.
Caleb Copies Teddy & William's Bump
As the "lobby" of WestWorld, Sweetwater would be packed with possible narrative triggers, and one of the first quests guests can encounter is a surly cowboy barging them aggressively. Reacting a certain way here presumably pulls the visitor into a storyline, and past recipients of this rough welcome include both Teddy and William. Westworld season 4's Golden Age recycles this idea, and a tall, gangster-looking stranger bumps directly into Caleb before Maeve drags him away.
The Hunt For Hector Continues In Westworld Season 4
Another major narrative WestWorld guests could enter early was the bounty hunt for Hector Escaton - a criminal who'd later become Maeve's lover and sidekick. Temperance apparently has its own version of the outlaw: Hector "Heccy" Armone. Once again, there's a sheriff standing around holding a handful of "WANTED" posters attempting to recruit bloodthirsty guests into a vigilante mission.
Kids Accosting A Drunk Westworld Host
The two 1920s children stealing a drunken host's wallet in Temperance represents another detail Hale pinched from WestWorld. When Teddy was strolling through Sweetwater in Westworld season 1's premiere, a couple of equally pesky youngsters carefully maneuvered a scorpion onto an unlucky old-timer's head.
A WestWorld Souvenir Photograph
What better way to commemorate a vacation spent murdering robots than a nice photograph? Just as WestWorld guests could get a snap taken by an on-site photographer armed with an old-fashioned camera, Golden Age offers exactly the same service, with Caleb and Maeve spotting a couple having their picture taken outside a gun store. Notice the strange fly buzzing around these guests as they pose... does that look like anything to you?
Dolores Still Can't Hold Her Cans Properly
One of WestWorld's most popular narratives - for guests like William, especially - would trigger when a young, innocent-looking farm girl dropped a can as she packed groceries. If a handsome stranger retrieves said can, they embark upon an epic love story with the host known as Dolores. Though she no longer resembles Evan Rachel Wood, Temperance has its own version of Dolores complete with blue dress and slippery shopping. When creating her new park, Hale would've had access to the original, untainted programming of hosts such as Dolores, Teddy and Maeve. The character backstories and personas can then be programmed into any host body the park's designers desire.
Dolores & Teddy's Romance Lives On In Temperance
Maeve barely manages to warn Caleb about the ramifications of picking up Dolores' dropped can in time, but after he walks away, another mysterious stranger steps in. This is Westworld season 4's new and not-so-improved host Teddy, who drops the line, "Don't mind me, just trying to be a gentleman." In WestWorld's narrative, Teddy gets shot saving Dolores during a saloon heist and utters in his dying breaths, "Don't mind me, just trying to look chivalrous."
Westworld's New Bar Name Is A Wild West Easter Egg
Whereas WestWorld had the Mariposa saloon, the Golden Age has the Butterfly Club. As Spanish-speaking folks will already know, "mariposa" translates to butterfly, explaining the name change for Westworld season 4.
Westworld Season 4 Has A New Maeve & Clementine
Dolores and Teddy aren't the only old souls wearing new faces in Westworld season 4. Upon entering the Butterfly Club, Maeve meets her brand new model. Back working as a saloon madam, nu-Maeve spouts exactly the same lines as her predecessor, including "this is the new world..." As confirmed by Westworld's "Années Folles" credits, the sex worker who tries hitting on Caleb is an alternate version of Clementine. She's sporting a similar azure-colored dress and describes Caleb as the "cat's meow," which feels somewhat similar to her "not much of a rind on you" catchphrase from before.
The Saloon Always Gets Heisted
Knowing exactly what'll happen to the Butterfly Club, Maeve waits patiently for the arrival of Hector "Heccy" Armone, who initiates a heist eerily similar to the one he committed repeatedly in Westworld season 1. Everything then plays out precisely as before, with an officer of the law accusing Hector of stealing the chief's horse/car, then Hector replying "his rifle/gat too." Hector then shoots the man before brutally finishing him off on the road. He swaps the firearm for a rope/chain, enters the establishment, and shoots the barman while an accomplice (more on her later) blows up vehicles outside.
The same old WestWorld conversation between Hector and Maeve then plays out. The saloon worker wonders why of all the "banks and trains/gin mills" nearby Hector chooses the Mariposa/Butterfly, and the criminal responds with a quote about "indulging vices." Westworld's heist scenes are also famous for their old-fashioned renditions of popular songs, and where season 1 used the Rolling Stones' "Paint It, Black" season 4 plumps for Metallica's "Enter Sandman." With Stranger Things airing only days earlier, the heavy metal band have enjoyed a lucrative few weeks.
Armistice & Angela Return In Westworld Season 4
The final two WestWorld hosts who return reborn in Westworld season 4's new park are Armistice and Angela. Recognizable by her snake tattoo, Armistice is once again Hector's right-hand woman, sporting Tommy guns instead of rifles. Angela appears during the Golden Age's Easter egg level, partaking in Dolores' massacre (pictured above, far right) just as she did in real life.
Westworld continues Sunday on HBO.