Leveling up.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
Interestingly, if I’m recalling correctly, this was the first episode of Westworld that didn’t begin with a close-up of Dolores – but that certainly didn’t indicate nothing of note was occurring with her this episode, as Westworld’s original Host was rapidly evolving in exciting (though, of course, potentially dangerous) ways.
Seeing her shoot and kill all those men coming for her and William was thrilling, no doubt – and there’s a wonderful feeling of empowerment hearing her say, “I imagined a story where I didn’t have to be the damsel,” explaining how she actively was able to make the choice to subvert her programming and intended purpose. Of course, underneath this is the question of what this means for Westworld as a whole and if all of the Hosts could do the same – and if so, the danger they could pose if Dolores or the others were to suddenly be able to kill guests, not only other Hosts. But for now, as far as Dolores’ specific journey, this is a huge new turn that – happening at the halfway point of the season – seems to be leading towards an even bigger transformation. The excellent “Contrapasso” also paralleled Dolores’ evolution with William’s, as both of them drew blood here in particularly efficient, ruthless ways – all while becoming more bonded to one another.
In the meantime, the dream-like element of Dolores being guided by visions of herself to the maze raises a lot of questions about what is really occurring – is this manifestation simply a representation of knowledge Dolores is unlocking within herself? Are these messages from Bernard? Or is it someone else entirely? When Dolores says Ford isn’t aware of everything occurring, who is she speaking to? Again, Bernard seems a logical guess, but since we don’t see him getting this information, you have to wonder…
A lot of interesting, interweaving elements are occurring here. We learned in this episode that the malfunctioning Host Elsie and Stubbs went after was, in fact, transmitting information to someone outside the park – our first hint at corporate espionage also in play. Logan, in the meantime, revealing Westworld is “hemorrhaging cash” (and that the company he and William work for are considering buying the park) also give us a bigger hint at the outside world and, inevitably, cause to ponder if Logan’s company could be the one’s behind the Host who was sending that information out.
In the midst of this, Elsie manipulating an employee into giving her access to the malfunctioned Host, by blackmailing him with video of him using a “dead” Host as his own personal sex toy, was a great scene for her - with Shannon Woodward expertly portraying Elsie’s ability to coerce the “creepy necro perv.”
Not shockingly, it was awesome to see Ford and the Man in Black sit down for the first time – both because seeing amazing actors like Ed Harris and Anthony Hopkins onscreen together is its own reward and because of the different forms of power their characters wield in Westworld. What became clear was the two know each other well, dating back to MIB’s first trips to the park. The Man in Black stating, “I always felt this place was missing a real villain” was a terrific moment, giving us a rather blunt motivation for his casually sadistic acts. If Westworld is an elaborate manifestation of all sorts of video game and roleplay mashed together, where you know you can do anything with no consequences, the Man in Black is now positioned as someone who made the conscious decision to simply keep playing the role of the ultimate black hat.
Arnold continues to be an integral figure here, who may be long dead but casts a long shadow on Westworld. Logan specifically says Arnold killed himself, giving us another big piece of information – even as Ford asks Dolores if Arnold has had contact with her since he died. It doesn’t feel like there’s a reveal that Arnold is still somehow physically alive coming, but it certainly seems the code he left behind could include some manifestation of Arnold himself. Did he program himself into Westworld’s system, Arnim Zola-like? Does he inhabit one of the Hosts specifically? Or is he a more ethereal presence who is the one speaking to Dolores through those visions of herself she’s seeing?
Last but not least is the fact that this jam-packed episode ended with Maeve waking up in the lab again, this time in a much more stable, knowledgeable state of mind, as she confronted Felix. While I continue to wonder about her and Dolores joining forces down the line, right now, they are very separated – but “awakening” in equally important manners.
Some bullet points to end on:
-I didn’t realize in the pilot that was Michael Wincott (perhaps best known as The Crow’s villain, Top Dollar) as “Old Bill,” who Ford likes to sometimes go speak to.
-Westworld, we’re seeing, is even bigger than it first appeared, as William, Logan and Dolores’ journey takes them to new towns and locations –and we get hints of an entire war guests can join in on. Logan notes that the scenarios get more grandiose the further out you get, which is a lot going on for areas that might often never have guests encountering them. No wonder this place is losing money! Those lavish orgies don’t pay for themselves!
-Lawrence revealed as Alonzo was a fun twist – but also does lean into the events we’re seeing possibly happening at different times. While Lawrence could have quickly been cleaned up and inserted into that storyline after MIB killed him, wouldn’t they have already needed another Alonzo in place, given William and Logan were already on their way to this “Easter egg”? Or could the “Alonzo” role be filled by many Hosts at various times?
-Teddy dispassionately stopped the Man in Black from hurting Ford, which was clearly part of his programming. Perhaps this gives us a hint at how Hosts might intervene if a guest tried to kill another guest - though still, Hosts aren’t always next to the guests.
The Verdict
At the season’s halfway point, Westworld isn’t holding back. Dolores and Maeve’s fascinating dual awakenings both are moving quickly, with Dolores inside the park completely subverting her intended role, while Maeve is looking to get answers inside the lab. The questions being raised at this point, both about the park's history and in what manner much of what we’re seeing is unfolding, are also increasing in a compelling manner – though of course that does also increase the pressure for the series to provide satisfying answers in the long run. In the meantime, this is one hell of a ride.
Editors' Choice
→
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire