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This recap/review of Westworld is written with the expectation that everyone who reads this and comments below will have seen the episode already. Thus, if you’ve yet to see the episode in question, DO NOT GO ANY FURTHER. SPOILERS!
EPISODE: Season 2, Episode 3: Virtù e Fortuna
PLOT: Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) reunites with Bernard (Jeffrey Wright), and Abernathy, while Maeve (Thandie Newton) continues the search for her daughter.
REVIEW: After two episodes, season two finally gets around to something they’ve been teasing for a while now – the other fantasy parks adjoining Westworld. The episode starts off with an extended teaser taking us into a Colonial India fantasy, where two gorgeous guests meet, only for each to assume the other is a host, leading to some dangerous games to prove each is who they say they are. Before their romance gets too hot and heavy, their host porters turn on them, showing that the revolt has extended to the other parks too. In fact, even the non-human hosts revolt, with a mechanical tiger menacing one of them, who, in the end, is shown to have survived and emerged in Westworld, giving us an idea of the geography of the park. The much promised Samurai world is teased before the end credits.
Otherwise, this is a relatively action-packed episode, despite the absence of Ed Harris’s William. Most of it is dedicated to Dolores’s ongoing attempts at revolution, with the focus on Teddy (James Marsden) becoming slightly disenchanted with the non-stop killing. The timeline is as confusing as ever, with Bernard and Charlotte (Tessa Thompson) being reunited as Delos descends on the park, only to (presumably) flashback to when they were first on the run – made all the more confusing by the fact that they wear the same clothes in both time lines.
Meanwhile, Maeve continues to look for her daughter, with her relationship with Hector (Rodrigo Santoro) being fleshed out, with his devotion to her seemingly a product of him becoming more self-aware, although Lee (Simon Quarterman) isn’t as convinced. They eventually reunite with the technicians who upgraded Maeve, as well as fan favorite Armistice (Ingrid Bolso Berdal).
Overall, this is one of the faster-moving episodes, loaded with carnage. As always, it’s compelling watching the season come into focus, making it seem like the whole thing will take place over a tight timeline of perhaps just a few days – but we’ll see. Evan Rachel Wood, as always, owns the screen, while Thandie Newton is emerging the most personable host, and the most sympathetic character, host or human, the show has. If you can sympathize with anyone, its with her. The glimpses of the other parks are also fascinating, laying some interesting groundwork for the season to come (loved the sitar cover of The White Stripes). Of the three episodes back, this is probably my favorite, and it seems “Westworld” is really kicking into gear as we move closer towards the second half of the season.