Westworld finally decided it was tired or dragging us down the same repetitive path it had been and finally start to make some major strides. Episode 6 was exactly what we needed and it now feels like the show is entering a whole new realm.
This week switched its focus and started things off differently. Instead of opening on an up-close shot of Dolores, we saw Maeve as she started her day. This is understandable because of how big of an episode this was for her. At the start of the series I would never have guessed Maeve would be a major player in this series, but here we are. After getting back to the lab and seducing Felix (Leonardo Nam) and threatening Sylvester (Ptolemy Slocum), she was able to uncover all the questions she had about her existence. As it was put, she was created not born and she is controlled by “the people upstairsâ€.
It was surprising how calm she was throughout this. Her confusion to this reveal clearly outweighed her anger and she was even able to benefit from the situation. She persuaded Felix and Sylvester to upgrade some of her attributes, including maxing out her overall knowledge (something I would never do to a highly advanced robot, haven’t they seen any sci-fi movie? ). Thandie Newton plays this role perfectly and was easily the highlight of episode 6. Seeing her try to understand this new information while also struggling with the realization was powerful. She saw her fellow hosts being butchered and new ones being created and you couldn’t help feel what she was experiencing for yourself.
This week also saw the Man in Black and Teddy continue their hunt for Wyatt and the maze, but they were captured by some Union soldiers. They had recognized Teddy from his gun slinging days with Wyatt and were determined to (literally) brand him for killing several of their men. This scene was suspenseful and was topped off perfectly by Teddy mowing down a squad of Union soldiers with a Gatling gun.
In fact, this whole episode had me on the edge of my seat. Elsie, one of the most underrated characters in the show, continued to investigate the bug and found someone was transmitting host data out of Westworld. Originally thought to be a corporate spy, she later finds out Theresa is behind the data leaks. The reason why this was so intense, though, was because she had to sneak into an old “abandoned”house within the park to get this information. While there, she also discovered that Arnold has been remotely reprogramming the first-generation hosts in the park and just as she was relaying this information to Bernard, she was abducted by a person unknown. They obviously want us to think it was Arnold, but at this point, it could be anyone. While predictable, it was still nice to see the show switch things up. It will be interesting to see the direction this storyline takes and how it will eventually cross paths with everyone else. Elsie is such a great character because of the confidence she portrays and the effort she brings to her job. She is one of the only characters that doesn’t seem to be hiding anything
Other Notes:
- We learn that Ford is hiding a family of first generation hosts in an off-limits part of the park. One of them, the little boy, kills his pet dog because he says Arnold ordered him too. This must be the start of something big, right?
- This was the first episode that didn’t show Dolores and I have to say, it actually felt refreshing. Her character had been the focus of the show but she never made any real progress. She was becoming stale, and for that matter, so was William. It was nice to have a week off from these two.
- Someone who did make their way back to the show was Lee. We see him sitting by the pool drinking the days away because his narratives had been rejected. He ends up taking his anger out on the control board by peeing on it until he his met by one of the members of the Board. For some reason, I think he’s going to end up saving the day somehow.
I wrote last week that I wanted to see more progress towards what we all know is coming. Although this week didn’t have much in terms of robot revolt, it’s clear things are headed in that direction and fast. Episode 6, like the pilot and maybe one other episode, actually left me wanting more. Westworld has struggled at times because of its slow pace and repetition. This week abandoned all that, and like Maeve said, “We’re gonna have some funâ€.
Score: 9/10
