Can we all fully admit now Westworld is more than just there to fill the gaps between Game of Thrones seasons? I’ll even say the only reason the long wait between the first and second season of Westworld didn’t bother me as much was because Game of Thrones helped distract me. But enough about my obsessive love for that other HBO series. I am happy to share that love with Westworld.
The second season picks up more or less where the first season left off. Dolores Abernathy (Evan Rachael Wood), formerly serving as a damsel in distress role in Westworld, has finally become “awake,” inciting her to lead a bloody rebellion against the humans who once controlled her. Along for the ride is her lover Teddy (James Marsden) who’s programming as a pure-hearted hero is making it increasingly difficult to follow his beloved Dolores’ violent orders. We also find former brothel madame Maeve (Thandie Newton) who is still searching for her daughter after “awakening” herself in the previous season. Using her maximized intelligence as well as her newly gained power to control other hosts, she recruits a small group of companions, including human Narrative head Lee Sizemore (Simon Quartermain). Finally, we find the park head of Behavior (and secretly a host), Bernard (Jeffrey Wright), mysteriously passed out by himself on a beach and rudely awoken by Delos (the company who owns Westworld) security and reluctantly dragged along to help them.
If I had one word to describe Season two of Westworld, it would be “heavy”. I thought the first season laid a lot on the audience to take in, but it was truly a mere introduction compared to what this season asked us to take in. I really do mean “heavy” in every sense of the word, both good and bad. There were so many reveals, twists, character development, death, and even long winded, philosophical monologues, that I really couldn’t binge more than two episodes at a time, (and I am a serial binger.) Each episode is so richly full of information and emotion, that I found myself “full” for a long time, and needed ample time to digest everything before I moved on to the next.
Perhaps it’s because of this that some of my favorite episodes are what an average critic would consider as “filler.” One such example is episode five, “Akane No Mai”, in which Maeve and her companions find themselves in “Shogun World”, the feudal Japan section of the park. Hilariously, they learn that the story and characters are self plagiarized from those of Westworld, mostly thanks to lazy writing on Sizemore’s part. While this story arch was still sad and violent, it almost felt like a welcome “break” from the complicated main plot. My absolute favorite episode of this season, however, is definitely episode eight, “Kiksuya.” The episode consists almost entirely of the perceived “savage indian,” Akecheta’s backstory about how he too “awoke” over the years and spent years searching for a way out of the park. I find this episode to be one of the most beautiful and heartfelt in this season, all while still being quite relevant to the main plot.
While I found no particular episode this season to be weak, I did find it much harder to know who exactly I am supposed to be cheering for this time around. Delores, who was formerly kind, optimistic, and rational, has taken a complete turn, due to her new found consciousness. I’m pretty certain that I predicted in season one that she would turn out to be the most dangerous character, but this extreme of a change is still hard to swallow. Delores is now completely cold and merciless, bent on destroying all humanity as well as gaining her freedom. I really do have to hand it to Evan Rachael Wood’s impressive acting range, being able to switch between two completely different versions of the same character so seamlessly. Even still, Delores has become so extreme, that she makes Thanos seem like a nice guy. At this point, she is all but locked in for the main villain role for the show.
On the other hand, its still very difficult to cheer for the humans who are trying to survive. Most of them continue to be completely corrupt and selfish. Speaking of humans, how can we forget our favorite irredeemable human, William, the “Man in Black” (Ed Harris.) While his character continues to be fairly irredeemable as he gleefully plays the much more dangerous new “game” inside Westword, I admit I felt a great deal of sympathy towards him from this season. His dark persona is kept a secret in the real world, and causes him to have a troubled relationship with his wife, father-in-law, and daughter Emily. As his past slowly catches up with him, his entire psyche begins to crumble throughout the season. And good lord, could Ed Harris act! I truly hope this man gets at least an Emmy nod for this performance.
That leaves us to cheer for either Bernard, who’s entire plot line is the most complicated in the season given the completely out of order sequence in which his viewpoint is shown, or Maeve. Bernard continues to be a compelling and complex character, but we still can’t quite tell where his motivations truly lie. Personally, I felt the most emotion for Maeve the entire time, who turned out to be far less violent and callous as she appeared to be in the first season. Maeve’s motivations where the least ambivalent out of all of the characters this season. And while that didn’t make her the most deeply written, it certainly made her one of the more likable main characters.
“The Passenger,” The final episode was both amazingly satisfying, and deeply painful. It was written in such a way as it could almost serve as an ending if for whatever reason the show was canceled (I don’t think it will be.) Yet, the possibilities and implications of what could go down with the story if and when the series picks up are downright frightening. I can’t tell if I can’t wait for the next season, or am too afraid to go on. Again, this season was heavy.
Despite it’s difficult to digest nature, the second season of Westworld continues to be as intelligent and beautiful as the first. Even if I am afraid of what comes next, I will still definitely have a lot to think about until season three. Every episode can be streamed on HBO Go.
