In my previous review of the first couple of episodes of Westworld, I had compared the show to nicotine; subtly addictive. If that is still the case, then throughout the season, I have gone from casually smoking it at parties, to needing three packs a day and not caring about any adverse effects it may have on my health. This has been one of the most impressive first seasons I have ever witnessed in any series.  I also hate to continue to compare Westworld to this, but I would say this first season even beat out the very amazing season one of Game of Thrones. Believe me, I feel like a such a traitor to my favorite show for even saying that. That is how much I’ve enjoyed Westworld. But enough glossing on about how much I loved it. Let’s get down to the nitty gritty as to why this was such a memorable first season.

****Soooo much Spoilage ahead****

Notable Happenings and Twists

• Maeve slowly becomes self-aware of the fact she is a host and proceeds to blackmail and bully human Westworld employees Felix and Sylvester into giving her maxed out intelligence and control over other hosts actions. This is all with the plan in mind to escape the prison of Westworld. While some people I’ve talked to have complained that this may be one of the more annoying storylines because Maeve becomes so ridiculously powerful over a short amount of time, it is completely justified in the end. The final episode reveals that her transition into sentience, insurrection, and planned escape were all orchestrated by Dr. Ford as part of his grand scheme.

• The Man in Black begins an obsessed search for “The Maze,”what he thinks is a hidden part of the Westworld “game” that would take the difficulty to the next level. After an entire season of following leads, adventure, and numerous warnings that “the maze is not for you”, he reaches the conclusion that, surprise surprise, the maze is not for him. It was the game that Arnold created for Dolores and the other hosts to reach the highest potential of their own inner sentience.  After that much asshole-ary, it serves The Man in Black right to be served a big heaping helping of disappointment. Of course, in the end he still gets a happy ending as the host insurrection finally gives him his much desired challenge. Good for him, I guess.

• William and Logan get involved with an adventure involving Dolores which leads them deep into deep and dangerous territory in the park. William and Dolores fall in love, while Logan further convinces us that is an asshole on a grand scale. Eventually Logan gets his wish of William growing a backbone a little too well, as he pushes William so far that he becomes opportunistic and bloodthirsty. So sad, because up until then, William was the most likable human character. The true WHAM moment came when we realized that William and Logan’s adventures with Dolores took place 30 years in the past, and were just a perfect memory recall by Dolores. The worst (or best) part is the Man in Black is actually William, after growing older, more ruthless and cynical, and saddened by his wife’s suicide and Dolores’ inability to remember him after their romantic adventure. This was personally my biggest “WOW!” moment of the season,  seeing as I loved William and hate The Man in Black. This may sadden me, but it is brilliant writing and I respect the hell out of it.

• Bernard is actually a host created by Dr. Ford. This was probably everyone else’s biggest WHAM moment, but to be honest, I wasn’t too surprised. I didn’t specifically expect him to be a host, but I predicted from the beginning that at least one “human” character may not be human. Afterward, I realized that Bernard was the only human that was given flashbacks, a tell that he could be a host. What came as a much more beautiful surprise for me was the fact that Bernard was modeled to be an exact replica of Dr. Ford’s deceased partner, Arnold, down to Arnold’s personality and personal memories. Having Arnold’s personality allowed Bernard to be so brilliant himself at programming the hosts and being the perfect secret “henchmen” for Dr. Ford’s dirty work.

• I knew from the beginning that the sweet, optimistic Dolores was going to go through the most character development. I thought maybe, she would turn into an independent adventurer woman who is capable of self-defense. She seemed to be headed the direction in her flashback with William. Oh, do I feel naive. It turns out that Dolores had a second personality programmed into her, by Arnold.  “Wyatt”, the notorious super-villian that Dr. Ford was planning on introducing in his new narrative is just a hidden part of Dolores’ programming. Arnold put it inside Dolores over thirty years ago as a last ditch effort to prevent Westworld from opening. On top of that, he commanded Dolores to murder him in order to really drive through the point that hosts are not fit to be used and manipulated by humans. And of course, Dr. Ford’s grand scheme involved Dolores re-creating history by completely melding her personality with Wyatt’s, executing Dr. Ford in front of the entire board of directors of the company that owns the park, and then going on a cold-blooded murderous rampage. Yes, Dr. Ford planned the host insurrection and his own gruesome death all along as an act of atonement for not listening to Arnold’s intentions years ago. While I was really hoping that we would get to see some more Anthony Hopkins in Season Two, his gruesome death was, in a way, very poetic. Throughout the entire season, it was so hard to get a read on Dr. Ford. Was he evil? Good? Insane? Did he hate or love hosts? I love the fact that Dr. Ford was the one who was truly in control the entire time. Even his feigned act of callous cruelty toward his own creations was merely a ploy to get them to become stronger and more sentient.

If I were to have any negative thought about the season it is that some moments may feel slow in pacing as you watch them. However, this is made up entirely when you reflect on the season as a whole instead of individual episodes. These slower moments start to feel justified as they fit perfectly in the story on a broader scale. We may have a bit of a long wait, but I’m looking forward what will no doubt be a beautifully violent Season Two involving the battle for Westworld between the Hosts and humans. I don’t expect the next season to have so many shocking twists and revelations as the first, but they seem to have some brilliant writers on board, so we will have to see. (Also, who else is hyped to see some of the “Samurai World” they hinted at?)