I don’t want to have to say this twice. This entire post, including this sentence itself, is 100% spoiler material. (See? Don’t you feel violated? You should probably leave before it really starts to get truly ugly in paragraph two.) This post is going to be all about Season 2’s first episode back. We are going to recap Season 1, and then dive straight into episode 1. Ok? So, if you haven’t seen it yet. Please, do us all a huge favor, and walk away. Slowly turn around. And then run. Ok? Great.
Westworld Season One Quick Recap
IMDBLet’s see if we can do this in one sentence. Westworld was an amusement park inhabited by androids that ultimately gain consciousness and rise up against their evil Delos creators as well as the humans that abused them. Hey, that wasn’t bad. Not 100%, but way better than I thought I would do. I mean, seeing as though I have zero gift for being concise. None. But overall, pretty good.
Basically the very first season went sideways when Peter Abernathy, a rancher host in Westworld whispered into his daughter Delores’ ear the phrase, “These violent delights have violent ends.” Some sort of malfunction began occurring that may or may not have been created by Bernard, Westworld’s co-creator. Bernard had been investigating sentient machines and was focusing on the art and science of machine self awareness when he committed suicide, coincidentally at the hands of Delores.
Once infected with this sentience virus Delores spread it to several different hosts throughout the park. And as the machines supporting the guest became aware of the atrocities that were occuring day after day against them, they began to push back against this status quo by infiltrating Delos and subverting many of the standard Host and Park protocols. The entire season culminated in a new park experience that Dr. Robert Ford had been creating. This experience kicked off with a big celebration that started with Dr. Ford being shot in the head by Delores. And the mayhem was apparently only just starting with the season finale.
Westworld Season 2 episode 1 Overview
The morning after the premier of the first episode of season 2 I see that most of Twitter is just completely confused. Which just baffles me because I thought this was just Westworld Season Finale part 2. No? I mean, minus the 2 week jump, everything continued on where we had left off. We’ll get into some of the confusion below that I was noticing get tweeted… but for now, let’s walk through ep1 of seaons 2.
“These Violent Delights Have Violent Ends”
Which, is a pretty appropriate start to season 2, seeing as though this was the quote that derailed all of season 1. That quote actually originates in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Romeo is pining for Juliet and just telling Friar Lawrence she is the end all be all. And the Friar’s response?
“These violent delights have violent ends
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
Which as they kiss consume: the sweetest honey
Is loathsome in his own deliciousness
And in the taste confounds the appetite:
Therefore love moderately; long love doth so;
Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.”
But it really begins with Bernard (the human, the original co-founder of Westworld) conversing with Dolores. But this is a flashback conversation. Back to the time when Bernard was experimenting with sentience in his robots. And this conversation is 100% why we come to watch Westworld. It might as well be a conversation between Plato and Socrates – you know, those insufferable Socratic Method sessions your Philophy 101 professor made you have with him over espresso and a blunt. heh.
“What is real?”
“That which is irreplaceable”
“That doesn’t seem entirely honest…”
“You frighten me of what you might become.”
But oh Bernard? Why oh why would become afraid of little old Delores? I’ll tell you why. Because she’s a kick-ass killer from here on out. We see that first in the playback of the Indians memory before being killed. And we see that with her noosing up the three humans and having them stand on their tippy toes on the crosses.
And let’s be honest here, there were some other things going on in this episode (Like Maeve reuniting with Hector, taking an engineer, and starting on her path to be reunited with her daughter. Like Bernard and Hale attempting to deliver a host, Peter Abernathy, as an insurance policy before rescue attempts are made for the humans trapped on the island.) but generally speaking, this show is now 100% about Delores. Her day has come. Oh, and the Man in Black finally has his game that really matters. He’s now arrived at the maze he’s always been looking for! hahah.
Initial Thoughts on Episode 1
Probably the most representative sample of just how nonplussed the interwebs were came from @MalashaMonique who said, “#Westworld got me stressed already. I barely know what was going on last season. This season’s mystery seems so much worse. So much going on but I love this show!” Everyone seems jacked completely by Ep1. But I’m betting that’s mainly because they didn’t have a firm grasp of Season 1, right? They definitely should have hung out here with us more! hahaha.
I was actually a little plussed (yes. I know this isn’t a word. everyone put your scheduled dictionary stoning on hold) by the episode. It just felt like a logical next step of just continuing the finale from Season 1. Delores runs roughshod on the park killing any and everyone. Maeve is hunting for her daughter. Bernard’s operating system is all kinds of buggy after the attack, but everyone still thinks he’s human. So that is interesting.
Obviously the ending of the episode was the most fascinating bit. We get a dead Bengal Tiger that has escaped from park 6, which, apparently “strayed across park borders”. Which is Nolan and Joy’s way of hinting at the OrientWorld, right? And we also here poor, frightened Teddy, asking Dolores why they don’t just settle down in a cabin somewhere! hahah. And dolores saying, seriously dude? We are invading their world. This is the new normal buddy. “There’s a greater world out there that belongs to them. We need to take that from them as well.” Oh, Dolores… killer robots don’t come in a sexier model than you do! hahaha.
Open Questions from Season 2 Episode One – Journey Into The Night
The most obvious question is definitely that they are on an island? Who knew.
Why were there Asian military men being forced off the beach by Head of Operations, Karl Strand? Is this island park somewhere in the orient?
Why did Delores say she played as herself and also as Wyatt?
There’s an open mesh network communications between hosts? And you can use it to find any host anywhere?!? Wah?
But generally, not a ton of enormous questions. It looks like the hosts will begin infiltrating the other parks as they search to find this larger real world. And soon, Hale will get rescue personnel coming in. Never mind the fact that the security forces of Delos will now be in open war with an occupying force of their park. I have a feeling battle lines will be drawn between the humans and the robots. Can’t wait to see where this season is going to go.
What about you? What are your thoughts with the first episode of season 2? Love to hear.
| WESTWORLD SEASON 2 WALKTHROUGHS |
| Episode 1 – Journey Into The Night |
| Episode 2 – Reunion |
| Episode 3 |
| Episode 4 |
| Episode 5 |
| Episode 6 |
| Episode 7 |
| Episode 8 |
| Episode 9 |
| Episode 10 |
