Westworld Season 2 Episode 2 Review: Reunion
Carissa Pavlica
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Arnold played favorites.
That much was clear after watching Westworld Season 2 Episode 2 even if a lot more was muddier than ever.
I'm surprised it never even dawned on me the "modern" photos we saw of Dolores before the season started would be from the past. When the name of Jonathan Tucker's character was announced, I expected him to be human and called in as a result of the uprising.
Needless to say, I suck at this game.
There were some humdingers laid out when it comes to clues about the purpose of Westworld, though. I don't think for a second it's as easy as gathering information on people for marketing purposes.
Sure, that was the initial sales pitch William used to his father-in-law, but now that we know he's been judged and found wanting to the point his life is, essentially, over and the park is his only respite, it sounds like his eventual plan for the "things" he came to abhor came back to bite him in the ass.
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If all goes well, that will only continue. Ford has surprises for him planted like little bombs all over the park and finding them may not be fun for Bill, but it's fun for the rest of us.
Allowing him a sliver of hope by not corrupting Lawrence, his go-to relationship in the park, was a smooth move on the part of Ford and the Westworld showrunners. On Ford's part, giving hope and then pulling out the rug from under him is more entertaining.
From a viewer's perspective, we need Bill communicating with someone, and Lawrence is perfect since we were already used to their behavior together.
Lawrence: He was dead, or at least the better part of it.
Bill: Well, dead isn't what it used to be, Lawrence.
Bill's reactions would be entirely different if he didn't have a sparring companion on the road or someone to bounce ideas off of as he hit roadblocks like those in Pariah.
Who didn't enjoy the guest-starring spot from Giancarlo Esposito? The town was so damn dark I had to adjust the light in my room because I thought I was seeing things. Two actors of their caliber carrying out a little play prepared by Ford made it all the more compelling.
I wonder if Esposito will return when Wyatt (as I'm calling Dolores in that specific timeline) and her army crashes through town. Having an engineer at her side works wonders.
His first order of business was to show Teddy what he's been missing. I didn't think he would have to see his past on an iPad, but it worked. It has to be difficult for Wyatt knowing as much as she does and deciding who should be brought into the loop.
Related: Westworld Season 2 Episode 1 Review: Journey Into Night
What she knows can be beautiful and horrid and everything in between. Angela's life was shaped by Ford and Arnold because of Arnold's belief there was something more to Dolores. We know now Angela wasn't sitting out the ability to learn more, either, so it's awful that she was the whore while Dolores got to play at innocence.
The power of the girl next door looks can change everything.
Bring yourself back on line, Dolores. You really are just a thing. I can't believe I fell in love with you. Do you know what saved me? I realized it wasn't about you at all. You didn't make me interested in you, you made me interested in me. It turns out you're not even a thing. You're a reflection. You know who loves staring at their own reflection? Everybody. Everybody wants a little bit of what I found here, and I can't wait to use you and every one of your kind to help give it to them. There is something else. There's something beyond that. I think that there is an answer here to a question no one's ever even dreamed of asking. Do you wanna see?
William
William changed into a jerk a lot earlier than I expected. Power does corrupt, and the more he got, the worse he became. He's the same man who told his father-in-law being in the park is where people are more themselves than anywhere else on earth. How he started was much different than what he became.
What does that say about him?
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I am still of a mind to think the AI have overtaken the outside world. We've seen it a lot lately, uploading the minds of humans into the bodies of AI. Why wouldn't a corrupt group of people do that if they had the opportunity? Could there be anyone more corrupt than the people who ran Delos, William included?
Why else would Bill be so angry he was bested at his own game?
The test to lure Delos to invest was very specific, as was the comment Logan later made during his father's possible retirement and William's ascension in the company.
Do you want to know what they're really celebrating up there? That darlin' is the sound of fools fiddling while the whole fucking species starts to burn. And the funniest fuckin' part? They lit the match. So here's to you, assholes. May your forever be blissfully short.
Logan
I didn't quite catch why Papa Delos wasn't so sure about his retirement. Could it have been related to an upload? Was Bill later replaced with a VI version of himself, too?
Is the worst of people used against them to get them out of their lives?
And what the heck was in the Valley Beyond/Glory? Wyatt said it was a weapon, but I always thought those things were digging new parts of the park.
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If William thought it was filled with splendor, it couldn't have been doing anything good.
There was never any love lost between Maeve and Dolores, and nothing has changed. What they may not know at this point is they have a common enemy.
The man in black aka William aka Bill is the man who ruined both of their lives again and again. He not only ran the park, but he killed Maeve's daughter ad nauseam.
If Maeve and Wyatt would lower their hackles long enough to talk without thinking about the past or who is the better woman, they might find they have a lot in common.
They don't have to work together, but they could at least work in concert so whatever they're doing in different parts of the park achieve the same goals.
Did you notice what Sizemore was wearing in the background as their chat occurred? He looked like a right idiot. It was probably the funniest moment of the hour.
Tell me what you discovered watching this one. I didn't get to spend as much time as I could have because my computer was hooey. Loop me in on your latest theories.
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
