Westworld Season 2 Episode 3 Review: Virtù e Fortuna

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We got our first look at just how chaotic things are throughout the park by visiting Samurai World and ... India World?

Yeah, baby, Westworld Season 2 Episode 3 introduced the first guests who had a hankering for big game and sex with other humans instead of hosts and how terribly that situation can go awry when AI big game is traversing the plains and suddenly "free" from the narrative.

Suffice it to say Maeve and Hector are about to find themselves fighting things of which they have NO awareness whatsoever. Isn't it exciting??

In Cold Water - Westworld Season 2 Episode 3

But before we get to the travels of Hector, Maeve, and Simple Sizemore, we need to talk about the opening.

In this one installment, we discovered two new worlds. The first was incredible, and I was immediately swept away by its elegance.  

Katja Herbers (Manhattan) made her first appearance as Grace, a woman more interested in finding a fling with another human than an AI in the park, and willing to go to substantial lengths to prove the point. 

Related: Westworld Renewed for Season 3 at HBO

To that end, the result was the sexiest scene to date. There wasn't any nudity, nor was there the need for it.

Grace wanted human contact, and so did the man with whom she was dallying. Herbers looked magnificent in the sultry, flowing gown revealing only hints of flesh, and she demanded her fellow remove his shirt to prove his humanity to her. 

Not in Westworld Anymore Season 2 Episode 3

Unfortunately, the poor bugger didn't last long when his stubborn humanity refused to believe anything could go wrong with AI, but apparently, Grace had already come to that realization.

She had a human-only sexual stance in a place known for the opposite and knew immediately something had gone wrong when the hosts were missing.

In very short order, Grace became my favorite human on Westworld, and I can only hope she outwits the Indians at whose feet she landed after swimming across the water and away from the Bengal tiger. 

She MUST survive and become a heroine for OUR kind. Surely there are some humans left to represent the best of us, right? I'm keeping my fingers crossed. The best AI are women, so let's allow the best of the guests to be represented by a woman, as well.

Gathering an Army - Westworld Season 2 Episode 3

Though calling Wyatt one of the best may be short-sighted.

She wasn't kidding when she said she needed Craddock's men to keep her safe during what was to come. There was quite a showdown at the Fort where everyone landed, and not many lived to see another day. 

Related: Get HBO via Prime Video Channels for Addictive Dramas, Hilarious Comedies & Hit Movies!

Teddy sided with Craddock, Craddock and his men "lived," and now Wyatt is uncertain where Teddy stands. The thing is, any wounds to the soldiers could have easily been fixed, so why the double cross to Wyatt? With what Teddy knows about her so far, wouldn't staying on her good side seem the best option?

Teddy: Who is he?
Wyatt: You don't remember. He's my father. My home. Look what I've done to him. You're all I have left now, Teddy.

Wyatt has a goal in mind, and she's going to achieve it no matter who gets in her way. She knows how to keep herself safe, how to use the other AI in the park and who will be her allies. At the moment, Teddy is in her memory as a love, so he's getting a pass, but it's not going to last forever.

Dolores Grows with Arnold - Westworld Season 2 Episode 3

Bernard surely knows what it means to be on the bad side of Wyatt. He was caught with her father and not in a good way. Where she once spoke with him as she would have with Arnold, now she wonders if he has any bit of Arnold within him. She can't help but speak down to him.

Bernard: What do you want, Dolores?
Wyatt: To dominate this world.
Bernard: This world is just a speck of dust sitting on a much, much bigger world. There's no dominating it.
Wyatt: You've never been outside the park, have you? Out to that great world you speak of. I have, and the world out there is marked by survival, by a kind who refuses to die. And here we are. A kind who will never know death, and yet we're fighting to live. There is beauty in what we are; shouldn't we too try to survive?

Before Peter got taken, Bernard managed to get inside his head. The poor guy is an absolute mess. He had moments of lucidity when he recognized Dolores, but then he'd waver between anger and confusion, almost as if his AI brain had a form of Alzheimer's. 

It's probably the closest they could get to the human disease, and of course, he got infected by the human's need to sneak information out of the park by way of host instead of using a USB drive like a normal person. It will be interesting to find out why data couldn't just leave the park by the usual methods.

Related: Westworld Season 2 Episode 2 Review: Reunion

Since we saw Peter Abernathy as one of the hosts first experiencing an awakening, his condition is all the more disturbing. If there is an awakened part of him in there with all of that conflicting information, he's being driven crazy.

Wyatt knows now that he was the key to everything the park was trying to do, so she's on it. We'll see how far she gets.

Hot Couple Alert - Westworld Season 2 Episode 3

Can you believe it just hit Sizemore how far off script the hosts have gone? It was only when he saw Maeve and Hector holding hands that it sunk into his thick head. Maeve isn't programmed for love, and since Hector is Sizemore's ideal self (we can all laugh here), he knows exactly who he's supposed to love forever.

It's not Maeve.

Just how thick is Lee Sizemore? He's been dressed like Tom Sawyer and dragging an ass behind two AI who are in charge of him and it only now came to his mind that they might have evolved past his programming? Geez, dude. 

It's unclear why they're keeping him around. I think it might be for entertainment value. By now, Maeve knows Sizemore has no knowledge of the park and can't manage to get them anywhere.

Maeve Looks to the Sky - Westworld Season 2 Episode 3

He walked them right into the line of the Indians and didn't seem to know Hector would be able to speak their language. So much for all that programming.

And how far off the beaten path were they when they finally got to Samurai World? The entire scope of the world had changed. There was snow on the ground, and the lighting was different. The foliage was unlike any they'd encountered in the Old West.

It took seeing heads lopped off to realize where they were and an actual Samurai warrior charging at Maeve.

Related: Succession Trailer: HBO's Answer to Empire?

Nonetheless, it was an exciting ending to an overall thrilling episode. It didn't feel as though we were in the future at any point. I didn't miss seeing William the younger or older. 

We got to see Armistice again and were introduced to two new worlds. I found a new favorite character in Grace. Teddy sided against Wyatt, and Bernard may or may not have made changed to Peter when he had one-time access to Dolores' father. 

There was even a Bengal tiger attack!

What more could we possibly want from an hour of Westworld? 

I know what you want. Clues. I was too caught up in the adventure of it all to catch any hints to anything. What about you? Do you have any ideas on what's to come? Hit me with your excitement and theories. 

Just drop down below and leave a comment. I want to know what you're thinking!

Virtù e Fortuna Review

Editor Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 2.7 / 5.0 (24 Votes)

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.

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Westworld Season 2 Episode 3 Quotes

Peter: I am bound by my own fire that my own tears do scold like molton lead.
Wyatt: It's alright, I am here.
Peter: Dolores?
Wyatt: Daddy?
Peter: Dolores! The calf's in the field, and I'm worried. There's blue tongue spreading all through these parts.

Teddy: Who is he?
Wyatt: You don't remember. He's my father. My home. Look what I've done to him. You're all I have left now, Teddy.