TL;DR – We race forward at the speed of light, but I just hope the narrative does not run out of steam before the end.    

Disclosure – I paid for the Binge subscription that viewed this show.

Westworld Review –

This season so far, we have gotten to see what Charlotte/Dolores (Tessa Thompson) is up to with her possession and host Man in Black (Ed Harris). We’ve gotten to check in with Maeve (Thandiwe Newton) and Caleb (Aaron Paul) as they escape hit squads. Indeed, we even have gotten to see but not really understand what is going on with Christina (Evan Rachel Wood) and Teddy (James Marsden). But there has been one piece of the puzzle that has so far alluded the show. Well, that is till today.  

So to set the scene, at the end of Season 3, Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) discovered that the hidden codes to enter The Sublime were not found in the Supercomputer AI or Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) but hidden inside of him all along. With that revelation and Stubbs (Luke Hemsworth) bleeding out in the bath, he decided to visit The Sublime to see if he could find a better path for the world. When Bernard arrives, he meets an old friend Akecheta (Zahn McClarnon), who lets him see all the possible futures they have modelled. The only problem is that Bernard dies in all the futures he returns to the real. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.  

If we look at this episode, we see twin forces racing forward. For one set [Maeve & Caleb], they are running full force into a tailor-made trap. For the other, [Bernard & Stubbs] are on a quest to see what version of reality Bernard woke up in? Focusing on that second storyline for a moment, I want to start by saying what a joy it was to see Zahn McClarnon back in the show. His feature-episode Kiksuya may be the high-water mark for this series, so having him back gives you the push you need for this narrative. What we get from Bernard is almost an Oracle-type character walking through the world, seeing prophecy in the smallest of actions. Westworld has always dipped its toes in religious allegory, but here we take a dive off the deep end. But it works because the mystery of the one perfect timeline is intriguing, even if it gives off big Doctor Strange in Infinity War vibes. It also helps that Bernard and Stubbs make a great double team act with some quality banter.

Our second team find themselves walking into a new Westworld set in prohibition Chicago. Not only is this a new location for the park, but you can see how the 1920s era is just a paint job slapped on top of the old Westworld stories down to Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy but honky-tonk plaining on the piano as they walk into the bar. There was a little bit of joy watching all those narrative hooks play themselves out, but now knowing the underbelly that comes with it. The more they go down the maze of the new park, the more things start making no sense and then get weirder when the flies and their parasites appear. I am not sure we needed the fake-out with ‘was Frankie (Celeste Clark) captured or not’. Indeed, I think it would be more powerful knowing that this girl that Caleb was desperately trying to save was a host. I was honestly surprised how quickly the show got to the point of capturing Maeve and turning Caleb. But then we are in episode 3 of 8 in what very much looks to be the final season, so moving at a pace is probably warranted.      

In the end, do we recommend Annees Folles? Well, so far, every episode this season has been solid, but nothing has truly stood out. I hope the season will fully come into its own when we start to see those two different prophecies clash.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you seen Westworld yet ?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day.    

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Westworld
Directed by – Hanelle M. Culpepper
Written by – Kevin Lau & Suzanne Wrubel
Created by – Jonathan Nolan & Lisa Joy
Based On – Westworld by Michael Crichton
Production/Distribution Companies – Kilter Films, Bad Robot, Warner Bros. Television, HBO & Foxtel/Binge
Starring – Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Tessa Thompson, Aaron Paul, James Marsden, Luke Hemsworth & Ed Harris with Zahn McClarnon, Aurora Perrineau, Daniel Wu, Nozipho McLean, Celeste Clark, Manny Montana, Cherise Boothe, Nico Galan, Hannah James, Liza Weil, Josh Randall, Sierra Swartz, James Joseph Puido, Michele Boyd & Amanda Booth