humans. It’s an extended exploration
of the limited emotional loops of
humans, free to do whatever they
like but always just being themselves.
We get to understand James Delos’
obsession with immortality, as well as
William’s fear/hope that he may be a
host, so he at least has an explanation
for his missing humanity.
Season Two also offers up one
truly beautiful hour of TV: ‘Kiksuya’,
focusing on the Ghost Nation and the
wonderfully human Akecheta (Zahn
McClarnon). Not only does it offer a
clever commentary on the sidelining
of ethnic minorities (the Ghost Nation
were conscious long before Dolores
and Maeve, but no-one paid any
attention), but it’s more moving than
the rest of the season put together.
Visually, Westworld is one of the
most striking things on TV, even
more visually arresting than its HBO
stablemate Game Of Thrones. Season
Two ventures into the digital realm
for the fi rst time via a change in fi lm
stock that creates even more beautiful
visuals. But while it’s visually strong,
the action is often lacking.
After a slow start, it pulls itself
together in time for a gripping
last four episodes, and sets up a
potentially interesting Season Three.
Westworld is never quite as great as
you want it to be, but it has all the
right puzzle pieces. It just needs to
fi nd the right order for them.
Abigail Chandlerreview
INFO
Released
Out now
Certifi cate
18
Creators
Jonathan Nolan
and Lisa Joy
Cast
Evan Rachel Wood,
Thandie Newton, Jeffrey
Wright, Ed Harris, James
Marsden, Tessa Thompson
Distributor
Sky Atlantic/HBO
Format
VOD
Running Time
600 mins approxwas added to the show is a mystery.
Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) is the
third host at the heart of the show,
albeit one who is late to the self-
awareness party, and he comes to
embody the happy middle ground
between hosts and humans, even
though that role probably should have
gone to Maeve. Wright is wonderfully
complex in the role, but he remains
passive throughout most of the
season, simply being dragged from
one place to the next (often literally).
Season Two also sees Dolores
switch from abused farm girl to
genocidal psycho. If she just wanted
to kill humans then we could be on
board with her, but once she starts
massacring hosts as well, it becomes
hard to grasp what her motivation is.
Luckily, we have The Man In Black
and some excellent fl ashbacks. If
Season One was about understanding
the hosts and making the viewers
believe in them as sentient beings,
then Season Two is about theOR STAY IN AND WATCH...
Humans
The UK’s AI show
takes a very different
approach, but is even
more compelling.★★★★★There’s always something
disappointing about Westworld.
Despite looking so good and having
a puzzle-box plotline it’s never the
addictive event television it strives
to be. Season Two is less twisty than
Season One, and has more action
in it, but still has many of the same
fl aws as the fi rst season. The puzzle
pieces feel forced, and some of the
characters still leave viewers cold.
In Season One, Maeve’s (Thandie
Newton) burgeoning self-awareness
felt like an after-thought, despite
being more interesting than Dolores’
(Evan Rachel Wood) arc. Season Two
fi xes that error, and sets Maeve and
Dolores up as ideological opposites.
But Maeve and her delightful band of
human/host misfi ts spend too much
of the season being shunted off on
side quests to make an impact. Their
trip to Shogun World should have
been a highlight, but felt like fi ller.
And don’t even get us started on the
weirdly racist Raj World – why thatWHAT
QUESTIONS
DO WE STILL
H AV E F OR
SEASON THREE?
Who did Dolores smuggle
out of the park?
She left with fi ve control units, and
therefore fi ve hosts, and she has the
means to rebuild their bodies. So
who does she have in there?
Who is in Charlotte Hale?
Dolores has rebuilt her own body
- so who is currently driving the
Charlotte Hale host?
Will Maeve return?
With Sylvester and Felix tasked with
choosing which hosts to salvage,
you can guarantee they’ll do their
best to bring Maeve back. Ditto
Hector and Armistice.
What the heck is going on in
the future?
William/The Man In Black has been
brought back as a host, but why?
Is he needed for something? A host
version of his daughter also exists in
the future, so is it a future populated
entirely by hosts?
Is Stubbs a host?
We’re going with yes.
WESTWORLD
Season Two
We’re not in the maze anymore...
082 | T THE GOLDFISH IN DELOS’ POD IS NAMED AFTER KURT VONNEGUT, ONE OF SHOWRUNNER LISA JOY’S FAVOURITE WRITERS. W W W. S C I FI N OW.CO.U K