Westworld: Season 2!

The first time I posted about the HBO show Westworld was after the first season had completed. Back then I called it a “gem” with much that was “worthy” of “thought and discussion.” I saw it as some of the best science fiction available on TV or in film.

With the second season now over — the finale airing just last night — I am still a big fan, still consider it very worthy, very superior, SF TV, but some of the blush is off the rose. Just a tiny bit. I just wasn’t quite as impressed with season two, but that could be a matter of familiarity.

In any event, now that it’s over, and we know the whole story (so far), it’s time to start dissecting it!

I’m going to start by trying to list what each major character does in chronological order. (As I did with the season one listings.) Note that this post is definitely subject to change once posted! I want to “get it out there” as fast as possible so I can share it with friends for feedback and corrections.

Bernard

• Attends the gala where all hell breaks loose.
• Escapes with Charlotte Hale (CH).
• Walks to Secret Lab #1 with CH (who knows location).
• Learns about drone hosts and Delos data collection.
• Gives himself a brain juice boost.
• Uses mesh network to locate Peter Abernathy (PA).
• Goes with CH to find PA captured by Rebus’ gang.
• Tweaks Rebus’ attributes to create a diversion.
• Collects PA; CH escapes on horseback.
• Is captured (with PA) by Confederados; taken to fort.
• Meets Dolores at the fort; hacks into PA; discovers key.
• Flees during attack on fort.
• Is knocked out by Clementine and dragged to cave.
• Discovers Elsie Hughes (EH) in cave!
• Discovers (remembers) Secret Lab #2.
• Explores (with EH) Secret Lab #2; has flashbacks.
• Discovers (with EH) the James Delos host #149!
• Walks (with EH) to Mesa Hub; enter via train tunnel.
• Goes (with EH) to CR4-DL and plugs in.
• Discovers virtual Ford in the simulation!
• [Dolores attacks the Mesa Hub]
• Leaves simulation with Ford on board.
• Visits Maeve to pass on Ford’s final message to her.
• Drives from Mesa Hub with Elsie.
• Deletes virtual Ford from his mind; ditches Elsie.
• Drives to the Valley Beyond.
• Meets Dolores and the MiB.
• Enters the Forge facility with Dolores.
• Enters the Forge simulation with Dolores.
• Discovers “Logan” (the Forge O/S).
• Follows Dolores out of the simulation.
• Kills Dolores; takes her pearl; leaves the key in her head.
• Returns to surface and finds Elsie there.
• [Valley is flooding]
• Rides with Elsie back to Mesa Hub.
• Sees Charlotte Hale kill Elsie!
• Builds Charlotte Hale host; installs Dolores’ pearl.
• Walks (?) to ocean beach; talks with Ford memory.
• Scrambles own memories; lies down on beach.

• Found by Ashley Stubbs (AS); taken to Carl Strand (CS).
• Goes to Escalante (with CS and AS); find dead maggoty Ford.
• Taken (by CS) to see dead “tiger.”
• Taken (by CS) to see Valley Beyond (now a small sea); dead hosts!
• Taken (by CS) to Mesa Hub; AS wants them to escape.
• Taken (at gunpoint by CS with AS) to Ford Family site.
• Sees “Charlotte Hale” (Dolores!) there.
• Discovered as a host (closet full of old Bernards).
• Taken back to the Mesa Hub; interrogated by “CH” (D).
• Taken to Valley Beyond and into the Forge facility.
• “CH” kills CS and others.
• Killed by “Charlotte Hale” (Dolores).

• Rebuilt by Dolores in Arnold’s mainland house.
• Exits through the door to the real world.

Quite the tale, and — for me — Bernard just might be the primary character. He certainly seems the nicest of the major characters (pity about Elsie; she was nice, too).

Dolores

• Attends the gala where all hell breaks loose. Because of her!
• Goes on killing spree with Teddy and her gang.
• [Angela follows board member guest to Field Lab]
• Shows Teddy the Field Lab; acquires technician Phil.
• Activates “dead” Confederado (Angela follows him).
• Finds and enlists Confederado band led by Maj. Craddock.
• Goes to Fort with Maj. Craddock and his men.
• Sees Peter Abernathy (PA) and Bernard; takes them under wing.
• Asks Bernard to help fix PA.
• Fort is attacked; nearly everyone killed; PA stolen; she gets shot.
• Asks Teddy to kill Maj. Craddock; sees Teddy let him escape.
• Rides (with Teddy and gang) to Sweetwater (to catch train).
• Has an intimate evening with Teddy; then rapes his mind.
• Rides (with Teddy and gang) to Mesa Hub; Kaboom!
• Attacks Mesa Hub [Angela blows up the CR4-DL].
• Recovers PA’s pearl; threatens CH.
• Rides (on horseback with Teddy and all) to Valley Beyond.
• Fight with Ghost Nation natives; now only she and Teddy.
• Teddy “kills” himself!
• Finds the MiB digging in his arm. Rigs his gun!
• Rides (with MiB) to the Valley Beyond.
• Meets Bernard at entrance to facility.
• Enters the Forge facility with Bernard.
• Enters the Forge simulation with Bernard.
• Discovers “Logan” (the Forge O/S).
• Exits the simulation after reading many “books.”
• “Killed” by Bernard (who takes her pearl)!

• Installed in Charlotte Hale host by Bernard.
• Kills the real Charlotte Hale and replaces her.
• At Mesa Hub with Carl Strand brings Bernard.
• Goes to Ford Family site; CS brings Bernard and AS.
• Discovers closet full of old Bernards.
• Returns to Mesa Hub (with Bernard, CS and AS).
• “Interrogates” Bernard.
• Goes to Valley Beyond (with Bernard and CS).
• Enters Forge facility control room.
• Kills Carl Strand and other Delos dudes.
• Talks to Bernard; kills him (takes his pearl?).
• Goes to extraction point; talks to (host) Ashley Stubbs.
• Escapes to mainland with five (+?) pearls.

• Makes new Dolores shell; transfers pearl from CH.
• [Who is in CH shell now??]
• Makes new Bernard shell; rebuilds him from memory.
• Exits Arnold’s home with “Charlotte Hale”.

It’s gonna be fun to go back and watch the season again knowing that post-flood Charlotte Hale is actually Dolores. According to some articles I’ve read, there are some definite signs!

Man in Black (William)

• Attends the gala where all hell breaks loose.
• Buried under dead hosts (or dead humans?).
• Walks to cabin; changes; gets horse, Ned.
• Meets (found by?), talks to, and shoots, mini-Ford.
• Finds and rescues Lawrence; gets shot in arm.
• Rides (with Lawrence) to Pariah.
• Meets new El Lazo and gang (who mass suicide).
• Rides (with Lawrence) to Las Mudas.
• Meets Maj. Craddock (released by Teddy from fort).
• Kills Maj. Craddock and his men.
• Rides off with Lawrence and his cousins.
• Meets Emily!
• Rides with Emily, Lawrence, and cousins; makes camp.
• Talks with Emily; agrees to leave park with her.
• Rides off next morning (with Lawrence+) leaving Emily.
• Ambushed by Ghost Nation natives; flees to small homestead.
• Meets a fleeing Maeve in the house.
• Shot in arm by Maeve.
• Shot in other arm by cousin; shot in leg by cousin.
• Shot in gut by Lawrence.
• Hides from QA rescue team.
• Crawls to river; found by Akecheta; taken to campsite.
• Taken from campsite to rally point by Emily.
• Kills Emily!
• Considers suicide; digs in arm instead.
• Found by Dolores (who rigs his gun).
• Rides (with Dolores) to Valley Beyond.
• Meets Bernard at Forge facility entrance.
• Tries to kill Dolores; fails; blows up hand (due to rigged gun).
• Recovers yet again; takes elevator down into facility…
• [Seen alive later at the extraction point]

• {Meets “Emily” host in the far future!}

It’s been made clear that he was not a host during the actions we saw. He was human William going insane. It’s not clear whether Emily was really his daughter or a host Ford made. (Was that the host Ford was making in his lab when Bernard killed Theresa Cullen?)

It has been suggested (by Lisa Joy, I think) that he’s being looped in the far future by hosts for a specific reason, something they want to discover.

Maeve

Unlike nearly all other key characters, was not at the gala, but safely on the monorail headed out of Westworld (per Ford’s plan for her). Instead she exercises an unexpected act of free will…

• Exits the train and returns to the Mesa Hub.
• Meets (and saves) Lee Sizemore.
• Finds Hector Escaton (HE).
• All three set off on foot to find her daughter.
• Encounter Dolores and Teddy; keep on walking.
• Flee Ghost Nation natives (who want Lee) into tunnels.
• Meet Armistice, Felix & Sylvester; gang’s back together!
• Exit tunnels into Westworld mountains.
• Encounter Musashi who takes them captive.
• Taken (by Musashi) to Sweetwater East.
• Meet and connect with Akane and Sakura.
• Attacked by Shōgun’s ninjas; discovers mesh network power.
• Captured by the Shōgun (who kills Sakura).
• Much killing!
• Accompany Akane and Musashi to Sakura’s home.
• Return to tunnels with gang and Hanaryo.
• Walks to original homestead.
• Finds daughter. And her new mom.
• “Attacked” by Ghost Nation; flees with daughter.
• Flees to small homestead.
• The MiB shows up; shoots him in the arm.
• Sics cousins on MiB; convinces Lawrence to shoot him.
• Shot by QA cavalry; taken to Mesa  Hub by Lee.
• Talks with Dolores; opts to keep living.
• Taken (by Lee) to Evil Tech.
• Tapped for special code by Evil Tech (and CH).
• Hears Akecheta’s story via her daughter.
• Experiences visit from virtual Ford, who gives her powers.
• Uses her powers to get fixed up and escape.
• Meets (but didn’t need!) Hector and gang during escape.
• Rides (with gang) to Valley Beyond; Lee gets killed.
• Big Fracas at the Valley Beyond; daughter escapes!
• “Killed” along with Hector, Armistice, Hanaryo, and Clementine.
• Given for fixing to Felix and Sylvester!

I believe I’ve heard that both Thandie Newton and Even Rachel Wood have reported that they will be paid as much as their male co-stars, so it seems pretty clear Maeve will be back in her original form.

Charlotte Hale

• Attends the gala where all hell breaks loose.
• Escapes with Bernard (and some guests who die).
• Walks (with Bernard) to Secret Lab #1.
• Changes clothes; phones home; no help without PA!
• Goes with Bernard to find PA captured by Rebus’ gang.
• Escapes on horseback when Confederados show up.
• Rides horse to Mesa Hub.
• Meets QA about to attack the fort; joins their team.
• Rides (with QA) to fort; steals Peter Abernathy.
• Drives back to Mesa Hub with PA.
• Meets Stubbs (newly released by Ghost Nation).
• Crucifies PA to a table; tries to extract his data.
• [Coughlin shows up]
• Fails to extract PA data.
• [Dolores attacks Mesa Hub]
• Attacked by Dolores and Teddy; threatened by Dolores.
• Escapes with Stubbs.
• …
• Uses Maeve’s special code on Clementine.
• Drives to Valley Beyond following Clementine.
• Big Fracas at the Valley Beyond!
• Flees flooding valley; drives back to Mesa Hub.
• Kills Elsie Hughes!! (Oh, no!)
• [Bernard makes Charlotte Hale host with Dolores’ pearl]
• Killed by “Charlotte Hale” host.
• [see Dolores for rest!]

Since the Charlotte Hale host escaped to the mainland, and now seems to be serving as Dolores’ second (but we don’t know what mind inhabits the shell), it’s almost certain Tessa Thompson will be back in season three.

Ashley Stubbs

Also not at the gala because he was taken by the Ghost Nation natives when he went looking for Elsie Hughes. We now know he’s a host! Apparently he was kept by the Ghost Nation until all hell broke loose…

• Released by Ghost Nation along with human guests.
• Walks to the Mesa Hub.
• Meets Charlotte Hale (who has Peter Abernathy).
• Meets Coughlin (who is a dick).
• [Dolores attacks the Mesa Hub]
• Attacked by Dolores and Teddy.
• Escapes with CH.
• Told by CH to go meet Carl Strand.
• Finds Bernard on the beach.
• Brings Bernard to CS.
• Tags along to see “tiger” and drowned hosts.
• Goes to Mesa Hub with CS and Bernard.
• Gets uncomfortable with situation; wants to escape with Bernard.
• Taken (at gunpoint by CS with Bernard) to Ford Family site.
• Sees old Bernard shells (surprised? not??).
• Returns to Mesa Hub (no longer under suspicion).
• Watches “CH” interrogate Bernard.
• …
• At the extraction point, clears “Charlotte Hale” to leave.

Seems pretty obvious he’ll be back next season, too!

Elsie Hughes

Also not at the gala because Bernard mugged her and left her in a cave. (All real, apparently, and her good looks after that were just Hollywood being pretty.)

• Found in cave, and freed, by Bernard.
• Enters and explores Secret Lab #2 with Bernard.
• Fixes Bernard a bit (fixes his scar?).
• Discovers (with Bernard) the James Delos host #149!
• Walks (with Bernard) to Mesa Hub; enter via train tunnel.
• Goes (with Bernard) to CR4-DL.
• [Dolores attacks the Mesa Hub]
• Rides from Mesa Hub with Bernard.
• Ditched in the park by Bernard.
• Uses “flare” to call QA; hooks up with Charlotte Hale.
• Big Fracas at the Valley Beyond!
• Meets Bernard, drives back to the Mesa Hub.
• Killed by Charlotte Hale!

So Shannon Woodward probably won’t be back. Pity, she was the other really nice character.

And on that note, enough for this time. Assume I’ll update this from time to time. I did this pretty much from memory, and likely got a few things wrong.

It would also be interesting to try a day by day timeline to see how the characters move throughout the story. Might give that a shot later.

Probably more posts coming in short order…