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[Editor’s Note: This review contains spoilers for “Westworld” Season 2, Episode 2, “Reunion.”]
As mentioned last week, while critics were provided with the first five episodes of the season by HBO, this writer is keeping pace with viewers at home, meaning that we haven’t seen beyond Episode 2 as of writing, and any speculation contained below is not informed by episodes to come.
“Reunion” digs far more into the past than we’ve ever gone before, opening over 30 years in the past, as Arnold (not Bernard) gives Dolores a tour of his home under construction in Hong Kong (we think). That’s not all, though — much of the episode is devoted to the ascent of William, AKA the Man in Black, as he not only marries into the Delos family but proves himself to be the brains behind the ultimate scheme in the works. Left by the wayside: Logan, Jim Delos’ “fuck-up of a son,” who’s the first to understand the jaw-dropping possibilities of this technology, as well as its apocalyptic potential.
In the present, though, Dolores is still pursuing her (based on what we know, tragically doomed) revolution. While she doesn’t have much success enlisting Maeve for her cause, she does enlist a Confederado squad with more than the threat of violence. Handy to have a Delos technician as part of your team, it turns out.
The Man in Black (easier to refer to Ed Harris that way, to be honest) is also pursuing allies, though his efforts prove fruitless after his attempt to make a pact with the new El Lazo (played by none other than “Breaking Bad” star Giancarlo Esposito!) triggers some diabolical programming by Robert Ford that doesn’t work out.
Finally, Dolores leads Teddy and her new allies to the latest stop on their quest towards “Glory,” where she says they’ll be able to find a weapon — one that she’s going to use to “destroy them.”
The wide swaths of history covered in this episode are most edifying, let’s be clear. But one important detail: While we remain unsure when, exactly, the events of the series begin, Logan’s astonishment at just how sophisticated the host technology is supports the idea that that scene takes place relatively close to today. Because 2018 is full of wonders, but if you were talking to someone like Angela and found out she was a robot — yeah, you’d freak out too.
This week’s most notable musical moment was certainly the piano cover of Kanye West’s “Runaway,” foreshadowed previously in at least one Season 2 trailer. Not exactly the best of timing for the show, but it is a beautifully orchestrated arrangement, giving the transition from the violent present to the past events that made it possible an eerie edge.
Logan’s comfort with his sexuality has always been a refreshing aspect of him as a character (especially in a pop culture world where bisexual men are far outnumbered by bisexual women). But while he technically gets the most action in this episode, his romance isn’t the most interesting we see.
Following the revelation of the Man in Black’s true identity, it’s weird to remember the later part of Season 1 really made us feel for what truly felt like a love story, between William and Dolores. In “Reunion,” we got the blunt reality of what that love story ultimately led to; while William might have one point thought himself in love with the host, he came to see that relationship as truly a reflection of himself. And as we see in these flashbacks, that perspective warped him as a man, in a way we know led to his wife’s suicide and estrangement from his daughter. At one time, we might have thought “Westworld” capable of pretty romance. After this episode, though, that feels like an impossible thought.
The mass suicide of El Lazo and his men was probably the most disturbing moment of the episode, as artificial as its trappings were. But a phrase we’re taking note of, more and more: “The valley beyond.” As the hosts blossom beyond their programming, they seem to be developing something resembling their own theology — and that concept of an afterlife is one which will be interesting to see shift into focus over future weeks.
“Do you want to know what they’re really celebrating up there? That, darling, is the sound of fools fiddling while the whole fucking species starts to burn. And the funniest fucking part? They lit the match.”
— Logan
He might be a fuckup, he might be high as a kite… but he might also be the only human on this show who really understands what’s going on. Hopefully “Westworld” shows us what happens to Logan the sage, a character who truly captured the wonder and horror of what is seen this week.
Technically, “Reunion” didn’t offer up all the answers we’ve ever hoped for. But we did confirm a great deal about the corporate interests of Delos Destinations and the events that led up to the park’s creation and popularity.
This dense dive into Delos’s history was thus richly satisfying, given how info-starved this show has made us felt in the past. Considering how it’s the second week in a row where it feels like the audience genuinely learned a lot, hope is rising that “Westworld” aims to be less inscrutable overall in Season 2.
Plus, the present-day storyline packed a lot of punch, and that’s not just a reference to Teddy’s physical outburst after learning just how many times critics have written “oh, god, poor Teddy” in their notes. Dolores continues to become a supervillain we’re rooting for, and while the comparative absence of Maeve was a disappointment, fingers crossed that only means she’s a much bigger part of episodes to come.
Something that got said a lot during the lead-up to Season 2 was that the women of the show would truly come to own their power. Two episodes in, and it’s a promise kept.
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