Westworld on HBO

[earlgreytoast]

Snoozer. I find myself less and less interested in any of the characters as the show goes on. Don't know where you people are getting the "beautiful" descriptor from? The cinematography? Doesn't look like anything to me.

[iambillyg]

Beautiful episode. Certain narrative elements being changed from season 1 is a bit irritating, especially with the show paying such attention to detail.

Do tell. I don't recall what you may be referring to.

I was under the impression that it had been established that, Arnold, realizing the hosts had the ability to achieve consciousness, decided to cause a slaughter of all hosts to ensure the park could not open as intended with the help of Dolores. This was carried out and depicted in Season 1. However, in last night's episode, it shows that Akecheta, and several other Native American hosts were completely ignored and saved from the slaughter.

While it could be argued that he glitched out because of the massive amount of data in his head, during Season 1, we're led to believe that Peter Abernathy glitched out because he found a photograph of William's fiancé (Logan's sister). However, Akecheta sees the Valley Beyond, and is fine. I imagine this could be due to having found the maze and speaking to Logan, which gave him consciousness but it struck me as odd.

This is all based on just seeing last night's episode once, so I could be wrong about all of this.

[ToolFanFromWayBack]

Snoozer. I find myself less and less interested in any of the characters as the show goes on. Don't know where you people are getting the "beautiful" descriptor from? The cinematography? Doesn't look like anything to me.

Goddamit you're a host!

[applehead]

This show is losing me. Last nights and 2 weeks ago's episodes both blew imo and they are losing me as a watcher.

[ToolFanFromWayBack]

Beautiful episode. Certain narrative elements being changed from season 1 is a bit irritating, especially with the show paying such attention to detail.

Do tell. I don't recall what you may be referring to.

I was under the impression that it had been established that, Arnold, realizing the hosts had the ability to achieve consciousness, decided to cause a slaughter of all hosts to ensure the park could not open as intended with the help of Dolores. This was carried out and depicted in Season 1. However, in last night's episode, it shows that Akecheta, and several other Native American hosts were completely ignored and saved from the slaughter.

While it could be argued that he glitched out because of the massive amount of data in his head, during Season 1, we're led to believe that Peter Abernathy glitched out because he found a photograph of William's fiancé (Logan's sister). However, Akecheta sees the Valley Beyond, and is fine. I imagine this could be due to having found the maze and speaking to Logan, which gave him consciousness but it struck me as odd.

This is all based on just seeing last night's episode once, so I could be wrong about all of this.

Some of this may be a timeline thing. Obviously Arnold was not able to derail the park opening, so I assumed Ford and Delos re-created everything and Akecheta may have been included in that or created after Arnold used Delores to kill all the Westworld hosts. He and the tribe may have also been in their Eden zone and not part of the slaughter at all. Actually, I know he was around, because he heard the gun shots of the killing and found the maze next to Arnolds glasses.

I think they tried to explain the non-glitchiness as being a result of his old OS. After he killed himself to get to his girl, the tech commented that he hadn't been updated in a decade because he hand't died.

[mfaith]

Great episode!

I loved it. One of the best of the season, for me. Absolutely beautiful. Loved the throwback to season one with the piano Nirvana, too.

[mfaith]

Don't know where you people are getting the "beautiful" descriptor from?

For me, at least, the story.

[bryndavies]

I too thought it was a well done episode, and will also agree that perhaps the subtitles played a role in that.

Not quite sure how he wasn’t “frozen” during the OS update at westworld HQ though. Did he get the update, or no?

[IWish]

While it could be argued that he glitched out because of the massive amount of data in his head, during Season 1, we're led to believe that Peter Abernathy glitched out because he found a photograph of William's fiancé (Logan's sister). However, Akecheta sees the Valley Beyond, and is fine. I imagine this could be due to having found the maze and speaking to Logan, which gave him consciousness but it struck me as odd.

Dolores saw the Valley Beyond, and is fine. I think you're right that the maze has something to do with it. It's been said that the maze, (in any form), is some sort of code that gets imprinted into the hosts...sort of like a reading a barcode or QR code. It's possible that once the code is read (seen) by hosts it acts as some sort of filter. Who knows? It could create a filter (or, disable a filter) for number of things.

In a past episode, there was a filter installed in Bernard that prevented him to see the door that Theresa saw. The same kind of filter could be the reason for the expression, "it doesn't look like anything to me."

[earlgreytoast]

This past episode made me see the maze as monolith; just by being exposed to it the hosts began an evolutionary process.

[peacedog]

I'm in the beautiful camp. Excellent story, very well shot. A great explanation of how Maive does her mind control thing. I had a bit of issue with Ake cruising around the underground completely unnoticed. For such a massive facility they sure don't have many people working there.

So those in the ghost nation that became aware had Ake put the symbol under their scalps? Is that what was going on?

Billy, I think Ake was already aware when he saw the facility, he's well beyond his programing. He's been awake longer than anyone so far it would seem, watching.

Why don't any of the technicians ever want to report glitches? 10 years since he had an update and he's acting weird? Quick, get him out of here before someone notices!

[comountaingolf]

Color me confused. Christ, and I thought Game of Thrones was tough to follow at times...

[IWish]

So those in the ghost nation that became aware had Ake put the symbol under their scalps? Is that what was going on?

It sure seemed like the beginning of a new initiation in the scene w/Ake and the single fellow tribesman. Whether that's how all of them get the maze into their scalp. Dunno'. The other way could be that when they are killed, Ake is scalping them/applying the maze tattoo and the tech's are repairing the scalps - updating then sending them back out. With death/updates...the maze inside helps them to 'remember' even after updates?

[mfaith]

Why don't any of the technicians ever want to report glitches? 10 years since he had an update and he's acting weird? Quick, get him out of here before someone notices!

I didn't really read it quite like that. To me it felt more like she was intrigued by such a unique host, able to stay alive for so long, and wanted to put him back out there more for curiosity's sake, than wanting to cover up a mistake.

[cotis]

quite a stretch but something I'm buying into:

there's an interesting moment in last episode (Ghost Nation) where Ake is in the town with everybody dead. he sees the vulture sitting there as he's walking through town. saw this theory posted online this morning, and actually discussed this with someone right after the episode on Sunday. what if Ford programmed MIB (host) so he can't see Ake, and instead see's the wolf. Ford does same with Ake (host) so he can't see MIB, but instead sees vulture. "doesn't look like anything to me"

S2 promo poster below:


S2, E1 moment:


who knows - probably just something Nolan & Joy put in there to make us all go nuts.

so my take on a few other things, follow me down the rabbit hole.
-the maze (when seen by hosts) triggers their memories and past lives, making them "woke".
-Ake's wife surely has to be part of Dolores rebellion, when she took all the other inactive hosts for her attack.
-with so many Arnold builds, I wish I had time to go back and notice the things such as his hair, his clothes, etc. to compare them with the models we saw in the basement there.
-Ake was communicating directly with Maeve in Lakota when he was "talking" to her daughter, explaining everything that happened. didn't realize it at the time but a friend brought that up to me.
-I also am in the camp that firmly believe at some point MIB died in Westworld, Ford had everything he needed to perfect the host/human model of him unlike Delos. Arnold/Bernard was subject 1 (which is why he had so many models), Delos was subject 2 (errorrrrr), and Ford took what he learned on all three and made William/MIB. he was in Westworld for so long that he knew everything there was to know about MIB. how he acted in situations, how he treats people - and this is how Ford made it a big game for him. no matter how much progress MIB made, Ford was always 1/2 steps ahead.