Summary: Moira recalls times with he fiancé Odette. She discovers that she was killed in the explosion. Fred has been badly injured by the explosion and is in the hospital. Cushing suspects that Offred ran away and wasn't taken, so Serena teams up with her to remove Cushing. Emily and Janine are brought back from the colonies as handmaids since many were killed in the explosion.
The Good: There were some pretty good parts here. I liked the funeral scene which the episode started with. I thought the black mourning clothes for the handmaids was a really nice detail too. Once more Aunt Lydia impressed me with her genuine love for the handmaids and her sadness after many were killed. I enjoyed Offred's storyline too. I loved the tension in her scene with Cushing which was a good continuation from season one where we had a scene with an Eye who came to question Offred about Emily. I like that Cushing was smart enough to figure that Offred isn't so innocent, but in his attempt to get information, he made some enemies in Offred and Serena who both want the best for their children. Their team-up was good and made sense. I appreciated Offred subtly threatening Serena to let her know to help her or maybe Serena won't have a child. It's an interesting development which will surely add something fresh to this fascinating relationship. Samira Wiley was superb in this episode. While I have big issues with Moira's storyline (see: The Bad), I thought that Wiley's performance was so superb that she managed to make me care about something that I really shouldn't have cared at all about. The reuniting handmaids at the end was a great scene. Janine and Emily have been separated from Offred for so long, so that makes their reunion feel genuinely sweet and powerful, though this story has its flaws too (see: The Bad). The Bad: This episode was disappointing overall and the weakest of the season. The biggest flaw with this was how cluttered it felt, which in turn made a lot of storylines feel rushed. This episode addressed the Waterfords, Offred and Serena’s conflict, the colonies, Little America and even a little bit for Eden and Nick. That’s too much for a single episode and it affected the quality here. The colonies in particular felt really disappointing. Several episodes had storylines dedicated to the colonies, and yet it all ended up meaning nothing since the colonies were completely abandoned now with Emily and Janine all returning back to Offred. And the worst part? None of them had any changes in character. Nothing has changed about them since they left to the colonies making their entire journey pointless. I’m fine with splitting characters off to have individual stories, but they must go through some kind of change for it to have a purpose overall. If there is no purpose, then it’s no different from a bottle episode like “The Lost Sister” from Stranger Things which didn’t have much meat to its story at all. Moira’s story is similarly detached from the main narrative, albeit in a different way. Her story feels totally forced into this episode and completely out of left field, and that is because of Odette. The big problem with the existence of Odette is that she was never hinted at or foreshadowed beforehand. Because of that, it feels awkward that we just assume now that Moira had this fiancé who she cared so much about. Furthermore, we don’t care about her as much as we should either. After all, if Moira didn’t think about Odette for a season and a half, why should we care about her? This entire storyline feels like it’s in the episode to give it a manipulative emotional edge and also to make up for Moira’s weak characterization thus far. Also, there was a really awkward scene where Moira just randomly decided to find pictures of Odette and started crying in response. It was so random and I found it difficult to connect with the emotions Moira was feeling because of that. I think that this season as a whole has a big problem which I just noticed in this episode. The season has independent storylines which are addressed in a single episode, but are never brought up before or after. It was Odette in this episode, Emily’s past in “Unwomen” and June’s mother in “Baggage”. I understand that these disconnected stories are similar in format to the novel, but that doesn’t translate well in a TV season. It worked in the novel because the novel was written as a story that Offred was reflecting on. But on the show, the story isn’t being told in present tense, so I feel that there needs to be better story structure and flow to make up for this. Choosing to not do that is lazy and ineffective at engaging me. The soundtrack choices continue to be really poor. Out of place music completely took me out of two scenes in this episode, once during the handmaids saying their names, and once during the funeral. This show needs to El are about subtlety with its music choice. The scene with the Eyes hanging bodies everywhere felt pretty pointless. We get it, Gilead is an evil place, let’s see something new now. The Unknown: Why were the Eyes killing people? What were they trying to prove? How long will this Serena/Offred alliance last? Do they actually have a chance at becoming friends of sorts despite their history? Will Fred be okay? How long until he is out of the hospital? Best Moment: I will pick the moment where Serena and Offred chose to work together for mutual gain. It wasn’t the most impactful moment, but all of the other moments had major flaws attached to them, so I think this was the best scene. Character of the Episode: Moira. Conclusion: This episode was really weak and showed the biggest holes in The Handmaid’s Tale’s storytelling. Let’s see some more cohesion and change in Gilead in future episodes to prevent awkward instalments like this one. Score: 54
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Summary: Monica gets a date with Pete who happens to be a multimillionaire. Rachel gets Chandler a hypnosis tape to help him quit smoking, but it also causes him to behave like a woman. Frank is going to marry somebody who is twice his age and Phoebe tries to convince him not to do it.
The Good: I enjoyed this. The Frank storyline is pretty good and it has a lot of unexpected and genuinely funny moments as Frank tries to marry his English teacher while Phoebe tries to stop him. I especially loved the way that Frank turned things around on Ross and Joey as they went to try to convince him not to marry Alice. Monica's storyline with Pete is pretty good too and they have good chemistry as they hook up. There are also a few good moments which were funny in a similar way that the Richard and Monica were which is a good way to show that the writers understand how to make the show funny. The Chandler storyline added some harmless fluff to conclude a storyline which was started last episode in his smoking. The Bad: The episode is overall pretty forgettable and there aren't many great moments outside of the Phoebe storyline. Chandler as a woman is a bit to on-the-nose sometimes as the show seems to be annoyingly fond of when he overacts for humour which to me isn't as good as the witty humour from seasons one and two. Best Moment: Frank turning Joey and Ross's opinions around was pretty hilarious and well written. Character of the Episode: Frank. Conclusion: A pretty good and fun episode, though once more it doesn't get anywhere near the best of Friends. The show doesn't appear to be reaching that next level very consistently anymore but at least it's still very good. Score: 68 Summary: William and Emily talk and Emily reveals she wants him to come home and not die. William leaves her in the night. Maeve leaves Shogun World but Akane and the others choose to stay. She meets her daughter but finds that she has a replacement mother. Teddy has turned into a ruthless killer and Dolores ha regrets. Bernard and Elsie go to the cradle which is where all of the data is kept. Bernard enters it and finds Ford.
The Good: The William and Emily (I don't know if it's Emily or Grace, but for now I'm going with Emily) story was really well done. I have been largely uninterested with William once more being on a lone journey to discover the answers to a mysterious puzzle, but this gave the storyline the shot in the arm it needed. With William's family matters being explored through Emily's return, it adds a fresh new aspect to William, giving his arc more resonance and emotion. After all of the examination that the show has done for William, I genuinely care about what happens to him, so adding an emotional edge is very smart. Furthermore, Emily comes off really well as her desire to live out life with her only remaining family is a very easy to understand motivation. Her character can neatly be built around this relationship with William and I'm excited to see more from them. The Maeve storyline had some good moments despite it being disappointing overall (see: The Bad). The moment where Maeve saw her daughter again was cathartic and equally tragic when we see that there is another host as her mother. It's heartbreaking and also makes perfect sense, which really highlights how Maeve took everything for granted and assumed that she could just do whatever she wanted. It's a fitting wake-up call which obviously had a huge impact on Maeve who wasn't expecting her daughter to no longer love her. While I wish we spent more time on that (again see: The Bad), the overall story had a good emotional heart to it. I also like the background story of Sizemore wanting to escape his situation while also feeling bad since he has formed something of a bond with Maeve who he now accepts isn't a bad individual and has a human quality about her. Dolores' story with Teddy had a great emotional core too. After the tragedy at the end of last week's episode, Teddy has changed and Dolores is starting to face the consequences of her decision. Now Teddy is much more efficient as a bodyguard, but he is no longer the man he was and he also seems to be rather spiteful about that. Now Dolores can no longer get the small romantic talk she loved and is stuck feeling guilty and perhaps even regretful about what she has done to Teddy. Now it's abundantly clear that Teddy is gone and this new version of him isn't the real Teddy. The most intriguing storyline was once more Bernard's. We still don't quite know what he has been up to and there was a lot more intrigue as he has been getting flashes upon entering the cradle. I have theories (see: The Unknown), but so far it has mostly remained mysterious. However, we seem to be on the verge of getting a truckload of answers as the episode provided a massive reveal at the end. And that reveal is the return of Ford, which I'm very excited about. Ford was the standout of the entire last season, and to see Anthony Hopkins reprise his role is an extremely exciting development. Furthermore, Ford has all of the answers about what Bernard has been doing, so I'm looking forward to hearing what he has to say to explain all of the weird things that have been happening. The Bad: I had hoped to get more clarity on what exactly happened to Teddy. Last episode I had assumed he would be completely erased, but that is clearly not the case since Teddy is still conscious and with Dolores' group. I would have appreciated it if the show had actually revealed what would happen to Teddy and what has happened instead of keeping things as a mystery. I hate that there are apparently some Delos employees still alive and around while Westworld is in chaos. How did they survive? How did the hosts let them survive? I wish we had more answers to this. Speaking of answers I wish we had, hat is Dolores hoping to accomplish with the train? What is it going to do, how does she know to do it and what does it accomplish for her? Without knowing the answers to these questions, the moment loses all significance and value. Maeve's storyline was very flawed, in particular the closure to Shogun World. While it was a fun detour, the problem is that it was a detour. That means that it had no actual value to the story and is nothing more than filler. The only thing that the story accomplished was that it showed Maeve to have some sympathy, but that seems like something that could have been accomplished in 5-10 minutes, not in an hour-long side story. Without Shogun World having any relevance, it feels like a waste of time and I'm left questioning its inclusion in the story. Furthermore, the Maeve story is hurt by its need to rush a lot of stuff into a single episode. This episode had a sword duel, the closure for Akane's character, Maeve's group leaving Shogun World, Maeve meeting her daughter, Ghost Nation attacking and Sizemore contemplating calling for help before actually doing it. It's an overwhelming amount of developments, and the sheer number of developments means that the episode isn't able to focus on its more powerful moments like Maeve realizing her daughter has a new life. The arrival of Ghost Nation actually ruins the moment and all of its resonance which is really annoying. In the end, the flaw in the Maeve story highlights my biggest qualm with this episode. It's too cluttered with far too many storylines and no clear focus. The two best episodes in this season so far have been the ones which focused specifically on a single plot point, and that isn't a coincidence. Without any real focus, episodes like these fail to hit as hard as others, making them feel pretty disappointing overall. The Unknown: What was that test in the opening scene? Is Bernard the same sort of host that Delos was? Did Ford actually end up perfecting the hosts made from consciousness? What was the significance of Akane taking Sakura's heart? Also, what was with the heart? Does it have a specific role in hosts or is it just there to add to realism? Is Emily actually there or is she part of Ford's game? I noticed William messing up a detail about his past regarding the elephants, and while it's possible that was used to develop that William has forgotten his family life, I suspect that it was William testing to see if Emily was a host. I wonder if Emily is the one who is meant to lead William to the door which could perhaps be the door out of Westworld and into the real world. What is the role of Ghost Nation? Clearly they are important since they are appearing very frequently. What was the purpose of the train explosion? Was that Dolores breaking out of Westworld? Will it help her find her father? Does it mean she is coming for Charlotte's group? What will Bernard learn from Ford in the cradle? What else can be found in there? Best Moment: While I'm tempted to pick Ford's reveal, I'll go with Emily and William's conversation. I bought into the story completely after that and I'm now invested in their relationship which has genuine stakes to it. Character of the Episode: Ford for returning. Conclusion: This episode had a lot to it and several things worked, but it was too cluttered and messy to truly succeed, making this one of the least satisfying instalments so far. Score: 58 Summary: In flashbacks, Zach dated Hannah over the summer and they had sex but they split up after Zach doesn't want to be public with their relationship. In the present, Zach gets in arguments with Clay, Alex, Bryce and his mother about what he revealed in court. Justin and Jessica meet and she rejects him but still cares for him. Clay's parents discover Justin's presence and ultimately let him live with them.
The Good: I thought the overall Zach and Hannah story was really good and I enjoyed watching it. I actually bought into their romance through the few scenes they shared together and it seemed genuine. I thought that the reveal of their relationship was a big moment and it had fitting repercussions for Zach in the present and led to a really interesting change in character for him. The many arguments he got involved in were compelling and I was able to sympathize with him since he is one of the few likeable and properly fleshed out characters on the show. That made his descent into anger at the end of the episode feel very real and genuinely emotive to us. I sympathized with him, I bought into the fact that he did actually care for Hannah and I felt tense due to him having genuine friendships to lose, and that made this one of the most engaging storylines in this season. I did like Alex's outburst about how messed up he is now. Considering his situation, his character's rage makes more sense than anybody else's and so it made sense for him to be unreasonable and miserable. I thought the scene was pretty emotive, though the convenient boner was extremely clichéd. It also made Alex's storyline feel like filler since it had no bearing on the overall story. Other than that, I thought it worked. I like that we got to see Zach apologizing for being petty to Hannah. He was very clearly a good person so to see him be petty last season felt extremely out of character. This episode treated him much better. The Bad: Unfortunately the Zach/Hannah storyline fell apart at the final hurdle. Their break-up was awful and was treated so nonchalantly that it made me feel that they had hardly even cared for each other at all. They should have worked harder to stay together, especially considering how lonely both were and how happy they were together. With the big pay-off underdelivering, the storyline doesn't end up hitting the heights I wish it could hit. Furthermore, it makes little sense that Hannah wouldn't talk about this on the tapes. The court case is dragging on now. Nothing significant has happened and I'm pretty annoyed by the pacing. So much information has been given, but nothing has happened and as such I'm quickly getting less and less interested. To add on to that, I would really like to know where he opposing lawyers get their information. All of the witnesses are supporting Olivia, so how did the school lawyers learn about all these personal details? That's been a flaw throughout all of the season. The Justin storyline isn't good either. The sequence of him returning to school was edited poorly and felt extremely disjointed and overly dramatic. I still don't care about his relationship with Jessica, so everything they do completely fails to interest me. Additionally, Clay's parents discovering Justin's existence was completely anticlimactic, and like everything else involving Clay's parents, had no impact on the story at all. Everything involving Justin in this episode was just way too melodramatic with no resonance or importance. The last thing is that I really hate what has been done with Hannah this season. We are learning that she apparently had so many more friends than was established last season and that makes her suicide much less impactful. In the end, that means this season is completely ruining the impact of the first season by making Hannah's suicide seem less and less earned, which pretty much destroys her entire character arc. The worst part is that this is only being done to keep Katherine Langford on the show for another season and not to actually further Hannah's story. The Unknown: Why didn't Hannah and Zach fight harder to stay together? What was their relationship like afterwards? Who broke into Clay's house? Best Moment: Zach getting angry and assaulting the lockers with a baseball bat at the end was powerful and earned. Character of the Episode: Zach. Conclusion: While this was easily the most powerful storyline thus far, the episode had way too many flaws to be good. In the end I don't even think this was the best episode of the season because of the sheer number of flaws and how major they were. This season continues to disappoint. Score: 55 Summary: Ryan is asked to testify about Hannah's poems and reveals that she kept in touch with Justin after they broke up. Tony watches over Justin and allows him to go out for a walk. Justin is seen and word goes around that he is back. Mr. Porter confronts Justin's mom and beats up Seth before he is arrested. Alex listens to the tapes and also discovers that he has become impotent.
The Good: The strongest part of this episode in my opinion is the Clay and Justin storyline. Justin's situation is pretty relatable and it's good to see that he isn't happy being clammed in Clay's room all the time. Furthermore I think that the humour with their interactions was easily the funniest the show has been with some nice setpieces. The scenes with Tony and Justin were pretty good too and nicely gave us more about what happened to them in between seasons while not feeling too forced or inorganic. I do wish that there was a more emotional edge to it, but it's perfectly fine the way it is. I appreciate that the show is examining loneliness so much, it makes the show feel like it has a purpose. Loneliness is an easily relatable feeling and it allows us to connect more with the likes of Ryan and Olivia. Some of the side stories were decent. I like Clay's quest to find the room and Alex attempting to deal with impotency is an intriguing storyline which feels fresh and will likely lead to some good developments. The Bad: I hate that the show is seemingly making Hannah less lonely and depressed by revealing more about her. It ruins the effect of her suicide and also reinforces one of my biggest flaws in the first seasons regarding Hannah. I really wish that the show had developed more about her depression and loneliness in the last season. While I liked that the show is examining loneliness, I think it has been overdone too much. With almost every character affected by it, it loses its power and feels repetitive. I wasn't a fan of Mr. Porter fighting Seth. It was too forced and I didn't at all buy that Mr. Porter would just suddenly beat him up. Furthermore, why was he the only one arrested? Surely he would protest that Seth hit him first (which he actually did). This episode felt particularly bland. There wasn't much of anything in terms of big developments and the show's slow pacing is really beginning to drag on me. Without many talking points, this episode feels mostly like a waste of time which was just there to fill in the time. It's blatantly clear that the writers have nothing for Ryan in terms of overall story so that makes most of this episode feel like filler. The Unknown: Where is the room? Is it really in the school? What was the significance of Hannah's poems about intruders and the clubhouse? Best Moment: I'll go with the Clay and Justin humour setpiece because it was the only part that stood out. Character of the Episode: Ryan. Conclusion: There was nothing particularly good nor was it particularly bad. But what it was, was bland and fillerish. I really hope there is more substance in the next episode. Score: 53 Summary: In flashbacks Serena is shot while making a speech to an angry audience. Fred kills the wife of the man responsible. In the present, Offred and Serena try to be kind to each other but the charade falls away when Offred asks to see Hannah again. Serena and Offred become enemies again. Nick has sex with Eden despite not wanting to. Eden is worried that Nick doesn't like her and Offred tells her he will come around. Fred has built a new Red Centre and he performs a speech to all of the commanders. However, Ofglen interrupts it and detonates a bomb, killing herself in the process.
The Good: Once more, an episode focused around Serena delivers and provides one of the best episodes of the season. Serena was excellent here and her character was explored really nicely. We understand that she genuinely thinks that she is in the right here, like any good villain. She believes that what she is doing is the right thing, and so when she treats Offred nicely, she expects that Offred can just forget about how unfair everything is and just become her friend, just like how Eden is doing. It's so deluded and crazy, but she believes in it, and that's the key to creating a hateable and compelling villain. The flashbacks were well done too. Serena is established as being somebody who isn't appreciated by the public (to say the least) which helps put her in a more sympathetic light. Her efforts to support Gilead despite its massive unpopularity is almost admirable and it makes you feel a small bit of sympathy for her since Gilead hasn't seemed to turn into the kind of world she had hoped for. Clearly she was hoping for a world which allowed her to do what she wanted, sort of like that final scene with Offred and Eden where she could just command people. But things haven't gone as she wanted. Additionally, her conflict with Offred was fascinating. I really enjoyed seeing them interact nicely in the early parts of the episode. They were both trying to be nice and were sort of feeling each other out, wondering if they had actually turned a new leaf. But that all came crumbling down when Offred asked to see her daughter once more. Serena had believed that Offred could be happy in her new life, but was suitably disappointed when she couldn't let go of her daughter. But on the other hand, Offred thought that Serena could actually be a decent human being but was disappointed when she proved to be cruel and spiteful once more. The storytelling was superb and it was enthralling to watch these two have a sort of cold war in the household. The one scene where Serena organized a group meeting with the handmaids was superbly done. I loved her interactions with Ofglen. At first she was annoyed that Ofglen wasn't talking, but was suitably horrified in a quiet fashion when she realized she had been talking to somebody who no longer had a tongue. Nick's conflict has been really good too. It's by far the most interesting he has been and I'm starting to buy into his love for Offred a little more now that he has a relationship to compare it to. I definitely sympathized with Nick as he had to have sex with an underage girl who he is being forced to love. While he still has a long way to go, the story is certainly moving Nick in the right direction now. Eden was fantastic in this episode. Unlike Offred, Eden has accepted her role in the world and seems unable to comprehend how unfair everything is. Her character is another scary reality for the world of Gilead, and her scene with Offred was pretty horrifying in a subtle and realistic way. Her character feels like a fresh new way to display the horrors of Gilead. I also enjoyed that Nick finally decided to get some vengeance on Fred by giving away what he's been doing. It's a fitting move for Nick who is not happy with the fact that Fred got him a child wife. The Bad: The Red Centre storyline didn't feel very natural. It was an afterthought until the ending where it was used for a great cliffhanger. Unfortunately, it wasn't particularly well executed. Ofglen had no time to make her decision to kamikaze feel relatable. All we know is that she lost her tongue and apparently that has now led to her wanting to die. I wish that we had seen more of Ofglen before this scene. The Unknown: How did Ofglen get a bomb? Is she connected with Mayday? What is in store for Fred now that Nick has given him away? How many people died at the ending scene? What consequences will there be? Who will pay for it now that Ofglen is dead? Best Moment: The nursery scene between Offred and Serena was superb storytelling. Character of the Episode: Serena. Conclusion: Once more an episode focused around Serena Joy delivered some of the show's best storytelling. This episode was really great and gripping to watch and would be in contention as one of the very best episodes if it wasn't for the out of place ending scene. Still, this was really great. Score: 70 Summary: Ross and Rachel are on bad terms now and refuse to be in the same room as each other so the other friends have to book specific times to be with each of them. Rachel invites the group on a ski trip and Ross is upset. Ross goes to Carol's to talk about things. The group gets stuck on a rest stop when Phoebe's car runs out of gas.
The Good: This was really well done. I like that the show continues to address Ross and Rachel's relationship while leaving both in a sympathetic light. Ross and Rachel both play their roles very well and continue to get the most humour out of their situation. I really enjoyed Ross going over to Carol's to talk about what happened and accidentally interrupt Carol's anniversary with Susan. The rest stop predicament was predictable but it was nevertheless funny and led to some great moments, like Joey's "PLEH" sign. The story of the friends being forced to pick sides almost leading to the group's destruction is a good one to tell and I think they did a pretty solid job with it. The Bad: I don't think the episode told its story as well as it could have and it could have used some more big laughs. That's pretty much nit-picking though. Best Moment: Joey's "PLEH" sign was really funny and a clever joke which led to some good lines from Chandler. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: This was another good episode which continued Ross and Rachel's story with some nice moments. Score: 71 Summary: Marcus has to testify but he lies and says that Hannah wanted to date Bryce. Tyler pranks Marcus for lying in court. Andy returns and gets in an argument with Olivia. Clay discovers that Justin has heroine and Tony sends Sheri to take care of him to get him out of the addiction. Alex gets Clay to send him the tapes so he can listen to them.
The Good: There was some good drama created from Marcus lying in court. I think it's a welcome development that opens up the possibilities for what could happen in these court scenes to affect the case. With the idea being planted in our heads that some of these kids can lie, it raises a lot more intrigue for other characters like Mr. Porter and Bryce for when they choose to testify. Furthermore, the lies added a lot to the high school storyline with people wanting to attack Marcus for lying, which is a realistic follow-up that raised the stakes of the story. I'm excited to see more about how he reacts, if he will redeem himself and just what he does next in general. I love that this episode added some depth to why Marcus did what he did to Hannah. I really wish we had gotten this last season as Marcus' character came off as wildly inconsistent in the last season. I appreciate that the writers gave him proper motives and a character arc to be explored. This is well set-up for some powerful storytelling down the lien as Marcus will likely have to do a lot to redeem himself for lying and trying to be somebody he's not, in an arc which should be similar to Sheri's from last season. I really like the Alex and Jessica relationship, much more than the Jessica and Justin relationship. While I don't really care for them as lovers, I think they have a strong friendship and it's easy to understand the bond that they have developed. I'm also pleased with Mr. Porter's story arc. While I really wish that we could see the immediate aftermath to him listening to the tapes and choosing what to do, I am fine with what we got. We can see that Mr. Porter has chosen to try to make a difference in whatever time he has left which is easy to sympathize with. No Skye in this episode. Good. The Bad: The problem with Marcus is that we don't know the hard-working and likable guy that he is supposed to be. The only part of him which has been explored is the person he isn't supposed to be, leading us to only being familiar with the bad parts of his character. This makes it so we have no chance of liking him, making his storyline not as interesting or emotional as it should be. I also don't like the idea that Marcus was called up as a witness without giving any idea of what he was going to say. Surely if Dennis wanted to bring him up, he would have made sure that Marcus would say something beneficial to his case. Andy inexplicably showing up was random and unsatisfying. His arrival felt forced and unnecessary, making me question why he was brought in anyways, other than just creating some cheap drama. Speaking of unsatisfying, the gun shooting also fell into that category. After all that build up last season with Tyler and the gun, this was the least interesting direction to go. There were some big issues here that have plagued this entire season which I haven't had a chance to talk about yet, so I'll discuss them now. For one, this vision of Hannah that Clay is seeing is terrible. She offers nothing to the plot and doesn't even make Clay any more interesting. She just feels forced into the story and I really don't like it. A few character arcs have been repetitive and poor. Alex's story hasn't gone anywhere in the past four episodes and I'm just thankful that he's finally listening to the tapes. Zach's story arc is also completely stagnant with nothing interesting happening with his duelling friendships with Bryce and Alex. These storylines haven't lived up to their potential at all. I think the way that Scott has been portrayed is really bad. He's being so obviously framed as a suspect that it's clear he isn't a suspect. I also don't like how Olivia's story for the past two seasons has only consisted of her being sad/angry about what happened to Hannah, and they continue to show this over and over again. It's powerful the first few times and Kate Walsh does a good job, but after a while it really drags on. This narration needs to go away now. It only just occurred to me that the narration is supposed to be what the witnesses are saying at court which is just really bad writing. It's pointlessly pretentious stuff. The Unknown: What was that memory that Alex had with the blood? Very interesting. Best Moment: I'll pick the actual moment that Marcus lied in court as it was dramatic and tense. Character of the Episode: Marcus. Conclusion: This episode had some good aspects and moments but it was another overall disappointing episode because of lots of familiar and some new flaws. Score: 56 Summary: Teddy and Dolores talk and Dolores realizes that Teddy is too soft to survive so she has him wiped. Maeve's group is captured by hosts from Shogun World who have the same characters as them since Sizemore was a lazy programmer. The Shogun wants to take Sakura, a geisha but Akane doesn't let her go and kills the messenger. Maeve offers to help the group escape while also hoping to escape herself. Sakura is kidnapped by the Shogun so they take a detour to save her. The Shogun kills Sakura so Akane kills him. Maeve discovers that she can command hosts using just her mind and has all of the samurai kill each other.
The Good: The introduction to Shogun World was awesome, and recaptured the wonderful feeling that was present in "The Original" when we first saw Westworld. It was a lovely adventure to see the style, characters and locations in the world, and the modified soundtrack beautifully suited this new world and added a lot through some lovely melodies. I thought that the setting and atmosphere was impressive as always and I really enjoyed getting to see this new world. I love how certain characters were copied for Shogun World. It allowed for some interesting interactions and also let the characters have some very unique bonds as they realized that they were essentially making friends with themselves. Maeve and Akane's relationship in particular felt very fresh and well-developed, also allowing Maeve to develop more of a sympathetic heart for Akane as she displayed that same motherly love that Maeve has for her own daughter. Also the simple concept that Sizemore would be lazy enough to rehash entire storylines feels really corporate and real, and it also provides a really good laugh. Speaking of laughs, this was the funniest episode of Westworld yet with a lot of nice humorous moments amidst all the violence. Most of that is thanks to Sizemore who is doing a tremendous job of comic relief. I also really appreciate that the show is taking the time to develop relationships and have comic relief characters. Conventions aren't always bad, and in this case it actually aids the show since it's no longer spending time being mysterious and confusing. The straight-forward nature of this episode also helped with that. I really enjoyed the action scenes too. With the action scenes being very clear on who the good and bad guys are, they are much more exciting than previous ones, and are aided even more by the fact that characters we care about are involved in them. This was the most I've been entertained by Westworld action scenes. I also love that the show continues to explore the idea of if these hosts finding consciousness makes them any more real than before. Sizemore believes them to still be just code while Maeve tries to convince him against that. The conversation as fascinating and did a great job of continuing to get us to think about the realities of this world and how real the hosts actually are. The climax of the episode was fantastic too. Sakura's death was surprising but it also built up nicely to the satisfying moment of Akane killing the Shogun, which mirrored all of the moments that Maeve had where she finally stood up for herself and killed her enemies. The Shogun's death was a really satisfying moment too and was fittingly gruesome and violent. Of course the conclusion with Maeve getting a hold of her new powers was executed well too and makes me eager to see what happens next. Finally we go to Dolores and Teddy's storyline which was surprisingly touching The one thing which the show has been consistent with is the romance between Dolores and Teddy, which makes their "break-up" all the more impactful and genuinely meaningful. It's sad that Teddy had to go through this, especially since we know his ultimate fate is in the ocean full of dead hosts. The Bad: Sizemore saying something along the lines of "that's not supposed to happen" has become a cliché because of this episode alone. It got really old as he said it over and over again. Unfortunately the Maeve storyline doesn't feel very important. The show has a much bigger scope than just Maeve and her group, so it's disappointing to not get any focus on the bigger scheme of things and instead spend an entire episode with Maeve. While I did enjoy it, it just didn't feel like as big of a deal as it should have so I wasn't hooked as much as I could have been. The Unknown: How were the hosts wiped in the future? Who did that? Was it Bernard who did that? Why? How did Maeve get this new power? Did she always have it? How does it work? Does it have any limits? What will Sizemore do with his walkie? I feel like the walkie may be the kind of risk which will lead to his death. How is Shogun World non-fatal? I understand that in Westworld the guns can't hurt guests, but how does that work with swords and arrows? Best Moment: The conversation between Sizemore and Maeve was excellent. Character of the Episode: Maeve. Conclusion: This was a really fun episode which was easier to follow and enjoy than pretty much every other episode of Westworld. Though it only focused on one storyline and didn't advance the overall story, I enjoyed this. Score: 65 Summary: Tyler and Cyrus become closer as friends. Clay visits Skye at the hospital but she doesn't want him there. She is moved to another facility. Jessica testifies at court and doesn't speak of Bryce's rape. Clay finds Justin homeless in the city and brings him to his house so he can live there until he can testify for Bryce's rape.
The Good: I enjoyed this much more than the last episode. Because of Jessica's emotions after all that has happened to her, this became much more resonant and memorable, even if it wasn't perfect (see: The Bad). Jessica's fear to talk to other people because of her problems as well as her guilt at not being strong enough to help Hannah are all very relatable and it makes her courtroom dilemma of choosing whether or not to tell the truth easy to understand and relate with. The episode also had a lot of really good tension in it. There was a lot of drama regarding whether Jessica would tell the truth about Bryce or not, and because of that, the episode was tense almost the entire time and had me engaged much more than the previous two episodes. The court scenes themselves also felt a lot more relevant. Discussing how Hannah chose not to inform the school because she couldn't trust them is an important topic, and it allows the courtroom scenes to feel much more realistic. The transition from Clay saying he will keep no more secrets into him hiding Justin in his house was genuinely funny and made me laugh. The humour in this episode was the best in the series overall which was good. The Bad: I wish that Jessica's character was explored in a more meaningful way. Too much time was spent producing tension and having a bunch of pretentious monologues of narration which didn't add much. I would have preferred a better look at her mental state and how her emotions are. The ending did a decent job and seeing a scene of her breaking down after the court was great, but I would have liked some more. The follow-up to Clay's storyline in this episode wasn't good. I still don't care at all about his relationship with Skye even if I can buy into the fact that he cares for her. They had no chemistry and I haven't seen enough of them to care. And what I have seen, I haven't liked. I thought that the follow-up was poor with Clay talking to Skye immediately only to be cut off afterwards. The storyline with his parents had bad follow-up too. Clay just tells them everything in a throwaway scene and everything he tells them is never mentioned again with the exception of him wanting a car. That's very poor and once more makes it so that Clay's relationship with his parents is explored in the same way with Clay keeping secrets and then talking to them about the secrets off screen. It's not satisfying. I also hated that the fallout of Clay getting Bryce's confession as shown off screen. A lot of time was spent on that storyline in the last season and to have it resolved off screen is stupid and once more kills all of the momentum the show had after the first season. I thought the search for Justin had some really contrived moments. The bribery that Clay had to do felt ridiculously forced and out of place in that scene. Moreover the cops arriving to catch Justin and Clay for "doing drugs" was stupid. They clearly weren't doing drugs for one, and also how did the cops show up so quickly. And why did the cops just give up without chasing them? The scene felt just forced in there for some pointless tension which they didn't even succeed in creating. Just overall bad filmmaking there. There were a few things I didn't like. I'm so sick of Olivia trying to talk to somebody only for them saying "I have to go". The show has relied on this way too much and it I just frustrating at this point. Also I don't like how Jessica just happened to bring in the pictures at the courtroom. Like where was she keeping them to grab them so easily and how were they not confiscated earlier? The Unknown: Who attacked Clay when he was biking? Was it the same person who has been sending all of the messages? Will Justin testify then? I'm sure he will, but the main question is when and what he will say. Why did Mr. Porter visit Bryce's mom? What does he have to say? Best Moment: My favourite moment was a scene which I haven't talked about at all yet. It was when Courtney returned to school and there was a very artful scene which focused on Courtney's paranoia that everyone is judging her even though nobody has addressed her. It was a great scene. Character of the Episode: Jessica. Conclusion: This was a better episode which had some great moments though it was still marred by flaws. Still much better than what the season has given us so far. Score: 58 Summary: Courtney is the next one to testify in court. She reveals she is a lesbian and that Hannah was innocent. Jessica is threatened to keep quiet. Alex tries to get a copy of the tapes so that he can listen to them again to remember. Skye and Clay have a fight and she leaves Clay's house. Skye is later hospitalized.
The Good: I think that the idea of having these side characters testify in court to close out their storylines is a very good idea. So far it's led to the most satisfying scenes in the seasons as it pays off of what was set up last season. This episode resolved the Courtney storyline which had long since run its course, so I'm thankful that we don't have to suffer through Courtney trying to secretively be lesbian anymore. The ending scream from Clay was a nice moment to show his frustration. I also thought it was pretty funny. The Bad: I thought this episode was really bad though. For one, the Clay and Skye storyline was an utter failure. They failed to make me care for their relationship, and as such the ending fell completely flat for me. The set-up to it was incredibly predictable as well and it features all of the lame melodrama that I had hoped would not be there. The specific scenes were pretty terrible as well. The awkward dinner was just ridiculous and it is unbelievable that Skye would feel up Clay at the dinner table in front of his parents. Even worse was the idea that Skye would have sex with Clay and ask about if he loves her afterwards. Why would she have sex first if something bothered her? Also, are we just supposed to forget that Clay's parents exist? They seem to be inept as they don't hear anything that is going on, and the show seems to completely ignore their existence. In general this was just really poorly written, cheesy and not at all powerful. This honestly reminded me of "Riverdale" which is never a good sign. The narration is already grating on me. I didn't like it last season which is when it actually had a purpose, being that Hannah was narrating for the tapes, and this is even worse. The narration adds nothing, is cheesy, and also manages to be extremely annoying. This show is trying too hard to be meaningful and ends up becoming pretentious instead. The courtroom scenes once more didn't make much sense. Once more, what the hell is the relevance of if Hannah was actually a lesbian? These courtroom scenes are grounded on pointless arguments which have no relevance to the case, which makes them extremely unsatisfying to watch, compared to actual courtroom drama, which I am a huge fan of. Just go watch "To Kill a Mockingbird" instead of this garbage. Mr. Porter has been really dull so far. His scenes are repetitive as they all seem to consist of him trying to help students who proceed to talk about how much they hate him and how useless he is. It gets old, and I've seen enough of these scenes for the season. The characters have gone through transformations off screen, which is disappointing and bad. They were already shallow enough last season, but now we see that they have gone through some interesting developments, but instead of showing them to us to gave it emotional impact, they are kept secret to instead allow for mystery and shock value when the truth will eventually be revealed. Emotion is always far better than mystery and shock value, making this a really disappointing decision. The Unknown: Who sent that noted to Jess? What happened to Andy? Where is he now? What happened to Sheri? Tony? Zach? They all seem to have gone through some petty major stuff which just wasn't shown. Best Moment: The final scream because it was at least funny to see Clay screaming in Hannah's face. Character of the Episode: Clay. Conclusion: This was bad. The writing was awful and it was pretty tough to watch at times. This was a major disappointment as season 2 seems to be a major step down for the show. Score: 47 Summary: Alex and Jessica return to school after extended absences and discover things aren't like they would have wanted due to rumours and new rules. Tyler testifies for the Hannah Baker case in court and reveals his history with Hannah. Clay and Skye are dating now but Clay is haunted by memories of Hannah. Mr. Porter puts his foot down to ensure Bryce doesn't do anything else.
The Good: Alex and Jessica got some pretty good stories here. I like that they have reconciled due to the both have them having to deal with being outside of school due to unfortunate circumstances. Their discoveries of things that trouble them (the rumours about Jessica and the suicide note) set up the season with intriguing storylines. I was happy to get more backstory on Tyler and Hannah's relationship. We got some good reasons for Tyler wanting to be closer with Hannah and he seems like much more of a real character instead of just some creepy guy who wouldn't exist in the real world. He also got some much-needed motivations for why he would stalk Hannah which made him more relatable in my eyes. This stuff would have also been welcomed in the last season and would have likely improved my opinion on it, as I often complained that the characters weren't getting the focus they needed. I really love how Olivia is still clueless about what she did wrong and that she thinks that calling Hannah pretty would have helped, when in reality Hannah just needed somebody to talk to. I love this idea because of how realistic it feels, because usually when we make mistakes we often don't realize what we were supposed to do to prevent them until being told by somebody else. The Bad: This was a very flawed episode though and it continues to reaffirm my suspicions that a second season won't add much for this show. First of all, the time-skip was a ridiculous decision. It adds some mystery based off of what we haven't seen in the time-skip, but it completely robs us of payoff from storylines which were set up last season. We don't get to see the tapes become common knowledge or the effects it had on the characters, making literal hours of set-up from the last season entirely meaningless. Furthermore, plotlines like Tyler and his guns, and Alex shooting himself become practically meaningless too as they aren't properly followed up on. Clay and Skye's relationship is very bad. I don't know enough about Skye to buy into this relationship and I have no clue what Clay would see in her to want to get over Hannah. It's hard to care at all about this relationship which seems destined to result in cheap melodrama with a will-they-won't-they story arc. I also thought that Skye was an idiot for not figuring out that Clay was being bothered by the Hannah trial at the end of the episode. And to add salt to wounds, her acting was intolerably bad during that scene. This show never had great acting to begin with, but that scene was particularly poor. Mr. Porter seems like an awkward character now that we have skipped his reaction to listening to Hannah's tapes. I don't know how he feels or how he reacted, so that makes his decisions to threaten Bryce and watch him perplexing to me, since I don't know how many other things Mr. Porter has already dealt with. The time-skip has essentially killed all of my interest in his character by skipping his interesting transformation into who he is now. The courtroom scenes were poorly done and felt very forced with the questions Tyler was being asked. I hope this doesn't become a trend moving forwards. I thought that comparing pictures of Hannah happy to her sadness was an idiotic idea. Anybody could realize that the situations were different and any lawyer would call out the school lawyer on bringing that up. It felt like a forced way to instill drama to the episode and to cut to Tyler's history with Hannah. Additionally I thought the school did a terrible job of recovering from the accusations. Last season the bathroom walls were supposed to be painted, yet in this episode there is once more a ton of writing on the stalls. Is the school seriously too inept to check the bathrooms for more writing? Additionally, the new rule that suicide can't be discussed is ridiculous. Talking is the best way to prevent anybody from committing suicide, so why outlaw that? A ridiculous idea. The season already feels repetitive. Once more Clay is dealing with being unable to deal with Hannah's guilt. Once more there is a mysterious plan between all of the side characters and secrets being kept. Once more we get scenes of Olivia being sad about Hannah. Once more there are accusations about Hannah lying. We need to tread some new ground here. The Unknown: Why wasn't Clay called to testify? Was Hannah really sexting or did Tyler misinterpret something? What was the meaning behind Alex's suicide note? Was there something else bothering him? Could it have to do with why he called Zach last season? How does Bryce learn about what happens in court? Does he have a spy of sorts? Where did the polaroid come from? Who put it in Clay's locker? Who else was raped by Bryce? Was it Chloe, his current girlfriend? What was the note Ryan gave to Tony? What is the darkroom? How is Clay talking to Hannah? Best Moment: Olivia not being able to comprehend what she did wrong was the most powerful moment for me. Character of the Episode: Tyler. Conclusion: This episode had some nice developments but it was overall disappointing with poor and repetitive storytelling. This season looks like it's going to be everything that I wished it wouldn't be. Score: 54 Summary: Everybody except Nick ignores Offred through her pregnancy. Offred begins to bleed, hinting at her perhaps having a miscarriage. She is taken to the doctor after being found unconscious and her baby is saved. Fred rewards Nick for his service by getting him a child bride. Janine holds a wedding in the colonies for a dying woman to raise spirits despite Emily's protests. Emily eventually apologizes and says it was a beautiful wedding.
The Good: Offred's (yeah I'm calling her Offred again for now) character arc was very good in this episode. Her reclusive silence is tough to watch and allows us to once more sympathize with her and root for her to attempt to get out of Gilead once more. There is also a very uncomfortable feeling stemming from Offred's constant bleeding which she doesn't tell anyone about. The execution of a lot of the scenes portrays Offred's loneliness with some beautiful camera work, including the uncomfortable scene of Offred sitting alone in a tub full of blood without a single other soul knowing what she has gone through. Nick surprisingly got more depth here which I am all for. I would like or him to keep getting focus like this so that I can invest in him a little more. This is a great first step towards that as Nick has seemingly been given a proper story arc to take him through this season. The writers also allow us to start sympathizing with him (finally) by placing him in a difficult situation which forces him to do something he doesn't want to do, which is get into a relationship with his new bride which he had no choice in getting. Fred and Serena's relationship is fascinating, and like Fred in general, I want to see more of it so that I can understand exactly how it works. The other half of the episode was even better though. Outside of Offred's story, the episode gave some time back to the colonies so we can explore what Emily and Janine have been up to. Their scenes were outstanding and told a great story as Emily introduced Janine to the bleak new reality of her life. But Janine refuses to be such an animal and brings some positive love and feeling to the colonies, hosting a very sweet wedding for somebody on their deathbed to Emily's disdain. It's a relatable decision for Janine which brings a welcome change to the dreariness of the colonies, and also allows us to relate more with Emily who is resigned to her new life by now. Speaking of Emily, I'm very happy that her storyline with Janine didn't lead to meaningless melodrama and that we instead got to see her make up with Janine and ultimately accept what she is doing. It was a fitting and powerful conclusion which makes us appreciate the characters of Emily and Janine much more. The Bad: The baby surviving is a bit perplexing. There was a whole lot of blood lost throughout the episode and I don't think there is any way that the baby could realistically have survived the ordeal. It's confusing and I would have liked more information at the end of the episode about the baby. Serena was flawed once more. She was the only one checking to make sure Offred was okay, which is odd considering how she is supposed to hate Offred. I guess it could be chalked up as a change to her character, but it hasn't been hinted at in any way, so I find it tough to buy into this character change. This episode didn't have a whole lot to it ultimately, as evidenced by the short length of this review. I thought it was fine, but it didn't have very many talking points. The Unknown: So what are the details regarding Nick's marriage? How are the brides created for the men and who are eligible to get a bride? What is the bride's situation in the Waterford household and what will her relationship with Offred be? Will Janine have to face consequences for all the positive things she is doing in the colonies? I feel that this is setting up for a tragic catharsis. Best Moment: The death scene of the woman who had just got married was genuinely emotional. I thought the scene was shot superbly to get the most emotion out of the characters, and in turn getting an emotional reaction out of me. I also loved the music, which felt "The Leftovers"-esque in its sound which is always a great thing. Character of the Episode: Janine. Conclusion: This was a good episode which had some welcome developments, even if it didn't really feel like there was a whole lot of depth to this, unlike the previous episodes. Thankfully I felt that the writing was more consistent, making this one of the season's better episodes. Score: 65 Summary: Rachel wants to get back with Ross after Ross sleeps with Chloe, meaning that Ross has to attempt to make sure the truth doesn't get out to Rachel. Rachel finds out and the two of them get in an argument with Monica, Phoebe, Joey and Chandler stuck in the bedroom listening in.
The Good: This was a pretty powerful break-up and both Ross and Rachel played their roles to perfection. I was genuinely sad that their relationship had degraded so much and I was also able to sympathize with both as they attempted to get through it. I thought it was done very well. Thankfully there was humour too, mostly coming from the other 4 friends in the bedroom who were stuck in there. The dialogue was written expertly to provide comic relief without making anybody behave out of character and I thought the timing was always perfect. The Bad: This is a tough episode to rate as a sitcom. A lot of the drama is too sad and depressing to make this a great episode of comedy, and even the great jokes between the other four can't overcome the melancholy atmosphere. Best Moment: Joey's "walk" was such a fantastic moment to relieve the tension and make me laugh out loud. The ridiculous idea of him thinking about something like that managed to feel real and it worked very well. Character of the Episode: Joey. Conclusion: This episode had some great jokes and funny moments, but the overall serious atmosphere prevents this from reaching high heights. I really enjoyed this, but it isn't efficient as a comedy. Score: 70 Summary: Chandler and Joey visit the copy shop and are invited to a party by hot girl Chloe. Phoebe dates a foreign guy who needs an interpreter to communicate with her. Ross and Rachel have another argument and Rachel suggests that they take a break.
The Good: This was very well done. It was very impressive how the writers kept such a serious storyline feeling light and fun while still capturing the emotional weight of Ross and Rachel's apparent break-up. There were some funny lines and moments in their argument which were expertly inserted into the scenes to feel organic and not forced. I was pleased by that. I also love how both characters motives are clearly understood and that they are both partly responsible for what happened, instead of only one of them being responsible. The side storylines were very funny too. Chandler and Joey were hilarious as always and the over-the-top to draw out comedy from their scenes. Phoebe's storyline was fun as well and the double date with Monica and the interpreter not allowing Phoebe and Sergei to enjoy themselves was really funny and well done. The Bad: This episode is pretty serious so it will never hit the heights of Friends' best episodes, but I still really enjoyed it. While Chandler and Joey's overacting is fun, it's a bit too much sometimes. Best Moment: Chandler and Joey discussing what the threesome would be like was great. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: This was a very serious and dramatic episode but it did a very good job of maintaining the humour and keeping me entertained. Score: 73 Summary: In the past, Delos works towards making an eternal-living host for Jim Delos and William is in charge, but the process isn't going smoothly as Delos' mind is rejecting his new body. The process goes on for several decades without success and William eventually abandons the project. In the present, William and Lawrence run into a group of hosts who capture them. William kills everyone and breaks free before running into his daughter. Bernard is taken to Elsie and they find a facility. Inside the facility they find what remains of Delos and put him out of his misery.
The Good: This was a very good episode, one of the best in the whole series. It shouldn't be a surprise that when you take away pointless confusion and mystery and provide an easy-to-follow narrative with legitimate resonance it improves the quality of the story begin told. That is exactly what happened here, as the episode focused on 3 stories with actual relevance and focus which were easy to follow and understand. The first story is the one in flashbacks and I think it is the most powerful and thought-provoking one. In this storyline we get to see Mr. Delos on his quest for immortality, which is surely what William had tempted him with back in "Reunion". Delos has become a host and William is the one who is working to turn him into a fully-working and immortal being. I really love the way that these scenes were executed. At first there is no background on the story whatsoever as we get a Lost-esque sequence of Delos staying in his chamber until he is visited by William. We learn a few things here and there are several clues of things not being what they seem with Delos exhibiting some strange ticks. Clearly he is either sick in some way or is a host. The scene is executed wonderfully, highlighting some important clues and bits of information and the following two scenes do a terrific job of explaining everything and bringing very real emotional stakes to the episode. The emotion was brought on by our perception of Delos' situation. It is especially poignant with William's final visit as we understand just how long Delos has been waiting to go free. Even though he seems to be a bad person, our natural instinct wants to see him be free from confinement and to overcome his shackles and bugs. But that never happens and we instead bear witness as William, obviously turned cold, tears him apart metaphorically and reveals to him that his entire family has died while he awaits his return to the world. It's a sad scene and a fantastic examination of men's fears of death and their ability to overcome it; a prevalent theme in this episode. Furthermore, the storyline is aided by some terrific acting by Peter Mullan, who brings Delos' personality to life and delivers an absolute cracker of a performance to make us sympathize with this "piece of shit" as William describes him. Speaking of William, I love what has been done with his character. Last season his transformation was very abrupt, but this season is thankfully allowing us to understand him more. Instead of being a murderous psycho, we can now understand him a little more as we see his goals and relationship with Delos. This aids his current storyline as William doesn't seem quite so empty anymore, and we can now understand his aspirations to discover more about himself and the world, something which has always fueled his character that we can now understand more than ever. While his storyline has flaws (see: The Bad), it is fairly entertaining and has a nice twist at the end. The final storyline is with Bernard and Elsie and I think that works very nicely. I'm enjoying the dynamic of their relationship and I think that the show should keep focus on them to add some development. Their relationship has a neat and fresh feeling as we get to follow Elsie getting used to the fact that Bernard is a host, completely changing how their relationship was in the last season. I really enjoyed seeing them work their way through the facility as the mystery continued to expand about what was really happening. Bernard's flashbacks are also very interesting and were shot superbly with glorious transitions and angles. The cinematography in this episode was truly special and I believe that this is by far the best-looking episode of Westworld yet. The climax of the episode where we got to see current-day Delos was fantastic. The scene was shot like an exciting high-budget horror film and had genuine tension to it, while also serving as a sad reveal of what Delos' fate was. I was impressed with the final monologue from Delos as well. I'm not yet sure what to make of his final lines, but they will surely be fascinating to try to analyze to decipher what point Delos is trying to make. The Bad: The present-William storyline is still tough to get into because it feels too familiar and generic. There hasn't been much change to how his storyline works with some fun action, but there is hardly anything fascinating with these scenes anymore. While there is thankfully more tension since William can actually die and get hurt now, it's still hard to care much for these scenes with many more interesting storylines going on around the park. The Unknown: What disease killed Mr. Delos? Could it be returning soon? Also has Delos, the company, tried to make any other people immortal? Could Mr. Delos have just been a prototype? The lab he was in had a 12 on the door. Does that mean there are many more of these? Could Mr. Delos not have been he first attempt at doing this? What are the memories that Bernard had? Why did he kill everything in the facility? What was his role in what was being done to Delos? Was he aware? How can he control the drone hosts? What was he creating in that facility? Is Ford's influence still controlling everything? Did Ford have Clementine bring Bernard to Elsie? What is his end goal for William? What does he mean by saying that forward is the wrong direction? How is Emily in the park? How long has se gone there? What is her relationship with William like? W are the Ghost Nation's motives? Do they protect humans? They seem to capture them and let them go. Are they under Ford's orders? Or somebody else's? Best Moment: William revealing to Delos that his old life is gone and that he is better off dead is a very sad and powerful moment. Quite possibly my favourite Westworld scene so far. Character of the Episode: Delos. Conclusion: This was a great episode which was much more organized than most episodes. There were satisfying answers and powerful storytelling, making this one of the show's best instalments. Score: 68 Summary: Phoebe is reunited with a former partner who she has had a falling out with in the past and they start singing together again. Ross is upset with Rachel's long work hours but is happy that Mark is leaving Bloomingdale's. He tries to prevent Rachel and Mark from continuing to be friends. Chandler dates a woman with a prosthetic leg who Joey has horrific memories about.
The Good: I'm very glad that Phoebe got something major to do after what feels like forever. Her storyline is pretty good and has some fun lighthearted moments throughout. Ross' character continues to shine as he continues to be jealous and paranoid of losing Rachel while also wanting to spend more time with her. I think the writers have done a terrific job of making this very serious relationship storyline still have a lot of comedic value through the use of Ross and Rachel's quirky personalities. Chandler and Joey's storyline is excellent for a side story. The acting from both is fitting for the characters and they do a terrific job of getting the most laughs from everything they are given. Joey's story about what happened with Ginger is very funny and so is the conclusion with Chandler getting past the leg only for Ginger to be creeped out by his nubbin. That ending was a great use of irony to provide humour. The Bad: Nothing really stands out as bad. I suppose the final moment with Phoebe angry with her friend is a bit much for Phoebe's character but it isn't major. Best Moment: I'll go with Joey talking with Chandler about the leg. Both characters were very funny in this episode. Character of the Episode: Chandler but Joey is a close second. Conclusion: This was a very strong episode which had some great laughs in it. Score: 73 Summary: In flashbacks, June is confronted by Luke's wife Annie who is upset that Luke is in love with her. In the present, June is under confinement from Aunt Lydia. June is returned to the Waterford residence and Lydia stays with her to ensure she doesn't escape again. June acts aggressively and infuriates Serena. Lydia takes June for a walk and shows her Omar's dead body and reveals the family's fate. June complies to become Offred again and accepts life as a handmaid once more.
The Good: This episode was another great examination of June's character. This season is doing a superb job of making June into a well-rounded character by exploring her flaws as well as her strengths. This episode is all about conveying how selfish June is and how her selfishness has caused damage to other people's happiness. The flashback scene in this episode demonstrates this with Annie being hurt by June's selfish desires to be with Luke, not even thinking about how his wife must feel. This is brought over into the present as well as Omar's dead body is revealed. June's selfishness and carelessness in the previous episode has come back to bite her as she once more feels guilty for not thinking about others and instead fixating on herself. In the end it's this guilt that leads to her reprising her role as Offred the handmaid, unwilling to fight back as June because she deserves her fate. The storytelling in this plotline was excellent in pretty much every way and is one of the reasons that "The Handmaid's Tale" is one of my favourite TV shows right now even if it hasn't quite reached greatness. Aunt Lydia was a highlight in this episode. Ann Dowd plays the character ridiculously well and does a great job of conveying Lydia's conflicting feelings about Offred. Lydia does love Offred like she does with all of the handmaids, but also wants to and has to punish her for her mistakes and everything she has done. These conflicting emotions create a killer performance, allowing Lydia to steal any scene she is in, even outperforming Elisabeth Moss at times which is very impressive. While Lydia had seemed a bit 2-dimensional in the first season, she has improved a lot in the past 4 episodes. I really liked how this episode set apart June and Offred as two different characters. This allows us to understand the different pieces of June's life better, as we have who she really is (June) and who other people want her to be (Offred) and this episode toys the line separating both characters and has June shift from one side of the line to the other. As mentioned above, the execution of June's transformation was great, but what I want to commend here is the decision to bring attention to the fact that there are basically two different versions of June in the series. Simply addressing this fact allowed the episode to take a more thoughtful and memorable approach and I'm glad that the show went with that instead of something basic which you will often see from lesser shows. Serena and June's rivalry continues to be fairly enjoyable. I'm glad that their storyline hasn't been dropped and that their falling out from last season has impacted their relationship will has soured a ton. I thought their conflict in this episode had good build-up and on very uncomfortable moment as Serena talked to her baby in the middle of the night without even acknowledging June. There wasn't anything particularly great here, but it was enjoyable enough. The Bad: Serena is a bit of a double-edged sword at this point though. While she has compelling aspects about her, she also seems very inconsistent. In "A Woman's Place" back in season 1, we learned about how Serena sacrificed everything for her current life. Yet that has had no impact on Serena's story at all and instead her storyline consists of her being an annoying and angry character who is apparently being easily manipulated by Fred. That doesn't add up nicely and makes her character as much of a mystery to me as she is compelling which isn't good. Furthermore, this new addition of her surprisingly motherly instincts leans things more to the bad side as it is yet another aspect of her character we didn't know before which we have to just accept now. We aren't told why she is motherly, just that he is which is much less satisfying. If Serena is a double-edged sword, then Fred is a blunt blade. His character intrigued me so much last season because I was interested to find out the deeper layers to his character and what drove him from a good person into the monster he is now. But instead we got nothing and I've had to realize that the show is happy to leave him as a 2-dimensional and boring villain. This is a huge waste which I feel wastes the potential of giving this show one of the all-time great villains. The best way to put it is that the show could have had a Ben Linus but has instead settled for a Negan. A great performance, but a one-note character who isn't as interesting as the show thinks he is. I think this show is going a bit too heavily on the misery. In the first season it was important to establish the harsh reality of this world, but now I think there needs to be more change and that the show should start gravitating away from the horrors it loves to explore. In time these horrors will grow weary and I think the show should be smart enough to move away from them before that happens. Let's hope for something a little less bleak in the future, or at least something that's bleak for a different reason. The Unknown: Will June escape/rebel again? She seems to be stuck as Offred for now, so what will make her go back to being June? Will anything make her go back to being June? After seeing Annie in the past, I wonder if she will make an appearance in the present. Could she be in the colonies too? Perhaps the colonies will become more central to the story in the second half of the season since there has been little focus on them. I want more insight on Serena and her motherly instincts. Why does she have them? Was it something in her childhood or something she gained whilst living in Gilead? Best Moment: Omar's death reveal was the most powerful scene for sure. It was tough watching June fall to her knees and have so much guilt washing over her. A very "The Handmaid's Tale" scene in every right with how much misery was conveyed. Aunt Lydia's cold speech was the icing on the cake though, taking a disheartening and powerful scene and turning it into something special. Character of the Episode: Lydia. Conclusion: This was a very strong episode of storytelling, but it is hurt by familiar inconsistencies with the Waterfords who haven't been as compelling as they should be. I still enjoyed this, but I feel like there needs to be better characterization going on for the Waterfords in order for the show to be excellent again. Score: 64 Summary: In flashforwards, Strand takes Bernard to meet Charlotte who is impressed that he made it out alive. In the present, Bernard and Charlotte locate Abernathy but he's captured by Dolores along with Bernard. Dolores assigns Bernard to fix Abernathy. Dolores camp is attacked by Delos as they are led by Charlotte and they capture Abernathy. Bernard is taken away by Clementine. Maeve's group enters the underground of Westworld and reunite with Armistice, Felix and Sylvester before heading towards Shogun World. A girl meets a guy in a colonial India theme park but the guy is killed when the hosts turn on the guests. The girl is chased to Westworld by a tiger.
The Good: This episode was carried by the fact that it introduced two new parks at the beginning and end. The opening sequence in particular which introduced us to a sort of Colonial Indian world was fantastic and immediately got me invested in the new park as well as the characters introduced. I like the exploration of the idea that both of the guests we see are bored of getting something pre-determined with hosts and are now longing for something real after spending so much time in the park. It's a really cool idea and I really hope that it gets explored more in future episodes. I believe that "The Dorr" which Ford mentioned to William may actually allow William to realize the value of the real world around him instead and free him from the park. That would be a great story to watch unfold and would continue to explore this powerful new theme. The rest of the opening sequence was great too. It was great to see some different scenery for once and the cinematography was top-notch as usual, making the world seem unique and real. I also loved that we got a proper look at the park boundaries between Westworld and the Indian world, and interestingly the bomb didn't seem to trigger when the tiger escaped the park (see: The Unknown). I still do appreciate that we have been given some clarity on how the multiple parks will operate as that will definitely help me stay more in touch with the storylines which involve multiple parks. I did like seeing Dolores gear up for war as it made me feel like I was watching something like "Lord of the Rings" or "Game of Thrones" for a moment which is a very good thing. While I did have some big problems (see: The Bad), I thought the actual battle was fun and it was shot well to encapsulate the struggle without using up too much of a budget. The star of this episode was undoubtedly Peter Abernathy who returned with some great acting from Louis Herthum. I thought that his scene with Dolores were great and were surprisingly touching. The thought of Dolores still loving Abernathy despite knowing he is fake because he is all she knows is touching and it allows me to buy into their relationship. Because of this, their scenes had some genuine impact and I could properly buy into Dolores wanting Bernard to fix Abernathy no matter what so that she could have her father back. I thought the Maeve scenes were pretty good too for the most part. I'm very happy tat Maeve and Hector are being given a developing relationship and Sizemore's reaction to it was very well done and properly conveyed the confusion he would feel once he realizes that these hosts are actually becoming conscious. I do like the twist that Hector is still using his built-in lines to describe his love as it continues to blur the lines between a host being fully-conscious and semi-conscious. I'm intrigued to see if there are any other paths in the maze that Westworld has yet to explore. Lastly, I was glad to see Felix and Sylvester return to the show. There needs to be more humans in this show for us to bounce off of. I thought the final reveal of Shogun World was great and it gets me excited to see what comes next. The Bad: I didn't like the scene in the future with Bernard and Strand. It was inoffensive as a scene and gave some interesting tidbits, but I think it's ultimately unnecessary. The story would be better off without these flashes to the future and I would prefer if we just see how things play out and resume with future Bernard once the story catches up. I enjoyed the action sequences but they really lacked any semblance of logic. We just learned that Delos isn't going to interfere until Abernathy is given to them. Yet Charlotte just talks to them quickly and all of a sudden they send all of their guys out which is really contradictory. I also didn't like how they seemed to know exactly where Abernathy was to the room, and just casually walked in to get him. If they can track him, why didn't they pick him up way earlier? Dolores is already beginning to seem inconsistent as a character. I thought her goal was domination with a host army, yet here she just sends hosts to their deaths because apparently not all of them are good enough? What? That makes no sense. How cans he choose which hosts are good enough? Why does it matter anyways? This development feels really forced and contrived, as it would make much more sense for Dolores to recruit and value her host army instead of sending them to their deaths. Additionally I find it hard to really buy into Teddy's merciful nature as something significant as it feels forced into every scene he is in. The Unknown: How was Colonial world affected by the uprising? Was it the same across all of the parks? What happened to the bomb inside the tiger? Why didn't it go off? Did Ford disable them before he died or something like that? Who is the new character from the Indian world? What will she do in the story? How is she going to get away from the Ghost Nation people? Where has Abernathy been taken? How did he end up getting away between now and the future we have seen? What is Bernard's role in this? What did he see when he explored Abernathy? Did he download whatever it was that Charlotte had inside of him? Does he have it now? What does Dolores want in Sweetwater? What does Clementine want from Bernard? Some interesting motives here. Best Moment: Dolores and Abernathy speaking to each other was genuinely touching and I think it was the most powerful this show has gotten so far. Character of the Episode: Abernathy. Conclusion: This episode had an outstanding opening scene and one really powerful moment, making it one of the better episodes so far. Unfortunately there were some large flaws in the writing here, but this certainly did more good than it did bad. Score: 63 Summary: In flashbacks, June's mother judges her for not doing more with her life. Later, June discovers her mother was taken into the colonies. In Little America, Luke, Erin and Moira live together but Moira is having troubles overcoming her past. June is taken by a man named Omar to save her. Omar and his family don't return from church so June leaves on her own. She gets on a plane to escape but the plane is shot down and June is captured.
The Good: It was nice to see what Moira and Luke are up to. Though their scenes were brief, they were pretty solid and painted a good picture. Moira should be content but she is unable to escape her traumas in Gilead which is a development I really love. Moira's story was really short though and was never the focal point of the episode. The bulk of the episode focused on June's attempted escape from Gilead and it was fun for the most part. We are introduced to Omar who is the man assigned to help out June and it is fascinating to learn more about him. His family introduces that not all fertile women are handmaids and that the lower-class women are downgraded to econowives, which is a very welcome bit of world-building. I am really enjoying the increased world-building this season now that we aren't enclosed in the Waterford residence. It's still not as fleshed out as I would like, but it's getting there with every new piece of information. But let's focus more on Omar's family itself for a moment and what it meant for June. Omar's son was the first child June has interacted with in a very, very long time so the moment was much more powerful than it ad any right to be, with Elisabeth Moss once again delivering. The rest of June's time in the apartment was just as good too. I like that June was curious and looked around the apartment a little bit. After all she has been living in a single building for a long time so any new location would be exciting for her. Furthermore, I thought the discovery of the Quran was a lovely moment. This show hasn't touched on its more religious side very much, so this was a refreshing new theme to explore. The idea of having to be a closet Muslim in a Christian society is pretty scary and because of that I hope that we see this family again to get more exploration on the topic. The ending of the episode was quite powerful too as June is ultimately caught after coming so close to escape. The show did a great job of making me believe that June may actually get away and that the show would take a different approach this season because it had spent so much time on June's escape. But it was all a red herring as the show once more doubled down on its misery as June was captured at the very end. Another new development is the introduction of June's mother. I thought this was a nice addition for the show as it gives more depth to June and allows us to understand her more by hinting at how her childhood was. I appreciate that the show didn't use flashbacks to blatantly show us June's childhood and instead let June's interactions with her mother as an adult tell us the story of their relationship. I like that it tied into the present storyline as well with June feeling some guilt over not listening to her mother and doing more as a woman to prevent the world from going to hell. I presume that this plot thread will continue through the season which will hopefully pay off with some powerful moments. I also hope that June's mother does appear in the colonies at some point as Cherry Jones is too good of an actress to only have for a single episode. The Bad: This episode was too dependent on coincidences. One of the more frustrating ones was the way that June's mother was revealed to be in the colonies. For one, how unlikely is it for her to still be alive? After all, this is the same government that murders all rebels as evidenced in "The Other Side", so why would they keep her alive? Worse though is the sheer coincidence that she would be shown on that presentation. Of the presumably hundreds or even thousands of women in the colonies, it just happened to be June's mother who was in the picture? That's too coincidental. But that wouldn't be a problem if there were only one or two coincidences. The problem is that this episode is literally built on coincidences. Literally everyone June needs to help her are conveniently caught exactly when she tries to escape. This happened last season too during the flashbacks of Luke and June's attempted escape. But this episode has the coincidence of Omar getting a text exactly when he was talking to June, the coincidence of Omar's family conveniently getting caught for something the day that June is there and also the coincidence of the pilot getting busted the time that June is escaping. All of this is way too much and doesn't make for satisfying storytelling, instead feeling cheap and manipulative. There were some other issues with this episode too. For one, June is pretty annoying as she listens to nobody and seems to just ride on the fact that she is a handmaid as an excuse for not listening which is frustrating. She shows no regard for Omar's family and doesn't come off as the least bit grateful. Omar tells her not to speak and she immediately talks to his wife and then later goes to talk with his child. Seriously? Furthermore, she is told to touch nothing and immediately touches everything. And then after that when the family goes to church, June pokes around with everything, moving things around and getting fingerprints everywhere. And then to cap it all off, she leaves her clothes in their apartment which would further incriminate them for anything if they were actually caught. All of this is ridiculously selfish and really made me annoyed with June which is the complete opposite of what the show is trying to make me feel. Another issue is how rushed the stories in Little America are. Apparently Erin talks now but all of that development happened off screen. I still don't care at all about her so this does absolutely nothing for me. Additionally, Moira's unhappiness in Little America felt glossed over. Sure we got one great scene, but we had no information given to us about anything. Is this Moira's job still? Why? Did she choose to do this or was she forced to do it for some reason? I have no clue why any of this is happening and because of that the scene falls flat for me. With a little more information given, the scene could have hit me with the intended effects. But instead it felt forced and rushed. Speaking of rushed, there's also June' decision to leave Hannah. This would have been powerful if June had actually thought about Hannah more than twice this season. Honestly the moment felt like a "oh crap I forgot about Hannah, oh well I'll just leave her" moment instead of something genuine and heartfelt. The Unknown: What text this Omar receive and why did it make him want to leave June? Did it have something to do with what happened to him and his family? Speaking of which, what actually did happen to his family? And who was that man who came to the door? So what determines if you become an econowife or a handmaid? What is the class standing for that? I have a hard time believing that June was a high-class citizen who was selected as a handmaid considering what her job was. Perhaps I'm just missing something. Best Moment: The twist ending with the plane being stopped was the most powerful moment for me and it was also one of the very few scenes which wasn't hampered by dumb writing. Character of the Episode: June. Conclusion: This episode had some good developments but it was poorly written. The over-reliance on coincidence as well as the unlikable portrayal of June hurt this a lot and made this a notable downgrade from the first 2 episodes. Score: 58 Summary: Monica runs into Richard and they decide to be just friends. It doesn't last long and they quickly get into a relationship again despite not wanting to. Joey gets Rachel to read The Shining and Rachel gets Joey to read Little Women. Phoebe dates a guy who unintentionally reveals too much out of his shorts.
The Good: The main storyline was very good. Monica's character has somewhat floundered since getting over Richard, so the decision to bring Richard back was definitely a good one. It was great to see Tom Selleck again and he and Monica played off of each other well and told a very good story with some great laughs. Joey and Rachel's story is great for a side story. We haven't seen the 2 of them in a story that often, so seeing them interact here works very well. There were some great jokes and I particularly loved Joey accidentally spoiling The Shining for Rachel. Phoebe's story has some great laughs too, especially from the reactions of Joey and Chandler. The Bad: Phoebe's character hasn't done much of anything recently. The writers don't seem to know what to do with her and keep throwing her into random one-off relationships with no resonance and little humour. Best Moment: Joey's reaction to the "showing brain" was hilarious. Character of the Episode: Monica. Conclusion: This was a very good episode though not quite the best that the show has done. Score: 71 Summary: The crew leave the ships and travel over the ice. Morfin is sick and attempts to kill himself. He is talked out of it, but his rifle misfires and kills him anyways. Goodsir takes the event badly. Jopson is promoted as a lieutenant. Hickey, Irving and another crew member go on a scouting mission. Irving finds some Inuits and communicates with them to get him some food. He goes to tell Hickey only to find that Hickey killed the other member and Hickey kills him.
The Good: This was all Hickey's episode and is confirmed that he isn't a good person in the slightest and will likely be a major villain in the show. The plans for mutiny were red flags on their own, but those final few scenes certainly established how evil this man is. The murder scene was very well done and sent a chill down my spine (see: Best Moment), and the corresponding flashbacks did well to create unease surrounding Hickey's character. We understand now that Hickey isn't the man he is pretending to be and this murderous and psychopathic person is the man he really is. A scene like this was necessary to raise the stakes and tension as the show heads towards its conclusion. This episode was very dark and unsettling with its tone, and not only because of that final scene. The discovery of the rescue squad with their heads decapitated as well as Morfin's brutal outburst and Goodsir's breakdown all gave this episode a dreary tone and helped establish the theme that the real threat isn't from the supernatural forces, but rather the crew themselves. I liked the scenes of Irving communicating to the Inuits. The actor did a great job of conveying some joy and hope when the Inuits helped him and gave him food, and it felt like a genuine feel-good moment. Of course it was all ruined by Hickey a minute later, but I think it worked as a small scene of optimism. Another good scene which was light-hearted was Jopson's promotion. While Jopson's character leaves a lot to be desired, the execution and acting allowed the scene to have some resonance. The Bad: The show is still faltering and not hitting as hard as it should. The main problem is that I don't care about most of the crew. The characters except Crozier, are all very one-note and we don't get to understand who they are. We just see them struggling and we are expected to care because of that. Unfortunately it isn't that easy to make us care about what they are going through and we need to know who they are to allow us to sympathize better. The show has done a poor job with that, and as a result I find it difficult to really connect with this show. An example of this is Morfin's death. I didn't know who he was so I failed to care when he was threatening to kill himself. The rifle misfire not only felt implausible, but also unearned because it didn't affect me in the slightest. The lack of cold is still a problem. I saw some cold breath in this episode which pleased me, but it was very inconsistent which makes me question its inclusion at all. Furthermore, Hickey stands around almost naked with no reaction to how cold it is. That makes me feel like the story takes place in a warm desert instead of the freezing arctic. The first few episodes hinted this would be a survival horror, but the show hasn't done a very good job with that, especially now that the show has slowed down in its middling chapters. There is little tension and the show isn't providing any real fear to me now that the Tuunbaq is gone. Even that final scene was only unsettling and not so much scary, yet it was the most fearsome scene since episode 5. I wish this show would embrace its genre to become something a little more enjoyable instead of trying to be something more thought-provoking which it most definitely isn't. The show has a problem of not letting scenes stick. We have these huge and impactful scenes like Morfin's death and the carnival in the last episode yet they have no follow-up except maybe an impact on a background character who we don't care at all about. This is very bad and it makes every scene feel unimportant to the story, which makes me completely lose interest in the show. The Unknown: What happened to the rescue squad? What decapitated them? In the first episode I had assumed that every question would be answered. But with no follow-up to David's sickness and his vision, I'm beginning to suspect we may not be getting many answers at all which will be disappointing. What will happen to the Inuits now? Will Hickey befriend them or kill them? What happened to Hickey anyways? Why did he choose to join the crew? How did he join the crew despite knowing nothing? What are his motives? Why go on such a life-threatening journey for no apparent reason? Best Moment: Hickey's murders were genuinely horrific. The high-pitched music which was the only sound as Hickey repeatedly stabbed Irving was unsettling as well as Adam Nagaitis' deranged expression s he committed the murders. A very well-executed scene made all the more stunning after the show provided some feelings of joy in the previous scene. Character of the Episode: Hickey. Conclusion: This was another really average and flat episode with a great ending. The ending somewhat saved this but everything that came before it was disappointing and difficult to care about. I am a little worried about the conclusion of the show now, so hopefully I can be proven wrong. Score: 57 Summary: Ross gets jealous of Mark and tries to make sure that he doesn't go after Rachel. Monica dates a new guy who writes a poem about her. Joey attends a dance audition by accident because he has written in his resume that he has dance experience.
The Good: The main storyline with Ross and Rachel is a great continuation of the last episode. Ross is really fun as he reacts to Rachel's growing friendship with Mark and his obvious jealousy is very funny to watch. The storyline is moving along nicely too and has gained my interest. Joey's story is great comedy as it springs from the relatable situation of lying on a resume, only for Joey the lying is to the extreme. It leads to a lot of funny scenes, culminating with a hilarious joke as Joey runs away. Monica's story is fine enough and has some funny moments, especially the ending were Julio gets the punishment he deserves. The Bad: The episode isn't all that funny aside from the Joey story so it doesn't ever threaten to be one of the show's very best episodes. Best Moment: Joey sprinting away at the end of his dance class was great. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: This was another good episode but nowhere near the best that this show has done. Score: 69 Summary: In flashbacks, Arnold takes Dolores out to see the real world. Sometime later, Logan is contacted for an investment in Westworld and is taken to a demo in the real world where hosts are performing. He is blown away and wants to invest. Even later, William convinces Logan's father to invest in Westworld as it provides guests with the ability to find themselves. In the present, Dolores recruits an army of hosts and gets an employee who is able to bring back hosts whenever it is needed. William recruits Lawrence again and tries to get El Lazo's army, but Ford doesn't allow it and the army executes itself.
The Good: After 12 episodes we are finally given a few glimpses of the outside world and it's really satisfying. One of the biggest questions which I never asked myself was "are the hosts only allowed to be in Westworld?" Here I got a clear answer as we get the reveal in this episode's opening scene that Dolores has been taken outside of the park before and has seen the outside world. This adds a lot of interesting implications to the show and opens the doors wide for directions that the show could go in. It feels like this episode ripped off all of the show's shackles and that is a really satisfying feeling especially for those who love the puzzlebox way that this show works. Without using the meaningless "surprise!" tactics from last season, Westworld has provided an exciting twist which has successfully excited me. The scenes in the real world were very good. Logan walking into the host party was really well done and did a tremendous job of selling why Westworld was such a big hit. Logan's shock and awe as he slowly realized that everybody was a host made me buy into the fact that Logan believed in this park to be the future. The scene itself was well executed and well acted and was very impressive. I also enjoyed how this tied into why William thought Westworld would be a great investment. Logan was in awe at the basic concept of hosts, but William wasn't. Instead William was appreciative of how the park let him discover who he really is and was allured by its charm because of that. It's a great way to highlight the differences between both characters. I also like how this ties in with Sizemore's narrative which he proposed last season, hinting that the idea that Westworld allows you to find your true self was actually created by William. The present storylines were pretty good too. I enjoyed Dolores' confrontation with Maeve quite a bit. It's interesting that they both have a protector and a human to help them out and it raises a few questions. The scene was tense and exciting since we haven't seen those 2 interact before in the show to my recollection. The rest of Dolores' storyline did a great job of illustrating her as a threat especially since she has seemingly discovered a way to make an invincible army now that she has a human who can revive everyone whenever she needs him to. The Man in Black's storyline was fine too. There was some fun action and an awesome cameo from Giancarlo Esposito which was easily one of the episode's highlights. He is such a charismatic actor and I was genuinely surprised to see him. El Lazo's hosts all killing themselves on Ford's orders was an interesting moment which I definitely have more to talk about (see: The Unknown). The Bad: The show is still very messy. Even though the show is much easier to follow now as it jumps through time, I have to question what the significance is. I enjoyed seeing some backstory on Westworld, but why do we need the backstory? I feel like it's no going to play as important of a role as it should, just like the young William story in season 1 which pretty much only existed for the Man in Black reveal at the end. With so few storylines flowing together cohesively, the show isn't as engaging as it should be. I feel like the story as a whole would be much better if told in chronological order to some extent without jumping all over the place. Maybe then the show would engage my emotions. Episodes like these are what make Westworld somewhat disappointing. There wasn't anything bad in particular about this but it was horribly average and it felt too much like pieces being moved around without any satisfaction. TV shows are wonderful because of the self-contained stories which are told in each episode. Westworld doesn't adhere to that and instead attempts to make each episode like a piece in a puzzle. It makes sense and the writing is good, but it lacks any kind of memorability and I'll forget about these episodes very quickly. The Unknown: How many hosts have been brought into the real world? Where do they exist int he real world? Are there still some out there which have been stationed by Delos? Has Dolores ever been outside any other time than the one we saw in this episode? What does she remember from those experiences? How will her memories impact the story? What are Delos' motives? Is there some sort of master plan in place created by Logan's father? I'm very interested to learn more about this. Also how did William factor into all of this? He clearly seems to have been much more involved than expected. How is Ford able to control hosts? Is he still alive in some form somewhere? How? Where? How can he follow William through the park? Why doesn't he want William to raise an army? What is the end goal? Best Moment: I'll pick young William talking to Dolores about his past experience in the park. It was a great moment of character reflection. Character of the Episode: William. Conclusion: This was another solid episode which had some very welcome developments but also ramped up the incoherent storylines by jumping through time. The show remains fine but is still missing a big spark. Score: 60 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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