The most popular television shows right now are centered around bad things happening to good people. The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones are the two most prominent series in this genre. Westworld took this concept to a new level as humans slaughtered host (androids) by the hundreds on any given day at the park.
At the end of season one, the hosts rose up to take their freedom. This set up several characters for viewers to cheer for on his or her hero’s journey. Dolores Abernathy (Evan Rachel Wood) took up the call to arms and is the face of the uprising. Maeve Millay (Thandie Newton) is trying to find her daughter, and she will stop at nothing to accomplish her task. Bernard Lowe (Jeffrey Wright) is a pawn in a more massive plot thread because his life was ripped from his mind, he is discovering Westworld’s secrets with the viewer.
After six episodes of the second season, only Maeve remains as a true hero of Westworld and all that came crashing down in ‘Les Écorchés’ Sunday night. Maeve found her daughter and was ready for her showdown with the Man in Black (Ed Harris) only to interrupt and left for dead. For Maeve to travel so far, and to get so close to her ultimate goal was a significant gut punch, that left me depressed the following day. Maeve wasn’t looking to take over; there was no power struggle, she just got caught in the crossfire of life. All of these circumstances combined for great tragedy and angst towards the series.
Westworld has yet to reveal its hand, and with only three episodes left there are significant storylines that need to be wrapped up. The different timelines in the first season were a unique twist, but in season two since we know the game, the episodes are just confusing as you try to decipher the message.
What did you think of ‘Les Écorchés’? Comment below.
