WESTWORLD Season 1 Episode 4
Episode Title: “Dissonance Theory”
Writers: Ed Brubaker & Jonathan Nolan
Director: Vincenzo Natali
There are spoilers ahead for last night’s episode of Westworld, but don’t pretend that you didn’t know that!
After spending the last few episodes largely in the background, Thandie Newton’s Maeve really stepped up in Westworld this week. That should have been clear after she went on a minor rampage in the park’s inner workings and didn’t get permanently deactivated. But now, Maeve is the first “host” to emerge in Westworld who not only realizes that her life is a sham, but has proof as well. Assuming of course, that she’ll retain any of those memories now that she’s been killed again. But while Maeve declares that nothing matters moments before her impending demise, she’s mistaken. If the show is heading towards a full blown revolt against the guests, then Maeve may have just elected herself as a rebellion leader.
It’s clear from the previous episodes that Maeve wasn’t always a madam in the park’s storyline. She used to have a family, or at least a daughter. Someone behind-the-scenes decided to reprogram her into her current role; which may be why it’s so refreshing to see her break free from her constraints. It was also clever that “the shade” (the techs in astronaut-like encounter suits) have also been integrated into the mythology of the park. That can’t be a coincidence, which means it may be part of Dr. Ford’s grand design…or perhaps it belongs to Arnold.
Anthony Hopkins didn’t get much screen time this week, but he definitely had a very memorable moment as he demonstrated his control over all things in Westworld. Think about the immaculate records it would require to put Theresa into the same restaurant, the same table, and even the same chair that she sat in as a child. It wasn’t a subtle threat, since Ford revealed that he’s also aware of Theresa’s affair with Bernard. It’s too simple to think of Ford as the show’s villain. And his plan to shake up the narrative may only make sense to him. But he’s compelling largely on the strength of Hopkins’ performance in a way that Sidse Babett Knudsen couldn’t quite match as Theresa. There’s no shame in getting out-acted by Hopkins. It happens to a lot of people.
Related: Androids Dream in New ‘Westworld’ Trailer
This episode was particularly clever about the way it delivered exposition about the unnamed Man in Black played by Ed Harris. A simple throwaway line revealed that in the real world, he’s the very public figure behind a benevolent organization. But he literally threatened to slit the throat of the man who recognized him. I’m still not entirely convinced that William isn’t a younger version of the Man in Black, but there was another subtle reveal as well. William and his brother-in-law, Logan are involved in a company that may buy into Westworld. That alone suggests that the sequences with Dolores, William, and Logan are well hidden flashbacks. But that perception is largely fueled by the way that they’ve been separated from the main plot. There are also signs that they could be in the present, as Dolores’ absence was noted by the park’s engineers.
The idea that William may be falling for Dolores is intriguing, since he knows that she’s just an android and yet he’s still trying to play the white hat and protect her. Given that Dolores saw Logan murder a marshal, it should be interesting to see if that colors her perception of William as well. The show has positioned Dolores as the defacto lead character, but she was pretty passive in this episode.
Getting back to the Man in Black, it seems as if his goal to find “the maze” may be about him finding his own death in the park. He’s flaunted the fact that he can’t be hurt or killed, and yet it almost seems to be exactly what he desires. That’s perverse, but fitting for him. It was also a nice touch that any time he wanted to use one of his exploding cigars, he had to get approval from the park’s operators. If he really is William, and his company owns a controlling interest in Westworld, that would go a long way towards explaining the Man in Black’s ability to do whatever he wants in the park. Now, we’re overdue to see Harris and Hopkins share the screen. But that should be very interesting when it inevitably occurs.
The writers of Westworld have given us some intriguing mysteries to chew on, and the show is getting stronger as it goes on. Whether the payoff can deliver on these threads remains to be seen, but the ride has been very enjoyable so far.
