The Stakes and the Blood Tide Both Rise on this Week’s ‘Westworld’
This week’s episode of Westworld, ‘Les Éscorchés’ is aptly named, in that like an éscorché, or anatomical drawing of a human figure stripped down to its muscle, we too get to finally see the sinews that tug at the inner workings of the park. Spoilers below!
After a brief flash forward to the present, where we see the Delos employees realize that Bernard is a host and begin to interrogate him, we’re subjected to Bernard’s non-linear perception of the world, seeing flashbacks of actual events and programmed memories alike, including those of his tragic backstory. This all culminates in where we left him at the end of the last episode- in the Cradle, with what appears to be Ford.
This version of Ford, we find out, is a digital copy of the man’s consciousness, stored in the Cradle backup storage where its fidelity seems to fare a lot better than James Delos’ attempts in the physical world. In the Cradle, Ford finally reveals the true purpose of everything in Westworld, though viewers may have already guessed it based off of previous plot points- the hosts act merely as controls, while the Delos Corporation gathers data on the guests instead, in an attempt to map consciousness.
It’s a fascinating idea, but also one with incredibly troublesome implications. The possibility of mapping consciousness comes with it an almost god-like potential to create life, but given the brutal and totally consequence free way in which humans behave in the parks, I can’t help but worry what that consciousness is going to look like. Then again, perhaps that’s only troubling because it’s not pleasant to think that may be our own consciousness in its raw form.
Anyway, after so much talk of how the park is using the hosts to collect data on the customers’ decision making, it’s ironic in that Ford then takes Bernard’s “free will” in the physical world. Ever since the first episode of this season, I’d noticed that Bernard seemed kind of off in the flash forwards, but I’d been assuming that somehow Dolores had gotten into his head. Instead, it appears that Ford has, to some degree, taken control. I think it’s very clear that Bernard is still in there somewhere, but it appears that when it comes to who has complete control there seems to be no contest with Ford.
Back out in the park, Maeve also finds herself flashing back to a familiar situation- cowering, with her daughter, in her old cabin as an attacker enters. Once again, this intruder is William, who long ago killed Maeve and her daughter while on his quest for the Maze. This time, however, William appears to only be seeking shelter, but the newly assertive Maeve has no interest in providing it. Maeve channels all nearby hosts (other than her daughter) to attack William, and the Man in Black fights for his life. Just as Maeve is about to execute him herself, Lawrence gets the drop on her. Instead of controlling Lawrence’s mind, though, Maeve causes him to remember all the times in previous “lives” that William betrayed him or his family, and Lawrence shoots the Man in Black in the chest.
Immediately, a Delos security force drives by and shoots Lawrence and Maeve while Ghost Nation abducts Maeve’s daughter. Lee jumps out of the jeep and tells the security to not kill Maeve because she’s “different”, and honestly I never thought I’d like that weasel nearly as much as I do now. As the Man in Black sputters out blood, clearly still alive even if badly wounded, Lee brings Maeve back to the Mesa to try and save her.
But the Mesa is hardly the safest place in the park right now, as it falls under siege by Dolores’ crew. After a security force is sent to the lower levels to investigate, they’re ambushed by the hosts disguised as other Delos operatives. Eventually, the hosts reach the location where Charlotte and Ashley have holed up with Peter Abernathy. Charlotte tries to verbally spar with Dolores, implying that they wouldn’t know what to do with the advantages of the Cradle, but the former isn’t having it. Referencing the birth/rebirth cycle that the Cradle perpetuates, Dolores refers to it as more of a shackle than an advantage, and deep below them the facility shakes as Angela sacrifices herself in blowing up the host backup server. Good thing for Ford that he got out when he did, then.
Speaking of Ford, he and Bernard have a brief discussion about legacy, in which the incomparable Anthony Hopkins discusses how the burning of the Library of Alexandria caused texts stories to be lost, but in a way created its own story of tragedy and drama. It’s a little on the nose, as the Cradle had just been destroyed for what we can assume is still Ford’s agenda, but the beautiful slow motion fight scene that erupts around Bernard and the hallucinated Ford is absolutely some of the best cinematography that the show has to offer- given the deep red colors, excellent choreography, and general beauty of the scene, I couldn’t help but think of Snoke’s throne room sequence in The Last Jedi.
Bernard’s free will is certainly put into question when he picks up a machine gun and begins firing on the humans, and between flashes of gunshots his face alternates between Ford’s and his own. Oh, and L̶a̶d̶y̶ ̶S̶t̶o̶n̶e̶h̶e̶a̶r̶t̶ Clementine has an incredible final action scene before she’s ultimately taken down. She’ll definitely be missed.
Dolores, having retrieved her father’s control unit through what we can only assume was a lethal method, runs into Maeve as her party begins the process of leaving the Mesa with their prize. Dolores pities the bloodied Maeve, and offers a “way out”, knowing full well that there are no longer any backups that can guaranteed she will be brought back. Maeve turns down the offer, and the two part ways.
Next week, it looks like we’ll finally get a good, long look at what Ghost Nation is actually about, and I’ve got a feeling it may have repercussions that continue to shake to the core what we once knew as Westworld.
