Winners and Losers From Westworld Season 2, Episode 2, 'Reunion'

This recap of “Reunion” from season two, episode two of Westworld contains spoilers.

Let’s journey into Dolores Abernathy’s memory, now that she can remember. She’s not as full of splendor as she once was.

After the first episode of the second season set the stage for war, the second episode begins to give clues about what everyone is fighting over: freedom, data and a weapon. Dolores served as our tour guide of the park’s history — but she would not telling us everything. Not yet.

We have learned, however, what the tip of the iceberg looks like at the core of the park. William and Delos are compiling data, which we already knew was valuable. Charlotte tried to smuggled it out the park using the host Peter Abernathy, who is also the park’s insurance plan (though we still don’t know exactly what that means). The park’s clients are unwittingly providing raw information on themselves. That information is valuable. That’s all they told us explicitly — but we also know that it goes deeper than data. In episode one of this season, we learned they’re also collecting DNA. If Delos was selling data without their clients knowing, the company would probably also sell DNA. Moral bankruptcy can fill up bank accounts.

And perhaps that’s what “the weapon” is: the compilation of data, DNA and whatever else they’ve been collecting for the last few decades. Information is power (and freedom) in this show. Perhaps it’s also a weapon.

So what happens when Dolores gets her hand on this weapon (whether it’s a literal weapon or a figurative one)? What does she intend to do once she breaks out of the park? We may have clues, but we’re still clueless.

Here are the winners and losers from the second episode.

Winners

Ford: Ford remains the catalyst of most things that are happening in this season, even as Dolores begins to make her own decisions. Ford is still toying with the Man in Black, and seems to have a greater scheme in store for him. And Ford’s control of the MiB continues to raise questions about whether Ford did, in fact, die.

Dolores: It’s judgment day in Westworld and Dolores is playing God, killing and reviving whoever she pleases and commanding the desperadoes who only serve “the almighty himself.” How about, herself? The Man in Black said the park was a place for people to sin in peace. It’s not peaceful anymore. But Dolores is not killing for killing’s sake. She has a plan: Get “the weapon.” There was some bad news for Dolores in this episode. While she is on the verge of commanding the desperadoes, she wasn’t able to recruit Maeve.

MiB: For most, this season screams: “Be careful what you wish for.” For the Man in Black, he’s getting just what he wants. He was bummed to find Arnold’s maze wasn’t for him. But now, he’s trapped in one Ford designed for him.

Motion: “Don’t confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps moving but doesn’t make any progress.” -Alfred Armand Montapert. We watched 60 minutes. We saw people die. But the show didn’t progress in way where I felt the plot had taken a step forward. Perhaps with hindsight, we’ll look back at this episode and see the foundation for what will come next. But the cryptic dialogue felt like one big tease for the rest of the season.

Losers

Monologues: The show asks deep questions about humanity, reality and consciousness. Then they try to answer many of those questions with monologues from their characters. While spending so much time on the philosophical questions, the questions about plot remain.

Maeve: “Do you feel free?” she asks the hosts when she meets Dolores. At that moment, it seemed to dawn on everyone. They may be mounting some sort of elaborate revenge scheme, but they’re still trapped in a bubble, surrounded by Delos’ army. Maeve, meanwhile, still doesn’t have her daughter. And it’s not totally clear if she’s following her programing.

Logan: With so many guns in every scene, there’s no use for a literal gun on the wall (Chekhov’s gun, that is). Instead, we may have gotten a clue as to why William hasn’t shown up in any of the moments during the present-day timeline. He’s a junky — and perhaps his addiction will kill him.

Humanity: What is the ultimate goal of the hosts? Are they trying to destroy humanity? Or do they simply want to immerse themselves in humanity with no one knowing (see: Ex Machina)? Logan’s comments about how William and his father “lit the match” while the “whole species starts to burn” don’t bode well for humanity.