Quote:

---

All we know is that it didn't tell Connells, but that doesn't mean it didn't know.

---

That's a fair consideration

bobinator said:

---

I think it's worth noting that this season is being shown chronologically, but there is a second timeline at work here.

It's being framed by a circle, showing moments in time, 'divergence' or whatever it's calling them. So this is presumably Rehoboam at some point in the future tracing back the timeline of Dolores.

---

I can't tell if that's in "real time" or tracking back the timeline. More than anything, I just think it's a cool way of Nolan choosing to show that we're now shifting to London or wherever instead of doing the standard "London" text over an establishing shot of the city. My guess is Rehoboam is recognizing those divergences minutes or hours after after they happen, and we're just seeing them represented graphically just before?

Speaking of timelines, based on the trailers, I've noticed that the story itself won't be strictly chronological either. First of all, we've now seen the scene teased multiple times of Dolores dressing Charlotte's body (buttoning her shirt), inserting her brain pearl, and showing Charlotte's face in a mirror to whoever's inside Charlotte's head. Which means that scene takes place before the Charlotte scene we saw in this week's episode, and maybe even before the final scene of the season two finale. That, and there are additional shots from the trailer of Caleb and the real Francis interacting, one that appears to be Caleb visiting Francis in prison - and not like a quick flashback insert shot, but an actual scene.

redline248 said:

---

Quote:

---

All we know is that it didn't tell Connells, but that doesn't mean it didn't know.

---

That's a fair consideration

---

Yeah, IF Rehobaum is doing this covertly, I don't think a single other human is aware, save for maybe Serac.

I guess it's possible that it's real time, I hadn't really considered that. Like basically we're seeing events through Rehoboam's perspective.

Like, "oh s***, something's happening here I didn't expect"

Yeah, that was my initial impression, but who knows.

I've been wondering since watching the episode what is the result of leveling up in the RICO app. It is mentioned on a few occasions by Marshawn Lynch and Lena Waithe (Don't remember their character names) when they talk to Caleb?

By the way...doesn't it seem really archaic for that world to have actual ATMs?

Yeah, I thought the same thing. Then again, in his last scene, Bernard paid with cash for his boat ride to Westworld.

caddy said:

---

I've been wondering since watching the episode what is the result of leveling up in the RICO app. It is mentioned on a few occasions by Marshawn Lynch and Lena Waithe (Don't remember their character names) when they talk to Caleb?

---

Maybe you're eligible for more high-paying Rico jobs, the higher your score is? I think it's like apps today in that the app offers incentives for successfully using it as much as possible. Just my guess, though.

Does HBO usually finish filming a season completely before it airs?

TCTTS said:

---

Almost always. In a lot of cases, they even finish post production on every episode before the first episode airs. They really have their sh*t together. Westworld won't be affected by any of the stoppage.

---

Great news!
Now what about AMC?

Counterpoint said:

---

TCTTS said:

---

Almost always. In a lot of cases, they even finish post production on every episode before the first episode airs. They really have their sh*t together. Westworld won't be affected by any of the stoppage.

---

Great news!
Now what about AMC?

---

AMC is usually doing post and even still filming when the first few episodes of a season are airing. But if you're asking about Saul, they filmed season five way early. No issues there.

Fantastic episode. So far, it's a huge upgrade over Season 2.

I typically shift to the YouTube recaps/explainers right after on a show like this so that I don't miss anything.

Here are the 2 best that I've found:

Alt Shift X.... they do the best comprehensive recaps... however, they mostly leave out the Biblical connections in the naming of the AI. I'm not sure if this is by choice or they just didn't catch it.

This one does a great job explaining the Biblical connection to the naming of the AI and is overall pretty solid as well....

Thanks! Totally forgot to check AltShiftX this week. Giving these a watch tonight.

Brian Earl Spilner said:

---

---

Anyone catch the Matrix reference? This song was playing when Dolores was walking into the party.

TCTTS said:

---

Both of these are FANTASTIC. AltShiftX, in particular, has this down to a science. It's just a perfectly executed recap/explainer; not an ounce of fat, and so exacting/educational. While Ryan at ScreenCrush continues to emerge as one of my favorite go-to voices for things like this. He always seems to see things no else sees.

Each are a must-watch before episode two.

---

I agree. I plan on following both of them throughout this season.

I was getting HEAVY Matrix vibes during the episode, and now with the Alt-Shift-X vid, it's clearly a huge influence on this season. And I love it.

Hell, this was before I realized Serac straight up looks like the Merovingian.

Okay so I'm way too dumb to follow a lot of this. The guy Dolores killed in the first scene is the mysterious second Hobo designer? Or did she kill that guy to gain access to the rich kid of the other designer? S2 had me so f'ed up with timelines that I can't tell with this one.

BowSowy said:

---

Okay so I'm way too dumb to follow a lot of this. The guy Dolores killed in the first scene is the mysterious second Hobo designer? Or did she kill that guy to gain access to the rich kid of the other designer? S2 had me so f'ed up with timelines that I can't tell with this one.

---

If you're referring to Gerry, then no, he was not one of the designers of Reheboam. He was an executive or investor with Delos, who happened to have information on the company Incite, which is what Delores obtained. The founder of Incite was one of the two creators of Reheboam, and Liam is his son. The other creator is Serac, who supposedly killed Liam's father.

Why, if he wanted Maeve for one special purpose was the whole war world thing even relevant?

I thought that this one was just an ok episode. I was never a fan of the Maeve storylines.

Hopefully, she actually does something interesting this season. Anything has to be better than what they did with her in season 2.

We should be through with the two idiot lab techs after this episode, thank god.

They presumably knew she was causing trouble in the park, but they didn't know that she got out of the park and that she took some other brain marbles with her.

The most influential brain marble they could get their hands on is Maeve's.

That was fun.

AI supercomputer definitely the real bad guy. In fact I'm guessing Serac is a host controlled by it.

That all makes sense right up untill the moment that Delores recreates her host body in the real world.

Solid episode. Not as good as the first... but I'm hooked. I'll definitely need Alt Shift X on this one.

Came here literally to say that. That was super weird and cheesy.

That was... audacious, complicated, heavy on the exposition, and didn't quite work. But when it was over, and I saw the picture as a whole, I loved the swing this episode took.

Then I ran it back and watched it again. And the second time... I thought this episode was brilliant.

That was SUCH a cool, inventive way for Serac & co to try and get the coordinates to The Valley Beyond from Maeve. During that entire storyline, between Maeve and Simon, there were so many great, meta lines and callbacks as well. The writing between the two of them was fantastic, and the whole work-our-way-out-of-this-puzzle angle was so smart and clever, especially on second viewing.

On that note, in the trailers, I've been wondering why Serac picks Maeve to hunt down and kill Dolores. Wouldn't he likely have access to all kinds of high tech investigators and private military teams? But what was so great about Maeve's storyline this episode is that she proved - to both Serac and us - exactly why he needs her. She's so incredibly capable, resourceful, and the perfect match for Dolores. And yeah, Thandie Newton was so damn good in this episode. Maybe one of her best episodes yet.

The question is... what does Serac want with the digital hosts in The Valley Beyond? Or is it The Valley Beyond itself that he wants? Honestly, in the season two finale, I figured that was the last we'd see of it. I thought the hosts got their happy ending, and that was that. But now that it's apparently the McGuffin of this season, it's like... of course. That's a really cool mystery. I just don't yet get what value it is to the guy who owns the most powerful A.I. system known to man.

But I do love that Serac seems to be more than just the evil big bad. I mean, he's obviously the - or at least *a* - antagonist, but he has a legit, understandable motivation, at least. He's seen the future, and if things continue on this path, humanity is done for. So he's literally trying to save the world, or at least save the version of the world he's created. That said, I'm curious to see what Maeve's motivation is for going after Dolores; her "shared interest" that Serac mentions. Because in one of the trailers, Maeve seems pretty pissed and hell bent on tracking Dolores down, which is quite the 180 from what we saw in the final scene of this episode.

A few other notes:

- Bernard and Stubbs make such a great duo. It's going to be really fun watching them do their thing, whatever that may be.

- Speaking of, I love that we now have the basic set-up in place, and the stories that are now set in motion. Dolores is trying to take down humanity (and likely Rehoboam), while both Serac & Maeve - and - Bernard & Stubbs try to take down Dolores. That's a great, three-pronged collision course.

- It's a minor thing, but I loved when the old season two theme kicked in just after the ship captain to Bernard they had arrived at Westworld.

- Finally, yes, the Game of Thrones thing was super cheesy, but it stems from a fan-favorite theory that Game of Thrones is really just another world in Westworld. So I can appreciate the nod/wink to that, as quick as it was, especially considering that the torch has been passed, so to speak, from one HBO flagship show to another.