Westworld Season 2 Review: I Used To See The Beauty In This World And Now I See The Truth

Dolores' quote accurately reflects my feelings after watching the last ten episodes of "WestWorld". Sophomore seasons are a hard trick to pull off because the bar is set so much higher. While there are some amazing reveals in season 2, I still feel a bit let down. The show has lost some of it's luster. It's no longer new and shiny. Perhaps this is how guests feel after they visited the park a few times.

The season 1 finale had Delores slaughtering party guests (including Ford). The hosts are set to reek even more havoc on the outside world. Unfortunately not a lot happens after that.

Delores (with Teddy in tow) spends all season trying to amass an army and find a weapon to use against the humans. Maeve rejects the plan to leave the park. Instead she goes in search of her daughter (after a brief fun stop in ShogunWorld). The Man In Black continued to think EVERYTHING is about him. He's off in search of the maze. TBH I'm seriously bored with the dude at this point. Charlotte Hale continued to try to retrieve the company's IP while acting all mysterious. Ford pops up from time to time. We've never exactly sure where Ford has hidden himself amongst his beloved creations. Poor Bernard continues to be confused as to which side he is on and what time period he is in.

Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed learning the back stories of some characters. Maeve is my absolute favorite. I would definitely watch a series just about Maeve. I also enjoyed learning about Akecheta, his wife and the Ghost Nation. There is much talk about free will vs predestination. The hosts decide humans have no more free will than they do. In fact, humans operate on less "code". Case in point, no matter how many iterations of James Delos are created, he always makes the same choices and goes back to the same peak moment (where he abandons his son).

The 90 minute finale (aptly entitled "The Passenger") steps it up a notch. But as always with "Westworld" for every question that is answered, two more take it's place.

There's an epic scene where hundreds of hosts head to what they think is the android version of heaven. It's known as the "Door" and is located in the Valley Beyond. We see those who "cross over" in a beautiful pasture with their loved ones. In our reality they instead fall off a cliff and into the water. Some of the dead host bodies we see wash up on shore at the beginning of the season are from here.

One big reveal is that the park has secretly been recording the essence of all the previous guests in a secret facility called The Forge. Several million people have been copied. We assume they'll sell these copies to people who are ill or dying? How bout just stealing their identities all together and take over the world? Dolores finds out about the place and floods the servers where everyone is storied. Bernard tries to stop Delores and shoots her dead. Of course, we know that wont last.

Instead, in the most interesting reveal of the season, Bernard puts Delores' essence into a replica of Charlotte. She then proceeds to kill the real Charlotte. We'll call her Halores going forward. Halores is headed back to the mainland with some pearls (I'm calling them "brain balls) hidden in her purse. Who all does she have? Next we see Delores in her own body, Charlotte (or a copy of her) and Bernard in what appears to be the outside world. What do they have cooked up next? Dolores says "I dont want to play cowboys and Indians anymore. I want their world. The world they've denied us".

And in the post credits (hopefully you didnt miss it) One-Handed-William finally gets off that elevator. He's somewhere in the far future with a host copy of daughter Emily. Too bad he shot the real one! She has some questions to check his fidelity. Haaa. The jerk is stuck in the same endless loop he put his father-in-law through. Remember when MIB said "no system can tell me who I am"? There is some justice in the world after all.

Grade: 4 Monsters (out of 5). Unfortunately season 2 of "WestWorld" didnt hold my attention as much as the spectacular season 1. Yes, "Westworld" is cinematicly beautiful. The landscapes, the costuming, and the sets are a feast for the eyes. Yes, the actors are excellent (particularly Thandie Newton). I just need a story to match. "Westworld" has tons of untapped potential that I dont feel it's living up to. Underneath all the shiny moving parts there isn't a lot going on. Maybe that's the point. Guests think when they visit the park there are endless possibilities. What they cant see is that the hosts are just following the preset scripts like thousands of times previously.

So, where can the show go in a season 3? Practically everyone is dead. Gone on the human side are: William's wife Juliet, William's daughter Emily, James Delos, his son Logan, Lee (who redeemed himself in the end) and Elsie. Gone on the host side are: Teddy, Maeve, Clementine, Hector, Armistice, Hanaryo, and the rest of the hosts. Remember Bernard says "I killed them all". Left "living" are Delores/Hale (be they one entity or two), Bernard, and Stubbs (who apparently IS a host). Felix and Sylvester are also still alive and retrieving host bodies in the park. We dont know Human Williams' status in the near future (but he was alive the last time we saw him). Can't the hosts just be resurrected from Host Heaven or are they gone for good (since Delores beamed them somewhere "safe")? Death ceases to have meaning at this point given the number of times they've all been resurrected.