West World Episode 9
Who Won - Candidates are William and Dr Ford - I’m going William
Who Lost - Logan or Bernard
Most Mind Blowing Moment — that Delores killed Arnold back in the day — 4 Words - WE MUST KNOW MORE
Senseless Nudity of the week - Bernard Body Double — little full backal nudity to quote Joey Lawrence from Blossom back in the 90’s.
Opening Scene - Maeve at headquarters talking to Bernard. Maeve basically shows Bernard that she’s “the boss” - she actually now is more “highly capable than he is” - she breaks the news to him (for the second time this season) that he’s a Host — and then actually freezes his motor functions. Her Jedi mind tricks are second only to Dr Ford at this point.
She really sets in motion what happens to Bernard at the end of the episode
Delores and William are in the Union Soldier Camp - William asks Logan to get Delores out of the park and into the real world - that convo doesn’t go well.
Bernard sneaks into Ford’s office / Ford is in the Decommison “Tank” more senseless nudity. They have a tete a tete regarding Arnold building his earliest code. Bernard wants a trip down memory lane — the full version — and Ford warns him. Bernard and the Original Pennyfeather hold Ford hostage - which seems like a great “Check mate move by Bernard at the time”.
Who is Bernard’s wife? He remembers Elsie but doesn’t say what he’s done with her
Back at the Union Army Camp - Logan - the pic of Logan’s sister is the one that Abernathy found in like Ep 1 or 2. That’s interesting for the future of the show
Logan stabs Delores — shows her mechanical parts in her stomach - Delores cuts logan’s face, shoots dudes and runs away — then finds herself in “another time” in the same field with her wounds no longer there.
Maeve pays visit to The Bandits - Rodrigo (?), Armistance, et al — she shows him that his precious bank safe is empty — and essentially proves to him that helping her “rob west world” blind - is his real quest. She gets him to remember past sequences and the light their tent on fire while having relations, so they can get back to use and she an likely boost his “settings as well”. Maeve says, “getting to hell is easy, the rest is where it gets hard”.
Back at the old camp fire with Logan and William - William finally “feigns being back in line with Logan”.
Finally back to Teddy (James Marsden) and Angela (Telula Reilly) and Man in Black — Teddy has flash backs of Wyatt and him killing soldiers, but it turns out it may have been him as an outlaw killing civilians (including Angela) — She tells him when Wyatt returns he’ll be by his side, but Teddy isn’t ready and she kills him. She also puts the man in black to sleep via concussion and then ties his neck to a blindfolded horse with a rope up over a tree. She’s part of the “not effing around club”.
Charlotte Hale (Tessa Thompson) shows up to speak to man in black - She is recruiting his vote to get rid of Ford. She also says Man in Black kept Ford in business all those years’ ago. (I’m more and more convinced that William is Man in Black)
Stubbs aka Handsome Security guy gets an alert that is likely “Elsie’s transponder”. Goes to check it out - has “poor connection” - in a theme park? Weird? Also, Ghost Nation refuses to “Freeze all motor functions”.
Logan wakes up after a long night, and William has murdered every last host in the Union Solider camp. And he has taken a violent Alpha dog turn. He also says “don’t call me Billy”.
Back with Bernard and Ford - Bernard is having a total meltdown. And he’s on the trip to remembering Arnold. Delores is running to that little town with the steeple again. Arnold wanted to “Create consciousness” Ford tells Bernard. The hosts hear their programming as an inner monologue. Delores going in a confessional booth and ends up on the floor of “Home base” that has been de-commissioned like she’s walking through the halls of Bernard’s mind in some ways
Ford and Arnold gave the hosts tragic backstories - Bernard demands to be sent all the way back. He tries to rid himself of his “Cornerstone of his son’s death” - and he brings the son back, because the son is “fake,” Bernard “opens his eyes” and it’s his literal beginning - Ford creates him but he is basically Arnold. And Senselessly NUDE. Ford makes him the “ideal partner” - hands him a picture.
He realizes he’s arnold. And then Delores calls him Arnold. He tells here he can’t help her because he’s dead, because Delores Killed Arnold - WHOA!!!!!!!
The man in black then meets Delores at the church.
Bernard is going to “set the sentient hosts free”. But Ford, tells him that humans “ate the neanderthals” and anything that challenged our primacy. Ford asks Bernard to let him roll him back. He asks Clementine to shoot Ford. She won’t — Bernard realized there is a back door and Ford hacked him and Clementine. Ford narrates that Bernard will kill himself, and he does. Ford has a new story to tell. “Never place your trust in us, We’re only human, inevitably we’ll disappoint you.”
West World Episode 8
Who won - Maeve is the easy answer - she’s basically becoming a Jedi Knight in the park and pretty damn formidable at the “home base/ head quarters”. But here are 3 small wins - Logan over William and Delores // Wyatt over the the Man in Black with the help of Teddy /// Shannon Woodward — because I think the Elsie storyline isn’t dead, I think it’s coming back and in a weird or impactful way
Who lost - Hard to Say - William is now captured by the Logan and the Union Soldiers, Man in Black seems to have been led by Teddy into the clutches of “Wyatt” with the help of that mysterious damsel, Sylvester got this throat slashed by Maeve and is only alive because Felix was told to coterize his neck back shut...but here’s my possible “Hot Take” - Maeve clearly has super powers, but her ability to have SUPER MEMORIES AND FEELINGS TIED TO MEMORIES is an issue i think. When they showed her back story with the Man in black and her daughter — and Dr Ford had to drop her memory all the way down — this is scary for her - cuz when she’s lost between those memories and her current role at the Saloon — she’s basically beginning to slash everyone’s throat. Also, Dr. Ford may have set himself up by Erasing Bernard’s memories… i think the Hemsdog is about to be on to him
Most mind blowing moment — There are some good nominees this week (Bernard did take Elsie last week), Maeve’s memory’s and back story revelations, but for me it’s when Delores had the flash backs - by the Old church steeple. It seemed to confuse many viewers, including Zach Braff, but it seems to confirm that we are on a space time continuum — which is perhaps solely tied to the memories of main characters like Delores & Maeve. We even saw Teddy get into the mix of remembering the man in black - and then subduing him. Delores’ memory has many of the current characters in a much more “peaceful role” than their wildwest roles we’ve seen. The “Snake Face Tattoo lady” Armistice (played by Ingrid Bolso Berdal) is learning how to “Formal” dance with the rest of the town’s people. Other’s in that crew are all “step ford wive/ husband versions of themselves”. My question, is this loop - in the past?? or is it past of Ford’s vision for the future - and Delores sees it because of Arnold putting it in her head?
Senseless nudity — At this point it keeps being Maeve (though we did get a little bit gratuitous nudity in the “retirement tank” when Charlotte Hale and Lee Stevens went to the get Delores’ dad off of the scrap heap —
So, instead let’s focus on two new female characters that seem to be interesting new adds to the mix - 1) is the aforementioned damsel in distress that Teddy and Man in Black “rescue” - This is the actress Talulah Riley - She was in Thor: The Dark World in 2013 and she played the “blonde” in 2010’s inception. Talulah plays “Angela” - and Angela is an interesting conduit between Teddy and Man in Black and Wyatt. Also — just as Teddy is starting to ask a lot of questions from man in black / she steps in?? How close is she to Dr Ford . But the Man in Black says “i thought they would’ve retired you? I guess Ford doesn’t like to waster a pretty face.”
The other woman was the “new clementine penny feather”. Here’s what’s weird - the actress playing the new penny feather is Lili Simmons. SHe’s only credited with one episode- Credits include Bone Tomahawk with Kurt Russell and the show Banshee from 2013-16 -
Ford brings Bernard “back on line” - he remembers murdering her and he’s upset about it - Ford tells Bernard he should be proud of his actions.
Ford built Bernard to find “heart” - because the other hosts didn’t have enough subtle emotion
Bernard is resisting Ford’s new “story line” - but Ford shows the upper hand — Bernard is going to clear trail linking he and Ford to Theresa - and have memories of his feeling for her erased.
Piano is playing house of the rising sun — finally i’ve called one after 4-5 weeks of being stumped
At Maeve’s place - new host has taken Clementine Pennyfeather’s role - different actress playing the part.
Maeve remember’s her story line as a mother of that little girl. Maeve is prepping to “leave” - we learn that hosts have detonators in their spines - Maeve is going to “write her own effing story”
Delores and William scene - she feels like she’s “home”/ been here before. Happens upon a bunch of dead hosts- Ghost Nation shot them all w arrows. One is still alive - tells them that Logan gave them info to “kill delores and william” - This william / logan saga is interesting to me.
Delores finds herself in the river face down / a voice says “come find me” — it’s a flash back - she’s been on this loop before
Theresa’s body ends up back at “base” with Hemsdog and Tessa Thompson (Charlotte Hale)
Maeve - asks “who is Arnold?” - she seems to be remembering Arnold - Sylvester (Ptolmey Slocum) protests. But, Maeve seems aware of what she needs changed in her “programming”. Felix and Sylvester are plotting to “wipe her clean” instead of helping her out - this should be interesting
Teddy and Man in Black are BACK - on horse back - they happen upon more folks who have been shot with arrows. They find a woman - Man in black remembers her - thought “Ford would have retired her”
Ghost Nation Guy attacks them - Teddy shoots him - doesn’t work — they Axe him in the head - Teddy is having flash backs of man in black from the old delores loop. He clocks the man in black.
The Techs bring Maeve upstairs to another programming area - Looks like Felix might not actually delete her
Lee Stevenes is with a “Cannibal dude” working on his “lines” - Charlotte Hale comes and visits him - and says he’s ready for a “real job” helping the board
Felix hooked Maeve up - tinkered w her core code - she sliced sylvester’s throat- She let’s felis save him saying she might “need him” and then she says it’s ’time to recruit my army”
Piano is playing some Foreigner i think — cold as ice!!! Yes! — NO! It was back to black by Amy Winehouse
She seems to have some Jedi Mind Trick - Yoda powers now - mind effs the saloon bartender
Has a flash back and once again Ed Harris is the source of her “murder” - Ed Harris is gonna be in big trouble i think
Maeve mind effs the new Pennyfeather - she literally speaks the narrative and it “happens”
The “bad guy shoot ‘em up crew” part of the loop starts (Snake face girl and her whole crew of bandits) - Maeve walks out tries to alternate with the narrative - and does
Ford and Bernard - back in the “lab” - Bernard doesn’t understand the “things he feels” - asks what’s the difference between mental “pain” between hosts and people. Ford mentions the Humans also live in loops
Bernard hurt Elsyie - he remembers it right before getting “Cleared/ wiped”
Delores and William are “home” she reaches a town - she’s in new clothes so it’s a memory - A lot of characters are “back” including the little latin girl “el law’s daughter”
Delores finds the “steeple” - she asks “when are we”? she’s losing her mind a bit — her loops are intersecting - she says this is what Arnold wants. William gets her out of there.
They encounter Logan and a union scouting party
Lot of Nudity in the “retirement tank” — Charlotte Hale and Lee Stevens pick Dolores’ dad out of all of them to upload tons of “data to smuggle out inside of him” and to write him a script to get out of the park with it.
Bernard is speaking to Hemsdog aka Luke Hemsworth who plays Ashley Stubbs - and he shows “being a host” - because of his wiped brain. Elsyie gets brought up
Back to Teddy and Man in Black — Teddy starts beating the crap out of man in Black. Man in Black starts talking about how he’s the “good guy” - his wife took wrong pills and died in real life - wife apparently killed herself (and was told that by her daughter). He’s back to prove his character is not bad.
He tells the story of Maeve’s old “loop” - he killed Maeve and her daughter - but Maeve “refused to die”. Maeve slide his throat but apparently sliced the new penny feather’s throat.
Maze revealed itself to Ed Harris - Arnold's game is a deeper game and it cuts deep
Maeve escapes — flash back to when her daughter was killed at base and Ford wipes her clean with an “old trick from an old friend” - taking away her suffering - She slitted her own throat in the flash back
Man in black wants to best wyatt - The host girl with them wants Ed Harris dead — teddy still can’t pull the trigger. - Then that girl stabs teddy with an arrow - Yikes.
All of Wyatt’s men appear with Ghost Nation peeps and Ed Harris is surrounded
Shout outs to the west world cast who’ve hit us up on Twitter. Lili Bordan - Fortune teller and Bojana Novakovic (pronounced Boy-ah-na) who played Marti
Fun facts on cast members -
Leonardo Nam - Has a bachelor’s of architecture
Simon Quarterman - Lee Sizemore — was in Scorpion King 2 staring randy couture
Ptolmey Slocum - plays sylvester and was in Hitch with Will Smith
Tessa Thompson - plays Charlotte Hale, Played Bianca in “Creed" - which was a big role ad was Diane Nash in “Selma"