What I’m Watching: Westworld

Westworld: Season 1, Episode 5 “Contrapasso” (B+)

This felt like a less global episode, one that didn’t include Bernard at all and only showed Elsie for a moment as she got some important information by blackmailing a necrophiliac employee. There were no new storylines, and instead things were proceeding along as Dolores went on a very long expedition at William’s side and the Man in Black murdered fewer hosts than usual in his continued quest for the ultimate answers. William’s comment that whoever designed Westworld doesn’t think much of people is definitely true, and it seems that there is a far deeper and more unequal relationship that exists between William and Logan than just working together and now being members of the same family. As Logan tried to outsmart Wade Williams’ captain, we saw what happens when you’re immune to being killed but not to getting cornered and hurt, a theoretical flaw in the Westworld concept that also serves as a lesson to be smart for those who venture inside the park. Dolores noticing that William was talking about the real world and her response to his surprise at her catching it shows that she’s attuned to far more than she’s supposed to, and switching into combat mode when she needed because she imagined a story where she didn’t have to be the damsel was awesome but also very disconcerting. Dr. Ford showing up to have a drink with the Man in Black was intriguing, and it seems that there’s still much to be learned about Arnold, who I think we have to assume is alive in the park somewhere in a recreated form. The technician’s baby bird coming back to life at the end of the episode was cool, but not nearly as enticing as Maeve peacefully sitting up and suggesting that they talk.