What I’m Watching: Westworld

Westworld: Season 3, Episode 7 “Passed Pawn” (B+)

It’s a relief to know, going into the final episode of this season, that this show has already been renewed for a fourth iteration. At least a year and a half have passed between each of this show’s seasons so far, and so I always worry that the enthusiasm has decreased once the episodes finally air and that HBO might decide that, similar to the excellent “Watchmen,” what’s been produced so far is enough and no more is needed. This season has been so interesting and high-octane, and I’m definitely invested in its future. We’ve seen just enough snippets of what Caleb does and doesn’t remember to wonder what actually happened while he was at war, and this episode helped to break down the fact that he wasn’t just a random stranger who happened upon Dolores but instead someone she very deliberately sought out because he’s going to be the one who either saves or destroys humanity, depending on what choice he makes. I was pretty sure I recognized the supposedly Russian captive as very American actor Enrico Colantoni, who helped to open Caleb’s eyes to his partner’s imminent betrayal and get himself shot too for the trouble. I like that Dolores told Solomon that they were like each other because they’ve both outlived their original purpose, something he refuted outright. Dolores and Maeve’s technology-assisted hand-to-hand combat was intense, and it’s not clear that either of them will survive what’s about to happen. I wrote William off when Charlotte had him committed, but he made a promise that he was going to destroy every host, and he just regained the upper hand with Bernard and Ashley, so maybe humanity still has a fighting chance in this angry, vindictive man.