What I’m Watching: Westworld

Westworld: Season 4, Episode 5 “Zhuangzi” (B+)

It’s intriguing to see the dynamic that exists between Charlotte and William, who have taken on different roles than the humans whose identities they’ve assumed used to have. Charlotte is even more confident but also extremely bored, not content with the role of gods to just sit back and observe the people unknowingly serving them. I feel like this was a more enthusiastic hour for William than we’ve seen in a while, indicating the depth of Ed Harris’ performance that has him tapping into an energy William has that he rarely uses unless he truly feels like it serves him. The concept of outliers is being set up in an interesting way, suggesting that in any utopia or dystopia, there’s always a chance of it crumbling due to the dissatisfaction of the powerless with not being able to control everything. That made it fascinating, therefore, for Christina to discover, with Teddy’s help, that she is in fact a god and can narrate events to ensure the outcome she wants, or to produce the information she’s seeking. Charlotte is keeping close tabs on her, but refusing to share Teddy’s name was a smart way of staying under-the-radar, even if she didn’t know that’s why she was doing it. I want to know more both about a process that feels a lot like a more serious version of what happens in “Upload” and also the “human virus” that William spoke to his human counterpart about that makes hosts kill themselves. That “you did” ending was definitely emphatic, continuing in a trend of strong finishes for episodes this season.