Westworld: 3 biggest takeaways from Reunion

Westworld premiered its second episode of the season last night and there is so much to discuss! Check out the biggest takeaways from the episode!

Aptly titled “Reunion”, episode 2 of Westworld’s second season saw characters reuniting in both the past and present. As teased, Dolores and Maeve crossed paths for the first time since their brief encounter early in season 1. Right now it doesn’t look like we’re getting that epic team-up between them we’ve all been hoping for, but it could still happen somewhere down the line.

For all his machismo, the Man in Black is a lonely guy and feels like he can’t take on his new mission without reuniting with his old pal Lawrence. In the past, young William reunited with Dolores after using his life-changing experience in the park to win the favor of James Delos, take control of the company and extensively invest in Westworld.

Surrounding all these reunions is Westworld slowly starting to reveal the full picture of its second season. The hosts have more of a connection to the outside world than we realized. The real intentions of Delos are slowly becoming less mysterious, and death may not just be impermanent for the hosts.

Let’s take a look at 3 major takeaways from season 2, episode 2 of Westworld. 

Dolores Has Already Been To The Outside World

For the first time ever, Westworld gave viewers a glimpse of the world outside the parks and the facilities. We all knew this was coming at some point, but the assumption was that those shots of Dolores in modern-day clothing would occur when she escaped the park in the present.

It turns out Dolores and quite a few of the other hosts including Angela and Clementine have already been to the outside world. It appears they went there several times in various dealings with Delos, under strict supervision and control, of course.

While the purpose of those trips seems like it was supposed to be purely business, Arnold bringing Dolores there was more than that. Given his unique relationship with her and how frequently she transcended her programming, Arnold was clearly eager to see how she would react to the completely new, and for her awe-inspiring environment.

At first, he seemed to revel in the wonder and freshness of Dolores’ experience. Later, disappointment seemed to overtake him as he saw Dolores falling back on scripted lines and unable to process as much as he hoped, unable to transcend her programming and demonstrate something much deeper as she often does.

Now that Dolores remembers everything in the present, she’s going to use the knowledge and memories from those experiences to not only reach the outside world again but use what she knows as a weapon against humanity.

The True Intentions of Delos

From the very beginning of the show, it’s always been hinted at that Delos had secret, nefarious intentions behind their significant investments in the park. What those intentions are never have been and still aren’t perfectly clear to the audience. Building off what Bernard learned about Delos in the season 2 premiere, “Reunion” does provide a great deal more insight into those intentions, though.

As it turns out, no one seems more integral to those intentions than the Man in Black himself. “Reunion” shows that as young William, he convinced James Delos to invest in the park, not because of the fantasy it provides, but because the fantasy and immersive nature of the world will make the guests put their guards down. Feeling like they are free to do whatever they want, Delos can use the vulnerability of the guests to their business advantage.

Based on what young William says in the past and what the Man in Black says in the present, it seems like he was the one at least initially responsible for creating what Bernard witnessed in the season 2 premiere. William was the one behind Delos logging guests’ experiences and taking their DNA in order to copy humans.

Young William saw it as an unparalleled business opportunity. His older self feels quite differently and part of his mission is to destroy the monstrous initiative he once created.

There is clearly more than this to Delos’ true intentions behind their investments in the park–particularly in the present where William seems more like an honorary figure in the company. Not to mention, there are mysterious individuals that are even more powerful and influential than Charlotte Hale pulling the strings behind-the-scenes.

A Part of Ford Lives On in Westworld

In the season 2 premiere, fans saw Robert Ford’s corpse decomposing after two weeks on the same stage where Dolores shot him in the back of the head, maggots burrowing into one of his eye sockets. Of course, that didn’t stop Ford from leaving a cryptic message for the Man in Black via the host built in the image of young Ford. Once he got the information he needed, the Man in Black shot that host in the face, leading us to believe again that any vestige of Ford was gone forever.

“Reunion” reveals this is not the case as the new El Lazo in Pariah–played by Giancarlo Esposito from Breaking Bad–speaks as if he was Ford. He told the Man in Black that while this new game is meant for him, he has to play it alone. The soldiers the Man in Black was trying to recruit all shot themselves, shortly followed by the new El Lazo who blew his brains out.

So far we see Ford continuing to live on and communicate with the Man in Black through both the young Robert host and the new El Lazo, and got a whole group of soldiers plus the new El Lazo to commit suicide. It’s unclear at this point how far-reaching Ford’s influence still goes, though it seems highly unlikely that it was only confined to the hosts we’ve seen so far.

Next: Westworld season 2, episode 2 recap: Reunion

But what if Ford is living on through all the hosts, even the ones like Dolores and Maeve who now think they’re free? It’s also unclear if whatever piece of Ford lives on will communicate with anyone other than the Man in Black.

All we know for sure is that despite that decomposing body on the stage, a part of Ford continues to live on. For now, it seems he continues to exist with the purpose of guiding the Man in Black through his new mission, all communications trademarked with Ford’s unique brand of philosophical insights and strange sense of humor.

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Westworld airs every Sunday on HBO at 9 P.M. EST!