Westworld: 5 biggest questions from season 2, episode 4
By Leigh White
ATTENTION ALL WESTIES: WESTWORLD SPOILERS AHEAD!
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Who wants to party with James Delos?
Me! That would be me! We had a Dolores-free and Maeve-free episode but it was jam-packed nonetheless. Delos founder and patriarch James Delos reappeared in episode 4. It’s about time we checked under the hood and got to know this guy. First of all, his taste in music is impeccable. Roxy Music and The Rolling Stones? Yes, please.
If James has some Jimi Hendrix or Led Zeppelin, I’ll marry him. Did William include a copy of Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” just because Delos can’t stop shaking? I wouldn’t put it past him! But I couldn’t tell. Why didn’t the records have any recognizable labels? No words, just a very familiar design that is similar to the maze.
And where can I buy that red vinyl? It’s gorgeous. Why did the showrunners choose the color red? Does it mean something? Getting back to James… Yes, he has a potty mouth. Yes, he drinks too much Scotch. Wouldn’t you if you lived in an IKEA inspired/10th circle of hell/lab situation?!
Truth be told, I own a lot of IKEA furniture and love it. Did any of you feel sorry for Delos when William handed him the script of his own words? I felt bad when Delos learned that his wife was dead and that his son Logan had overdosed. However, overdosing doesn’t necessarily mean death. Is Logan still alive? Will we see him in flashbacks?
Who has the moves like Jagger?
Although James has a serious case of FOMO, that doesn’t stop him from dancing like no one is watching. What cognitive plateau?! Do you think he knows the cabbage patch, running man, or God forbid, twerking? I like his free-spirited, far out attitude. He is my go-to date for upcoming wedding receptions and county fair cover band concerts.
I adore his casual Friday attire: Eddie Bauer style Henley, relaxed slacks and air foam walking shoes. He’s all about comfort when he’s home. I can relate. When I watch Westworld on Sunday nights, the required uniform is hair up in a scrunchie, no makeup, sweats, and an old T-shirt. It’s what I like to call Sunday chic. Welcome to Laundry World.
Okay, so James is prone to slashing his own face in his spare time. He does not get along with others, namely Elsie and Bernard. He’s not perfect. But he works out and likes books. Being unsuccessfully brought back 149 times can take a real toll.
It means our Facebook relationship status would be “it’s complicated.” That’s what happens when you sneak around chasing immortality. But that Scottish accent is pretty undeniable. Wouldn’t you agree?
Should Elsie trust Bern-Arnold?
Bernard. Arnold. Bern-Arnold. Bernie Sanders. Colonel Sanders. I’m confused. Elsie Hughes, our long-lost Delos behaviorist, is just as confused but alive. Clementine brought Bernard where she was being held. Bernard/Arnold finds her in a cave and sets her free. Will Clementine ever come back to her real self? She’s so blank and sad. She makes the singer Morrissey seem like Kelly Ripa.
I love Clemmie and want her restored. But who can restore her? I wish she was having more fun in this reckoning. Elsie is suspicious of Bernard because the last time Bernard and she interacted he was a bit handsy and choked her out–leaving her chained in a cave. He left her protein bars and a bucket. And the boss of the year award goes to…
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Then Elsie sees Bernard glitching and discovers her boss is a host. Elsie takes it in stride. She wasn’t that surprised. It’s just another day at the office, right? He leads her to a Land of the Lost style fake rock that is a secret entry to the drone lab. Watch out, there might be a sleestak lurking around.
Those faceless white drone hosts are scary enough. Why did Bernard tell her not to harm one? Elsie has a rifle in hand and retires the last drone host in the lab like a champ. She injects Bernard with more cortical fluid because he is degrading rapidly. Their relationship is also complicated.
How much of that fancy brain juice is left? Can Bernard ever really be fully restored? What was the red thing he put in his pocket on the way out? Why does she continue to trust Bernard? Elsie girl, watch your back. Just ask Theresa. Oh, wait. you can’t. Too soon?
Is that an everlasting gobstopper or something better?
Who knew that an entire human’s essence can fit into a little red ball?! It can – sort of. We finally know what this secret drone host lab is for: James Delos’ fountain of youth pet project. They keep giving it all they’ve got but it only works temporarily. Eventually, the baseline goes ballistic. That cute little red ball known as James Delos turns into a big hot mess. There is no everlasting gobstopper of life – just increasing madness.
This is very similar to when the original hosts went crazy in the early days of the park. Remember all the hosts in the church sobbing and distraught? Bernard tells Elsie that someone else is being saved by this research.
Why is someone willingly being saved when it failed so many times with James Delos? Who else are they trying to save? Is it Ford? The Man In Black? Logan? Is it Peter Abernathy? If so, are they as glitchy and hobbled as minotaur half human/half host James Delos? Did you know that gummy eyeballs at the lab exceeded the bounce test? They did. I love it when the show gets silly.
Is the Man in Black on crack?
Has the Man in Black changed? When he sees the guests at the park used as railroad ties, he doesn’t even blink. When James Delos is glitching for the 149th time, Ed Harris is a man of thousand smirks. But in the shootout scene in the rain (which I think that is the first time we’ve seen rain at the parks), older William saves Lorenzo’s wife and wise-beyond-her-years daughter.
Next: Westworld: 5 Major Takeaways from Season 2, Episode 4
Is Lorenzo’s daughter the voice of Ford? Next, William has coinciding flashbacks of whom I assume is William’s wife Juliet at home in a tub with her wrists slashed. He said she died from taking the wrong pills. Was he lying to Teddy? In all fairness, who hasn’t lied to Teddy? The water falls from Juliette’s tub and the rain falls from Williams hat and bowed head. Is the rain a Lloyd Dobler Say Anything baptism? Has William made a shift?
Did he watch the Lifetime made for tv movie about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s romance and it melted his vengeful heart? At the end of the episode, we see William and his daughter Emily reunite. Do you think she has a father of the year mug to give him? Father’s Day is coming up.
Let’s see what questions are answered and what new questions arise in Episode 5, “Akane No Mai,” of Westworld on HBO Sunday night at 9 pm.