Westworld: Season 2, episode 9 trailer review: ‘Vanishing Point’
By Art Intel
Here is a brief overview of the trailer for Westworld, season 2, episode 9! Please be wary of spoilers ahead!
The main setting is Delos Mansion, owned by James Delos, as we discovered during a retirement party scene for him, where he is seen to be very ill and asking for William’s help.
The scene opens showing a group of guests sitting around as we see the lavish lifestyle of James, and then suddenly switches to a chandelier of some sort, with a close up of an adornment which resembles a white pearl or host core unit which is inserted into all hosts.
There is also a hint of a suicide, as the scene changes to where and we are shown a bath overflowing with water and someone’s limp hand on the edge of it. We can assume this is William’s wife. Perhaps William fell in love with Dolores, which may have caused his real wife to commit suicide, or maybe she was sick of his deceiving ways and lies and just gave up.
It might even be possible that once this person commits the suicide, Delos transfers the soul into the Cradle and then a host–possibly into Dolores. Hence the exposure to the pearl-like object in the trailer. Perhaps, this person may have been one of the first minds that was successfully uploaded into the Cradle, before it was decided to go ahead and add James.
There was mention of a drinking toast in the last season, relating to a ‘the lady in the white shoes’ and it is possible its meaning, if any, may become significant as Dolores is wearing a pair in the mansion, and so is Emily.
Dolores was in the mansion on many occasions, just as Clementine and other hosts, and they remember more now that they are awake, which also includes the way to get there. Could they make it there by the end of this episode?
We hear a woman say, “Tell me the truth”, as she speaks to William, it may well be his wife as she goes on to say: “Tell me one true thing”. This shows that William is deceptive, and a man not to be trusted even by his own wife, which we saw when Grace thought she had convinced him to leave the park in episode 7.
At the same time, we see the back of the MiB, with a gun pointing to his own head. If the hosts can’t kill William, it is unlikely he can cause any damage to himself either but it is an interesting continuation of the theme of suicide and death and is not expected from a character as strong-willed as William.
William then talks about something inside him, which is a stain, something even he didn’t notice at first, and invisible to everyone except her. Perhaps he is trying to kill himself because he is wracked with guilt over something. It leaves you wondering if he is referring to some form of terminal condition he has, or if he acquired a taste for killing and couldn’t stop, even in the real world.
Dolores is set for a confrontation with Ghost Nation and can be seen battling with them along-side Teddy. It seems they are not yet aligned, even though they are all on the same journey with the same objective, and without Maeve around, there is no way to negotiate peace between the two warring factions.
Bernard also has a weapon and doesn’t seem afraid to use it, and we also see glimpses of Teddy in attack, as well as analysis mode, and we also see Clementine staring at her own reflection, but not very much is revealed. We can assume these are flashbacks to previous build host units before Delos was overrun.
In many ways, the scenes we see represent the calm before the storm, and this episode should help provide a back story on William, Grace, and Dolores. It should also develop the plot further as we see Delos Strike Teams, Bernard, and Elsie, Dolores, and Teddy, along with Ghost Nation and all other hosts making a break for The Valley Beyond.
This is the penultimate episode, and it is slightly nerve-wracking knowing the season is almost at a close.
What did you think of the trailer? Share your comments below!
Westworld airs every Sunday on HBO at 9 PM EST!