Every episode of Westworld season 2 ranked worst to first
Now that the dust has settled on Westworld season 2, it’s time to look back and see which episodes hit the mark and left us begging for more, and which ones fell flat, leaving us with a sense of disappointment and longing for the good old days of season 1. While the show’s sophomore season might have seen a slump in the ratings, it was no less polarizing than it’s inaugural season, as fans and critics alike had strong opinions about its direction from the jump.
Just like in season 1, Westworld season 2 incorporated panoramic and sweeping cinematic angles, combined with composer Ramin Djawadi’s hauntingly beautiful score to convey part of the show’s story, but that was not enough to make up for what seemed like aimless storytelling and often clunky dialogue, at different points along the way.
With that being said, we dig into each episode from season 2 and rank them from worst to first. Let’s get started.
10. Episode 206, “Phase Space”
Somewhere in the middle of season 2, Westworld stumbled a bit. By episode 206, “Phase Space,” all of the major characters were in different parts of the park trying to find a way to get out. At this point, the show had introduced names like the Door, Glory, the Valley Beyond, and the Cradle, and yet, the audience still didn’t know what these places were…not really.
“Phase Space” saw Maeve (Thandie Newton) lead her ever-expanding group of loyal followers from the Snow Lake region in Shogun World, to a cemetery right outside of the homestead she shared with the daughter she’d been searching for since season 1. However, as soon as she realizes where she’s at, she inexplicably tells her well-armed escort to wait while she went to retrieve her daughter.
Of course, things go bad almost as soon as she arrives. Throughout season 2, Maeve had been traveling with Delos lead narrator Lee Sizemore (Simon Quarterman), yet he somehow neglected to tell her that she’d been replaced and that her daughter had a new mommy. Dick move, Lee. Also, by episode 206, the Ghost Nation tribe’s role hadn’t yet been made clear, so when Akecheta (Zahn McClarnon) and his band of warriors arrived at Maeve’s old home — dressed and painted like they were going to war — she understandably ran.
The whole scenario didn’t seem very thought out or well written, at all. There were some good points in “Phase Space,” however, as we saw Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) alter Teddy’s (James Marsden) programming to make him more like her — which ultimately led to him committing suicide in front of her. And, the episode ended with the reveal that Dr. Ford (Anthony Hopkins) had uploaded his consciousness into the Delos operating system, and it was he who had been manipulating the events directly following the host uprising in season 1.