Every episode of Westworld season 2 ranked worst to first

9. Episode 204, “The Riddle of the Sphinx”

Hear me out: Episode 209, “The Riddle of the Sphinx,” is not that great an episode. Sure, we learned why James Delos (Peter Mullan) purchased Westworld in the first place, and we got confirmation that Elsie Hughes (Shannon Woodward) had survived her ordeal with Bernard from season 1, but the Man in Black’s (Ed Harris) story in this episode was a complete waste of time.

There are two things we know for sure about the Man in Black. 1) He is an asshole; and 2) He is not an antihero. In fact, by the end of season 2, we’ve learned that MIB is completely irredeemable. So why show him save Lawerence (Clifton Collins Jr.) and his family from the Confederados when he murdered them all multiple times in the past?

The whole side story just felt like filler that could have been better used exploring the Raj, which was introduced the week before, or Shogun World, which is teased at the very end.

8. Episode 203, “Virtù e Fortuna”

Episode 203, “Virtù e Fortuna,” was a fun episode, but what did it really have to offer to the overarching story of season 2? I’ll tell you: the introduction of the Raj (A Delos park set in British occupied India), the arrival of Grace (Katja Herbers), and the return of Armistice (Ingrid Bolso Berdal) roasting a Delos QA member alive with her flamethrower. She has a dragon!

But just like “The Riddle of the Sphinx,” this episode had way too much filler. And while I rather enjoyed watching Dolores’ horde turn on the Confederados, slaughtering them to a man and then somehow lure a trained paramilitary force close enough to blow up, the entire battle at Fort Forlorn Hope was unnecessary.

We could have seen Charlotte Hale and her team take Peter Abernathy (Louis Herthum), or spent more time exploring the Raj or watching Armistice set dudes on fire. The Delores stuff didn’t have much weight, especially considering she’ll lose her entire army without comment later.