Every episode of Westworld season 2 ranked worst to first

 1. Episode 208, “Kiksuya”

If you’ve paid attention to the criticism surrounding Westworld this year, it should come as no surprise that we consider ”Kiksuya” to be the best episode of season 2. In fact, it’s probably the best episode of seasons 1 and 2 combined. The story of how the host Akecheta attained self-awareness was very much off the show’s usual narrative track and served as a refreshing palate cleanser going into the final two episodes of the season. His love story with wife Kohona, while unexpected, was all the more powerful for being condensed into one episode; it gave this hour a focus many of the other episodes lacked.

“Kiksuya” was also a breakout hit for actor Zahn McClarnon (Akecheta), and made him a sudden contender to win the Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Emmy. Apart from that, the episode was visually stunning and daring in the way in leans so heavily on Akecheta’s narration, which is given almost entirely in Lokota. Up until this point, the members of the Ghost Nation tribe had been stereotypes. “Kiksuya” flips that on its head and makes them some of the most sympathetic figures in the park.

“Kiksuya” is a beautiful story told without any timeline trickery. It’s a landmark episode of the show, and something we hope the creators can build on in season 3.

Next: Westworld creator promises they know how the show will end

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