Westworld Season 2, Episode 2 “Reunion”
Writers: Carly Wray and Jonathan Nolan
Director: Vincenzo Natali
Runtime: 58 minutes
Content Warnings: TV-MA: Adult Content, Adult Language, Nudity, Violence
Synopsis: Why don’t we start at the beginning?
Please have consideration for your fellow fans and refrain from spoilers until after the episode starts at 9:00 pm EDT.
Have fun!
Westworld Season 3, Episode 8 “Crisis Theory”
Writers: Denise Thé and Jonathan Nolan
Director: Jennifer Getzinger
Runtime: 1 hour 16 minutes
Content Warnings: TV-MA: Adult Content, Adult Language, Graphic Violence
Synopsis: Time to face the music.
Westworld Season 3, Episode 7 “Passed Pawn” Writer: Gina Atwater Director: Helen Shaver Runtime: 59 minutes Content Warnings: TV-MA: Adult Content, Adult Language, Graphic Violence Synopsis: A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the...
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Vanessa Cole
Who’s hoping for more young William and Logan? Especially Logan? 😋
VanessaQuote Reply
Well, always like watching William grow up …and over the top. Logan, well he is Daddys boy, and a bad enough boy that it seems Daddy is going to take away one of his toys. Can you tell I’m heartbroken….?
As for the latest video …wow oh wow….it’s gonna be a bumpy night!
BarbaraQuote Reply
Great episode! Loved the backstory of William and Logan out of the park.
Dolores looks unstoppable on her quest for world domination.
mariambQuote Reply
It was a really good episode. Every time they answer one of my questions they give me five more to think about.
Two interesting takeaways that caught my attention: (1) I really wanna know what this weapon is that Dolores mentions/ William presumably shows her; and (2) I wonder what Logan was referring to while talking to Dolores in the real world when he mentions this being the first step in his species dying out and that the Delos corp. “lit the match.”
JaehaerysQuote Reply
Jaehaerys,
I have some thoughts – definitely need a rewatch though. But man I felt so sorry for Logan in that scene 🙁
VanessaQuote Reply
Not sorry for Logan at all. He is not the kind of person you want running a company like that. He’s more interested in his own pleasures. Mr. Delos, well, he seems not long for this world. Perhaps he will be one of the first to try something new. Going back to rewatch!
BarbaraQuote Reply
Barbara,
Apparently Mr Delos gave his company to William upon his retirement – “seems more like a coronation to me.” Was Logan shooting up? or where those marks on his arm from something else? I couldn’t quite make out what was in his hand.
What I was sorry to see is that William now thought of Delores more of a “thing” and can’t believe he fell in love with her.
And we now know that Emily is not Charlotte. But…Arnold, talking to Dolores in the early days when he shows her “our world” did say Charlie, his SON. And to me, Charlotte still looks like his Daughter- and possibly was created by Dr Ford as a remembrance of his “tragic past.
OR….Arnold made Dr Ford, as he made Dr Fords family, to take his place after all, and follow through with what he wanted all along.
Seems like everyone is heading in the same direction- “to burn the place down” and “a weapon”
having fun!!
BarbaraQuote Reply
Vanessa,
Yeah, that made me feel bad for Logan too. He was certainly an ass, but he never pictured William coming in and being the better ‘son’ to his father and practically stealing all of his inheritance. He should’ve thought about the consequences of his actions, as Dolores would tell him.
JaehaerysQuote Reply
Jaehaerys,
My guess about Logan’s statement:
He is referring to Delos’ plan to harvest DNA from the guests and use it for nefarious purposes in the real world. Perhaps they are planning on replacing influential humans with a controllable host versions. Or perhaps they are using DNA to create a super race of humans that is immune to disease. We know that Delos used their resources – and perhaps their DNA harvesting – to cure disease. In S1, a guest tells William that he saved his sister.
Perhaps Logan wanted Westworld to remain a playground for the rich and nothing more. I *think* that he advocated for scaling the hosts back in S1 , saying that they were too real.
Anyway, just my thoughts and I am usually incorrect.
mariambQuote Reply
mariamb,
Ya know, that’s a good idea. My friend just told me he was thinking they might be replacing some of the human “park-goers” with hosts, and that the outside world already has these hosts living their lives. I couldn’t really think of a situation where this would be beneficial for Delos, but replacing really influential people in the real world… now I can see that. And it makes sense, since at least when the park first opens it is more of a place that the really rich vacation at because it is presumably a really expensive vacation.
I also didn’t put much stake in that throw-away line that the guest tells MIB in S1, about him saving his sister. Didn’t really think about it back then, but it most definitely will come back into play in one way or another. I don’t know if I buy the whole super race immune to disease just yet, but I could get on board to the idea of using the information they harvest to research genetics and in turn be able to find some cures for certain diseases.
Anyway, I assume that William’s real idea pitch to his father-in-law happened off-screen once they started walking away in the park (maybe something to do with this whole curing disease or controlling influential people), and that we’ll revisit that scene again later down the road.
JaehaerysQuote Reply
Really liked the episode, very intriguing. And shout out to Jimmi Simpson for mimicking some of Ed Harris’ MiB.
The Wolves of WinterQuote Reply
Barbara,
Can you explain what you mean here? did I miss something? haha Who’s Emily?
And we now know that Emily is not Charlotte. But…Arnold, talking to Dolores in the early days when he shows her “our world” did say Charlie, his SON. And to me, Charlotte still looks like his Daughter- and possibly was created by Dr Ford as a remembrance of his “tragic past.
OR….Arnold made Dr Ford, as he made Dr Fords family, to take his place after all, and follow through with what he wanted all along.
Dee StarkQuote Reply
Dee Stark,
Yeah I’m assuming it was a mistake that Barbara said… I don’t think there is an Emily in our story. I am pretty certain that Charlotte is just Charlotte though. I don’t think she is a host or anything like that.
JaehaerysQuote Reply
Dee Stark,
Emily is William’s, aka Man in Black’s, daughter. He mentions her in S1 when he is being held captive by Angela and Teddy.
Wall BuilderQuote Reply
Dee Stark,
Emily is Williams young daughter – you saw William, his now wife ( daughter of Mr Delos) along with her after she went up to Delores playing the piano at the Retirement Pary- and Mr Delos says to William, you brought her for the entertainment?
Emily is not Charlotte – that was a possibility back before any of us ever knew who Charlotte is – but this is the first time we have actually seen Logans sister- who William eventually married. Been guessing all along how Charlotte got her place in Delos, still guessing, but now I think it has to do with Arnold.
Arnold / Dr Ford. The theory now that Ford is or has been a host all along. In the last episode of Season 1 where Ford is talking to Bernard – the shaking of hand with palm down, the changing of hands from left to right, and words that were said…the handshake always gave them away…..led me and others to believe that the Ford that was shot was not Ford at all.
The episode we just saw has now led me to think Ford could actually be an Arnold built Ford host. I know, its hard to wrap your head around all the could be’s. Thinking being, it takes time to make things grow enough to understand the others- something Ford said. And, in the end, what Arnold wanted, the hosts to be able to grow in knowledge and become Sentient: having the power of perception by the senses; conscious. Arnold is finally getting what he wanted from the beginning.
BarbaraQuote Reply
Jaehaerys,
nope..not a mistake at all. Im talking about how could/would a woman of Charlottes age (30’s) be that high up in a company that large. It takes being someones daughter to move up like that with a Board of Directors. That’s why I have been speculating on whose daughter she is. William / MIB daughter is now out – but this is also the first time we have actually seen MIB wife.
BarbaraQuote Reply
interesting. I never even considered that charlotte was anyones daughter. I don’t see that she needs a reason to be so high up in the company.
but you made some interesting points.
Barbara,
Dee StarkQuote Reply
mariamb,
“In S1, a guest tells William that he saved his sister.”
I have to go find where a guest told Logan that…. do you recall where it was?
BarbaraQuote Reply
Barbara,
Oh alright, I didn’t catch the MIB’s daughter being named Emily, or a mention of a daughter at all; but I believe it. I also don’t think Charlotte has to be anyone’s daughter, I think she is just a woman who rose high in the world; it goes along with the theme of the show of women being empowered/becoming empowered. With the last name Hale, and presumably no husband (that we know of), I don’t think we can assume that she is related to any of the characters we currently know. My guess is that she is just exactly who she seems to be; and I also fear that she won’t be making it out of this season alive.
Ford could have been a host this whole time… but I think that is another big ask. With the stories we’ve been told and the flashbacks (that could be there to deceive us, for sure), it certainly seems like a young Robert Ford was there all along with Arnold. And if Arnold created Ford as a host, then why did he have so many disputes with him (ie the argument about opening the park, etc)? If Ford was Arnold’s creation, you’d think Arnold could control everything about him, and therefore the staged Arnold execution to stop the park from opening would not have needed to happen. Arnold could have just kept the park closed.
JaehaerysQuote Reply
Barbara,
It is somewhere in the middle of the season. A guest actually tells it to Ed Harris, where Ed responds with something to the effect of, “Don’t say another word. This is my fucking vacation.”
JaehaerysQuote Reply
Jaehaerys,
Arnold wasn’t looking to not open the park, he was looking to the hosts being more conscious. Ford didn’t want them to become aware, and as you’ve heard him say, the hosts have been wiped clean and sent out again – several have revolted before (Ford even said that about Bernard).
Can’t say I’m right as we don’t know yet. Just speculation and gathering info from others on what they saw too. 🙂
BarbaraQuote Reply
Dee Stark,
If you think about it….why is William where he is– married in to it.
BarbaraQuote Reply
The guest says it to William, not Logan. The guest recognizes him. Don’t recall which episode. William and Lawrence are sitting around a campfire and the guest approaches William.
mariambQuote Reply
Barbara,
I think that Emily is William’s daughter. And Emily is not Charlotte. I don’t find it hard to imagine that a woman of Charlotte’s age could be on the Board of Directors.
FWIW, I think that present day Westworld is 30+ years into the future.
mariambQuote Reply
mariamb,
I remember him saying that.. just have to find it again -thanks!
still leads me to the – collecting DNA etc. to make a replica of a human, or in that persons case, maybe a part of her? Remember we are already doing exact copies made by a 3-D printer. Human organs are next and already in the process. Why not total humans.
BarbaraQuote Reply
Barbara,
Oh I know, all of this is just fun speculation! But Arnold definitely wanted to not open the park, and voiced his concerns to Ford. He didn’t want to open the park because he saw Dolores was changing; his mindset when they set out was exactly that of Ford’s: open an awesome theme park with AI hosts where they can tell there stories (at least that was my impression). But during his life talks with Dolores, he realized she was changing, and quickly. And that is when he voiced these concerns with Ford, and suggested that they not open the park. When Ford tells him no, he sets up the whole Wyatt part one storyline and has Dolores and Teddy shoot up all the hosts, and then execute Arnold; just because Arnold sees something bigger at play with the hosts (Dolores becoming sentient), he decides the only way to keep the park closed is to have an “incident” as it is later called.
JaehaerysQuote Reply
Jaehaerys,
Yes. Arnold saw that the hosts could become sentient and tried to shut it down. Ford kept moving forward after Arnold’s death but, unlike Arnold, Ford was prepared to use the hosts’ eventual “awakenings” to his advantage. Clearly, he was prepared to die in order to accomplish it.
Ford was not a host. He was a human that grew to hold other humans in disdain. From what we have seen, Ford was one step ahead of everyone.
mariambQuote Reply
Barbara,
oh lets add one more possibility to who Charlotte is….why not!
I went wandering thru past threads in Reddit…and whoa…some people think the exact same thing I do- how did she get to that position and she has to be someone’s daughter. So yes, the Arnolds
“tragic past” was brought up. So was Bernards “Charlie” aka Charlotte and the son/daughter. THEN some said…what if she is LOGANS daughter! I had never thought of that, but considering how much Logan liked to, ahem, f___ around, she very well could be. That would give her the seat on the Board at Delos! That way Bernard would mean nothing to her. That is also why MIB knows her so well! 🙂 don’t ya just love it hahahaaa….
BarbaraQuote Reply
mariamb,
Ford has alway been one step, if not more, ahead of everyone. So much like the Anthony Hopkins that I love!
and… your posts about Arnold vs Ford and who wanted what made me go back and watch Season 1 …yet again. So I invite you to go back and watch again as well. Season1 episode 3 just a little after half way. Ford is talking to Bernard.
Jaehaerys,
BarbaraQuote Reply
Barbara,
Yeah I love this scene. I think it lays a lot of the groundwork for the theme of Season 1, “The Maze.”
So here is what the show tells us about the Ford/Arnold storyline in S1:
Ford and Arnold come together, for reasons unknown, to open a theme park full of AI hosts. At some point during the 3 years of them building the park and the hosts, Arnold becomes obsessed with the idea of “bootstrapping consciousness,” namely with Dolores. He sees that she is changing. Maybe he had this motivation the whole time, maybe he just turned his focus to this after he noticed that Dolores could change. We don’t really know.
But when Arnold and Ford started building the park, it was for the reason of building a theme park and not to create sentient beings. At least as far as we know. This isn’t revealed until the tail end of S1, but then we finally learn that Arnold confronted Ford about not opening the park because of Dolores. And Ford and Arnold have an argument in a closed room while Dolores is outside, presumably arguing if they should open the park or not.
And when Ford tells him no, Arnold goes ahead with his plan to create an ‘incident’ so the park must stay closed.
Arnold wanted the hosts to become conscious, there is no doubt about that. But when he and Ford set out to build Westworld, they definitely, as a team, had every intention of opening the park until Arnold changed his mind, due to Dolores’s mind changing.
JaehaerysQuote Reply
mariamb,
Ford’s motivations are definitely the most mysterious to me. It seems that at first he just wanted to build this park, he just wanted to tell his stories. He even mentions this in the present timeline. But he certainly grows to look down on humans, sometime in his 30+ years in the park. Maybe this is after Delos takes over as the “money men.”
I’d like to see this transformation on screen at some point, because it seems like a big jump in character from when Arnold was alive to our present Ford. And, like Barbara said, Ford often shut down hosts ‘rebellions’ and wiped their minds over the years (i.e. Bernard and maybe some others?). Maybe he was just waiting for the right time, waiting for Dolores to awaken to lead the rebellion. Maybe he himself had a change of heart regarding the hosts. I’m not sure, but I’d like to know.
JaehaerysQuote Reply