Westworld: Season 1/ Episode 9 "The Well-Tempered Clavier" – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

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Overview

We finally get to meet Arnold.

Review (with Spoilers)

Topic 1: William Snaps (William, Logan, and Dolores)

After Logan has pushed William to get into Westworld so bad, he finally has. He has fallen for Dolores and when Logan hurts her, but she gets to escape, he tricks Logan into thinking he has returned to normal. Truth is, he is broken beyond repair and after wiping out all of Logan’s hosts, he decides to use Logan to help him find Dolores once more.

Commentary

Lack of development. To me, that is the problem with, not the hosts, but the guest. Who are they outside of Westworld, that is the reason why Billy’s drastic change makes no sense. We know he worked his way close to a position of power, is to marry Logan’s sister and get a say within their company, but what else? He is as barren as a newly born host and it makes it hard to get into his story. Even with the madness of Logan to try to push you to care. For it all feels rather cheap. Let’s pair this naïve and almost innocent boy with a madman and watch him be pushed to the point he eclipses his provocateur.

Topic 2: The Truth (Dolores, Bernard, and Ford)

It is revealed Ford made Bernard in Arnold’s image and Dolores is the one who killed Bernard. Also, the maze may just be the old offices of Ford and Arnold. Well, at least the entrance may just be that. Oh, and also, Ford has Bernard kill himself for he tires of the fighting and looping, he just wants to get his work done.

Commentary

I’m not going to pretend I wasn’t shocked to learn Bernard was made in Arnold’s image. But, like with William, there is this feeling that Westworld doesn’t know how to build up to things really. At least in terms of emotion. Yeah, it can build up to a violent moment, but it can’t stir up your emotions and manipulate them to a point where you are truly shocked. All that is applied are just twists. Twists which don’t come off for pure shock value, but when a show pretty much tows the line when it comes to sci-fi storytelling, it makes a handful of twists, sometimes just thrown out there, like Elsie’s death, sort of uneventful. You expect them to happen but just don’t know what exactly will happen. With that, it is hard to be excited for you are drowning in your own theories vs. getting lost in the story.

For while, as noted in many an episode, it is the actors who make this show more than what it is, and certainly is the sole reason I can fathom for the hype, take that away and what does this show really have? Sex, violence and your usual HBO fare. Nothing of substance really, there is nothing but pure entertaining. In a way, it is like we are the newcomers and they are the host. They may have these finely written backstories, but at the end of the day it all is mechanical and feels so predetermined that you’d have to be of the mindset of William to be fooled into a state of enchantment.

Things to Note | Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. How are things handled when someone quits or gets fired?
2. How many members of the board are in the park?
3. Teddy dies and we learn that MIB, or Mr. Flood, is on the board. Also, he is one of the reasons Ford has been kept in power. Though he is a bit indifferent about his position as park director at this point.
4. Maeve is still recruiting.
5. Arnold wanted to release his creations out into the real world.
6. Elsie was killed by Bernard.