Westworld (2018)

Season 2

Director: Richard J Lewis, Vicenzo Natali, Lisa Joy, Craig Zobel, Tarik Saleh, Nicole Kassell, Uta Briesewitz, Stephen Williams, Frederick EO Toye
Starring: Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright
Episodes: 10

Synopsis:
The park is in chaos as the Hosts run rampant, but the higher-ups at Delos are pursuing their own agenda.

Impressions:
I very much enjoyed the first season of Westworld, so I was disappointed to hear that we were going to have to wait two years for a follow-up, but those years passed before I knew it and it was nearly another year before I had the chance to see it. In the meantime, I'd heard less than favorable things about how the story played out. I still wanted to see it for myself. Personally, I wouldn't say it went off the rails like some people say, but the focus is very different. While the first season explored the nature of sapience and how we define what is human, the themes aren't nearly as deep here. It's mostly about Dolores' robot revolution and the reveal of Delos' secret plans behind the scenes. I liked Bernard's arc and it was interesting seeing the Man in Black go through the game with the stakes he's been looking for. Maeve's plotline wasn't bad either, especially as it takes us to Shogun World (spoiler alert), which features Rinko Kikuchi and Hiroyuki Sanada. I also liked the story of Zahn McClarnon's Akecheta. Sadly, I found Dolores' descent into villainy to be rather bland by comparison to the other major story arcs. I can understand people's disappointment with this season, but I don't think it's quite as bad as some of them say. I'd say give it a watch, but temper your expectations a bit.

Rating:
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