Hi there, good to be back! I lurked here in seasons 1&2
Without reading the other comments here (I will later) I'm putting my thoughts on the ep here:
Overall impression: Great first episode for the season. Honestly until Brenard said the word "westworld" I didn't even realise we haven't had a single scene in the park this ep (besides the post credit scene) which means very well. The entire ep still felt like westworld despite it being in a completely different world. I'm excited for the rest of the season!
Now to the different plotlines
Dolores killing the rich guy:
Kinda the most meh scene of the episode for me, but it was cool seeing the dude trapped in the technology that once served him. The glasses part was especially great. And the fire gave the scene the perfect touch.
Dolores, Liam and Rehoboam:
I'm laughing really hard about the name of the engine 'cause it seems like by that point in the future they really ran out of cool Hebrew names for their technologies... The name does have an interesting meaning, but I'm sure others talked about it already.
I liked Liam, it's a shame he isn't really responsible for the engine.
Dolores was so badass, it's amazing.
And who is the new host posing as his bodyguard? I know Teddy is in the valley beyond but I keep being like 'is it Teddy? Please tell me it's Teddy'.
"Hale" and the board meeting:
Best part of the ep for me. It's so genius putting the blame on Bernard for the host murderes. Genius from Dolores and from the writers.
Loved the subtle jab at the gun debate with "robots don't kill people, people kill people".
Who is posing as Charlotte?? I'm dying to know already!
Caleb:
Loved this storyline more than I expected from the trailer.
His backstory is tacky and I could see from the beginning that something in those phone calls was weird (thought he was imagining them, but having it be a computer also works). But I love his personality and the gang of criminals he hangs out with. Especially the dude with the shirt that shows what he's feeling lmao.
Also really like the world as it's presented from his point of view. Felt like exactly the right technological advancement for the year.
The bit about meritocracy and Rehoboam was very interesting, and I'll elaborate about it more in a separate post.
Bernard's storyline:
Loved it as well. The dome trailers in the Scandinavian background were so pleasing for the eye.
The plotline of how he puts himself into analysis mode is very intriguing. I think hosts can't be forced into this mode once they gain conscious. So this is a case of split personality, a way for him to cope with the situation and with doing things he doesn't want to do (like killing those guys). Excited to see how this develops later in the season.
Maeve's scene:
Great to see her. I hope we'll see more of WWIIWorld. Seems like it because they won't spend some much money on this set for only a few scenes lol
