'Westworld' Episode 2 review: Questions of morality remain as hosts make horrible discoveries!

After a mind-boggling opening episode, Westworld starts delving into more serious questions like 'Who really are you?' in its second episode called 'The Chestnut.'

The second episode introduces a third party in the tug-of-war between the puppet masters of Westworld and the hosts— the guests. Two new characters join the story. One is William, played by Jimmie Simpson. (Side note: I think this guy has become an essential staple when it comes to playing smart yet troubled guys on American TV. Be it playing a doctor who loves 'Edward 40-hands' on How I Met Your Mother to a hacker in House of Cards to a law professor in The Newsroom. No, he's not Benedict Cumberbatch of American TV.) William is reluctant to let go of his inhibitions and is busy fending off sexual advances from his hosts left, right and centre. He is clearly overwhelmed by the enormity of Westworld and is doing his best to not show it. The other chap is William's friend Logan who is his exact opposite. Logan has similarities with the head writer of the theme park, Lee Sizemore. Both cannot look beyond cheap thrills. This shall work out for Logan, but Dr. Robert Ford is not impressed by what Lee is offering to the visitors. Robert has a vision for the park and Lee is not even close to realising that vision.

From the side of the park's guests, William and Logan will take the narrative forward when it comes to finding answers to questions about morality, conscience and our idea of what falls under "entertainment". As for the puppet masters, Bernard and Robert have a discussion after Abernathy is pulled out of the park. Bernard is not happy that Robert never told him anything about how he feels when one of his creations is put to rest. Robert tells Bernard that what they do would have been considered witchcraft in the 18th century and that they both would have been burned at the stakes for taking the place of the creator.

Bernard is executing his own agenda in the after hours. He has Theresa in his bed to whom he explains why his robots keep talking even if a guest is not around. It's all about practicing. Erm, Bernard, ever heard of 'practice makes man perfect'? This is one reason why AIs ultimately turn against you. He is meddling with Dolores' reveries and instructing her not to spill the beans. Dolores, who wouldn't hurt a fly, except for that last scene of the first episode, is now digging out guns!

Speaking of guns, the black-clad gunslinger, played by Ed Harris, is still on a quest to find the entrance to the maze. This is where the writing of Westworld surprises us again. The gunslinger engages in fights which, if he is human, are not necessary to go through. But when he says that he's been coming here for 30 years — the same age as Dolores and the theme park — then he was practically born here. One does wonder if he is an AI gone rogue and intelligent beyond the control of Robert and Bernard because talking about your alter ego to a bot seems out of place. After a lot of bloodshed and some creepy dancing, he manages to get an equally creepy answer. To tell you the truth, watching a bot lose their composure to answer in a flat tone and then go back to being the character they are, was a chilling moment.

Another significant narrative came from Thandie Newton's Maeve Millay. She is the next host to be contaminated by whatever Abernathy and Dolores have. Dolores mutters Westworld's ominous lines, "These violent delights have violent ends." I am guessing this is something of a command, like the one used to put the bots to sleep. Because of this, Maeve's reveries are making her malfunction. Now, she is remembering the bits from her previous character. As if those horrible memories are not enough, when she is brought to surgery to be cleaned inside out, she wakes up in the middle and starts running away with a gash on her stomach. She cannot comprehend the things she sees in the world of the puppet masters. Her minders catch her without anyone noticing but the cracks in the working of Delos start to show up and you realise the vast company is malfunctioning just like its retired bots.

There are scenes which felt out of place and sluggish. Dolores makes an appearance, Teddy Flood has a mundane conversation with Maeve before being shot, Robert talks to a 12-year-old version of himself before coming up with the idea of a new storyline. But overall the episode keeps you entertained and looking forward to next episode as you try to piece together the information dump.

Westworld airs in India on Tuesdays at 10 pm on Star World Premiere HD