'Westworld' Recap: 'Contrapasso'

10/31/2016

Written by Scott Edwards

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Traveling deeper into the game than they expected, William and Logan find themselves in Pariah and are ready to take on their next mission. Finding the gang leader Alonso who can make their dreams come true, the two decide to jump a wagon packing explosives that will help the former confederate's cause in the story kill off the union, but Alonso has something more sinister in mind when all is said and done. Being able to get the wagon to stop, the union soldiers get the jump on Logan and William is forced to pull the trigger once again, this time killing the unarmed soldiers to protect his pseudo friend. Arriving back in town, the two are given a hero’s welcome, however, William gets a hint that things are just not right.

Trying to get a malfunctioning host back up to speed, Elsie keeps her eyes open around the lab to see the wood cutter bot come back through, but this time it is not to be fixed, it is to be incinerated. For her own sake, Elsie needs to find out what happened and why it malfunctioned so badly, but most of the doors are shut to her. Finding a little blackmail on one of the repair techs, she is able to get some free time with the bot and finds something strange hidden in its arm. Pulling out a transmitter, Elsie takes her find to Bernard and wants now more than ever to know who is taking aim at the park and why information is being transmitted out.

The Man in Black is continuing his own game, trying to locate the entrance to the maze, but is finding out that his companion Lawrence may not be the key he was looking for. After pulling a dying Teddy down from a tree, he realizes the bounty hunter may be able to give him a better shot at finding what he seeks. Killing Lawrence to keep Teddy alive with his blood, The Man in Black makes it to town only to find that he is not the only human lurking around when he discovers Robert Ford is already there and ready to have a drink with him. Wanting to know what the end game really is, The Man in Black is forced to continue his adventure deeper into the game since Ford is not willing to give up any information, because the adventure is different for everyone.

Sticking with William and Logan, Dolores is remembering more and more every moment and is now starting to understand some of the things that William is staying to her about the outside world and the robots inside of the park. After seeing herself in Pariah and trying to track down the duplicate, she is left alone with Dr. Ford for yet another session, but instead of being forthcoming with the creator, she has found a way to keep a secret of her own. With a message from the second half of the creation team to destroy the park, she knows that there is something more to her existence, but it will take time and the maze to show her what that meaning really is.

In the chop shop, repair tech Felix is still struggling with having a host wake up and wander off during her patch work. Not being able to explain, much less understand what is happening he takes notice that Elsie from the behavior department is snooping around. Thinking that she has found a malfunction, he is worried that she might know about his little side project as well, the little bird that he is trying to bring back to life. With his own failed programming for his new pet, he is not willing to give up on what can be done with the hosts in the park, but when he finally gets the bird to fly on its own, he gets a visit from an old friend on the chopping block that wants to have a little chat.

People getting heated and tensions flaring may be an understatement for this episode as strange things are starting to come to light after the programming glitches have taken place. Doctor Ford is dealing with his own issues, but is keeping something hidden from everyone else and is happy in finding solace talking to the hosts for the time being, yet, he and The Man in Black have a history to discuss as well. Finding the town of Pariah seemed to be on Logan’s list of things to do, but the rules seem to be off of the table in this sinful town when he starts to get the crap kicked out of him. While William is facing his own demons in this town, his so called friend is nothing but power hungry and makes sure that William knows his existence is nothing more than a blip on the radar. Dolores has found a way to handle a gun and besides being a very good shot, is finding her way in the world and has found that William may be her greatest teacher yet, at least to figure out who she really is. Really digging on the Elsie story right now as her search for the truth has uncovered something more drastic than anyone has seen in the park to date and I cannot wait to see what kind of sabotage is found when the game truly comes to unfold in the theme park. Well, have to wait another week and I am curious to see what comes next, especially since a guest in Logan has been harmed by the hosts, which is not supposed to happen if he really is human and I have to wait to find out more about The Man in Black, especially since he is challenging the park and its creator in Robert Ford, which is fascinating because these two should be the best and oldest of friends when it comes to the park.

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