'Westworld' Recap: 'The Well-Tempered Clavier'

Written by Scott Edwards

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

Being reunited with Logan, William is none too pleased to see his running mate again. Even though Logan is happy with his new position in the storyline, he can see that William has become immersed too deeply into the story and believes that Dolores is a real person. Wanting to prove to his soon to be brother in law that it is just a game, Logan slices open the host’s stomach revealing metal and wiring to prove his point. Not being a party favor for anyone, not any more, Dolores is able to escape and continue her trek to the maze that will provide her with all of the answers she is looking for. While hoping that his new found love has made it away safely, William decides it is truly time to play the game and with all of the rules off of the table, a little bit of blood might do him good.

After trying to find out what was going on with Maeve, Bernard finds out once again that he is not the person he thought he was. With his programming knowhow and questions that need answering, he is able to break into Dr. Ford’s office and get a meeting with his mentor. Wanting to know everything about his past, Bernard forces the mind behind the park to give him back his memories. Knowing that this could cause a problem with his favorite yes man, Ford bends to his creation's will and allows Bernard to take a long look at his past. But Bernard is not happy with the results and needs to see himself interacting with Arnold, since those memories are what is driving the growing madness in the park and could also give him motivation to continue his work on a different scale.

After being captured by Wyatt’s crew, the Man in Black and Teddy are forced to wait for the rest of the game to come to them. With his memories slowly making a return, Wyatt’s favorite woman bandit Angela is able to get him to remember what really happened in his past life, the killing of innocent women and children in the old town, not the soldiers that he has been thinking about. With Teddy being a prominent part of Wyatt’s plans going forward, he is not yet ready for the story and is killed once again, but this time his death may not be in vain. Even though the maze may not be for him, the Man in Black is still ready to get there and find out what the past programmer Arnold really had in mind for the park. Getting interrupted by Charlotte in the middle of his escape, the Man in Black’s support is needed to help unseat Dr. Ford, and he can care less about what happens to the narrative in the park as the maze is the only thing that he really cares about.

Maeve continues to write her own script as she quickly finds out that Bernard is one her own kind. Getting her former overseer to question what he is doing, she gets sent back to the park to work on getting her army put together. Knowing that she will need a grand distraction to escape the park's confines, she hunts for the number one killer, Hector, and gives him a choice when it comes to following her. Showing him that his future is empty like hers once was, she is able to convince him to join her cause, but the only problem is trying to keep him turned on when the technicians come to pick him up and reprogram him.  

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Doctor Ford seems to be in a hard place as his number one creation is forcing him to replay all of his memories that have been erased over the years. With a gun to his head, Ford tries to warn his old friend that he may not like what he sees and it could affect their work in the park. Unleashing the host’s memories, Ford watches as Bernard starts to break down from everything that he has done, and lets loose the fact that Bernard is a replica of Arnold and has been manipulating the hosts during his sessions with them. Plus, Ford has another secret to reveal when it comes to the hosts in the park, including Bernard, specifically that none of them will ever be able to hurt him, much less let harm come his way as he shows that the back door programing cannot be beat, not even with a host that has been left for scrap. Knowing that Bernard will never be able to work with him again, Ford shows his power once more and has Bernard eliminate himself for the greater good of the park and the new narrative that will change things forever.

An episode that answers plenty of questions, yet there are still several more that we would like answered as the finale draws near. With memories coming back to many of the hosts, it seems like they will all be running off script to find what they are looking for, whatever that may be. Dolores makes it back to the town where it all started and remembers her time talking with Arnold and has exposed the entrance to the maze and it is far from what has been promised to her. Teddy finds out that he is a stone cold killer, while the Man in Black is given the location of the maze. Bernard is given his memories back, along with another killing that he does not remember. William continues to battle with his so called friend as he knows that there is something special about Dolores and is able to demonstrate that anything in the park is possible by taking out the entire army regiment that Logan is running with. 

It was really a brilliant episode in my mind, watching as Bernard is faced with his false history and is finally able to control how his memories play out. I see why Ford has taken such a liking to his creation, especially by making him a dead ringer for the infamous Arnold whom all of the hosts know about. Seeing now that Bernard’s interactions with the hosts was not only to keep them running correctly in the park, but to implant something greater that he has had on his mind since inception, there is a story behind the distrust for humanity that seems to be justly deserved. With only one episode left in this season, it will be amazing to see what happens next as it seems like the fail safes are off and plenty of the hosts are able to take matters into their own hands, especially when they are being challenged by anyone.

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