The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Westworld

Published January 14, 2017 · Updated July 6, 2022

I thought the season finale was overall strong. I think my initial viewing was influenced by having watched another boring episode of The Walking Dead before it.

After watching “The Bicameral Mind” a second time, I have some complaints, while still appreciating some very satisfying elements. As we look back on the season as a whole, let’s stick with the Western motif and review the good, the bad and the ugly and my top three choices for each.

Good

The Maeve Storyline – Of all the characters, I think that Maeve had the strongest journey and growth from unaware host to sentient being. Maeve is truly given free will – a choice she contemplates as she sits on the train, to see the real world or find her daughter and start a new life. I am very excited to see what she does next season.

The Timeline – I felt that we were watching two to three timelines from the beginning, and I believe this was a great accomplishment on behalf of the creators and writers that expertly weaved the narrative together. It forced us to theorize what was taking place.

The Show/Park Atmosphere – From the stunning visuals to the complex park and the musical score, the tone and tenor of Westworld was beautiful and terrifying. I also like that the location of the park (maybe an island?!?!) was never answered, as it isn’t necessary, at this point or maybe ever, to the endgame.

Bad (not so good)

The Secondary Characters – I would argue that Elsie, Stubbs, Teddy and Theresa were given the potential for great arcs, only to have those snatched away, unnecessarily. Did Elsie really die? Why? What happened to Stubbs? Why kill off Theresa, who would have been a better foil to Dr. Ford, especially considering her romantic involvement with Bernard?

The Maze – I think the maze suffered from a fanbase that was rabid in its devotion to the show and intoxicated with theory-building. The mystery of the maze was a great element for many of the episodes. However, it lost its power when the reveal was made. I think this is also relevant when you consider that the symbol was on coffins and inside scalps of the hosts, and we find out it was a child’s game that influence reforming a pyramid that was really an internal struggle! Huh?

The MiB – I was somewhat disappointed with the transition of William to the Man in Black. The scene in the finale was good, as MiB stands over Dolores and makes the reveal, but there is so much narrative that was left wide open between the two timeframes. Why did a switch just go off in William when he slaughtered the soldiers? Why didn’t the MiB just stay with Dolores the whole time to find the maze? This could have used more work.

Ugly (really terrible)

The Unnecessary Characters – Sizemore, Charlotte and the Board were wastes of space. Their storylines would have been easily assimilated into other existing characters, who ultimately had more potential for direct impact on the park and the main characters.

The Photo and Peter Abernathy – We found out who it is, where it was taken and how it made it into the park, but how did it change Peter Abernathy? Yes, we know he looked at it and saw something. However, his arc was not used to its full potential. I would have liked to have that character provide additional context, such as an example of memory and loss, for what others, like Maeve and Dolores, were experiencing. Plus, he was badass.

The Gun – Why did Bernard have to be the one that buried the gun for Dolores? It makes no difference in the end who buried it, but it was one of those potential plot points that could have made more sense, given the history between Bernard and Dolores.

However, therein lies the rub of our problems with the show – we are the Man in Black in all of these scenarios. We expected so much from the show and the mysteries, and we cannot fault the creators and writers for all of it. Some things fell flat because we had too much time to create fantastical theories of what would happen and which were never destined to occur. But it’s bad when some of your ideas are better than the reality.

The bottomline is this – when Westworld was good, it was really good. When it was bad and ugly, well, you get the picture. There should have been more focus on building the characters in the first season and slowly layering the mysteries and motives into the narrative. I remain cautiously optimistic and somewhat excited for the potential within Season 2.

Travis M.
Morgantown, WV

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