Westworld Episode 3 Instant Take: “The Absence of Field”

Westworld-Episode-3-Review-The-Absence-of-Field

Westworld Episode 3 Instant Take: “The Absence of Field”

If your main question after Season 3, Episode 3, was “who’s in those pearls?” you missed a lot of really good TV. Westworld’s genre-switching was phenomenal; Tessa Thompson’s portrayal of another inside Charlotte Hale’s shell was impeccable, and plausible glimpses of future tech were both astonishing and chilling.

In this instant reaction episode, we touch on Rahobo’s mirror reality, Caleb’s augmentation, Charlotte’s predator within, and the very idea of identity. The Shat Crew also announce their new Twitch channel and celebrate pedophile murder.

Also, if you miss our opening theme music, blame Apple for not allowing Audacity on Catalina. We’ll have it fixed for the Deep Dive.

Listen to more great music from Simon: www.soundcloud.com/simonsteric

Westworld Episode 3 Summary:
“The Absence of Field” The Charlotte host learns Serac is attempting to take over Delos via a mole within the company. Struggling to maintain her identity as a host, Charlotte discovers that the human Charlotte was Serac’s mole, having promised to get the guests’ data to him. However, that data is now locked by an encryption key that Dolores has. Caleb helps Dolores flee but becomes a target under the Rico system. Dolores arrives to save him and shows him that Rehoboam is a predictive AI that is being used to shape the future direction of humanity, down to controlling every individual’s life. Rehoboam has predicted that Caleb will commit suicide in a decade and thus keeps him in poor-paying jobs. Caleb offers to join Dolores as she plans a revolution against Serac and Rehoboam.

Subscribe Now

Help Support the Podcast

You may also like...

8 Responses

  1. Theresa L. says:

    Hello Everyone:
    I really enjoy your podcast on YouTube three times a week. Your philosophies are very enlightening, thank you. One idea I would like to share is that Deloris may expect Caleb to still commit suicide however this is why she chooses him because Rahoboam did not want to invest in someone like him. On the other hand, she as a host from the park is willing to invest in him even if he ends up dying as predicted. She will prove that no matter what Rahoboam’s predictions are for individuals considered unproductive citizens, the world can be changed or made better by their presence. Just a Thought… Have a good weekend.

  2. Hannah says:

    I am confused as to why Charlotte Hale’s body was seemingly made twice (unless I misinterpreted the scene). It looked in this episode at the beginning as if she was being built by Dolores in Arnold’s old home. It looked light and homey where as the place the Charlotte body was built in Westworld was dark and underground.

    We know that she had already been made by Bernard on Westworld Island and travelled back to the mainland as Dolores. So why did she build her again? And how?

    Also, surely the only way to do build all 3 hosts as we see them now would be for Charlores to build both Dolores and Bernard, get Bernard to transfer the Dolores pearl from Cs body into D’s body (surely she can’t do this herself as once the pearl leaves her body it won’t function) and then Dolores just needs to put the 3rd pearl into Charlottes body. I really don’t understand how they would need to build a second Charlotte body on the mainland, and why Charlotte was the one to seemingly build Bernard.

    I would be super grateful if you could clear all of this up for me as I think I must have got lost somewhere!

    Love you guys loads, keep doing what you do !

    Hannah

    • Kenny p says:

      I want to take a crack at this hannah. I think you’re interpreting it correctly, As it seems that everything in this show is well thought out and intentional…

      I think the Charlotte body being made is a continuity error, as it just doesn’t make any sense other than they wanted that to be part of her “birth” and progressing throughout the episode to show the host (*whomever it is*) building up to the role she plays. The episode does work as a stand alone, and it makes more sense (*in just this episode*) in that context.

      I think it’s a mistake, possibly overlooked. I know diff directors can be involved from one episode to the next. I find it hard to believe they would make such an error, but little else explains the way it was shot.

      That said, if we wanted to get out there in theory land, this could be a virtual world…. but I don’t want to subscribe to that theory. It’s possible though

      • Hannah says:

        Thanks for your theories Kenny – I really think as you say that the show is 100% thought out and that it wont be a mistake – I think that theres something hidden here like you suggested that they are in a virtual world – which I also don’t want to believe – but I would highly doubt at this stage that the show would make such a I mistake

      • Hannah says:

        Thanks for your theories Kenny – I really think as you say that the show is 100% thought out and that it wont be a mistake – I think that theres something hidden here like you suggested that they are in a virtual world – which I also don’t want to believe – but I would highly doubt at this stage that the show would make such a Imistake

        • Kenny P says:

          Im officially just about on the mirror world bandwagon. There’s so many really interesting cuts or shots they are doing that suggest there’s something going on here

          They also are really going out of the way to concept drop mirrors into every episode.
          Something I noticed in episode 4 that I confess could entirely be looking too hard at the show, is bernard walking by 2 rockets.. which to my eye, looked as if they were landing…. right? I initially thought what a cool way to bring bernard’s memory of his son into this.

          To me, it harkened back to older times when families got together to watch the launches of space missions. That’s 100 percent what they were going for here, that’s not even a question.

          The question for me is, that it
          A. Looked very odd, the way they were landing, like nothing I’ve ever seen in life, 2 rockets perfectly vertical, landing parallel right next to each other. Just entirely odd
          B. The memories of families gathering to watch shuttles almost entirely is of launches. NOT landings. Right?

          Now it’s possible im wrong on those observations.

          But as an avid fan of this show, I know we are supposed to question these types of things.

          When bernard recalled his son; we were then shown the exact same family watching an entirely different rocket launch..

          Something is wrong here in this sequence in my mind. And so, with the mirrors referenced in every episode,. I am starting to wonder if the mirror is showing it upside down or somewhat backwards, if you will. Left hand looks right, and vice versa…..

          Idk. It’s out there for my logic, but I usually am wise to listen to my instincts with these things.

  3. Kevin says:

    How can a dead Charlotte steal Maveve’s ball?
    Please end my madness and give me an answer. Because I can’t find one.

    Stay safe
    Kevin

  4. Nancy says:

    Hi Shat Squad, I am a loyal listener of the Westworld podcasts with some time (now) to write in. I have a question: can Charlotte be a Clementine? She did understand that Charlotte was trying to kill the hosts. She is loyal to Delores and killed for her cause. DELOS did re-programmed her to send a virus to kill hosts (she had no choice). Clementine always seemed to be tortured and is now scarring herself. She sought guidance (from Maeve and now Delores). She remembers every now, who she was and who she is now tying to be. She is struggling with her new identity and now knows Charlotte was the mole. Makes me want to see how this plays out for her. What do you think?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.