Season 2 of Westworld is a huge disappointment

With the largely negative reactions to the finale and the ratings dropping throughout the entire season, people keep comparing what happened to Westworld with what happened to True Detective - great first season, disappointing second season. I actually liked season 2 of True Detective (Rachel McAdams' amazing performance in particular) so this one was an even bigger drop in quality for me. The truth is that this season of Westworld was a massive let down.

Westworld 1x10 The Bicameral Mind

Well bravo, Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. I practically live on the subreddit for that show and I can tell you that from what I have seen not a single person predicted the ending of Westworld's season finale. Hell, I made some guesses and I was spectacularly wrong.

For 9 weeks people had 7 days between each episode and they used that time to form theories, look for clues, assume where it was all going. And while we predicted the reveal that the man with the charisma of a wash cloth (no offense but seriously what the hell?) will turn into Ed never-take-off-that-tuxedo-sir Harris, we hardly predicted anything else.

Westworld 1x09 The Well-Tempered Clavier

This week largely focused on Dolores and Bernard. Despite me having some massive issues with characterization of William I'd say this was my favorite episode so far. The last 20 minutes of it were pure brilliance in every single possible way.

Westworld 1x08 Trace Decay

This week in Westworld things were a little less depressing than last week when we got the ultimate episode of doom and gloom. Unfortunately, the writing leaves a lot to be desired this week and I ain't talking about the two dumb technicians. Dumb is possible to explain. You know what is not possible to explain? Big ass maze showing up in the field for no reason with Ed Harris standing there probably looking at it (we're not even sure), mesmerized, also for no comprehensible reason. I gave it a chance assuming that it is me who is stupid but after asking on reddit and getting no satisfactory answer I'm gonna assume that what is stupid here is the writing for this one particular sequence.

But let's start with everything else:

Westworld 1x07 Trompe L'Oeil

So first of all the show has been renewed for the second season! Yey! Happiness! Unfortunately it may not air until 2018 which means I have to try and stay alive until then.

Westworld 1x06 The Adversary

So first of all kids, don't watch this show drunk. I am currently on my holidays but I didn't know the Americans turned their clocks back or whatever so instead of 2 AM the episode aired on 3 AM my time. By that time I was smashed. I still watched it but man did I not got anything. Fortunately I blocked out that dead dog shot. Unfortunately I still had to see it upon rewatching.

Westworld 1x05 Contrapasso

Last night's episode of Westworld is hailed as the best one yet by majority of the reviewers but since I am shallow as hell I did like the pure old Western fun and the jail break sequence of last week a little more than Contrapasso. That said this episode took us perhaps the furthest down the park and ironically we didn't spend a moment in the main town of Sweetwater.

Westworld 1x04 Dissonance Theory

This is my favorite episode so far. The show took it easy on the whole mindfuck aspect of it this week and focused on good old fun. I sincerely hope you all watched it on Sunday instead of The Walking Gorefest.

Soooo damn much happened in this episode that instead of going through it scene by scene I'll just split this recap into what happened in each storyline. My least favorite scenes were Dolores' and though they were all intriguing perhaps her arc is just not as thrilling as whatever is going on with Man in Black and Maeve. Anyways Dolores is having another conversation with Bernard and he tells her of the game - the maze. He tells her that if she can get to the center of it, she can be free.

Westworld 1x03 The Stray

New episode of Westworld was definitely the most confusing one yet. I sit here, feeling dumb, waiting till someone responds to my questions on reddit or our board.

We open with another one of the secret chats between Dolores and Bernard. Bernard has a gift for her - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. He asks Dolores to read several passages and wants to know what she thinks about them. He also tells her he used to read this book to his son. We then see Dolores wake up and start her daily loop.

Westworld 1x02 Chestnut

Welcome to the nightmare.

This week we were made privy to another secret of Westworld - turns out Bernard is having private chats with Dolores. His voice also wakes her up and guides her and in the last scenes of the episode we see Dolores find a gun - a gun that is most likely capable of shooting guests.

Westworld 1x01 The Original

And in their triumph die, like fire and powder, 
Which, as they kiss, consume. The sweetest honey
Is loathsome in his own deliciousness
And in the taste confounds the appetite.
Therefore love moderately. Long love doth so.
Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow. 
- Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, scene 6

It seems that after some trouble (trouble thy name is Vinyl) HBO finally landed their next great hit - the first episode of Westrworld premiered to 3,3 mln audience last Sunday. Will it continue to have such a big audience? I'm not sure. While watching the fantastic premiere I was often reminded of another disturbing big budget HBO show - Carnivale. Because of huge cost and not big viewership the visionary series was cancelled after merely two seasons. Westworld's first episode sparked so many theories and ideas after only one episode I have never seen anything like it when it comes to HBO show. Hopefully the audience chooses to engage in this mysterious, puzzling narrative instead of finding it too complex for their liking.