In a season with 10 episodes, each installment has to be impactful. Episode four of HBO’s sci-fi drama “Westworld” struggles in this regard, continuing to provide more questions than answers. The ballooning of mysteries is exciting in real time, but such consistent obscurity can leave the audience underwhelmed. (See “Lost,” another Bad Robot project.)
“Dissonance Theory” is not a bad episode of television. There are some extremely fun parts and promises of great things to come. But the insistence of the showrunners on a slow burn is beginning to become frustrating. This isn’t “The Leftovers” — “Westworld” is a show about the plot and the forward movement of the characters. The journey of the Man in Black (Ed Harris) this episode was entertaining, but would have been even more riveting with more appropriate pacing.
The best scene of the episode is the conversation between Dr. Ford (Anthony Hopkins) and Westworld’s operation leader, Theresa (Sidse Babett Knudsen). Theresa confronts Dr. Ford over the new narrative that Ford is building, and Ford proves he is, in fact, as intelligent and manipulative as the first three episodes suggested. Ford’s god complex regarding the Hosts is somewhat horrifying, evidenced by his ability to control the hosts without even having to speak. Hopefully this is the beginning of a substantial back-and-forth rivalry between the two characters.
Maeve’s revelation is another huge moment in the episode. Her realization when she sees all of her past drawings is extremely powerful, and shows quite a bit of time has passed since the second episode, when she gains a semi-consciousness. Yet despite this brilliant revelation, it seems Maeve will just have her memory wiped again, and she will have to start this whole process over again, a disappointing step backwards for the narrative.
Theories and questions
Considering how “Westworld” fuels and embraces audience theories, it's only fitting that these weekly recaps end with a bit of theorizing as well.
The possibility that William (Jimmi Simpson) is a younger version of the Man in Black seems to continue with this episode. In reality, there is no strong evidence of this connection, but there also hasn’t been any evidence to tie these two characters to the same time period. However, the idea of multiple timelines does seem more plausible than ever, as the opening scene of “Dissonance Theory,” between Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) and Dolores, does not seem to fit in chronological order with Dolores’ subsequent story in the episode.
The church Dolores sees in her dreams seems to be the key to a larger story. The top of the church has been previously seen in the second episode, when Dr. Ford ascends into the park and talks to the boy host. Is the church and the graveyard a scene from Dolores’ memory? Regardless, the church seems to possibly be an entrance into the maze.
After Elsie (Shannon Woodward) ponders the significance of Orion’s Belt, Bernard points out that the carving in the wood is something else. The Belt has three stars, and the carving has four. If this carving isn’t about a constellation then presumably it is a map, but to what? A map to the maze? A map to the mysterious Wyatt?
Hopefully Hector (Rodrigo Santoro) will be able to deliver his speech one day and take over Sweetwater.
While “Dissonance Theory” didn’t reveal a lot, it did continue to clarify the park’s mechanics and to further develop the show’s central characters. The preview of the next episode seems to promise a major confrontation, as Maeve hopefully continues to piece together her reality.
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