‘Westworld’ Season 2, Episode 4: Who Are You Rooting For After “The Riddle of the Sphinx”?

We aren’t close to having all the answers in Season 2 of Westworld, but last night’s episode, “The Riddle of the Sphinx”, did give us a bunch of information—from the fate of James Delos to Elsie’s whereabouts after Season 1 to Grace’s identity. Episode 4 was perhaps the strongest episode of the season, which says a lot considering Dolores and Maeve weren’t even in it, and with so many different storylines in different time periods, it begs the question: who should you be rooting for?

 

Dolores

The Season 1 finale of Westworld saw Dolores turn into a ruthless, human-killing machine, and that path has continued for the most part in Season 2. However, she showed she still has a soft side, or a “human” side, if you will, when she reunited with her father in last week’s episode. Some viewers will probably love her character no matter what she does to real people because of the world they enjoyed at her expense, but the heart she displayed might get more pulling for her in a quest to reach the “Valley Beyond”.

 

Maeve

It can be argued that while Dolores now believes she is free, Maeve is the only host that has truly found freedom. Yes, she has shown she will kill those who get in her way, but she has also let others (like Sizemore) live, especially if they can help. Also, Maeve doesn’t seek conflict; instead, she simply wants to find her daughter, which is probably the most honorable ambition out of anyone on the show.

 

Bernard

Bernard is a strange case because he seems to be so out of sorts that—at least in my opinion—you know he’s a robot at all times and don’t feel quite as empathetic towards him. That said, when he acts on his own free will (i.e. not under Ford’s control), Bernard has seemed to want a good outcome for both humans and hosts, as evidenced by his helping both Charlotte Hale and Elsie Hughes already this season. It will be interesting to see how he aligns himself if a full-scale war begins, as the season premiere suggests he did something to drown a bunch of hosts, including Teddy.

 

Delos security/workers

They are all separated, but this includes Charlotte, Sizemore, and Elsie, along with Ashley Stubbs and new character Karl Strand. Stubbs was revealed to be captured by Ghost Nation in “The Riddle of the Sphinx”, and he seems to believe the hosts still aren’t able to kill humans, which we know isn’t true. Last week already had a battle between Delos security and host forces led by Dolores, and as stated, we could see full-fledged war begin soon. Personally, I want a little more revealed about Delos’ intentions and who is spearheading them before picking a side, but the notable humans that remain at Westworld seem like decent enough people.

 

Man in Black

As far as I’m concerned, the Man in Black is the best character on the show. It’s hard to speak to his past actions and the kind of husband and father he was considering his wife committed suicide and his relationship with Emily seems to be strained to say the least, but the full extent of his character in the real world is still unknown. I was concerned he wouldn’t make it out alive when he took on Major Craddock and his men, but William clearly knows how to assess the situation and use his quick trigger to come out on top. How many more holes can he dig himself out of, though?

 

Grace/Emily

The combination of the “Previously on Westworld” clips along with Grace and William’s separate interactions in “The Riddle of the Sphinx” made be think that the mysterious character we met last week was actually the Man in Black’s daughter, but I didn’t expect them to reveal it by the end of last night’s episode. Now, we are left with a cliffhanger after Emily comes face-to-face with her father in the park, and it’s anyone’s guess as to how their relationship will play out. I could just as easily see her wanting vengeance for William losing himself in Westworld as I could see her teaming up with him to continue playing Robert’s game. (I hope it’s the latter.)

 

Dr. Ford

Have we really seen the last of Anthony Hopkins in Westworld? Being a human, Robert Ford was killed for good when Dolores shot him in the head in the Season 1 finale, but as the scenes between Jim Delos and William showed last night, being dead “for good” might be a thing of the past. It’s probably safe to assume Ford was in charge of the technology to make Delos immortal, and 149 attempts at turning him into a host was enough to make significant improvements over the years. So why couldn’t Ford have made more strides before his own death to accomplish what Jim Delos wanted to—but for himself? It would certainly explain how Ford is still talking to the Man in Black by bouncing from host to host. And he could wind up leading the revolution that he both started and was the first casualty of.