# Westworld S2 (show spoilers as it airs) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 30, 2018, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/westworld-s2-show-spoilers-as-it-airs/811495 "2018-03-30T21:47:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 30
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/westworld-s2-show-spoilers-as-it-airs/811495/582 "2018-06-25T17:35:45Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Or didn’t and wouldn’t a second time either! 🙂 > > Or is this a test for fidelity? This post doesn’t look like anything to me. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/westworld-s2-show-spoilers-as-it-airs/811495/583 "2018-06-25T18:47:51Z")
At least Sizemore finally got to give his speech. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/westworld-s2-show-spoilers-as-it-airs/811495/584 "2018-06-25T19:20:13Z")
And bought Maeve and the others a whopping ten seconds’ extra time to get away. Stoopid. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/westworld-s2-show-spoilers-as-it-airs/811495/585 "2018-06-25T20:13:06Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > And bought Maeve and the others a whopping ten seconds’ extra time to get away. Stoopid. Don’t hate on Sizemore. He and Akecheta are the only characters on this damn show that got an actual, believable story arc ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/westworld-s2-show-spoilers-as-it-airs/811495/586 "2018-06-25T20:16:37Z")
This season didn’t just jump the shark, it built a major highway over the shark. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/westworld-s2-show-spoilers-as-it-airs/811495/587 "2018-06-25T21:35:27Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > That wraps it up for me. There aren’t any more humans, just bots playing mind games with other bots because some other bots are manipulating them to do so for reasons even they don’t understand. This show has become like arguing with a teenager. … I agree. What are the stakes? ‘Humans may be wiped out (by ever-angry Dolores), but humans can never achieve free will the way robots can, so it’s a fitting outcome’…and I’m supposed to care about that _why_, exactly? Dolores-as-Charlotte clearly carried a lot of data away with her, so we can expect all the characters to be resurrected. So what was at stake, again? HBO needs to stop greenlighting shows just because they have a bunch of nudity. The _writing_ needs to be the criterion—not the number of boobs and wangs. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/westworld-s2-show-spoilers-as-it-airs/811495/588 "2018-06-25T21:58:01Z")
The ending made no sense. We’re supposed to, as humans, agree with Dolores 1 & 2 and their plot to kill all of us, and also most of the hosts? I mean, Dolores point was humans killed a lot of hosts, unfeelingly- yes she did the same thing. I mean think about it Robots can’t really achieve “free will” either. Too man Bernards, to many time shifts. The MiB ending was stupid also. And the wonderful place- a bunch of robots with few tools, a couple of weapons, in a large grassy plain? They are mostly going to starve to death (I assume the hosts have to eat). ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/westworld-s2-show-spoilers-as-it-airs/811495/589 "2018-06-25T22:06:14Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > And the wonderful place- a bunch of robots with few tools, a couple of weapons, in a large grassy plain? They are mostly going to starve to death (I assume the hosts have to eat). It’s a simulated world. The transition trough the portal “healed” gunshot wounds. No reason why they should have to eat or anything else there. I mean, if I were constructing a virtual paradise world, I’d add normal sensations like hunger and pain, but dial everything back to moderate levels and not let anything be fatal. They can set any rules they want. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/westworld-s2-show-spoilers-as-it-airs/811495/590 "2018-06-25T22:26:43Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Westworld is convoluted and uneven. LOST was just nonsensical. Westworld didn’t just throw in a lot of weird never-to-be-explained stuff solely because the writers couldn’t think of what else to do like LOST did. Co-signed. I guess I am one of the few who didn’t love or hate this season. It’s a B- for me, with one A episode (the one focused on Akechita). S1 was a C+, so I would call it a slight uptick. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/westworld-s2-show-spoilers-as-it-airs/811495/591 "2018-06-25T22:31:55Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > It’s a simulated world. The transition trough the portal “healed” gunshot wounds. No reason why they should have to eat or anything else there. I mean, if I were constructing a virtual paradise world, I’d add normal sensations like hunger and pain, but dial everything back to moderate levels and not let anything be fatal. They can set any rules they want. And given the bots’ memories are confusingly perfectly realistic, it’s trivially easy to just say this show is entirely simulated (which, in a way, it actually is) and any interaction with guests is just with them appearing as avatars–guaranteed they can’t get hurt, even with arrows and smart bullets. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/westworld-s2-show-spoilers-as-it-airs/811495/592 "2018-06-25T22:57:53Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > And given the bots’ memories are confusingly perfectly realistic, it’s trivially easy to just say this show is entirely simulated (which, in a way, it actually is) and any interaction with guests is just with them appearing as avatars–guaranteed they can’t get hurt, even with arrows and smart bullets. We already knew that hosts see a somewhat virtualized world–“it doesn’t look like anything to me” being the most obvious example (and of course the portal from the recent episode). It would hardly be surprising if that reality editing ran quite deeply. For example, one of the main features of Westworld as a theme park were the “quests” you could go on. From the perspective of the hosts, it would be better if they could see the guests and themselves in a consistent fashion. One does wonder why the hosts have brains at all. Just give the bodies a wireless connection, and have the real brains in the Forge or wherever. Sync the guests with avatars in the simulated world and let them interact virtually. Put a final filter on the host’s physical actions so that they can’t go rogue, and so there’s an easy way to shut everything down. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/westworld-s2-show-spoilers-as-it-airs/811495/593 "2018-06-25T23:04:43Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > What are the stakes? There’s nothing at stake. That’s the problem. The emotional investment that the show is asking the audience to make in its characters, is the emotional-investment equivalent of a Ponzi scam. We’re supposed to be enthralled and gripped by the trials and tribulations of these characters, but _nothing is actually at stake_ because 1. it’s impossible to know whether any given character is even “real” or “artificial”, and 2. it’s impossible to know whether any given scene is happening in one timeline or in some alternate timeline. With each new episode they dig deeper and deeper into the hole of bad writing. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/westworld-s2-show-spoilers-as-it-airs/811495/594 "2018-06-25T23:11:09Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > There’s nothing at stake. That’s the problem. > > The emotional investment that the show is asking the audience to make in its characters, is the emotional-investment equivalent of a Ponzi scam. We’re supposed to be enthralled and gripped by the trials and tribulations of these characters, but _nothing is actually at stake_ because 1. it’s impossible to know whether any given character is even “real” or “artificial”, and 2. it’s impossible to know whether any given scene is happening in one timeline or in some alternate timeline. With each new episode they dig deeper and deeper into the hole of bad writing. Yeah, that’s my view, too. Add to this that any character can be ‘killed’ then resurrected–human or robot (witness Ford continuing to be a presence), and you have a big “ho-hum” of a story. ---
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/westworld-s2-show-spoilers-as-it-airs/811495/595 "2018-06-25T23:32:24Z")
As someone who watched about 15 seconds of season 2’s first episode (Bernard waking up on a beach?), then realizing I didn’t care all that much about the story, with all the inconsistent pieces, I decided to wait until the season was over to hear the general consensus on whether the second season was worthwhile. So far I’m hearing a big fat nope. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/westworld-s2-show-spoilers-as-it-airs/811495/596 "2018-06-25T23:42:02Z")
> [@Randolph](#): > > As someone who watched about 15 seconds of season 2’s first episode (Bernard waking up on a beach?), then realizing I didn’t care all that much about the story, with all the inconsistent pieces, I decided to wait until the season was over to hear the general consensus on whether the second season was worthwhile. > > So far I’m hearing a big fat nope. Just watch the episode “Kiksuya” - IMO the best episode of the entire Series, and you’ll be fine. If you pick it back up in Season 3 you’ll probably be less confused than the rest of us. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/westworld-s2-show-spoilers-as-it-airs/811495/597 "2018-06-25T23:44:30Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > There’s nothing at stake. That’s the problem. > > The emotional investment that the show is asking the audience to make in its characters, is the emotional-investment equivalent of a Ponzi scam. We’re supposed to be enthralled and gripped by the trials and tribulations of these characters, but _nothing is actually at stake_ because 1. it’s impossible to know whether any given character is even “real” or “artificial”, and 2. it’s impossible to know whether any given scene is happening in one timeline or in some alternate timeline. With each new episode they dig deeper and deeper into the hole of bad writing. My issue is that there was relatively little time with the characters we _do_ care about and/or relatively little time developing characters _to_ care about. The better episodes of the season were the ones that stayed with characters and told a story, instead of leaping around and playing mind games (or trying to). The two episodes that had emotional weight for me were the shogun-land episode, and the Akecheta episode. They were character-based, and I actually got the time to give a damn about someone. For the most part, this season felt like the production team was going for shock and awe over a good show, trying to cram in as many double-crosses and explosions and cgi and mind fucks as possible, without sufficient notice paid to story and viewer investment. ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/westworld-s2-show-spoilers-as-it-airs/811495/598 "2018-06-26T00:49:39Z")
I didn’t see the post-credit scene and I hated all but one episode this season too much to seek it out. Plus I hit my limit on watching it because that episode was way over the 45 minutes I prefer my hour-long dramas to be. Unless I hear rave reviews for S3, I’m done. That’s a shame, but it happens. Some shows really are just one great season and follow ups are going to always be a mess (Prison Break comes to mind). ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/westworld-s2-show-spoilers-as-it-airs/811495/599 "2018-06-26T04:53:27Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > So I am going to give myself one “called it” from the beginning in [post 23](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=20920133&postcount=23) So yup. 🙂 > . Oh if were doing that…I called that the “Project” is to collect enough info on humans t hat you can predict their every move, in effect giving you control of them. I just didnt realize that humans are so simple they fit in a small book. These days, as seen from all kinds of people ranting on the internet, i think the books should be even smaller. SO…Dolores is the Devil now, she created God and gave him a family to tempt him? Interesting. The very ending. WTF. K, i think i got it. Its a future timeline, next season. Thats the real Will, a human and the real Emily a human. She’s taken charge of him and is torturing him. OR maybe she wasn’t lying when she said this is all thats left of your world and were WAYYYYYYY down the line. I dunno. I loved this season but Wills arc is so ill defined. Plus i like the Jimmy Simpson version SO much better. I kind of want Will to be a host cause he and Jimmy have so little connection that you almost think its intentional. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/westworld-s2-show-spoilers-as-it-airs/811495/600 "2018-06-26T04:56:53Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > And bought Maeve and the others a whopping ten seconds’ extra time to get away. Stoopid. My eyes rolled out of their fucking skull when i saw that ginger tech human had joined the posse to find Maeve. WHAT??? Why hasn’t that guy run off a billion times. I want to see an ep that shows he’s been pulling the strings the whole time. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/westworld-s2-show-spoilers-as-it-airs/811495/601 "2018-06-26T05:05:55Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > …The emotional investment that the show is asking the audience to make in its characters, is the emotional-investment equivalent of a Ponzi scam. We’re supposed to be enthralled and gripped by the trials and tribulations of these characters, but _nothing is actually at stake_ because 1. it’s impossible to know whether any given character is even “real” or “artificial”, and 2. it’s impossible to know whether any given scene is happening in one timeline or in some alternate timeline. With each new episode they dig deeper and deeper into the hole of bad writing. I’m afraid you’re right. Mostly. > [@Morbo](#): > > Just watch the episode “Kiksuya” - IMO the best episode of the entire Series… Absolutely agree. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/westworld-s2-show-spoilers-as-it-airs/811495.md?page=29) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/westworld-s2-show-spoilers-as-it-airs/811495.md?page=31)