"The Passage From One World To The Next Requires Bold Steps Bernard..."
With the climax of last week's episode teasing the return of Anthony Hopkins' elegant and calculating Dr. Robert Ford, the question surrounding "Les Ecorches", the seventh episode of the ever-improving second season of Westworld, was how big a part the character's return would play in regards to answering the questions that seem to have all have arisen at the same time of his character's infamous "death" in the debut season's finale. With Bernard entering the dreamscape sensibility of the Cradle in order to make contact with Ford, his re-introduction this week alleviates a minor slither of ambiguity regarding the overall purpose of the park, with the notion of human survival seemingly the primary goal of the Westworld hierarchy, something of which was touched upon in previous episodes, particularly within "The Riddle of the Sphinx" in which the groundhog day effect of James Delos' everlasting host seems much more crucial to the Westworld endgame in retrospect, and with Ford now still alive in conscious form rather than physical, his transfer into the mind of Bernard crafted up some rather creepy, spectre-esque imagery as Bernard was forced to murder against his will and fall in line towards the will of Ford and his calculating scheme of survival.
With the episode beginning with the secrets of Bernard being set free into the hands of Tessa Thompson's Charlotte Hale, the ghost of Theresa Cullen loomed over Bernard as he was forced to face the truth surrounding his fundamental existence, and with the narrative chopping back and forth between time periods once again, the outcome of last week's train bombing paid dividends with a long-awaited meeting between the two alpha females on each side of the pack. With Thompson's Charlotte and Delores finally meeting head-to-head in the Westworld HQ compound, the former's attempts at scrambling the mind of the now murderous host was swiftly eradicated, with Delores seemingly well aware of the bigger picture surrounding the park and the possibility of man's wish of everlasting life, and with Charlotte close to experiencing the violent delights of the host's capabilities, the interaction between the two was well executed and brilliantly tense. With action aplenty and numerous low-key character deaths, both human and host alike, "Les Ecorches" balanced action with meaningful exposition rather excellently, and with the return of Anthony Hopkins adding that extra slice of sinister charm that encompassed his character last season, this week's episode of Westworld was an hour of absorbing and wholly entertaining science fiction spectacle.
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