TV Review: Westworld - Series Two Episode Three "Virtù e Fortuna"

"There Is Beauty In What We Are. Should We Too Try To Survive..?"

With this week meaning that we are already three episodes into the latest season of Westworld, one could argue that in terms of contrasting series tones, HBO's flagship show of 2018 bears an aching similarity to Netflix's maddeningly enjoyable adaptation of Marvel's Daredevil, with the first season of each both being outdone in terms of adrenaline fuelled action by their follow up sisters, and what episode three of Westworld proves this week is that not only is the blockbuster budget being well and truly dug into in order to showcase much more expansive action set pieces, but the sense of widening exploration evident in the first two hours of the season is an element which continues to be thoroughly enjoyable and genuinely intriguing. With an Asian inspired rendition of "Seven Nation Army" opening the episode, we are swiftly introduced to the first real dip into wider Westworld territory, with Katja Herbers' Grace violently coming across the host's defection in a British Raj-themed park in which the introduction of creaky CGI Bengal tigers attempt to fill the narrative gap left at the end of the premiere episode's interesting cliffhanger. 

With the majority of the episode following on from the discovery of a new park primarily focusing on the giant action set piece at the militaristic Confederados fort between Delores' quickly assembled band of hosts and the hunting party of Delos soldiers, the action unfolds heavily in the "present day" this week, with no time at all whatsoever for pre-park flashbacks or even the inclusion of Ed Harris' Man in Black. With an electrifying, flashy pacing chugging the action on much more rapidly than any episode within its' first season, it seems very obvious that show-runners Johnathan Nolan and Lisa Joy have taken it upon themselves to arguably make the second season more "appealing" to a larger audience, one who may have been put off ever so slightly by the first series' somewhat alienating, complex tones and prefer action over dialogue heavy monologues. Personally, I'm happy for a heavy dose of both as long as the mix between them is substantive and necessary, and whilst I enjoyed this week's gigantic host versus human shoot-a-thon, the more interesting developments were indeed elsewhere in the discovery of the park's wider alternatives, and with a concluding shot which resulted in a squeal of joyous excitement, "Virtù e Fortuna" at least made me ready for more sooner rather than later. 

Overall Score: 7/10