"Death Is A Passage From This Brutal World. You Don't Deserve The Exit..."
With Westworld in the past consigned to a natural and intended cold-hearted sensibility which entwines its' way though the show's genetic makeup, one which seems to mirror the stark alien and unforgivable landscape in which it details, one of the main issues which many have picked up is a rare absence of heart or emphatic empathy for pretty much any of the leading characters, Bernard aside, where even the radical characterisation of Delores this year has resulted in a change of outlook on arguably Season One's most heartbreaking character. Step forward Zahn McClarnon this week however, an actor famous for his scene-stealing leading role in Noah Hawley's second season of Fargo alongside cameo performances in the likes of Bone Tomahawk, and "Kiksuya", the eighth episode of this rapidly improving ten episode haul, is undoubtedly the most impressive and deliriously heartbreaking episode of not only this season, but the entire show thus far, one which utilises historical exposition to detail the history of the intriguing Ghost Nation and one which proves that under that tough level of skin, Westworld can produce moments of pure, unrivalled beauty.
With the whole episode dedicated to the life of McClarnon's host, Akecheta, the excessively painted leader of the Ghost Nation whose intentions up to now have seemed questionable to say the least, his ability to recall the past lives in which he has both lived and died paints a glorious travel through time as we swiftly move from the early origins of the park to the present day, gorgeous cinematography in hand, and one which develops the once ambiguous season subtitle, "The Door", as we learn of both Akecheta's, and in a brilliant concluding twist, Maeve's endgame in attempting to reach a world which they believe rightfully belongs to them. With a narrative through line which sees Julia Jones as Kohana, Akecheta's beautiful love interest, the heart-wrenching coldness of the park is executed with extraordinary success, with Akecheta's personal discovery of the park's true foundations resulting in a tear-inducing set piece, one made all the better by yet another brilliant Ramin Djawadi musical twist which this time sees a top-note piano rendition of Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box". With a heartfelt caressing of Westworld's newest, and arguably, most interesting character this season, this week's episode was a ravishing and visually stunning hour of larger-than-life television which halted the breaks on the action and took the time to delve deeper into a host POV which both balanced the pacing of the overall plot as well as adding to it with masterful results. This was HBO at its' finest people.
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