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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
“It’s time to come back to reality … the wolf is at the door.”
The fourth episode of Westworld‘s third season is titled “The Mother of Exiles.” It is directed by Paul Cameron (Déjà Vu, Man on a Ledge), and written by Jordan Goldberg and series co-creator Lisa Joy.
Some spoilers ahead for those who have not yet watched the episode or seen the show.
“The Mother of Exiles” is a great title for this week’s episode of HBO’s hit techno-thriller, as we see protagonist Dolores Abernathy commencing her usurp upon the human race.
The episode takes place in a few different areas of the world — although it’s safe to assume these events happen nearly around the same time — and it’s here that the most important aspects to commend are its plot structure, character development, and the acting.
The plot flows at a steady pace; that is, not too brisk and not at all so gradual. Westworld host Maeve Millay attempts to follow Dolores by traveling to Asia, where she discovers something unexpected. Meanwhile, Hosts Bernard Lowe and Ashley Stubbs form a plot to take down Dolores as she, the Martin Conells host, and human Caleb Nichols make efforts to steal money from high places. In the interim, William conversates with his deceased daughter while making negotiations with the Charlotte Hale host. These three stories converge when it is learned that Dolores has planned ahead in her aim for world dominance.
The result is some good character development. Dolores gains the upper hand while the rest are defeated. As William’s daughter tells him, “What if you’re not [in control]? What if every choice you’ve ever made wasn’t a choice at all, just something written in your code? Your nature etched in ones and zeroes?” Continuing from previous episodes of the season is the question on many fans’ minds: Who is inside the consciousness of the Charlotte Hale host?
The answer is easy, but the explanation is more difficult. Dolores put her identity into five hosts, perhaps herself included. This leaves Hale, Conells, Japanese host Musashi (now Yakuza boss Sato), and one unidentified individual. The digital apocalypse has only begun, and soon humanity will be wiped out. As Engerraund Serac mentions, “Humanity’s biggest threat has always been itself.” It seems Dolores’s plan for control is “kill and replace.”
Evan Rachel Wood’s performance as Dolores (along with Tessa Thompson’s, Hiroyuki Sanada’s, and Tommy Flanagan’s as the Dolores duplicates) is tremendous and convincing enough in its role to the series. Ed Harris and Thandie Newton are just as great in the dramatic and action sequences, respectively.
Overall, Westworld delivers some chilling progress in its story while providing an existential theme about what’s real and what isn’t. As Dolores says, “You live as long as the last person who remembers you.” The episode, as the show does time and time again, delves into the most discussed topics humankind has ever had to deal with, such as the existence of Heaven and Hell. Additionally, the apocalypse begins, as critical theorist Roberto Simanoski has written in his book The Death Algorithm, where, in the final chapter under the same title, he writes about the risks of developing self-driving vehicles and self-governing weapons. This has been shown most frequently during this season of the series, and perhaps the only way to cope is by living under the idea that “the key to a happy life is to accept your place in it.”
What do you think? Have you seen this series? If not, do you plan to binge it sometime in the near future? Let us know! For more Westworld-related news and reviews follow The Cinema Spot on Twitter (@TheCinemaSpot) and Instagram (@thecinemaspot_).
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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