Westworld — Series 2 — Episode 4 The Riddle of the Sphinx: A Review

7th April, 2019.

Yes: it’s official.

Time is — quite assertively — passing.

At least … given the fact that my 8 year old nephew has now worked out how to use Mummy’s phone — at least, the video call feature of Facebook Messenger — to give me a call.

In the middle of the afternoon, while I was having a cheeky snooze.

Bless him!

Quite what that implies for the future, I really don’t know.

Or any more intro video*.

But I’m assuming Ruth — my youngest sister, and Jude’s mother — will be keeping an eye on her phone … !

He’ll get up to all sorts.

~≈§≈~

At any rate … ?

It’s a quiet Sunday night.

Which you’ve possibly noticed.

And, given I had little else to do … ?

Meant I could happily sit in with the next episode of Westworld, series two.

It’s starting to show us the meat of the story.

~≈§≈~

Episode 4 — The Riddle of the Sphinx — show us that Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) has been left near a cave, deep within sector of the Park: one where he meets Elsie (Shannon Woodward) who he’d abandoned at the end of series one.

It’s only whilst there?

That he and Elsie find the Delos secret project.

In a series of flashbacks, we find that the younger William (Jimmi Simpson) was an integral part of the project.

He’s authorised the recording of the personality of the late company founder, James Delos (Peter Mullan) … and the transfer of that personality into a host body.

In an attempt to make Delos, immortal.

They’ve tried, some one hundred and forty-nine times.

With each attempt failing.

The last of which … has to be dealt with by Bernard … 

~≈§≈~

Now … 

It has to be said, there’s a lot going on in this episode: the central plot, with Bernard both finding and destroying the secret lab.

There’s the Man in Black: revealed as a serious Delos executive involved in factional fighting with the long dead Anthony Hopkins character.

And a twist … that Man in Black’s daughter is still alive … 

Yes: I’m finding the flashback driven narrative a bit of a tough chew, at times.

But both producers, and each episode’s directors, are structuring the episodes mean it’s followable … so long as you’re concentrating.

When TV’s this engrossing?



Concentrating’s a pleasure.

*        I’ve had at least one regular suggest he record a video for me.   Worryingly?   It’s starting to look like a good idea …