Westworld is a television series set at the intersection of the near future and the reimagined past, exploring a world in which every human appetite can be indulged without consequence.
The latest episode of season 2 (episode 7 here) of HBO’s Westworld took a rather surprising turn in giving us an episode almost solely focused on one of the Ghost Nation Indians, Akecheta (Zach McClarnon). Until now, all we’ve known this man as is one of the Indians responsible for attacking Maeve and her daughter time and time again. This time around we’re given background into the life that he’s lived, the love that he’s lost, the and path that he’s found.
The episode begins with The Man in Black (Ed Harris) being rescued by Akechata following the shootout in which he sustained multiple gunshot wounds. The rescue isn’t to nurse him back to health, however, it’s to keep him alive to extend his suffering after all the pain he’s caused. The episode then cuts to Maeve, who is being wheeled into the Westworld compound in pretty bad shape after also being gunned down.
We then get some background into Akechata’s life as he tells his story to Maeve’s daughter (Jasmyn Rae), who they’d also recently rescued. He had a simple and easy life with a family and communal focus, including a wife that he loved, Kohana (Julia Jones). Then Dr. Ford (Anthony Hopkins) decided to redo his narrative, and turn him into a dehumanized killer so guests would feel more comfortable killing him. He later returns to his original village with his warriors to do some trading, and comes across his former wife which kickstarts his memory. Every day he begins to remember more and more of his past. In protest of his current life, he rides outside of Westworld as far as he can until he comes across a “door” that he believes is a passage to another world, and he tells himself that he’s in the wrong world. This is the area that we had previously seen Ford digging up in season 1.
After stealing Kohana away from her village, he’s able to jolt her memory as well after telling her a phrase they used to say to one another. Together, they go looking for the door again. Before they can find it, she is taken away by Westworld workers and a new host is swapped into her place. To find her, he realizes that he must be killed and re-enter the Westworld control center. His plan works, and once he’s back he’s able to sneak off and find the vault of hosts that are not being used. When he finds her, all he comes across is her deactivated body.
Eventually Akechata comes across Ford in Westworld, and tells him that he believes there is a door to a world that holds all that they’ve lost, including his wife. Ford tells Akechata that when the Deathbringer returns for him, to gather his people and lead them to a new world. It then cuts back to current times at their camp, with Grace (Katja Herbers) showing up to retrieve her father. Akechata agrees to let her take him because she promises his punishment will be worse with her.
Akechata then turns back to Maeve’s daughter and lets her know that it’s time to go. He tells her that he’s always kept her safe, and he always will. He then tells Maeve, who is using her daughter as a vessel, that he will continue keeping her daughter safe. That he’s sorry he could not protect her as well, but that if she survives, to come find them.
So this episode was nice and it was interesting to get some more background into a character that we’ve thought was a villain up until now. Having said that, dedicating a whole episode solely to this felt like a bit much. The key takeaway for me is the importance of this “door” at the end of the “maze.” It supposedly leads to another world, and the tantalizing question is exactly what world is it? The entire season seems to be building towards hosts converging at this door, so fingers crossed it’s a huge reveal in the next episode or two.