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Previously, faces, eyes, darkness, death.
The latest episode of Westworld is called ‘Vanishing Point’, which is the point on a drawing or photo where lines seem to converge in the distance on a single point. This is the kind of odd thematic title that has a lot of ambiguity to it. It could have a literal connection to the Valley Beyond, the final point that all lines go to. It could be the point where plotlines converge and combine and then vanish. At this point, it’s hard to say.
This episode mainly took place over one timeline, although there were a few flashbacks in the Man in Black storyline. In a show that’s exceptionally dark, this twist is one of the saddest ones yet. William shooting his own daughter and almost but failing to kill himself, juxtaposed against his awful, depressing admission to his drunken, depressed, damaged wife (a great Sela Ward) presents an emotional gut punch harder than almost any we’ve seen.
It’s the sort of thing that makes a watcher want to scream like Dolores after seeing Teddy take control in the only way he can and kill himself. The episode presented suicide as an exit from the pain of life, as a sort of cowardly bravery that I cannot approve of. Suicide as a positive force to make a difference is a tricky thing in art, and I find that it sends a bad message.
In fact, the way WIlliam didn’t shoot himself is perhaps the worst messaging here, the man who has sinned the worst unwilling to take the ‘escape.’ It’s troubling to me on a lot of levels.
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Contrasted to that, the Bernarnold storyline was greatly more positive. Bernard, instead of killing himself, tried to protect Elsie by pushing her away. It’s the sort of action I feel reflects well on one of the few decent people in the whole show. His conversations with Ford have been thrilling and horrifying, leading to that action of shocking volume, cursing at his own head. That’s good drama.
And yet there was another positive interaction too, the one of Ford with Maeve, talking in that enthralling way that only Anthony Hopkins can do, connecting to her as a parent to a child. And not only as lip service, he has ‘unlocked’ something too.
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I feel mixed on this episode, because there were a lot of strong, emotionally resonant moments, but I am concerned about some of those underlying messages and themes. As we sneak ever closer to the finale, I still have high hopes, but perhaps it’s just how art treats suicide these days. But all that said, it’s a delight to see Clementine back in action as a new angel of death.
Who is the lie and where will the points converge at the end? I can’t say yet, but I do want to find out. That’s the great trap of Westworld.
What did you think of this episode? Tell us in the comments below!
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