Contrapasso (Westworld)

Plot

Dr. Ford has a drink with Old Bill, telling him a story about a greyhound that his family used to own and, how due to its conditioning in the racetrack, chased down a cat and killed it but didn't know what to do with it afterwards. Some time later, Dr. Ford interrogates Dolores, revealing that Dolores was present at Arnold's death and was the last being to interact with him. He asks Dolores what Arnold's final words were, and she responds that he ordered her to destroy the park, an order she never carried out. Seeing that Dolores still doesn't remember anything, Dr. Ford appears hurt when Dolores asks if they were friends. With no new answers, Dr. Ford leaves, and while alone, Dolores speaks to an unseen party, stating that Dr. Ford still does not know about their plans and that she did not reveal anything to him.

Elsie, still determined to investigate the glitches, decides to inspect the stray host's body before it is incinerated. She blackmails one of the technicians into giving her access to the body by threatening to release a security video of him having sex with one of the inert hosts. During her examination, Elsie finds a laser-based satellite transmitter hidden in the stray's arm. She takes her findings to Bernard, concluding that somebody is using the hosts to smuggle data out of Westworld.

The Man in Black continues his journey to find Wyatt, with Lawrence and Teddy in tow. However, Teddy's wounds are too severe and he risks dying of blood loss. In order to save Teddy, the Man in Black kills Lawrence, drains his blood, and transfuses it into Teddy. With Teddy out of immediate danger, the two travel to a nearby tavern, where they are met by Dr. Ford, who asks the Man in Black his reason for seeking the maze. The Man in Black says that he is looking for "something true", and that Arnold had "one more story left to tell". He then asks Dr. Ford if he plans to stop his quest and Dr. Ford replies that he won't stop anybody on their journey of self-discovery. After Dr. Ford takes his leave, the Man in Black and Teddy leave to track down Wyatt.

Dolores, William, and Logan travel with Slim to the town of Pariah. On the way, Logan explains how the park nearly failed due to Arnold's death, and continues to experience financial troubles, giving the opportunity for the company Logan and William are working for, to buy out the park. They meet criminal gang leader El Lazo, who Logan asks to help them join the Confederados, a gang of ex-Confederate soldiers turned outlaws. El Lazo is initially reluctant to assist William and Logan, but Dolores manages to persuade him. El Lazo tasks the group with stealing an army wagon carrying nitroglycerin. William insists they hijack the wagon nonviolently, but the plan goes awry when Logan provokes a fight. William is forced to kill the guards and Slim is killed during the gunfight. With their success, the Confederados allow William, Logan, and Dolores to join their ranks. Displeased with the idea, William confronts Logan. However, Logan taunts William by telling him that he brought him along because he knew William wouldn't be a threat, and that William wouldn't have his position as Executive Vice President if it weren't for him. Meanwhile, Dolores continues to have troubling visions of a church and sees manifestations of herself urging her to find the maze. She then stumbles upon El Lazo and his men secretly stealing the nitroglycerin and replacing it with tequila. Dolores warns William about the double cross and that they must leave, but William is apathetic due to his disillusionment about the purpose of the park. Dolores snaps him out of his apathy with a passionate kiss, telling him that she cannot escape the park without him. With a new purpose, William and Dolores begin to flee, leaving Logan to be captured by the angry Confederados. Dolores kills several Confederados including their leader and manages to escape on a train with William, where they confront El Lazo. El Lazo surrenders and tells them to call him 'Lawrence'. Seeing the symbol of the maze on a coffin Lawrence is smuggling, Dolores decides to travel with him.

In the labs, one of the technicians, Felix, is trying to repair one of the park's artificial birds as a secret hobby. After he repairs Maeve's body, he succeeds in repairing the bird and is suddenly confronted by an awakened Maeve, who tells Felix that they need to talk.

Production

The teleplay for "Contrapasso" was written by series co-creator Lisa Joy, from a story by Dominic Mitchell and Joy.

Filming

The episode was directed by Jonny Campbell. Production designer Zack Grobler drew inspiration from various cultures like Latin America and Africa to create the town of Pariah.

Music

In an interview, composer Ramin Djawadi spoke about the song "Something I Can Never Have" by Nine Inch Nails, that was translated in the episode. He said, "You can kind of picture a string quartet being in the room somewhere, performing this song, in this setting, right?"

The episode also features the classical piece "Clair de Lune", by French composer Claude Debussy, which Ford is playing on the player piano as Teddy and The Man in Black enter the bar. As Ford leaves the bar, he snaps his fingers at the player piano and it plays a vastly sped up and slightly damaged version of Scott Joplin's "Pine Apple Rag". Djawadi is quoted as saying, "That's about control, It just shows the power he has. He calls the shots for what happens."

Ratings

"Contrapasso" was viewed by 1.49 million American households on its initial viewing. The episode also acquired a 0.7 rating in the 18–49 demographic. In the United Kingdom, the episode was seen by 1.07 million viewers on Sky Atlantic.

Critical reception

"Contrapasso" received positive reviews from critics. The episode currently has a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes and has an average rating of 8.4 out of 10, based on 23 reviews. The site's consensus reads "Westworld subtly reveals more of its multitudinous plot layers and adds some substantial twists in the vexing fifth installment, 'Contrapasso.'"

Eric Goldman of IGN reviewed the episode positively, saying, "At the season's halfway point, Westworld isn't holding back. Dolores and Maeve's fascinating dual awakenings both are moving quickly, with Dolores inside the park completely subverting her intended role, while Maeve is looking to get answers inside the lab. The questions being raised at this point, both about the park's history and in what manner much of what we're seeing is unfolding, are also increasing in a compelling manner — though of course that does also increase the pressure for the series to provide satisfying answers in the long run. In the meantime, this is one hell of a ride." He gave it a score of 9 out of 10. Scott Tobias of The New York Times wrote in his review of the episode; "One of the more popular Westworld fan theories posits that the Man in Black and William are the same characters on separate timelines, but without indulging that theory too much, this episode does suggest some meaningful parallels." Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club wrote in his review, "There's momentum by the end, but it's unfocused. And really, that's why 'Contrapasso' concerns me. The show is clearly going somewhere, but I'm starting to wonder if the destination is going to be worth it." He gave the episode an B.

Liz Shannon Miller of IndieWire wrote in her review, "'Contrapasso' highlights one of Westworld's biggest themes — the importance of purpose in our modern lives. Ford's memory of a pet greyhound dog, who finally caught up with the prey he'd been chasing his whole life, spoke to the park's earliest explanations, only highlighted by the Man in Black’s revelations about the world beyond the park's borders, where human society is theoretically experiencing a golden age of plenty, but without real drive." She gave the episode an A-. James Hibberd of Entertainment Weekly wrote in his review, "The writers of Westworld are no longer holding our hands with this stuff and just assume we're keeping up.". He gave the episode an B+. Catherine Gee of The Daily Telegraph wrote in her review, "The plot became ever thicker, and twistier, in the fifth instalment of HBO's newest big hitting drama." David Crow of Den of Geek said in his review, "Tonight's trip into Ford and Arnold's gunslinging paradise was the most astonishing episode of Westworld to date." He gave the episode a perfect score. Erik Kain of Forbes also reviewed the episode, saying, "All told, another great episode with so much to chew over it's an honest-to-god challenge writing about. There are few shows with so many moving pieces and so much obscuring fog to peer through."