Westworld Review: Parce Domine (Season 3 Episode 1)
From the very start, from its pulse-pounding score, its moody style, and its crime thriller ideals, Westworld Season 3 Episode 1, “Parce Domine,” is making a very gripping case that some things certainly do change, even if they have the remnants of the past built in.
Westworld is a dense forest of ideas, and while some may have suffered over the initial two seasons, there’s a confidence and a sharper focus that makes the premiere feel like you’re in safe hands.
The storytelling is done in nice little vignettes that slowly pull back the curtain to reveal the larger picture. It is an intriguing visual, that several moments are prefaced by a circular timeline and coordinates. Circles continue to be a theme, and with the strange data orb that interests Delores at Incite, it looks like circles will keep holding some power on the show.
Incite looks to be a major part of the show going forward, though it’s still shrouded in mystery. With power passed down to Liam, Jr., and he’s not even allowed full access to the inner layers of data that the company has, it’s something of importance that will come down the line.
Conells is able to use it to break down Delores’ backstory in minutes, and so it may be the big evil entity of the season, or a weapon Delores plans to use in her crusade against the shackles of humanity.
Delores is suited to being the main instigator of the plot, becoming the connective tissue for all of the major stories. Her plan is fairly straightforward for Westworld standards, and so the complexity comes through the details of the world that push her goal. It’s almost like a game of corporate espionage, infiltrating the social circles of these companies and using them to gain access.
But from the way her entire encounter with Conells goes, Delores certainly needs friends. Now that she has Conells (as a host) inside of Incite, and Charlotte (as a host from last season) inside of Delos, she does have a foot in the door, but Caleb, now that he’s come to her aid, might be the human touch needed to really push things forward for her with his expertise in odd jobs.
Caleb, with Aaron Paul in the role, is instantly likable and bringing new energy to the show. A lot of the premiere is dedicated to sending him down a path of disillusionment and a need for some purpose, only to stumble upon Delores. It will be interesting to see if he becomes part of her plan, or if he may see the destruction it causes and falls more in the Bernard camp of seeing Delores as a terrifying conqueror.
Speaking of Bernard, his hiding doesn’t look to be going so well, despite being well off the grid. His reliance on his more basic functions is like a defense mechanism in order to survive, and, at least so far, that defense mechanism allows control to be given back with the press of a button. If this is the Bernard that Delores rebuilt, his journey will be bringing him back into the conflict, likely against her (as the second season’s end foreshadowed).
Going back to Westworld may be the thing that shakes loose that freedom, or it could be the thing Bernard needs to truly be free. It will be great to see what has happened to the park three months later, if it’s still being cleaned up or if it’s something else entirely now. Charlotte isn’t so quick to toss it away at the board meeting, and so it sounds like the park may still be a component to the show in some form.
There are so many returning faces not on the premiere, too, so it’s likely they are going to be part of that return to Westworld narrative (William/The Man In Black, Maeve, Ashley, and potentially Hector).
The worldbuilding on the episode is off the charts, with stunning architecture, non-human robots as work companions, self-driving cars as a staple, and therapy through emotional manipulation. It’s telling that the world Westworld has now opened up to is beautiful and pristine, but there’s a distinct distance given to emotions, as though they are something that is thought about last.
The app Caleb uses to take side jobs feels like a wonderful Grand Theft Auto reference, where crime jobs are listed, accepted, and crews are made. The small tablets that almost look like eye contacts appear to be dream-altering, as both Thomas Kretschmann’s character and Caleb’s mother take them just before bed and have something calming on display either above them or as a mood setting.
One worry is that the show may go too far into the weeds with everyone being a host or robot in some form. Caleb’s mother says with quite a bit of disdain that he’s not her son, and he mentions near the end of the episode that he’s been shot in the head before; is this Caleb we are seeing a new version of him, or is it all another rabbit hole?
We already have Charlotte as a host in the real world (and it’s still not clear who she may be now, either someone else’s consciousness, or a piece of Delores in some way), Bernard as a new host built by Delores, and William is now a host, as well, though he has yet to appear, so adding even more to the roster would start to be a bit much.
Conells being replaced by Delores’ host version is easy to follow, as is the hologram shifting that leaves Delores in various places at the beginning of the episode. But if we’re getting into the well-trodden ground of hosts realizing their artificiality, it may be a little jarring. The uprising and need for change is a perfect enough place to stay.
Despite this episode being fantastic, the concern that Westworld could chase its own tail and get too convoluted for its own good again is a valid concern. If this is an easing into the broader scope, perhaps it’s an easing into even larger ideas that may bog down the fairly streamlined narrative so far. It’s one of those shows that suffers from going too big, so hopefully it can stay big in scale, but stay within its own confines.
There is also the worry that Liam’s friend over drinks may be spelling things out too much, that the show is a simulation inside of a simulation, but that’s surely too on the nose and simply a false lead for theory hounds.
But all of this is just that: worry. Westworld Season 3 Episode 1, “Parce Domine,” is exactly what’s needed to turn the show around and make it not only accessible again, but to take it in a new, very exciting direction.
What did you think of this episode of Westworld? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Critic Rating:
User Rating:
Westworld airs Sundays at 9/8c on HBO.
Follow us on Twitter and on 
Instagram!
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
Kevin Lever
Kevin Lever has been following television closely for most of his life, but in starting to cover it, he has grown a further appreciation. He strives to give the blockbusters their due, and give the lesser known shows a spotlight to find more fans.