Westworld Review: The Mother of Exiles (Season 3 Episode 4)
Five are better than one on Westworld Season 3 Episode 4, “The Mother of Exiles,” especially if you only trust yourself.
The episode makes sure to answer its biggest mystery with some definitiveness, while also allowing its sizeable cast each a moment to shine. There’s a sense of speeding up the narrative now as everyone makes their play, but there is a tiny seed of doubt planted inside of it that makes all of these great, satisfying moments feel like the rug may be pulled out any moment.
The reveal that all of the pearls are copies of Delores is well-executed and a fun time (all roads lead back to defending herself), but a little disappointing in that all of these familiar faces are all the same person in the end, rather than park hosts coming back in some form. But it’s worth it for this outcome, where it’s like an antivirus application making sure every facet is covered in protecting the main Delores.
But it does make you wonder if the main Delores is the true key, or if she has planted that key in someone else. Does Bernard actually have the map and the data that Serac is after, unknown to him? Or is it possible that it’s in one of the other pearls that Delores is planting into other hosts? Being in the main Delores would be risky since she’s an open target, after all, and clearly Delores is one for contingencies.
There is also the question of there being four pearls apart from Delores. We know there’s one in Conells, Musashi, and Charlotte, which leaves one potentially as a mystery to come. The quick flash of montages of Bernard, especially with the shot of the pearls, gives off the impression that he may be that fourth pearl, and that he may not be as in control as he initially hoped.
Now that Conells has captured him, though, a confrontation between the real Delores and Bernard is sure to come. It also raises a curious point: do all of these versions of Delores communicate to one another, or are they all part of the same hivemind, constantly sending data back and forth?
The party may be the most exciting scene the season has pulled off yet, with the convergence of Bernard and Delores finally happening on top of this strange rich, erotic fanciness. Combined with the always-on-fire score, it’s like a great crescendo where everyone not named Delores loses in some way.
The fight between Delores and Stubbs is unexpected but fairly one-sided. Delores has picked up some skills since her time at the park, and he doesn’t stand a chance. That fall from the balcony, though, may be tough to walk off, especially since Stubbs mentioned his arm needing fixing even before that fight occurs.
The extra pearl could always be for Liam, now that Caleb has him and his money is in their possession, but that feels too easy. His use as a way of drawing out Serac keeps him in play, but now that Bernard, Maeve, and potentially Serac know they are all singularly Delores, this will push them all to work faster in stopping her.
Maeve’s journey to finding the Mortician and ultimately Musashi is a bit messy in execution, but getting her to that point of realizing that not everything can be answered with hacking is a much-needed moment for her. One of her best attributes is that she confidently walks into any room and knows she is the smartest and most capable of the bunch.
But stripping back her abilities leaves Maeve just as vulnerable as anyone else. It’s that aha moment where Maeve learns that she may need more than her powers to properly take down Delores (several times over). Serac’s men will surely bring her back to him and bring her back online, good as new, but hopefully she takes this as a learning experience.
It’s a great moment watching her hack Singapore as she walks through it, though.
The situation with William feels like a neat epilogue to his story over the past two seasons, but there’s not much else to go off of from here. The ultimate end of his game is to question his own reality, and it’s certainly open to interpretation that he’s now a host (with the way he is seeing Emily along with Charlotte/Delores hinting that she’s been watching him, which could just mean surveillance or could be something more akin to having access to him).
It’s a fitting fate for The Man in Black, to be locked away inside of his own mind. But it does call into question the epilogue of the second season where a host version of Emily is testing William for fidelity. Is that William during that scene the one we know and the scene is now in a different context, or simply a host version some time deep into the future?
The worldbuilding continues to be one of the more fascinating aspects of the show. The virtual mirror showing off the suit choices for Caleb, the half-life of synthetic blood to make transactions in someone else’s name; they all don’t feel so futuristic given how virtual our lives and money get every year. But it’s a nice little pie-in-the-sky for the show, to portray cool tech like that.
The show continues to deliver some of the most awe-inspiring visuals on television. Maeve walking through Singapore and city shots in general are wonderful to take in.
The one problem Westworld still runs into is that it causes more questions than it needs to. Westworld Season 3 Episode 4, “The Mother of Exiles,” is a fantastic episode, no doubt about it, but there’s this nagging wonder of how this all ties into the past. The season starts with somewhat of a clean slate, but as it progresses, the old show is starting to creep up.
Everything is still working, but some of what doesn’t work is threatening to come back again, chiefly the “what’s real” and “who’s doing what” of it all. So far everything is still making sense, but clinging to its mysteries hurt the show before, and it feels like it’s brushing up on that yet again.
At least the mystery of who are hosts is revealed, and it’s a hell of a reveal that makes what could possibly come next instantly exciting.
What did you think of this episode of Westworld? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Westworld airs Sundays at 9/8c on HBO.
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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.