Deron Generally
Deron GenerallyWestworld
HBO
Season 2 Episode 9
Vanishing Point
This episode is essentially a William/Man in Black story as we get to see what happened that led William on his apparent suicide mission as well as why his daughter decided to join him. At the same time, Charlotte Hale finds a new weapon to potentially stop the hosts using some of the code that Maeve has been running to control them. All the while, Bernard is watching from the shadows with Ford’s voice still in his head, directing him where to go.
William flashes back to a time before he came back to the park when he witnesses his wife’s deterioration from alcoholism in an amazing performance by Sela Ward. As William comes out of his fever dream, he finds himself at a rally point with his daughter Emily tending to his wounds and when he’s awake enough, she makes him a proposal, but first she wants answers. Answers that we have been waiting for. William tells her how they’ve been monitoring the guests and it is a pretty brilliant plan.
Meanwhile, the Ghost Nation confronts Dolores and her group and a slaughter follows. One that leaves only Dolores and Teddy. As Teddy is sent to make sure there are no more Ghost Nation warriors left, we see that Dolores might not have as much control over him as she thinks.
Emily wants answers about something else important, specifically what happened the night her mother died. As tragic a moment as the flashback is, William continues to keep something from Emily and she knows more than what she’s letting on. What follows is something jaw dropping and insane. It’s a testament to how good the writing in this series is that the moment we see is almost predictable, but no less tragic and surprising when it happens.
Ford makes so many appearances in this episode and every one of them is significant for the characters that he interacts with. When he confronts Maeve, he explains what he originally wanted for her and it answers one of the key questions about her from the first season. He also decides to help her while Elsie and Bernard stumble upon a scene that forces Bernard to make a fateful decision. One that may or may not be part of Ford’s plan.
The final reveal from William gives us some brutal truth about the man, his choices and what he’s done as we get to finally see who he really his. It was a powerful moment punctuated by some amazing acting from everyone in the cast.
