Chestnut (''Westworld'')

"Chestnut"
Westworld episode
Episode no. Season 1
Episode 2
Directed by Richard J. Lewis
Written by
Featured music Ramin Djawadi
Cinematography by Brendan Galvin
Editing by Mark Yoshikawa
Production code 4X6152
Original air date October 7, 2016 (2016-10-07) (online)
October 9, 2016 (2016-10-09) (HBO)
Running time 59 minutes
Guest appearance(s)

"Chestnut" is the second episode of the HBO science fiction thriller television series Westworld. The episode aired on October 9, 2016, but was released two days prior online by HBO.[1]

The episode received positive reviews from critics.

Plot

William is brought to Westworld for the first time by his friend Logan. William's good nature leads him to wanting to help the hosts, but Logan cautions that these actions could set off narratives that they would be urged to participate in. Instead, Logan takes William to the local prostitutes, and while Logan engages in an orgy with the hosts, William is reluctant to become involved with the Clementine host out of loyalty to his fiancee. The next day, William helps return a can of food dropped by host Dolores, and leaves with a tip of his hat. Later that day, Dolores returns to her homestead and digs up a hidden pistol.

The Man in Black, following the map under Kissy's scalp, finds the outlaw host Lawrence moments before being hanged by a posse. The Man kills the posse and takes Lawrence as prisoner, leading him to his home village. Keeping Lawrence, his wife and his daughter at gunpoint, the Man asks Lawrence for the location of the "maze". This causes the other townspeople to try to intervene, but the Man kills them all, then kills Lawrence's wife. Suddenly, Lawrence's daughter speaks and provides a cryptic clue to the maze's location. The Man leaves with Lawrence in tow.

In Sweetwater, Dolores has visions of the massacre that was initiated by the park staff the previous day as a guise to remove some of the hosts, though the town nor the residents show any sign it happened. She talks to Maeve, a prostitute host, and repeats what her father Peter had told her the previous day. Maeve comes to have similar flashbacks to her time as a host with a daughter, and her performance with guests starts to suffer. The park technicians suggest pulling Maeve and replacing her with Clementine, but technician Elsie suggests increasing Maeve's intuition to restore her effectiveness. Later, Maeve is witness to a drunken guest killing Teddy; this triggers another flashback to her daughter, and realizing she was being chased by the Man in Black. The park staff see this as a malfunction and pull her out of the park for service. While two technicians prepare to examine her in the operations center, she suddenly wakes on her own and escapes. She witnesses what the staff do to other hosts, including those that have been killed by guests, before she is sedated by the technicians. They take her back to the operations center and decide not to report on her awakening.

Meanwhile, Bernard and Elsie continue to monitor the situation around the "Reveries" update. Elsie is concerned that Bernard's decision of putting Dolores back into the park may affect other hosts, but he assures her that Dolores is showing no abnormal behavior. Later, Bernard is shown to be in a sexual relationship with Theresa, the park manager, though both are unsure of what they want from this relationship. The next day, storyline writer Lee introduces his latest narrative to the park staff for approval, based on a conflict with hostile Native Americans. Dr. Ford vetoes the plan, stating it only provides cheap thrills, and instead offers his own thoughts on a new narrative with a deeper meaning. Dr. Ford takes Bernard into the park to show him a Christian shrine that he has found earlier which served as the basis for this narrative.

Production

"Chestnut" was written by series co-creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, based on the premise of the 1973 film Westworld by Michael Crichton.[2] The episode was directed by Richard J. Lewis.[2]

Music

Ramin Djawadi
Composer Ramin Djawadi created the episode's musical score.

In an interview, The composer of the show Ramin Djawadi spoke about the piano interpretations of Radiohead's "No Surprises" used in the episode. He said, "When Jonathan says, 'Do a Radiohead song,' I say, 'Great!'"[3] Djawadi continued, "This particular piece was pretty simple, actually. The opening arpeggiated riff from 'No Surprises' translates really well into piano."[3] He noted, "The way I see it, it’s like a jukebox in a restaurant, When you put money in it, it plays preprogrammed pieces. These particular pieces that the piano plays help you with the sense of time, the repeats. It just marks time, and it provides the recognition factor that this is a preprogrammed event."[3]

Reception

Ratings

"Chestnut" was viewed by 1.50 million American households on its initial viewing.[4] The episode also acquired a 0.7 rating in the 18–49 demographic.[4] In the United Kingdom, the episode was seen by 1.37 million viewers on Sky Atlantic.[5]

Critical reception

"Chestnut" received positive reviews from critics. The episode currently has a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes and has an average rating of 8.3 out of 10, based on 21 reviews. The site's consensus reads "Aided by its excellent ensemble cast, Chestnut deepens and expands Westworld's captivating mythology by revealing the park through the eyes of a first-time guest and diving further into the lives of its robotic residents."[6]

Eric Goldman of IGN reviewed the episode positively, saying, "Building upon the excellent pilot, the second episode of Westworld gave us more insight into how the park works and what it's like for a guest to arrive."[7] He gave it a score of 9.1 out of 10.[7] Scott Tobias of The New York Times wrote in his review of the episode; "Creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy have made some big conceptual changes in adapting Crichton’s film for television, most notably the attention they've given to the androids' perspective. But this minor alteration pushes some important questions to the fore: What does the park reveal about the people who visit? And what do they learn about themselves in the process?".[8] Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club wrote in his review, "'Chestnut' isn't as effective a mood piece as 'The Original'; it's functional in necessary ways, settling down to the business of being an actual TV show and not just an evocative one hour film. But while that functionality isn't as exciting, it still works well enough, laying the groundwork for what's ahead, and working in the depth that the pilot could only suggest. If the series can maintain this level of quality of better as the season goes on, we should be in for quite a ride."[9] He gave the episode a B+.[9]

Liz Shannon Miller of IndieWire wrote in her review, "What's most intriguing about Westworld is that the imperfections of this world are profoundly tied up in its mysteries. It's tempting to get hung up on trying to solve them. But consider this remark from Dr. Ford, perhaps a meta-commentary on the show itself: "Guests don't return for the obvious things we do, the garish things. They come back because of the subtleties." And the subtleties of the show, so far, are worth appreciating."[10] She gave the episode an A-.[10] Erik Kain of Forbes also reviewed the episode, saying, "So far, I've really enjoyed Westworld. I find the mystery enticing, much like I found Lost in its first season. Hopefully this show doesn't suffer that show's fate. But I've seen plenty of complaints. The cast is too big. The show tipped its hand too soon. The story is too convoluted."[11]

References

  1. ↑ Hibberd, James (October 7, 2016). "Westworld second episode released early by HBO". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Westworld 02: Chestnut". HBO. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 Vineyard, Jennifer (October 13, 2016). "Why You'll Be Hearing a Lot of Radiohead on Westworld". Vulture. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Porter, Rick (October 11, 2016). "Sunday cable ratings: Debate pushes 'Westworld' and 'Shameless' down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Top 30 Ratings (10 - 16 October 2016)". BARB. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Chestnut - Westworld: Season 1, Episode 2 - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  7. 1 2 "Westworld: "Chestnut" Review". IGN. October 7, 2016.
  8. ↑ Tobias, Scott (October 7, 2016). "'Westworld' Season 1, Episode 2: If You Can't Tell, Does It Matter?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  9. 1 2 "In its second episode, Westworld settles in for the long haul". The A.V. Club. October 9, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  10. 1 2 Miller, Liz Shannon (October 9, 2016). "'Westworld' Review: Episode 2, 'Chestnut,' Reveals a Deeper Level to the Game". IndieWire. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  11. ↑ Kain, Erik (October 9, 2016). "'Westworld' Review: The Mystery Deepens, Cast Expands In Episode Two". Forbes. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
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