Westworld, episode ten

Bernard is chatty with Dolores. She’s in control. He blinks and he is getting out of the car in a field by himself. Dolores is on her own where Teddy killed himself. She rides off. Old William is in the field alone. He reaches for his gun but Dolores turns up. They talk about Teddy and his daughter. He feels they are alike but she still views him as a monster. Regardless she needs his help and he agrees. Bernard walks to the edge of a canyon and sees the hosts walking.

They are all walking in a line. The humans are racing up alongside in cars. It’s kill or be killed. A tech is about to do work on Maeve. He brings her online and she seems to be in agony. That’s when another host comes in and takes down the tech. Hector and his crowd storm the command center. He grabs Lee and demands answers. Lee doesn’t know but wants to help. Before they make it to Maeve though a herd of cattle comes in.

The cattle take out the Delos guys and Maeve shows up. She saved herself. Bernard runs across some humans ready to take him down. Before they can, Dolores shoots them. She and Old William are there and she reveals that she played a large part in creating Bernard. Old William tries to take her out but the shots don’t matter. He ends up busting his arm. Dolores and Bernard make their way into the underground labs.

Bernard comes to on a beach with Strand in his face. Stubbs is running a scan and finds that there are some humans, probably guests. He wants to go rescue them but Strand isn’t interested. Charlotte sends them off and takes Bernard to help them figure out what they need. Then he’s in the lab with Dolores. She is telling him the humans’ evil intentions. He enters the lab with Strand and Charlotte. Dolores is dead.

They want to know something and seem to think he knows it. Strand is willing to do it by any means necessary. Dolores and Bernard enter the town. Delos is there visiting and Bernard explains that this is the baseline for the entire system. They move on to a new scene and Bernard questions what they are doing. She is looking for the control. She heads through town and the system changes. It welcomes them.

She knows she was right and she finds the control. It’s Logan. He had to make copies of the guests. Then they go further into Delos. They are in his memories, the turning point of his life. It’s a confrontation between Logan and his father about money and the former’s junkie habits. Logan talks to Delos and they acknowledge that this has happened before. The control Logan explains to Bernard and Dolores that no matter how many copies he made, they all ended up back here.

This was the last conversation Delos had with his son. Humans don’t change. Delos is of no interest to Dolores though because he is dead. She wants to see the copies. In the park, Maeve, Lee and her posse are on the run. The guards are catching up though. Control Logan explains that he has copies of every guest ever, in books in a library. This was done on Bernard’s orders, he explains. Hosts were allowed to study this to learn human behavior.

With this information, Dolores might survive in the real world. The natives see the hosts continuing to move through the valley. Maeve and her group find themselves cornered. Hector is ready to sacrifice himself so Maeve can get away but before he can leave cover, Lee stops him. He tells Hector to get Maeve out and then steps up himself. The guards kill him. Control Logan explains to Bernard that he left a way out for the hosts. A door to their own Eden.

He initiates the program to open it. Control Logan notes that they will lose their bodies but their minds will live on. Hector and Maeve get around to see the door. They are thrilled. Felix and the other tech don’t see a door. As the natives approach, one runs through. On the other side of the door, the bodies fall off a cliff. Dolores sees it as a false promise though and she wants it gone. She leaves control and Bernard does too. She’s going to flood everything, even the valley the hosts are headed to. She wants the real world.

Maeve and Hector search amongst those near the door for her daughter. They don’t see her though. The do see Clementine coming, and bringing trouble with her. Charlotte and Hughes are not far behind her and they watch the melee. Maeve runs for the door and to find her daughter. One of her cronies shoots Clementine down and it turns to bedlam. Hector will protect her. Old William stumbles toward the door of the underground lab.

Bernard and Dolores are on the inside fighting. He won’t let her kill anyone else. She thinks he is dumb for protecting the humans. He shoots her. Maeve finds her daughter. She sends her through with the other mother woman and then stops everything so that they can make it. As the daughter makes it through, the guards start firing on Maeve. She has happy thoughts and falls. Her hold on the hosts fails and they resume fighting. The native leader makes a break for the door. He barely makes it through as the guards shoot at him.

Then the door closes. Bernard is in the underground lab. The protocol calls for evacuation so he does just that. He gets out of the elevator topside. The guards are shooting the hosts that are still alive when Bernard gets there and starts talking to Hughes about saving the hosts. It’s too late. The false-safe was triggered. Bernard is upset. They all died for nothing. Back at the command center, Hughes is trying to figure out how to save Bernard. She freezes him and then goes to see Charlotte.

She just gave orders to assign Stubbs something new. Now Hughes is annoyed. They go back and forth. Charlotte mentions that all this death is an opportunity for job growth but she knows that wouldn’t fly with Hughes. She isn’t as morally flexible as the others so Charlotte kills her. Bernard remembers all that while he is in the underground lab. He knows she killed Hughes and now she has the master file to send to the mainland. Dolores was right.

Bernard is melting down. With no options, he summons Ford again and realizes what he has to do. Ford was a step ahead of him though and already started the plan. He built a host that looked like Charlotte and planted Dolores in her. She kills everyone except Bernard. Then she changes the coordinates of the satellite and sends the files where no one can find them. So they will be undisturbed. Then she kills Bernard.

On the beach, Bernard talks to Ford about memories and how to protect everything. The only way to do it is to make sure the humans don’t know he’s a host. So he has to erase his memories. Bernard lays down on the beach. The humans are all on the beach in some sort of staging area. Charlotte drives up. The bodies of the hosts are all piled. She runs into Stubbs and tells him that she has projects on the mainland. He alludes to the fact that he might be a host and seems to know that she is. Then waves her through to go on.

He heads to the tent and Old William is there, still alive. Felix and his body get tasked with trying to salvage hosts. Charlotte’s boat leaves and she has a bag with several core drives. Bernard comes to and wants to know when and where he is. Dolores is there with him. She tells him that she got out and there was a place for her. They talk about how they will continue to fight because she will always try to kill humans to save the hosts. It will probably kill them both but be worth it. Charlotte is there. This isn’t the park. It’s the house Arnold set up for them.

Bernard leaves through the gate. Old William wanders into an abandoned warehouse. He finds his daughter that tells him this is his park and leads him to a furnished room. She talks to him about tests and then wants to a establish a baseline.

None of it was real. Right? This was all in William’s head? Stubbs is a host right?!?!? I’ve been thinking that since season one. I felt so bad for Hughes. She gets such a bad deal on this. She ends up beaten down all the time. It seems like she’s dead for real now. I still don’t really understand what the hell happened. If Dolores’ mind is in her real body now then who is in Charlotte? Or are they copies? Will Felix save Maeve? Is there even another season?

Luke Cage, episode eight

Shades is still on the roof. He’s burning his clothes and thinking about the night before. Mariah and Tilda are at the police station. The latter wants to leave, the former says they have nowhere to go. Mariah steps out and starts arguing with Luke. She still won’t own up to anything but she wants to hire him to protect Tilda. Misty comes in and is on a tear. She is basically mad at Luke for saving Mariah. She figures Mariah cleaned house the night before.

Meanwhile, Shades is talking to Comanche’s mother. He gets a call about something else and heads out. Luke and Tilda argue about what she knows about Bushmaster. She just wants normal but he tells her that isn’t possible. Nandi tells Misty that downtown called and she is in charge. They talk about who else was at the scene and that’s when Luke butts in. He tells her what he knows about Comanche. She needs him on Bushmaster while she handles the other stuff.

Bushmaster is redecorating the club office and talking about his inner darkness when he gets interrupted. He finds out that Mariah and Tilda are still alive. He freaks out. Tilda talks to Luke. Mariah doesn’t talk to Misty. She does freak out a bit when she finds out the captain was killed. They were sweet on each other back in high school. Misty brings up Shades but Mariah still has nothing to say. Shades and the lawyer pop in. Mariah can go but now Shades is being held.

Tilda is still talking to Luke when Maria comes in. The conversation ends and there is a tense moment between Mariah and Luke before they all settle down. Misty is working through the double murder with Shades and his lawyer. The lawyer gets a call and steps out. When he comes back in it’s to say he’s not repping Shades anymore. The tables have turned. Bushmaster and his uncle talk about what to do. He needs to know what Mariah said.

The lawyer is out. So Mariah and Tilda have to regroup. Luke is still going to protect them though. Until Bushmaster is out. They head outside and the Jamaicans attack. There is a bounty out for Mariah and Tilda and Luke and his whole family. He sends Nandi inside to tell Misty and then heads out to protect his people. Shades seems on the verge of talking when Nandi interrupts to tell Misty what happened. She goes back in and tells Shades he can go.

Luke goes to see his father. He wants the man to go into hiding because he needs protection. If Luke wants him safe, he’ll have to stay at the church. Mariah goes back to her house. Or what’s left of it anyway. She’s digging through the rubble when Shades comes in. They start to fight about who is at fault. He puts it on her and pushes her. She’s a gangster now and she needs to adapt. They are in this together. She seems to buy it. They kiss.

Misty heads to the club with a warrant and has words with Bushmaster and the lawyer. They get nowhere. With no other options, Mariah goes to Tilda’s shop and they talk family history. It is not happy. Bushmaster is off the rails. His uncle tries to yell at him and tell him to stop trying to be the only power. Bushmaster doesn’t listen. The uncle leaves and Shades follows. Luke is at church while his father holds a service. Bushmaster does a ritual.

The goons swarm the church but Luke handles it. Mariah and Tilda are at the shop when Nandi and Misty run in. The goons move in there too and shots are exchanged. Luke comes in and it tips the scales in their favor. With no other options, Luke tells Misty to call in a favor to Danny.

I get that Bushmaster wanted what was his but now that he has it what is he doing with it. Also what is Shades’ game? And Tilda’s? None of this makes sense to me. Are they going to bring Claire back?

Luke Cage, episode seven

Luke is sinking in the water. His life is flashing before his eyes. He hears his father yell and it wakes him up. He manages to get back to the church before passing out. When he comes to he finds out Piranha took off. He was headed for a private jet to get the hell out of dodge. Luke is pissed. Misty is working on her jumpshot when the captain turns up. He wants help. He wants to end this and he needs her help. He needs her to handle Luke. She is at peace and won’t do it.

Mariah has the guards in for a staff meeting. She knows there is a snitch. and stabs one of them to inspire loyalty. Shades tries to calm her down before heading out to track Piranha. Misty heads into the club. She doesn’t go see her mother right away though. Bushmaster has Piranha. They talk about Luke. Speaking of, he’s working with Misty to bust this whole thing wide open. They head to the Jamaican run garage in Brooklyn. They encounter some resistance before finding Piranha’s head in a fishtank.

 

Tilda tells her mother she needed time. They talk. The captain and the rest of the team come in. Captain is happy because now he has leverage to deal with Mariah. That just pisses Misty off and she runs her mouth. He’s corrupt and she doesn’t like it. He snaps back. Then Bailey tells her and Luke to leave the scene. Captain goes to see Mariah. She isn’t interested so he goes low and brings up Tilda’s parentage. Mariah asks for time and he gives her till morning. She checks her bank account. It’s been wiped. Bushmaster is after them and they aren’t safe.

Comanche and Shades are talking about Mariah. Shades thinks the bigger issue is the snitch but Comanche throws someone under the bus for that. They get word Piranha is dead. Shades goes to handle that while he leaves Comanche to deal with the snitch. Bushmaster is getting a new suit. His uncle wants him to stop with the craziness but he wants to burn Mariah. Luke goes back to the church and talks to his father.

The captain and Comanche meet. He is done. He wants out. It’s too late though. He was followed. Shades walks up and Comanche panics. To save himself he kills the captain. Shades sees it for what it is though. He kills Comanche and makes it look like the two got into a firefight. Mariah is getting set to run when Bushmaster and his goons come in. She tries to shoot him but it’s no use. He’s not going to spare either of them.

Misty is in a bar hitting it off with some guy when Bailey calls. She leaves. Bushmaster is waxing poetic like villains do. He gives Mariah and Tilda a history lesson. Luke is still talking to his father about his mother and their relationship. The video kid runs in and tells him Mariah’s place is on fire. Bushmaster tied her up and lit some gasoline on fire. He left Tilda free to try and figure out what to do.

Shades is on a rough blocks away. He sees the flames. Bushmaster and his posse walk into the club. Tilda tries to break the ropes on Mariah’s arms. Luke gets there and sees the flames from outside. Misty gets to the crime scene with Comanche and the captain. Bushmaster is in Mariah’s spot in the club toasting and drinking. Luke goes in and pulls Mariah out.

This is more than halfway through the season and I still feel like mostly nothing has been accomplished. I know that Bushmaster just took over but other than that Misty and Luke and even Shades and Mariah have just kind of floundered and let it happen. They didn’t do much of anything to stop it.

Luke Cage, episode six

The Jamaicans, led by Bushmaster’s buddy Sheldon, are chasing Luke and Piranha. They get to the rooftop but Sheldon is still on a mission. Luke grabs him but he won’t talk. He catches up with Piranha and they get away. The clinic opening and the attack both make the news and the Jamaican elders are unimpressed. Bushmaster is embarrassed. He talks to Sheldon and tells him to smoke Piranha out.

Luke wants answers but Piranha isn’t giving them. Luke won’t take no for an answer though and convinces him to speak after they see that the Jamaicans are on the prowl. Shades gets back to the club and battens down the hatches. That’s what he’s up to when Comanche turns up. He hasn’t heard. The missing guard and Cockroach were amongst the heads the Jamaicans left at the clinic. They declared war. Comanche pushes for Shades to turn on Mariah.

He takes Comanche to the armory and tells him that Piranha has access to all their money. They will end this. Misty talks to her boss about things. They are getting 50 cops and 48 hours to stop a gang war or the National Guard and ICE will be called in. Misty is pissed but her boss wants to know about Cockroach. She found his body after all. She admits she picked the lock. It contaminated everything and might have ruined the case. He sends her home.

Piranha is willing to talk now. The Captain questions Mariah but doesn’t get much. He brings up the gun deal. He knows she’s up to something. Piranha tells Luke everything he knows. All about the gun deal and how he has power of attorney over Mariah’s stuff. That’s why the Jamaicans want him. They will camp out and see the cops in the morning. The video kid calls Luke and lets him know some guy’s were in the shop looking for him. It’s Shades trying to track him down.

Misty was going to plant evidence on Cockroach but he was already dead. She is going to lose her job and she doesn’t know what to do. Her friend tells her to be herself, not who others want her to be. Bushmaster fights with one of the Jamaican elders about the spectacle he’s causing. It’s bad for their people. Go for Mariah sure but not all this other stuff. Bushmaster doesn’t listen.

Shades and Comanche are waiting in the shop. Comanche pushes for information on Mariah and why Shades isn’t running the show. They talk about Cottonmouth and time on the inside. Comanche pushes a bit too hard before suggesting they leave and Shades seems to notice. Mariah is back at the club. She’s been drinking. She can’t get ahold of Tilda or Shades. She’s pissed. She figures the only person protecting her life is her enemy, Luke Cage.

The Jamaicans are onto their hiding spot. Luke tells him that the only chance they have is with the cops. While he calls Misty tells her everything, the Jamaicans get the jump and kidnap Piranha. Luke gives chase though and starts taking them out. He takes out the crew and manages to get Piranha back. Mariah is mad at Shades when he gets back but he stands his ground and they sort out loyalty. Shades lies about who knows she killed someone. Misty tries to turn herself in or resign but her captain tells her he wants her to live with it.

Comanche knows because Shades told him at the barber shop. Luke brings Piranha someplace no one would look. His father’s church. He leaves him there for sanctuary and goes to a high noon showdown with Bushmaster. Winner gets Harlem and Piranha. Before the scuffle they talk about Mariah and history and revenge. Luke is winning and says as much so Bushmaster pulls some powder from his pocket and blows it on Luke. It paralyzes him and Bushmaster kicks him off a bridge. He sinks.

I think that was cheating. I think now special dust should have been part of the agreement. Maybe I missed something there though. So is Shades going to turn on Mariah. I still think he will go after Tilda. That will be his play somehow. I feel bad for Misty. She can’t win.

Luke Cage, episode five

Luke is face to face with Cockroach only this time they are wearing suits and lawyers are involved. Luke displaces his temper and his counsel, Foggy, thinks he has no choice but to settle. He wants to fight but thinks Foggy is right. Mariah gives Tilda a walk through at the clinic. She wants to bring miracles to Harlem and help single mothers. And she wants Tilda to help. Tilda doesn’t want to deal in blood money but Mariah tells her it’s clean.

Misty is getting her new robot arm programmed. It’ll take some time to adjust but it should be good. Luke gets a call from Foggy. He can do an appearance to get the money. Luke is reluctant though. Misty shows up and they talk about her arm and Cockroach. It’s his mess but it’s hers too. Mariah is hours away from her big event and she wants to introduce Tilda as the medical director. Tilda still isn’t interested. Nandi and Bailey show up looking for Mariah’s business partner but she plays dumb. Tilda notices.

Luke is trying his options for a sponsorship but it’s not working out. He calls Foggy. At the club, Shades gives the guards trouble because they can’t find Bushmaster. Mariah comes in and talks to him. He wants her to run but she is not interested. She tells him about Higgins being missing but he assures her they have nothing to do with it. He has plans to keep an eye on Piranha that night.

He’s throwing a party for the merger that is helping them clean the money. Misty pays a visit to Cockroach to tell him to drop the charges against Luke. She ends up leaving angrier than when she got there. Luke goes to a meeting about his appearance. It’s with a big fan. Named Piranha. Luke sees a picture of Mariah and knows this will help him with everything. Shades gives Comanche an assignment while he handles the Piranha party. Misty goes back over the evidence from when Cockroach was first busted.

Her boss is not happy about it. Luke and Foggy head to the party. He basically gets paraded around like a circus animal. He is not happy. Misty finds Cockroach’s woman at the hospital and tries to get her to turn on him. It’s no use though. She’s too scared. Tilda confronts Mariah about Higgins and their business. She knows that her mother lied to the cops. Mariah airs all her dirty laundry and tries to get Tilda on board for the clinic. She just walks out though.

Luke is guarding the way to Piranha’s more private party when he sees someone. He leaves his post to chase it. Misty is still thinking about old cases and her time with Scarfe. Comanche meets with the cop. He’s got nothing and he tells the guy to just lean on the other guard that’s missing. The cop knows nothing about it though. Mariah holds an event to open her clinic. When she opens the door, there are heads on stakes waiting just inside. Luke is dragged on stage for a party trick moments after seeing Shades.

They are both looking for Bushmaster. Luke knows whatever Piranha is up to isn’t going to end well and that’s when shots start ringing out. He and Shades work together but the Jamaicans grab Piranha. Luke catches up with them and manages to stop them. He and Shades share a look as they hear sirens coming. Luke tells Piranha is price just doubled.

This is such a slow setup. I also don’t care about these flashbacks for Misty. I want her back to just doing solid police work. I also like the idea of Shades and Luke working together in a begrudging manner.

Luke Cage, episode four

Luke is walking. The kid that films him sees and figures he should give chase. He gets there just in time to see the Jamaican kick Luke’s ass. He gets the guy’s name. Bushmaster. When Luke comes to, the kid fills him in. Luke goes to the shop to clean himself up. Bobby finds him and wants to call Claire. Luke stops him and they talk about Bushmaster. The video of the beating is online and Nandi and Bailey are enjoying it.

Misty tells them off for it. When the boss comes in, he backs the others. Misty is pissed and storms out. At the club, Mariah and Piranha are celebrating but Shades is not happy until he sees some money. It’s tied up offshore for now though and guess what, the club is collateral. Comanche interrupts to show them the Bushmaster video. Luke finds the kid hawking DVDs of his loss. He hears something worse though. Claire took off, with luggage. He goes running.

Shades thinks Bushmaster is up to something. Specifically that he is making a play on Harlem and he’s after Mariah. Luke gets to the apartment and finds Claire gone. All she left was a note. He walks outside to find Misty. They talk Jamaicans and then head to Brooklyn. They find Nigel, or what’s left of him, in a warehouse. They have to call it in. Comanche tells Mariah she’s being played but that he can help. She’s not interested and he tells her he isn’t scared.

Tomas, a detective Misty knows from way back, turns up at the warehouse. He fills them in on gang history and ends up getting a lead. It’s police business though so Misty and him will handle it. She sends Luke home. Mariah is looking at old photo albums, Luke is on the subway and Tilda is burning some things in her shop. She sees a Jamaican flag and gets an idea. She runs to look something up. Luke saw a bag from a shop near the body so he goes there.

It’s Tilda’s shop. He asks her about her clientele but she doesn’t give much up. She instead asks about how he ended up so tough. She gives him an herbal shot to help the pain and tells him to get an MRI for a concussion. She talks about her mother but doesn’t use her name so Luke doesn’t know who she is. Misty goes to an ICE facility to talk to a guy that knows Bushmaster. She gets another history lesson.

Mariah has a visitor at the club, Bushmaster. They talk about how history remembers people. They both know their families have had run ins and they talk in circles about it. He leaves with a parting threat. Shades follows him out and leaves another guy on Mariah. Comanche is nowhere to be found. Bushmaster heads back to the Jamaican restaurant and talks about seeing his future in Harlem. Shades followed him back. He calls Comanche but gets no answer.

Comanche is meeting with Misty’s boss. He’s an informant. Misty gets back to the office and finds specs from Danny and Colleen for a new arm. Luke is at the shop when Bobby comes in. His daughter needs a kidney and he is a match to donate so he’s headed to San Diego. He feels like a hero. He says this must be what Luke feels like all the time. Luke doesn’t say anything. They talk about being careful and then Bobby leaves. A guy walks in. He’s with the court. He serves Luke papers.

Everyone is leaving. Bobby. Claire. They are doing what they have to and I don’t blame them but now Luke is definitely going to go off the rails. I want Misty to be the hero here, especially cause the other cops are awful. Hopefully that works out.

Luke Cage, episode three

So Luke went to town on Cockroach. Dude is barely alive so Luke did what Luke does and called Claire. She comes and checks out Cockroach. He’s in a bad way. He needs a hospital. They call it in and he’s taken away in an ambulance. Misty and Luke have words about methods for getting Mariah. She tells him to get going so she doesn’t have to arrest him.

The Jamaican wakes up in bed with two women. He heads into the living room and finds his friend waiting. They talk about Luke and Mariah. Dude hates both of them but it seems like he hates Luke more. He wants to run Harlem. Mariah and Tilda are sitting down to breakfast talking about their past. Mariah wants to focus on the future. Shades shows up and Mariah gets pissed. She wants to keep Tilda out of the family business. Shades is more concerned about what Luke did to Cockroach.

Now they need to go to the Jamaicans for the money for Piranha. She tells him to go like an errand boy. He gets mad. They are partners. She just walks away. Misty questions Cockroach and gets nowhere. The other cops show up and fight with her about jurisdiction. Luke didn’t go home the night before. Claire finds him the next morning and tries to talk to him about being brutal. He doesn’t want to hear it. He walks out and heads to Brooklyn to try and track Nigel.

He goes to a restaurant and asks around. He spots one guy ducking out and follows. Shades is also in Brooklyn for the gun deal. He finds the Jamaican on steroids and apparently Nigel is dead. He needs to be convinced on the gun deal. Mariah has a campaign event and she parades around Tilda. She also has the new “hostess” on hand for a big donor. Misty is boxing and talking about her situation. She sees pity because she pities herself but they work on that.

Claire goes to talk to Luke’s father. She stays incognito but slips up and uses Luke’s name. Luke heads over to see the Jamaican running the show. He’s after anyone in a league with Mariah but the Jamaican says they could work together. Then he has his men challenge Luke. Luke wins and they take a video. Mariah gives a stump speech and it’s all about family and she puts Tilda on display. Misty and Colleen are drinking. A guy shows up and confronts her about locking his brother up. They throw down and Misty wins, and she gets her confidence back in the process.

The Jamaican guy does some sort of ritual. Mariah is doing business. She used hostess Billie to blackmail the guy that would hold up her business deal. As they wrap up Tilda comes in. She bought into the stump speech and wants to work to have a better relationship with her mother. She leaves and Shades comes in. He’s got the money. They are happy and pay Piranha. Billie reports back to the Jamaicans. Luke goes home and tries to talk to Claire about their relationship.

She doesn’t like how brutal he is being and that he seems to like it. He’s changing. He tells her that he needs her to be all in. She brings up his father and he snaps and punches the wall. She’s done. She tells him she is going to go to Cuba to see her family. She needs time and space. He tries to push but she won’t back down. He asks to meet up the next day to talk. Then he heads out. He’s walking the streets and ends up punched. It takes him down. It was the Jamaican. He’s reclaiming Harlem.

Poor Claire. I’m glad she has a backbone and doesn’t just pander to Luke. She stands her ground and that is great. I’m glad that Misty got her swagger back. I didn’t watch Iron Fist so I don’t really know Colleen except for the Defenders stuff but I like their friendship. I don’t know if Tilda can be trusted. Shades will end up after her.

Reverie, episode three

A man is in his Reverie. He is a bank robber. In the real world, his wife finds him in their home zoned out. Mara is having issues of her own. She is now talking to her hallucination of her niece. She wants a hug and the little girl seems willing to allow it but then the phone rings and the girl is gone. The woman who found her husband in his Reverie wants to sue the company. She blames them for her husband’s change in mood and behavior.

Mara asks for a day to try and get him back. The woman grants it. She goes into the program and tries to talk to him but it’s no use. He just makes his bank robber escape. In the real world she talks to Paul about how to handle it. She’s going to beat him at his own game and make him come to her but first she has to visit with the designers to come up with how to do that. Paul gets a visit of his own from Charlie. He asks about Mara’s health. She’s doing okay.

She goes back into the program in an armored van. She tries to get through to him but he doesn’t want to hear it. This is his life now. Mara goes to see the wife and talks to her about changes in his life. There was a break-in a few months back. The wife doesn’t think it’s that but Mara thinks it is. She calls Charlie to find out more about it. Little does she know he is snooping around her apartment at that moment. She goes back in and makes some progress. At least it seems that way until some dude on a motorcyle shows up, throws a chain around Nate and literally drags him away.

In the real world, she goes to see Paul about it. He tells her that the program knows the subconscious better than even the user does. She doesn’t understand so he takes her into one of his own to show her what he means. He created a reverie of his own childhood home. He suffered from night terrors as a child because of his abusive, alcoholic father. The program gave him a safe place to face his father.

Once they are back out, Paul seems a little off but Mara doesn’t pry. Instead she meets with Charlie and finds out Nate never talked to the cops after the break-in. Mara tells him what she knows about the kidnapper in the program and he relays that information to the cops. While she’s waiting for more information, Mara chats with Alexis about her stockholder presentation. She shows her how to talk to them.

The police used the information. They have a suspect and will bring him in. They can only hold him for a day though so Mara needs to get Nate out to ID him. Mara heads in to tell him the news. He’s still scared though. He tells her the truth. The guy came back and threatened his life if he talked to the cops. That’s why he can’t do this. Mara tells him that the only way to get over it is to face his fear.

Nate admits he is also scared to face his wife but Mara assures him that that won’t be an issue. He leaves the program and meets with the cops to ID the man. Back at the office Charlie comes to see Mara. He tells her that he might have to let her go if she can’t handle the instructions to get past the hallucinations. She tells him that the job is helping her and the moments with the hallucination are worth it.

He sends her home. Nate also gets home and apologizes to his wife. She’s just happy he’s back. Mara is looking to make some progress of her own. She goes back to the house where she saw her sister and niece die. It’s vacant and she heads inside. She pushes herself to walk through the house as she has flashbacks. She finds her hallucination and the little girl tells her that she is here for a reason. As Mara questions what that reason is, the room shorts out. It’s not real.

I feel like Paul might be sort of honest but I definitely don’t trust Charlie. He’s more concerned about corporate and the bottom line than Mara. The check ins are to make sure she can still do her job, not actually for her. I love Mara though and it was nice to learn more about Paul. Alexis is next I figure. We will learn more about her soon. Well before Charlie at least.

Reverie, episode two

A new person heads into Reverie because she needs an adventure. Her adventure is a secret agent mission and she loves it. At least at first she does. Then she sees who the target is that was taken. It’s a man that seems to matter to her. She’s less interested in secret agenting and more just worried after that. Mara wakes up in the middle of night. She’s had a nightmare about her niece and sister.

While she’s up, her phone rings. It’s Charlie calling her in. The secret agent woman is having a bit of a medical emergency and they need to pull her out before she goes into cardiac arrest. They don’t know much about her program though. Mara goes in blind and falls headfirst into the secret agent plot. She tries to talk to the woman, Rachel, about her health. Rachel isn’t having it though. She doesn’t believe Mara and has to keep going with the mission.

Mara comes out and tells Paul that she has to solve the game before Rachel will believe her. Mara starts doing research into the woman but has another hallucination of her niece along the way. She settles down and talks to a friend of Rachel’s. He tells her that Rachel has always had trust issues and has been in a funk due to a death in the family. After that meeting, Mara sees Paul and finds out her hallucinations are a side effect of the implant to enter Reverie. He gives her anxiety meds. Then Charlie comes in let Mara know she has to go back under.

This time she’s ready. A fancy dress and a gun. She tries to talk to Rachel but gets nowhere. She ends up arguing with her about secrets and her family before leaving the program. In the real world Charlie is concerned about her bouncing around in other people’s minds. Mara goes home and takes the medication Paul gave her before putting away all the pictures of her niece. The next she is figuring things out based on what happened during her second trip in. Rachel is looking for her father. She thinks that that is the end of the mission. The man they took is her father.

Mara explains as much to Charlie and recruits him to locate Rachel’s father in the real world. Then she heads back inside. Rachel is not happy to see her but Mara doesn’t care. She’s in it for the long haul. Charlie uses the office AI to get the ball rolling on finding Rachel’s dad in the real world. She found him in the program but can’t get answers to the questions she has. Mara helps her leave the program. Charlie has managed to track down someone that knew her father.

They bring the man in and he passes along Rachel’s father’s contact information. She is thrilled. Mara thanks Alexis for her help and then leaves the room as Alexis starts a board game with the AI. Mara watches from the hall for a moment and that’s where Paul finds her. He tells her what he knows. The AI is based on Alexis’ brother, who died when they were young. Rachel reunites with her father who is thrilled to have her over. Mara ignores the meds and talks to her hallucination that night.

I like this show. I think the premise is interesting. I think they need to spell out the overall arc a bit faster though. It’s very patient-of-the-week at the moment which could get old. I like Mara and Alexis. I don’t trust Paul or Charlie.

Reverie, episode one

A man and woman are going to have a “quiet night in” complete with a fancy dinner on their balcony with a beautiful view. There is steady beeping. Turns out the man is in a coma and the dream he’s seeing is the reverie program, created by a woman named Lexie. This is the seventh coma case. It’s a radical problem which might need a radical solution. Enter Mara. She’s teaching interpersonal skills to teens when a man comes into the room.

She dismisses class and goes to see the man named Charlie. They haven’t seen each other in a few years and start to catch up. He cuts to the chase. He wants to offer her a job with Reverie. It’s a hostage negotiation job of sorts. He explains that reverie uses social media to create a dream world for users and that their coma patients are people that have decided not to come back. He wants her to go in and pull them out.

Charlie reports back to Monica about his meeting with Mara. She wants time to think about it but Charlie thinks she is worth it. She is great at what she does and was able to connect with strangers all the time. The issue was that she couldn’t her skills when it mattered most. Her sister and niece were killed by her brother-in-law when she was trying to talk him down. Mara goes to the office to hear the reverie spiel. It’s all AI and implants but the goal is to bring families back together. That’s what Charlie sells her on. She gets an implant.

Next up is a crash course on how reverie actually works from the dream scientist Paul. He explains to her the rules of the game so to speak. She can’t fly but she can teach her brain to override basic feelings such as pain. The way out is a gateway icon or the safe word exodus. After some training, Mara picks up on the program pretty quick. She’s going to enter with someone else, which will be a first. Paul and Lexie aren’t sure what to expect.

Before her immersion, Mara talks to the man’s brother about him to prepare. Charlie thinks she is ready and tells Monica as much. Mara settles down and heads inside to find Tony. She seems him right away but communicating with him is easier said than done. He flees she loses him after a moment of distraction. She ends up on a balcony and he confronts her. He knows that she will crash the program. He pushes her off and she leaves the program just before she hits the ground.

Back in the real world, Mara has to figure out how to get through to Tony based on what she saw. She talks to his daughter and then looks through what he uploaded to create the alternate reality. That leads to a friend of his. That’s where Mara finds out that Tony’s wife was sick and taking a turn for the worst. She heads to his house and finds something that might help understand the reverie. It’s a drug. Meanwhile, Charlie hears from a team doctor that Mara might have an emotional disorder.

All of that is put on the back burner though because Mara figured something out and wants to go back into reverie. She gets back inside and Tony is not happy to see her. She pleads for a chance to just talk though. He lets her and they connect. They both have a night that they want to forget. He tells her about the night his wife died and she talks about her own struggles. It gets through to him. He has been inside for more than two weeks and now he needs to get back to his daughter. It works. He talks to his wife and gets closure. Then they leave.

Charlie talks to Paul about monitoring Mara. He wants to know all of the details of everything she does from now on. Lexie plays checkers with the building’s AI. Charlie meets with Monica to talk about the program and long term goals. Mara goes home. She looks at a picture of her sister and gets the motivation to clean up. She gets rid of the empty alcohol bottles and cleans up the laundry. As she goes to dump some pills down the toilet, something catches her eye. Her dead niece is down the hall! She drops the pills and turns on the light. When she does no one is there.

I liked this show. There was a lot of room for improvement sure but that’s kind of the point of this sort of thing isn’t it? Tantalize with the pilot and then grow on it. I’d honestly like to see more of that class Mara was teaching but I think it’s safe to assume she quit that. There wasn’t much information on the characters outside of Mara but I don’t trust Charlie. I like Paul though and feel bad for Lexie.