Westworld overcomes a clunky start for an exponentially better Season 2

The Hollywood Reporter

The HBO drama's second season should've used a long "previously on" recap. Instead, it kicks off with an expository episode aimed at new viewers and keeping old viewers up to speed after a 16-month hiatus. Still, creators Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan deserve credit for "eagerly embracing the possibilities of the series," says Tim Goodman. "In the five episodes offered for review, they (and the writing staff) have abandoned a sense of cautious plotting and raced into the future (and back to the past, sometimes toggling between the two, frantically)." He adds: "With a thrilling sense of possibility and a fleetness in telling multiple stories, the new season's first five episodes grow exponentially in appeal. And even though there are instances when it's justified to perhaps question what new powers might be in play — beyond the series' exploration of 'the bicameral mind' — there's never a sense that Westworld has tripped up, run out of ideas or reverted to some kind of redundancy. On the contrary, the series offers revelatory possibilities and pursues them in massively entertaining fashion."

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