Wait. What did Maeve just do on Westworld? An investigation.

On Westworld, Maeve finally emerged as the superhero we all knew her to be. But how did she do it? Spoilers. Obviously.

Woah. What did Maeve just do on Westworld?

This week, Westworld left its namesake (mostly) behind and transported us to Shogun World. Heavily based on the narratives of the original park, Shogun World is full of sword-wielding samurai and cannily resourceful geishas. However, just like Westworld, this sector of the park has gone totally off the rails. It’s a lawless free-for-all. And Maeve and her crew have landed smack in the middle of it all.

Viewers have been awaiting the introduction of Shogun World since the show teased a training room full of samurai hosts in the Season 1 finale. When Maeve and her crew finally have the opportunity to see these hosts up close and personal, chaos ensues.

The basic premise of the story starts off innocently enough. In an amusing sequence, a cache of bandits rob the local geisha house, and Maeve, Hector (Rodrigo Santoro), and Armistice (Ingrid Bolsø Berdal) feel an instant tingle of recognition. A slightly modified version of Ramin Djawadi’s ‘Paint It Black’ piano riff plays over the scene, solidifying our recollection with a familiar melody. It all becomes crystal clear that, due to Lee’s laziness, he basically cut and paste Maeve and Co.’s story over to Shogun World. Are we to believe that visitors don’t visit more than one park in the Delos family? Or perhaps no one ever noticed. Either way, Lee is a terrible employee, and the whole situation kind of works out to everyone’s benefit anyway because – boom –  the Westworld gang forms an insta bond with the baddest crew in Shogun World. Avengers assemble!

Quickly, Maeve, driven by maternal instinct, agrees to help Madame Akane (Rinko Kikuchi) in her quest to find her adopted daughter Sakura. During a fight with the Shogun’s army, she’s pleased to locate an unforeseen strength inside. At first, she helps her new friend Mushashi (Hiroyuki Sanada) by using her powers of suggestion. With only a few silken words, Maeve turns the guy against his friend, tearing him to shreds. However, she’s then snagged by another warrior. He chokes out her airway, and she regresses inside. We hear a chattering of computing noises as they spizz by in her mind… and then. Wham! The guy lets go of Maeve and voluntarily jams his head into a spear.

Despite the best efforts of the Westworld gang, things escalate, and the worst happens. The Shogun unceremoniously kills Sakura, and Akane is made to dance for her life. Of course, Maeve knows that Akane has other plans, and she steels herself for battle as Akane slits the Shogun’s throat like only a mother out for revenge can.

As the warriors flood around our heroes, Maeve fully accesses her mainframe within. In an instant, the warriors die. They turn on one another in a gloriously satisfying blood bath.

It’s quite the sight to see. But how did she do it?

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The image of hosts unceremoniously offing themselves is a familiar one. In last week’s episode, Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) experienced a flashback in which he watched a whole gaggle of those creepy drone hosts murder a handful of tech humans and then casually snap their very own necks. The ability for hosts to access something deeper is certainly there, and we’ve seen both Bernard and Maeve do it.

So, where is this ability coming from, exactly? The key to that answer might also lie with Bernard. Remember back in the Season 2 premiere when the Rambo-techs asked Bernard to find Peter Abernathy? He referenced a system that allowed the hosts to access and find their fellow hosts in the closest proximity, kind of like a mental Tinder. It served as an extra security system for the park operators. Well, little did those silly humans know that this system would become of use to the actual hosts.

The big questions are: Why are Bernard and Maeve the only two who have access to this system? Is this the way Bernard sent hundreds of hosts to their death in the sea? Will Maeve pull a mass mind control and bring the entirety of Shogun World to heel at her feet? There are endless possibilities for this new voice, and Westworld seems primed to let it roar.

‘Westworld’ airs Sundays at 9/8c on HBO.