Westworld Season 2, episode 5 recap: Akane No Mai

This week on Westworld we finally got to see Shogun World! Here is everything that went down in the exciting episode.

The episode opens in Westworld’s headquarters as the Delos QA team clean up bodies (Teddy among them) and attempt to restore the hosts’ core processors. We learn that many of the hosts they recovered strangely don’t have any data to begin with and their backup data was destroyed.

In the park, Maeve and company are captured by samurai from Shogun World and Maeve is unable to override them. As the warriors lead them to their destination, Lee realizes the same occurrences going on in Westworld are happening in Shogun World. He explains to Maeve that Shogun World is an experience more intense than Westworld, based on Japan’s Edo period.

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They enter a town where Maeve and the Westworld hosts find the Shogun versions of themselves. Men approach Sakura, a young geisha, under the care of Akane, the Shogun Maeve. Armistice’s Shogun counterpart lets them free and before further violence ensues, Maeve speaks to the Shogun hosts in Japanese, asking for a civilized conversation.

Back in a ruined Sweetwater, Dolores commands her crew to try to get the train to run again, in the hopes she will find her father. In the saloon, a devastated Clementine finds the “new” version of herself.

In Shogun World, Maeve and the others watch a performance from the geisha. Maeve accuses Lee of “plagiarism” because of the Shogun counterparts. Lee counters that it is hard to write so many stories in so little time. I could watch a whole hour of Lee and Maeve bickering and bantering.

A narrative begins in front of them. An emissary comes in and states the Shogun wants to buy Sakura to have permanently. Akane kills the man, veering off the narrative. Fearing vengeance from the shogun, the group makes a plan to escape to Snow Lake in the night. Lee explains to Maeve Snow Lake has access to the tunnels.

However, before they leave that night, ninjas attack. Maeve is almost choked to death by one, but suddenly hears whispers and mentally commands the ninja to stop. Suddenly Maeve is David Haller now?!

The Shogun army comes into town as Maeve and Akane realize Sakura is missing. Hector, Armistice, and their counterparts distract the samurai as Maeve, Akane, Felix, Sebastian, and Lee slip out.

Out in the fields of Westworld, Teddy and Dolores talk about the past. Teddy suggests they leave now before everything gets worse. Dolores replies she will think about it.

As Maeve and crew approach the shogun’s camp, Lee proposes they ditch Akane and go their own way. He asks Maeve how she controlled the ninja from the previous night. Maeve says perhaps she is finding a new voice. While walking, they see dead Delos QA workers. As Lee goes off to relieve himself, he carefully takes a walkie-talkie from one of the bodies.

Maeve tries to appeal to the Shogun and his men. The Shogun starts leaking cortical fluid and glitches. He proposes a deal to Akane: he will release Sakura if Akane dances with her that evening.

Back to Dolores, in an abandoned bedroom, Dolores and Teddy again discuss their future. Teddy says wherever they go, they will stay together. They make love.

In the Shogun’s camp, Maeve tells Akane there is a new world they can go to and that all the stories she has known in her life are lies. Akane then begins to hear whispers in her head.

Dolores tells Teddy she has something to show him. As she leads him, she says she was beginning to question whether her feelings for him were real or already programmed. She confirms they are real and they enter a room with decaying flesh. Dolores says Teddy is not fit to survive what is to come. Men come in and hold Teddy down while a Delos tech guy overwrites Teddy’s file.

Back in the Shogun’s camp, just before Sakura and Akane dance, the Shogun kills Sakura. Akane continues on with the dance and at the end of it kills the shogun with a knife hidden in her hair. Before the shogun’s men kill Akane and Maeve, Maeve mentally commands the men to kill each other.

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The group sees more men approaching the camp. Maeve tells Lee she has a new voice and she will use it. Telepathic Maeve isn’t messing around!

“Akane No Mai” was extremely entertaining and honestly a lot of fun. Maeve and her company are my favorite “group” in the show and I loved seeing them encounter their Shogun counterparts. Shogun World is a beautiful and interesting world and I can’t wait to see more of it.

Westworld airs Sunday nights on HBO.