The Best Reactions to the Westworld Season 2 Premiere

Westworld’s sophomore season started off with a bang (or two), and sent viewers into full-on speculation mode about Dolores’ revolution, Bernard’s unsettling discovery and the fate of the hosts and remaining humans in the wrecked theme park. Here’s what critics and audiences had to say about “Journey Into Night.”

First things first: the opening credits.

You may have noticed that while composer Ramin Djawadi’s haunting score has carried over from Season 1, some of the imagery has been changed. Vulture interviewed Jonathan Nolan and title designer Patrick Clair about the creative swaps:

“‘You have some very obvious swap outs, like the horse has become the buffalo,’ Clair said. As Nolan told us at the Westworld red-carpet premiere, they changed the animal because of ‘the long history of the American buffalo as a tragic symbol of the west.’”

Then came the time hops.

It’s possible Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) spoke for most Westworld viewers when he asked — in his disorientated, dystrophic state — “Is this now?” While some fans are already working to crack the code Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy have laid before us, others are, well, confused. Business Insider believes we should give Bernard the chance to piece things together for us:

“Bernard doesn't remember the events of the finale clearly, but things are coming to him in fragments that are edited in a flashy way that gives us a great sense of how he thinks.”

And the timely social commentary.

Bernard’s game-changing discovery didn’t slip by the Independent, who compared Delos’ shady intentions — storing guest experiences, as well as their DNA — to the current Facebook privacy breach:

“We don't yet know whether profit motivated Delos in harvesting users' experiences, as was the case with Facebook, but Charlotte's response is poignant. Is she dismissive out of guilt, or because she doesn't realise the grave implications of what the company has started doing?”

Not to mention the bloody revolt.

Vox declared, “The robot revolution is officially upon us, and it is spectacular.” TVLine agreed: Karma’s not a bitch. “Karma’s a newly self-aware android with an itchy trigger finger.”

And the theories as to where Westworld is located.

Twitter user @ScannerDromeMag paid close attention to the conversation that took place on the beach, when Delos’ Head of Operations, Karl Strand not-so-politely told outside forces to “Get off his f**king island.”

@ScannerDromeMag’s open query — “So #Westworld is an island? Did we know that? Did I know that?” — sparked speculation about where the park is located. Some followed the island narrative, while others theorized the park is actually underwater or on the moon.

Whether we’re set in the past or the future, an island or the moon, one thing is certain: Chaos is most certainly in control.