‘Westworld’ Season 2, Episode 3: “Virtù e Fortuna” Introduces A New Park

The war has begun in Westworld, as Dolores perfectly executed her plan to turn on and sacrifice the Confederados while killing a large number of humans during the battle at Fort Forlorn Hope in “Virtù e Fortuna”.

 

Dolores is in total boss mode now, and she basically went T-1000 when trying to get her “father” Peter Abernathy away from Charlotte Hale and the humans. Before he was captured, Dolores had a heartwarming moment with her father while perhaps showing the most emotion a host has shown in Westworld so far. Also, we can see where Dolores starts to not trust Teddy, as he let allows Craddock and the other remaining Confederados live—against her orders.

 

There was no Man in Black in “Virtù e Fortuna”, but there were other thrilling and intense moments throughout the episode—including the end, when Maeve, Hector, Lee, and the others get charged at by a samurai. And to start the episode, pre-opening credits, two new characters were in a whole new park: The Raj. This new world is this week’s focus.

 

Six total parks, including Westworld, were teased previously teased on Delos Destinations (presumably created by HBO to hype the show). Shogun World is the other, but that isn’t where the conclusion of “Virtù e Fortuna” took place. At some point in the show, the other four parks should be seen and revealed, but let’s get into the new one from Season 2, Episode 3.

 

The Raj

It was a bit of a surprise to see a pre-credits scene for a second straight week, but that’s what we got in “Virtù e Fortuna”, as two new characters were introduced: Nicholas and Grace. The two instantly connected, but they were a bit weary of each other’s “realness” while surrounded by robot hosts.

 

Nicholas and Grace seemed to be park experts that knew what they were doing, but things took a turn when the hosts attacked. After Nicholas was killed, Grace was on her own and eventually came face-to-face with a host tiger. As we learned at the end of the episode, Grace somehow survived. But things did not look good as she looked up at a group of Ghost Nation warriors.

 

Grace will probably be an important character throughout the rest of Season 2, but she was already a big part in introducing The Raj. On Delos Destinations, The Raj is described as:

 

If being pampered by our world-class spa isn’t your cup of Darjeeling Tea, the park’s jungles and mountains are your only chance to glimpse magnificent beasts long vanished from your world.

 

In real life, the British Raj was the period of British rule in India from 1858 to 1947. So The Raj in Westworld is an attempt at replicating that—which many of the guests obviously desire.

 

One attraction of The Raj is that lets guests hunt and/or navigate jungles like Indiana Jones. The guests also might just like the scenery and modernness compared to Westworld. But some might argue The Raj is for guests that want to be pampered and treated like elites from the slave-like host natives. It was obvious how those visiting The Raj did as they pleased like in Westworld, but the environment is more relaxed. Instead of killing host Cowboys and people, the guests are treated as royalty.

 

The Raj is Park 6, so perhaps it is the most peaceful because it’s numerically the farthest away from Westworld.

 

Shogun World

Many believed the final scene of last night’s episode was in Shogun World, but Lee said they were still in Westworld—at the northern point of it. However, the samurai that attacked likely ventured to Westworld form Shogun World, like how Grace went from The Raj to Westworld.

 

Delos Destinations also gives a description for Shogun World:

 

For those for whom Westworld is not enough, the true connoisseur of gore can indulge their fantasies with the slash of a katana. Modeled after Japan’s Edo period, Shogun World offers a chance for guests to embrace their inner warrior, in a landscape of highest beauty and darkest horror. Let your true self take shape in the land where self-discovery is an art form.

 

While The Raj is Park 6, Shogun World is Park 2—numerically right after Westworld. With katana swords and other weapons, things probably get just as violent in Shogun World as they do in Westworld. Like the British Raj, the Edo period was also a period where people ruled by another group; in this case, the Japanese were ruled by the Tokugawa shogunate.

 

Show creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy indicated to Entertainment Weekly that an entire episode will take place in Shogun World, so we’ll see and learn a lot more about it soon. This week’s episode looks like it’ll feature the Man in Black, but at some point it will be mostly Shogun World.

 

With five other parks aside from Westworld, there are plenty of directions for the show to go as the seasons progress.

 

Season 2, Episode 4 of Westworld, “The Riddle of the Sphinx”, airs this Sunday at 9:00 PM on HBO.