‘Westworld’ Season 2, Episode 4 ‘The Riddle Of The Sphinx’ Recap: Now and Then [SPOILERS]

In this week’s episode of “Westworld,” flashbacks reveal William’s (Jimmi Simpson) attempts to bring James Delos (Peter Mullan) back to life. Bernard Lowe (Jeffrey Wright) is reunited with a suspicious Elsie Hughes (Shannon Woodward) as William (Ed Harris) along with Lawrence (Clifton Collins Jr.) continue to make their way through the park.

An Attempted Resurrection

The scene previews different parts of the room. James Delos goes about his usual daily routine until an assistant notifies him of an incoming visitor. This visitor turns out to be William (Jimmi Simpson). They have a conversation until William hands him a piece of paper.

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The next time William pays a visit, James goes about his usual routine, but with more finesse and mastery in his actions. He and William have the same conversation until William hands him a piece of paper that contained a script of their exact conversation. While William updates him with what has been happening in the current time, he notices one fatal flaw that deems him unfit for service. It turns out that this was not James Delos, this was a host that was designed after him.

William (Ed Harris) revisits James. At first, James is unable to recognize him. They play out the same script, up until James malfunctions again. Seeing this, William reveals the reason behind his malfunctioning. William then tells him that they are abandoning the project of bringing James back to life. James argues with William, but William counters this by telling him what has been happening to him and his family. He leaves James inside his room, throwing things aimlessly and in frustration.

A Secret Project

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Clementine Pennyfeather (Angela Sarafyan) drags Bernard to a cave and leaves him there with a rifle by his side. Bernard unties himself and cautiously enters the cave, only to find Elsie bound in chains. Elsie immediately threatens Bernard, but Bernard unchains her. Once she is free, she acquires the rifle and points it at Bernard. Bernard tells Elsie about the current situation right before he starts to malfunction. He manages to hand Elsie a tablet right before he starts to have a seizure. Elsie is surprised to discover that Bernard is a host, but she decides to help him.

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While Bernard is unconscious, he has flashbacks that show drone hosts and various materials used in making hosts. After a short exchange, Elsie leaves Bernard, but he asks for her help until he realizes something. There is a facility inside the cave, and Ford had Clementine bring him to it. With the help of his memories, Bernard can find the entrance to the facility. When they enter the facility, they discover dead bodies of technicians. Bernard has a flashback that reveals his involvement in the scene. Elsie calls him while she aims the rifle at a drone host whom she kills. After this, Bernard has another seizure.

Bernard wakes up, and he finds Elsie busy tinkering on a tablet. She discovered a complicated code, the same one that Bernard had found in Peter Abernathy. Bernard then realizes that he had been in the facility before, but he just could not quite remember it accurately. Suddenly, Bernard has a flashback showing him create a new control unit. He then tells Elsie that the people in the facility were building a different code for the hosts. They hear a sound behind a locked door, so Elsie decides to investigate. Bernard hesitates, but Elsie shoots the door.

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When the door opens, they discover someone inside a glass room. They open it, and they enter and discover everything inside it in ruin. The person inside the room turns out to be James Delos, who is hostile to them. Bernard attacks him then takes him down. James eventually stops moving. They leave him inside his glass room, and Elsie has the room terminate him. When they exit the room, Bernard tells him that it was James Delos and that the team working on him was unsuccessful in making him function properly. Elsie decides that there is nothing that they could do there, so she decides to leave. However, Bernard asks for Elsie’s help in figuring out what was going on. Elsie accepts his offer. Right before they leave, Bernard has a flashback. He remembers that he is responsible for the death of everyone in the facility.

The Border Breacher

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The Ghost Nation Native Warriors lead Grace (Katja Herbers) to a holding camp that is full of other human guests. She finds Ashley Stubbs (Luke Hemsworth) there with the rest of the captive guests. They have a short conversation that reveals that neither of their paths aligns with each other. That evening, the Ghost Nation Native Warriors bring Grace, Ashley, as well as the other guests to the shore. They consult one of the leaders about what they should do to them. While this is happening, Grace manages to escape, and the Ghost Nation Native Warriors suddenly disappear, leaving Ashley and the other human guests alive.

The Face Of Death

William (Ed Harris) rides a horse alongside Lawrence. They approach a railroad full of hosts working on its construction. While they walk past the railroad, they notice that the hosts are using the human guests as tracks. William realizes that he is not the only person playing the game and that their next destination is to the town where Lawrence’s family lives. They arrive in the village, but they find it emptied, except for the bar. A barkeep approaches their table and William gives him their order. While the barkeep is serving the whiskey, William notices that his hands are shaking then they find themselves surrounded by Major Craddock (Jonathan Tucker) and his men.

The Major takes William and Lawrence into the church where they are holding the rest of the villagers. Lawrence is reunited with his wife (Olga Aguilar) and his daughter (Izabella Alvarez). Major Craddock and his men assert their authority over the villagers and demand them to reveal the location of their supplies, weapons, and ammunition. Lawrence shows the location of the guns to William and proposes a plan to escape, but William had other ideas. William tells the Major the place of the weapons, and he offered to lead them to their destination.

The Major finds the weapons and is impressed. He eventually finds nitro and decides to make use of it on one of the residents; particularly the barkeep. Since the barkeep still had problems with the steadiness of his hand, Major Craddock has him balance a glass of nitro on his hand while he paces forward. He can balance the glass of nitro, but Major Craddock still shoots him.

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Major Craddock has one of his men beat Lawrence. William sits on a table. Major Craddock dances with Lawrence’s wife while he talks to William about his affiliation with death. Then, he sends Lawrence’s wife to have Lawrence drink a shot of nitro. William remembers what had happened to his wife; then he tells Major Craddock how wrong he is about death. William breaks the bottle of whiskey, and he stabs Major Craddock’s neck. He eliminates the rest of Major Craddock’s men. He takes the shot of nitro from Lawrence’s wife, and he forces Major Craddock to drink it. He takes a rifle, and he gives it to Lawrence, then Lawrence shoots Major Craddock.

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William prepares to leave the village. Lawrence’s wife kisses him on the cheek as a sign of thanks. Lawrence’s daughter talks to him, but it was not her speaking. Instead, it was Dr. Robert Ford. William tells Ford that he is there to play his game and finish it, no matter the circumstances. William leaves the village, with Lawrence and some of the men from the town who volunteered to accompany him. Along the way, they meet Grace, William’s daughter.

“Westworld” continues next Sunday, May 20th, with “Akane No Mai” at 9/8c on HBO.