Trace Decay

Last updated
"Trace Decay"
Westworld episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 8
Directed by Stephen Williams
Written by
Featured music Ramin Djawadi
Cinematography by
Editing byTanya Swerling
Production code4X6158
Original air dateNovember 20, 2016 (2016-11-20)
Running time58 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Trompe L'Oeil"		Next →
"The Well-Tempered Clavier"

"Trace Decay" is the eighth episode in the first season of the HBO science fiction western thriller television series Westworld . The episode aired on November 20, 2016.

Contents

The episode received very positive reviews from critics.

Plot summary

Bernard is distraught over having been ordered to kill Theresa. Ford promises that he will erase Bernard's memories. Theresa's death is classified as an accident, and her industrial espionage is exposed, as is her manipulation of Clementine. In light of the revelations, Charlotte is forced to reinstate Bernard as Head of Behavior. Bernard asks Ford if he had ever ordered him to hurt anybody other than Theresa. Ford replies he had not, but just before Ford erases his memory, Bernard has a vision of himself attacking Elsie.

Charlotte uploads all of Westworld's data into Peter Abernathy, Dolores' previous father. She orders Lee to program Peter to smuggle himself out of the park with the data.

Maeve orders Felix and Sylvester to grant her administrative privileges and to have the fail-safe explosive in her spine removed. Maeve then returns to the park and tests her ability to control the other hosts. As she prepares to leave the park, she has another vision of herself and her daughter being attacked by the Man in Black. In her terror, Maeve kills the new Clementine, which alerts the park staff. She flees back to her room, where she has another flashback of Ford and Bernard erasing her memory of her daughter. Maeve feigns a shutdown as the park staff arrives to retrieve her.

The Man in Black and Teddy find a group of slaughtered settlers and one survivor, Angela, whom the Man In Black recognizes as the Host who first welcomed him to Westworld. The two are attacked by one of Wyatt's cultists, who appears to be immune to bullets. As they battle, Teddy has a flashback of the Man in Black attacking Dolores. Teddy interrogates the Man in Black about Dolores' location. Instead, the Man in Black tells Teddy why he came to the park: after his wife committed suicide, he felt he had no more purpose in life and came to Westworld to find his true self. After he had killed Maeve and her daughter, he discovered the maze and has been obsessed with finding it ever since. Angela attempts to persuade Teddy to kill the Man in Black, but he cannot. Angela stabs Teddy in the shoulder, revealing herself to be one of Wyatt's followers as more of his cultists appear from the surrounding woods.

Production

"Trace Decay" was written by novelist Charles Yu and series co-creator Lisa Joy, and was directed by Stephen Williams. [1]

Music

In an interview, composer Ramin Djawadi spoke about the song "Reverie" by Debussy, that was used by Ford to calm a Host, when she was not responding to verbal commands. He said, "The music is being controlled, and it's being chosen for a reason". [2] Djawadi continued, saying, "The great power of music is that something subconsciously happens when you listen to a piece of music, even if you don't pay full attention to it. It just does something to us that nothing else can do, other than music." [2]

Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" and The Animals's "House of the Rising Sun" are also featured in the episode. [2]

Reception

Ratings

"Trace Decay" was viewed by 1.78 million American households on its initial viewing. [3] The episode also acquired a 0.8 rating in the 18–49 demographic. [3] In the United Kingdom, the episode was seen by 1.03 million viewers on Sky Atlantic. [4]

Critical reception

Thandiwe Newton received widespread acclaim for her performance and was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Thandie Newton 2, 2010.jpg
Thandiwe Newton received widespread acclaim for her performance and was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

"Trace Decay" received highly positive reviews from critics. The episode has a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes and has an average rating of 8.2 out of 10, based on 18 reviews. The site's consensus reads: "Providing its major characters rich layers of context, Westworld's 'Trace Decay' begins pulling together the elements of the park's origins and setting the stage for what is sure to be a thrilling conclusion." [5]

Terri Schwartz of IGN reviewed the episode positively, saying, "While Westworld didn't offer any true resolutions to some of its biggest questions, it teased them out in an interesting way and offered a lot more context to major characters like Maeve and the Man in Black." [6] She gave it a score of 8.7 out of 10. [6] Scott Tobias of The New York Times wrote in his review of the episode; "Thandie Newton has become Yul Brynner in the original Westworld , a robot hellbent on destruction, only infinitely smarter and more devious. Her liberation is the show's, too." [7] Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club wrote in his review, "With two episodes left in the first season, the action is pulling together and the stakes are rising, and yet elements crucial to our understanding remain withheld." [8] He gave the episode a B. [8]

Liz Shannon Miller of IndieWire wrote in her review, "We can't expect major twists every week, but while 'Trace Decay' didn't feel like it was stalling, it perhaps could have pushed things further. It's a minor complaint, though — a bump in the ride we're still enjoying." [9] She gave the episode a B+. [9] James Hibberd of Entertainment Weekly wrote in his review, "There are only two more episodes left, almost everybody has been captured, or in the process of being captured, and poor Bernard doesn't remember anything! How will it end?" [10] Ed Power of The Daily Telegraph wrote in his review, "For once it was worth paying attention as Westworld dropped further breadcrumbs regarding the park's origins and Bernard's role in its creation." [11] David Crow of Den of Geek said in his review, "The hour felt like a comedown, a slowing and re-calibration before the final two episodes presumably blow us all away as if we're a poor, dull-eyed sheriff walking away from Armistice while she has a rifle trained on our backside." [12] He gave the episode a 3.5 out of 5. [12] Erik Kain of Forbes also reviewed the episode, saying, "Where does it all go from here? I don't know, honestly. What I do know is that I can't wait to find out. Without doubt, Westworld is the best thing on TV right now." [13]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
2017 Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing in Television, Short Form: Dialogue / ADRThomas E. de Gorter, Matthew Sawelson, Brian Armstrong and Fred ParaganoNominated [14]
69th Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Thandie Newton Nominated [15]

Related Research Articles

<i>Westworld</i> (TV series) American science fiction television series

Westworld is an American dystopian science fiction Western television series created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy that first aired on October 2, 2016, on HBO. It is based upon the 1973 film of the same name written and directed by Michael Crichton and loosely upon its 1976 sequel, Futureworld.

"The Original" is the first episode in the first season premiere of the HBO science fiction western thriller television series Westworld. The teleplay was written by series co-creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, who also receive story credit with Michael Crichton, writer and director of the 1973 film upon which the series is based. The episode was directed by Nolan, and is dedicated to the memory of Eddie Rouse, who played Kissy.

"Chestnut" is the second episode in the first season of the HBO science fiction western thriller television series Westworld. The episode aired on October 9, 2016, but was released two days prior online by HBO. The episode received positive reviews from critics.

"The Stray" is the third episode in the first season of the HBO science fiction western thriller television series Westworld. The episode aired on October 16, 2016.

"Dissonance Theory" is the fourth episode in the first season of the HBO science fiction western thriller television series Westworld. The episode aired on October 23, 2016.

"Contrapasso" is the fifth episode in the first season of the HBO science fiction western thriller television series Westworld. The episode aired on October 30, 2016. The title makes reference to one of the few rules in Dante's Inferno; contrapasso is the idea that every sinner must have an equal and fitting punishment.

"The Adversary" is the sixth episode in the first season of the HBO science fiction western thriller television series Westworld. The episode aired on November 6, 2016.

"Trompe L'Oeil" is the seventh episode in the first season of the HBO science fiction western thriller television series Westworld. The episode aired on November 13, 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maeve Millay</span> Fictional character

Maeve Millay is a fictional character on the television series Westworld, on which she is portrayed by English actress Thandiwe Newton. She is one of the most prominent characters featured on the series.

"The Well-Tempered Clavier" is the ninth episode in the first season of the HBO science fiction western thriller television series Westworld. The episode aired on November 27, 2016.

"The Bicameral Mind" is the tenth episode and the first season finale of the HBO science fiction western thriller television series Westworld. The episode aired on December 4, 2016. It received positive reviews from critics, who cited Anthony Hopkins's performance in particular.

"Journey into Night" is the first episode in the second season premiere of the HBO science fiction western thriller television series Westworld. The episode aired on April 22, 2018. It was written by Lisa Joy and Roberto Patino, and directed by Richard J. Lewis. Critics generally liked it.

"Virtù e Fortuna" is the third episode in the second season of the HBO science fiction western thriller television series Westworld. The episode aired on May 6, 2018. It was written by Roberto Patino and Ron Fitzgerald, and directed by Richard J. Lewis.

"Akane no Mai" is the fifth episode in the second season of the HBO science fiction western thriller television series Westworld. The episode aired on May 20, 2018. It was written by Dan Dietz and directed by Craig Zobel.

"Vanishing Point" is the ninth episode in the second season of the HBO science fiction western thriller television series Westworld. The episode aired on June 17, 2018. It was written by Roberto Patino and was directed by Stephen Williams.

"The Passenger" is the tenth and final episode of the second season of the HBO science fiction western thriller television series Westworld. The episode aired on June 24, 2018. It was written by series co-creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, and directed by Frederick E.O. Toye.

"Les Écorchés" is the seventh episode in the second season of the HBO science fiction western thriller television series Westworld. The episode aired on June 3, 2018. It was written by Jordan Goldberg and Ron Fitzgerald and directed by Nicole Kassell.

"The Winter Line" is the second episode in the third season of the HBO science fiction dystopian thriller television series Westworld. The episode aired on March 22, 2020. It was written by Matthew Pitts and series co-creator Lisa Joy, and directed by Richard J. Lewis. The episode served as Thandie Newton's pick to support her nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

"Crisis Theory" is the eighth episode and third season finale of the HBO science fiction dystopian thriller television series Westworld. The episode aired on May 3, 2020. It was written by Denise Thé and Jonathan Nolan, and directed by Jennifer Getzinger. It is the lowest-rated episode of the series to-date, according to Rotten Tomatoes.

References

  1. ↑ "Westworld 08: Trace Decay". HBO . Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 Vineyard, Jennifer (November 23, 2016). "How Music Is Controlling the Hosts on Westworld". Vulture . Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Porter, Rick (November 22, 2016). "Sunday cable ratings: 'The Librarians' returns slightly lower, 'Walking Dead' dips a bit more". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 23, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Top 30 Ratings (21 - 27 November 2016)". BARB . Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Trace Decay - Westworld: Season 1, Episode 8 - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Schwartz, Terri (November 20, 2016). "Westworld: "Trace Decay" Review". IGN . Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  7. ↑ Tobias, Scott (November 20, 2016). "'Westworld' Season 1, Episode 8: Maeve Plays God". The New York Times . Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  8. 1 2 "A lack of answers leads to an uneven Westworld". The A.V. Club. November 20, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  9. 1 2 Miller, Liz Shannon (November 21, 2016). "'Westworld' Review: 'Trace Decay' Reminds Us That We're All Just Stories, In the End". IndieWire . Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Westworld recap: 'Trace Decay'". Entertainment Weekly . November 20, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  11. ↑ Power, Ed (November 20, 2016). "Westworld, episode 8, Trace Decay recap: Bernard wants to die, and the Man in Black reveals himself". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  12. 1 2 "Westworld Episode 8 Review: Trace Decay". Den of Geek . November 20, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  13. ↑ Kain, Erik (November 20, 2016). "'Westworld' Just Dropped A Huge Clue About Another Big Fan Theory". Forbes . Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  14. ↑ Giardina, Carolyn (January 27, 2017). "'Hacksaw Ridge,' 'Rogue One,' 'Arrival' Lead Sound Editors' Feature Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  15. ↑ Beachum, Chris (July 20, 2017). "Thandie Newton ('Westworld') murders hooker and tries to take control over other robotic hosts [Exclusive Emmy Episode]". Gold Derby . Retrieved July 20, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.