Westworld episode 4 review: An intricate romp that requires patience

Plot lines are interconnected in an episode that provides rewards for those who wait

Halfway through the fourth episode of Westworld and it becomes clear this show is exactly the mystery many were concerned it would be - the kind where a single viewing of one episode may just not be enough. On the flipside, of course, there is the faithful folk who encourage the intense theorisation as well as the small ratio of reveals to questions, happy to let Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy steer them in whichever direction they choose.

At second glance, this episode does an effective job at interconnecting plot lines together into one taut whole - it's just going to require patience to decipher it all. But if you're in, you're in and quite a journey it promises to be.

It's still no clearer who the key to this series is, but the sensible money would be on the vacationing cowboy Man In Black (Ed Harris), who this week gallivants his way deeper into the crux of Ford's new storyline. In his bid to discover the maze, the character is thrown into the path of religious cult leader - and possible Arnold substitute - Wyatt.

His smile upon hearing that name signals a deeper understanding into the amusement park's inner workings lending credence to a theory that Harris' character has some form of link with Ford the creator (Anthony Hopkins). Not that Ford seems fussed, or even aware; he's too busy eating dinner while presiding over his dominion and making thinly-veiled threats to operations leader Theresa Cullen (Sidse Babbett Knudsen).

But perhaps there's need for concern: the Man In Black knows all about Ford's former assistant, even stating he's there to "honour [Arnold's] legacy." Right now he's his biggest adversary.

As is becoming the norm, the episode opens with a prologue-of-sorts showing yet another 'secret' encounter between Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) and Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood), the latter serving very well as a metaphor for the entire series. With each of these scenes, the mask slips further: "I think there may be something wrong with this world; something hiding underneath," she explains to Bernard who responds by telling her about the mysterious maze.

"The goal is to find the centre of it," he tells her. "If you can do that, then maybe you can be free." If the Man In Black is our telescope into the show's giant wheel, Dolores is the tool used to tie each cog together. All of Westworld's characters are on the same path without realising it - but the quicker they do, the quicker this labyrinthine series will get to where it needs to go. Quite where that is, there's still no knowing.

Westworld continues every Tuesday on Sky Atlantic at 9pm