Business Westworld even Westworld if it’s not trying to break your brain? It’s a valid question, and I think “no” would be a valid answer. But since the show left the park at the end of season two to explore the dystopia of the real world, the third season felt like everything was a mystery until the final pair of episodes, which left the answers feeling either unsatisfying or unearned. Now that season four has arrivedit seems clear the show knows it can’t be completely baffling and must parcel out some answers to be satisfying. Which, while great, is not nearly as satisfying as where the show goes.

Actually, it’s kind of impressive that “Well Enough Alone” is as great as it is when it primarily focuses on only three characters and two storylines, being William (Ed Harris) the Host (minion of the human-hating, Dolores-corrupted control unit inside the body of Charlotte Hale) and then the further adventures of Maeve (Thandiwe Newton) and Caleb (Aaron Paul). There are a few brief check-ins with Dolores lookalike Christina (Evan Rachel Wood) where she hears an unhoused person on the street ranting about a tower, much like last week’s stalker-turned-suicide Peter did in the premiere. Then Christina checks in her work ‘s archives and discoveries she very much did write a story about a man named Peter who lost everything, became obsessed with a woman, and killed himself. Finally, she visits the hospital Peter left his money to, only to find out that the hospital has long been abandoned, and the annex’s wing funded by Peter and dedicated to him was built even earlier than that.

It’s a mystery to be sure—along with whatever the hell Christina’s relationship to Dolores is—but the other two storylines are full of answers, beginning with William visiting Clementine (Angela Sarafyan) the Host, who’s been living quietly in a Spanish-speaking country… until the Host in Black tracks her down, demands to know where Maeve is, and then shoots Clementine in the head when she doesn’t answer.

Soon, Maeve and Caleb visit a senator and his wife only to discover they’re both secretly Hosts working for William and Hale (Tessa Thompson), but who have been upgraded so Maeve can’t use her tech magic to mentally shut them down, at least not easily. The Host wife is killed, and Maeve searches through the Host senator’s memory banks to discover William had the original senator killed; the wife was about to be murdered too, except Hale arrives and ominously said to bring her to the barn out back, as “livestock” for an experiment the Host leader wanted to try.

Maeve and Caleb head to the barn, where they only see the results of this experiment, and they are bleak. The senator’s wife has been butchering all of her horses; when Maeve and Caleb snap her out of it, she doesn’t remember doing it. But then she gives the duo a message: they’re invited to a meeting as their “old friend” Don Giovanni wants to meet them. When Caleb declines the wife’s request to put her out of her misery, she attacks Caleb with a knife until Maeve shoots her in the head.

If I had to guess, Hale was trying to figure out a way to program and control humans just as humans had programmed and controlled the Hosts. It wasn’t a full success in that the senator’s wife’s mind was broken by the experiment, but obviously Hale has no concerns about collateral damage, especially to humans.

After a clearly reprogrammed Clementine turns away an angry Deputy Assistant for Counterterrorism from meeting with William, none other than the Vice-President of the United States personally comes to visit the Delos head honcho on his golf course with a polite request to knock off his activities , such as buying the Hoover Dam and surrounding properties. (The Veep implies that William is building a new park, but this time in America instead of safely offshore where its depravity and mayhem can be more easily ignored.) When William unsurprisingly tells him to blow it out his ass (I’m paraphrasing) , the Veep threatens to leak information that would ruin the Man in Black… but then he turns around and sees Clementine has killed his Secret Service bodyguards, and William smashes his head with a golf club. As for the Deputy Assistant, Hale later shows up in his car, holds him down, and lets a fly crawl in the man’s eyeball. When the Veep and Assistant show up later, they—or, obviously, their Host replacements—have approved of everything William has been doing, and Hale’s plan proceeds forthwith.

Although the role of the flies is still baffling—and extremely horrifying—and we don’t know exactly what Hale’s specifically planning, she does let us know what she’s hoping to achieve: to make a world where her “children” are safe from humans . She does n’t want to kill all humans or replace all humans with Hosts, as that would be pointless—but she’ll kill as many humans in power and replace them with Hosts under her control as necessary. And she tells all this to the real William (or probably real William, but definitely the same William who decided his mission was to kill all Hosts and got his throat slit in the season three finale). He’s alive and thoroughly trapped in some kind of sci-fi suit held by one of the Host-making rings. And then Hale drugs him and puts him back Westworld‘s equivalent of carbon freezing.

It’s good stuff, but it can’t match the thrill of what happens when Maeve and Caleb attend the mysterious party in Los Angeles. It’s a fancy, ritzy cocktail bar full of equally fancy, ritzy humans, but no Hosts. The two of them are baffled until the bar suddenly lurches, and Maeve quickly understands exactly what’s happening—they’re on a train to a park. And not just any park, but a brand-new park built by William based on the 1920s and the mobsters that dominated it.

There’s so much to like about this! It was a surprise to discover Maeve and Caleb had unknowingly entered a train to a park, it was unnerving to realize this very secret train was in downtown Los Angeles, and seeing the 1920s skyline was a thrill, even if we knew a visit to this particular park was on the way. But what I especially liked was bringing back Lili Simmons (who played “New Clem” after the original Clementine was removed from the park in season one) in the role of the Host who greets park newcomers—like the character played by Talulah Riley who initially welcomed young William and Logan back in season one. She leads Maeve and Caleb in a replica of the same registration room we saw in the series’ second episode, except this time it has more 1920s-appropriate clothes and weapons. However, it still has the same choice: White hat, or black hat? Caleb’s choice: “I’m not really a hat person.”

I don’t think Westworld can be truly judged until the end of the season, as the episodes usually end up totaling more than the sum of their parts. That said, I’ve really enjoyed these first two episodes of season four, and since they make up 25 percent of the eight-episode season, that’s not insignificant. I’m being grateful we’re getting enough answers to feel the story is truly progressing, while still tantalized with enough mysteries to keep viewers invested in finding out what’s going on. The show has struck an excellent balance between the two, leaving viewers satisfied but also tantalized. I don’t know if the season’s big mysteries—mainly, of course, what the hell is up with Christina—will be worth it at the end, but I have hope. See you next week… in Mobland.

Assorted Musings:

• mobworld? Mafiaworld? Gangsterworld? The Roaring’20sworld? I’m guessing Mobworld.
• The Senator tells Maeve and Caleb that there are currently 249 Hosts like him in the world. Do you think he just means Hosts in total, or Hosts commanded by Hale to bring about her “New World”? I assume the latter, which is extremely bad news.
• Ed Harris is the MVP of the episode, just massively entertaining from start to finish. When the (real) senator tells his the old “Happy wife, happy life!” saw, the way he utters “My wife’s dead” is perfection.
• I’ll credit this to the writers, but the golf scene is also perfect. The Vice-President is chiding William when the latter hits a hole-in-one. The Veep’s jaw drops, completely impressed with the shot. As the conversation escalates, William hits a second hole-in-one, and the Veep stares at it in disbelief. And when the Veep starts making outright threats, William hits a third hole-in-one—and the Vice-President slowly realizes no human could make three holes-in-one in a row. So good!
• It was cool to see the hat choice back, but I don’t think many people wore white hats back in the 1920s. Certainly not nearly as much as black.
• Just a reminder that I totally called William being alive after his throat was slit in the season three finale and I’m not above gloating about it.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TVand everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

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<p>The post Westworld Season 4 Episode 2 Recap: Well Enough Alone first appeared on harchi90.</p>

TV no longer has the dog days of summer when new shows were scarce and repeats ruled the roost.

July is an especially busy month this year, with a wide variety of offerings. Here’s what to watch for — from wacky comedies to tense dramas to docuseries.

“Maggie”

In this comedy series, Maggie (Rebecca Rittenhouse, “Four Weddings and a Funeral”) is a mid-thirties woman who runs a psychic operation – but she also happens to have real abilities. Her romantic life becomes complicated when she begins seeing her client’s future… and it involves her.

Premiere date: July 6 on Hulu

“Boo, Bitch”

The comedy stars Lana Condor (“To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before”) and is helmed by Erin Ehrlich (“Crazy Ex Girlfriend”) and Lauren Lungerich (“On My Block”). It revolves around a high school senior who lives under the radar but wants to be noticed. One night, she gets the chance to make her life more epic but, the next morning, she discovers that she’s now a ghost. Hey, it happens.

Premiere date: July 8 on Netflix

“Black Bird”

A psychological thriller starring Taron Egerton and Ray Liotta (in one of his final roles) and based on a true story. When Jimmy Keene (Egerton), a high school football star and the son of a cop, is convicted of drug-dealing, he’s offered a choice: he can spend 10 years in prison or be transferred a maximum-security prison for the criminally insane to befriend a suspected serial killer (Paul Walter Hauser) and find out where his victims’ bodies are buired. Based on Keene’s true crime memoir “In With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer, and A Dangerous Bargain for Redemption.”

Premiere date: July 8 on AppleTV+

“Claim to Fame”

Hosted by Kevin and Frankie Jonas (siblings of the more famous Nick and Joe Jonas), this reality series follows 12 celebrity relatives as they live in the same house, try to keep their identities secret, compete in challenges for a cash prize and play “ DNA detective” on each other.

Premiere date: July 11 on ABC (10 pm)

“Everything’s Trash”

Created by and starring Phoebe Robinson (“2 Dope Queens,”) this comedy follows Phoebe (Robinson), a Brooklyn-based 30something podcaster whose wild behavior threaten’s her brother’s success when he launches a political campaign.

Premiere date: July 13 on Freeform (10 pm)

“Five Guys a Week”

Each episode of this reality dating series show focuses on a new woman as she dates five different men over the course of a week — while they all live in her home, of course.

Premiere date: July 13 on Lifetime (10 pm)

“Resident Evil”

A new sci-fi zombering offering in the popular franchise. It’s 14 years after a virus caused the apocalypse, and Jade Wesker (Ella Balinska) tries to survive, while also trying to figure out what happened to her sister.

Premiere date: July 14 on Netflix

“Victoria’s Secret: Angels and Demons”

This docuseries chronicles the rise and fall of the famous lingerie empire while also examines the relationship between former CEO Les Wexner and Jeffrey Epstein.

Premiere date: July 14 on Hulu

“Paper Girls”

A sci-fi series that sounds like part “Stranger Things,” part “Yellowjackets.” It’s based on a comic by Brian K. Vaughan (“Runaways”) and follows four girls who get sent on an adventure through time while they’re out delivering papers on the morning after Halloween in 1988. During their journey, they encounter future versions of themselves.

Premiere date: July 29 on Prime Video

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<p>The post Here are the hot July TV shows to watch first appeared on harchi90.</p>

Sorry Sadie Sink, but now that we’ve seen all of Stranger Things‘ fourth season, we can safely say that Kate Bush was the true breakout star this time around.

We’re only sort of kidding. While the youths certainly held it down in Volume 2the immediately-iconic “Running Up That Hill” scene from Volume 1 had a power that went beyond the screen. its newfound popularity propelled the song to new (Wuthering) heights, including number one on the UK charts for three weeks straight.

The surprise resurgence even prompted the notoriously reclusive singer to send yet another message to fans. in a post on every websiteBush says “We’re all so excited” about charting for the third week: “In fact it’s all starting to feel a bit surreal.”

She adds, “I’ve just watched the last two episodes of Stranger Things and they’re just through the roof. No spoilers here, I promise. I’d only seen the scenes that directly involved the use of the track and so I didn’t know how the story would evolve or build.”

The post continues, “I was so delighted that the Duffer Brothers wanted to use RUTH for Max’s totem but now having seen the whole of this last series, I feel deeply honored that the song was chosen to become a part of their roller coaster journey. I can’t imagine the amount of hard work that’s gone into making something on this scale. I am in awe. They’ve made something really spectacular.”

She concludes the missive by warning fans off any “unofficial merchandise,” as “we want to honor the energy that’s being generated by the audiences right now.” the Stranger Things surge has been, in the artist’s words, “special, unique and quite frankly, bloody moving.” A deal with God may be all well and good, but a deal with the Duffer Brothers seems to be way more lucrative. As Kate Bush deserves!

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<p>The post Kate Bush reacts to the Stranger Things season 4 finale first appeared on harchi90.</p>

Even after splitting up this season of Stranger Things into a two-part binge, Netflix still found itself with quite the hangover. Users reported that last night, shortly after the final episodes of the series dropped, the streamer briefly crashed due to the flood of viewers trying to access the sci-fi juggernaut series’ conclusion.

per varietythe global uptime-monitoring site Downdetector.com documented reports of problems with Netflix hit a peak around 3 AM EST which—not so coincidentally—is the same time Stranger Things 4 Volume 2 first went live. There were nearly 13,000 complaints at the time, although varietyy reports that the situation appeared to be sorted out within 30 minutes or so.

Viewers also documented the crash front social media, with some sharing videos of the “Problem Connecting” error message or an endless red loading symbol. Everyone who experienced the error seemed to agree on one thing, however: the new Stranger Things episodes had to be the ultimate culprit.

The mass convergence around Stranger Things‘ midnight (PST) drop actually doesn’t come as much of a surprise, given the cultural command the series wields. this season of Stranger Things has already taken the title as the number one English language series of all time on the streaming service.

Stranger Things’ reach extends beyond just viewership as well, and even into other mediums. The major inclusion of Kate Bush’s ’80s anthem “Running Up That Hill” shot the reclusive musician to the top of the chartsgiving Bush her first #1 single and setting three Guinness world records in the process. And yesterday, capitalizing off of the success, Spotify even released a popular new feature that allows users to create their own “Upside Down” playlists. The playlist rounds up songs mostly likely to save listener from Vecna’s clutches.

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<p>The post Netflix crashed briefly after Stranger Things 4 Vol. 2 dropped first appeared on harchi90.</p>

Stranger Things is chock-full of so many ’80s pop culture references that it’s hard to keep track—Unless you’re Winona Ryder, who apparently has an encyclopedic knowledge of movie, music, books, and beyond.

This is according to a new profile for Harper’s Bazaarin which co-star David Harbor reveals that Ryder has actually corrected some “minor historical mistakes” made by the series’ creators, Matt and Ross Duffer. “It’s just kind of epic how wild her mind is and how it goes to all these different corners,” Harbor says. “She’d tell them, ‘This song actually came out in ’85, and you have it in ’83.’ She knew all of these minute, tiny details they didn’t even know, and they had to change things in the script based on that.”

The Duffer Brothers themselves share that Winona’s talent and every movie buff bonafides helped to shape Joyce Byers as a character. “We originally just thought of Joyce as this strong, devoted, worried mother. But then suddenly Winona brings an entirely new flavor to it, and we just thought about how much fun we could have with her, getting involved in the supernatural.”

The first season’s memorable Christmas lights scene, where a frazzled Joyce finally makes contact with her missing son, can be traced back to Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (“when Richard Dreyfuss’ character gets obsessed and makes a mound out of his mashed potatoes”), a favorite childhood movie of both Ryder and the Duffers.

There’s really no one more qualified to make a ruling on ’80s pop culture than Winona Ryder, someone who not only lived through the decade but was one of its icons. But it will probably please fans to know how protective and enthusiastic she is about the era. For instance, she’d been lobbying for some Kate Bush on the show long before this season’s fan-favorite Running Up That Hill scene. “I’ve been obsessed with her since I was a little girl,” the actor previously told USA Today. “I’ve also for the last seven years been dropping hints on set wearing my Kate Bush T-shirts.” In Winona we (continue to) trust.

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<p>The post Winona Ryder fact-checks Stranger Things’ ’80s references first appeared on harchi90.</p>