‘Westworld’ Season 4 Episode 6 Spoiler Review — “Fidelity”

Following last weekend’s episode of Westworld, Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy’s hit HBO dystopian science-fiction drama series tries to tie up a loose end with some subplots. The fourth season’s sixth episode is titled, “Fidelity”. The episode is written by series co-executive producer Jordan Goldberg & staff writer Alli Rock and is directed by Andrew Seklir.

In this review, I will be discussing Westworld Season 4 Episode 6. There will be spoilers here, as the title of this article suggests. Reader’s discretion is advised.

Plot Synopsis

According to WarnerMedia, here is the synopsis for Westworld Season 4 Episode 6—“Fidelity”.

To thine own selves be true.

WarnerMedia

Discussion

At 58 minutes, this new episode of Westworld Season 4 connects Caleb Nichols’s (Aaron Paul) subplot with Bernard Lowe’s (Jeffrey Wright), but not without challenges along the way. Djawadi’s scoring throughout the episode is chilling, especially when mixed in with the lines of dialogue. Carlos, the art directors, and the set designers bring us radical set pieces for a dystopian future that, when paired with the story and writing, can be rather tough in mood and tone. Looking at what they have to offer in terms of aesthetics, we have a stunning juxtaposition between Dolores Abernathy/ Charlotte Hale’s (Tessa Thompson) facilities — and the society it is placed in — and the deserted remnants of the 1920s park.

In terms of the writing, there is nothing I have not already seen in previous dystopian media involving advanced technology usurping the Western world. Jay (Daniel Wu) is given a background as a young adult (Alec Wang), but I felt it was written a tad too late into the season. If we could have gotten that sooner, especially with his fate of being replaced by a Host version of himself being revealed by the end of this episode, I believe viewers would have been more invested in the character. Instead, there really was nothing in the past few episodes that asked for an emotional attachment. Then again, this is not a Jay that saw himself as anyone’s brother figure.

The episode title itself, “Fidelity”, seems pretty self-explanatory in how the episode’s overarching plot is to turn out. As Bernard Lowe (Jeffrey Wright) and Frankie “C” Nichols (Aurora Perrineau) work to repair a damaged Maeve Millay (Thandiwe Newton), they learn that one of their own has been replaced by a Host while in Dale’s (let’s just continue to call her that) city. Because of the way it paces, I am interested in seeing Caplan’s panel-by-panel storyboard art of the narrative.

Fidelity

Jay’s fate was easily predicted by fans, so whether or not you have seen this episode, you might have figured that out earlier/ last week. More importantly, allow me to avert your attention to the Dale/ Nichols subplot of the episode.

Thompson’s character, as shown at the end of the previous episode, has been revealed to have the upper hand. We have seen that she has brought Nichols to her facilities, but how? In this week’s episode of Westworld, we find out that Dale has created Host copies of Nichols’s body to transfer his consciousness into. While she has complex reasons for doing this, I want to discuss how I interpret it.

Dale is keeping close watch of his actions and the patterns thereof, and in monitoring Nichols, she is in control of his spirals. He dies, then there is a new body, then she reorients him to a new or similar goal, and a new spiral occurs. This is why we see more Calebs than the one we are re-introduced to at the beginning of the season. Nichols — the one whom the episode focuses on — is told by another: “The only way out is death. … Dying is just the beginning. You must burn. If you succeed, you run. If you fail, you hide”. I believe what is happening here is the character must escape by means of trial and error. If he can commit to all the right moves, he has a shot at making it back to his daughter.

The Crew of Westworld 

Westworld is created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy and is based on the film of the same name written by Michael Crichton.

Joy, Nolan, Ben Stephenson, Denise Thé, Alison Schapker, Richard J. Lewis, Athena Wickham, and J.J. Abrams serve as the executive producers. Jordan Goldberg, Matt Pitts, and Mark Tobey serve as the co-executive producers; while Don Bensko, Jay Worth, and Noreen O’Toole serve as the producers. Kelly Calligan, Halle Phillips, Skye Wathen, Caleb Duffy, and Susan Ekins serve as the co-producers.

Peter Flinkenberg serves as the director of photography. Amelia Allwarden serves as the editor of the episode. Iman Ahad serves as the assistant editor for the episode.

Suzanne Wrubel serves as the story editor. Alli Rock serves as a staff writer on the show.

Ramin Djawadi scores the music for the series. Benjamin Cook is the sound designer, while Christopher Kaller serves as the music editor. Trygge Toven is the music supervisor.

Jon Carlos serves as the production designer. Mark Robert Taylor serves as the supervising art director. Chris DiLeo, Amelia Brooke, Rachel Aguirre, and Rebekah Scheys are the art directors; while Michael Navarro, Elaine Jen, AJ Cisneros, and Jeanine A. Ringer are the assistant art directors.

Jay Worth, Mark Stetson, and Joe Wehmeyer serve as the visual effects supervisors, while Elizabeth Castro serves as the VFX producer. Jill Paget and Andrew J. Trainor are the VFX editors, while Stephanie Huerta Martinez is the VFX assistant editor.

Debra Beebe serves as costume designer. Margaret Robbs serves as assistant costume designer.

Jose L. Zamora is the department head hairstylist. Michael Buonincontro serves as key hairstylist. Dorchelle Stafford serves as the hairstylist, while Elisa Marsh is the department head make-up artist.

Andrew Hull, Daniel Jennings, Sally Thornton, James Bolenbaugh, and David Chow serve as the set designers. Dan Caplan is the storyboard artist. Julie Ochipinti serves as the set decorator, while Ellen Reede Dorros and Jane Madden are the assistant set decorators.

John Papsidera and Kim Winther are the casting directors of Westworld. Maddalena Zuppetta serves as the casting assistant. Sande Alessi serves as the extras casting director, while Shayne Hartigan is the extras casting associate.

In the New York unit, Barbara McNamara is the extras casting director. Rachel Musson is the extras casting associate, while Patrick Kline is the extras casting assistant. Geoffrey Ehrlich is the art director, while Lucy Pope is the assistant art director. Candice Cardasis is the set decorator. Ashleigh Williams is the head of the make-up department.

In the Cabo unit, Aleph Alighieri serves as the extras casting director.

The Cast of Westworld 

Evan Rachel Wood is credited as the protagonist of Westworld, Christina, once known as Dolores Abernathy.

Thandiwe Newton appears as Maeve Millay, while Aaron Paul portrays Caleb Nichols. Ed Harris is credited as William, also known as the “Man in Black”.

Jeffrey Wright portrays Bernard Lowe, while James Marsden is credited as Theodore “Teddy” Flood. Tessa Thompson portrays Dolores Abernathy (previously Charlotte Hale), while Luke Hemsworth plays Ashley Stubbs. Angela Sarafyan portrays Clementine Pennyfeather.

Aurora Perrineau guest stars as adult Frankie “C” Nichols, Caleb’s daughter and now a member of the resistance. Daniel Wu plays Jay, the leader of the rebels.

Nozipho McLean plays Uwade, while Celeste Clark younger Frankie. Morningstar Angeline portrays Odina, adult Frankie’s partner and a member of the rebels. Emily Somers plays Lindsay, an outlier, while Alec Wang plays a young Jay.

Chris Marrone co-stars as Rami, while Marti Matulis and Joey Wilson play Drone Hosts.

Nico Galán plays Temperance Hector/ Hector “Hecky” Armone. Kyle Christiansen plays a gaunt Caleb.

Performances and Character Developments

Thompson’s performance as Dolores Abernathy this season has been excellent. In this episode, however, she takes the cake, especially in scenes shared with Paul’s Nichols. She is intimidating, more so than when we have seen the actor in previous seasons or in other works. This is also not the Dolores we have seen before. In this season, she is a force to be reckoned with. I am interested to know what plans she has for her human copy, Christina (Evan Rachel Wood).

Paul continues to deliver as Caleb Nichols. There is something remarkable in his perseverance to keep on living, in comparison to how he was last season. In this episode, the character has to relearn, “Nothing is impossible, but you know what kind of person can’t be beat? The kind that doesn’t give up”. I cannot wait to see him reunite with his daughter, and I hope these last two episodes of the season show promise that they will come back together in one piece.

Perrineau is excellent as the adult Frankie “C”. I prefer the character this way. She has developed since her younger days, and as an adult, she is not someone who has given up hope. The actor has strong scenes with Wright and with Wu. In terms of the twist involving the latter’s character, in retrospect, I believe there would be more profound stakes if it were Odina (Morningstar Angeline) who was replaced in the city. Nonetheless, this episode also reunites the older Frankie with Millay. While they did not share many scenes in previous episodes, I am curious to see their dynamic in the season’s final two episodes.

Final Thoughts on Westworld

“Fidelity” is one of the more tense episodes of the season due to its thrilling and suspenseful elements throughout. While I do have a lot of notes on this episode, I wanted to narrow down on Abernathy/ Hale’s scenes with Nichols. There is something worth highlighting here, especially since they were previously partners-in-crime in the 2020 season. I find it heavier and deeper to watch knowing that Nichols has to fight or flee from someone whom he once trusted.

Additionally, in one scene, Lowe discusses how hats were used in the Westworld park to collect data. He then reveals that Hale upgraded to “a ubiquitous system [that] played off the most base human impulse — vanity. Through the Looking Glass”, that is, mirror. Knowing that Christina is the only character (and perhaps, Teddy is too) to see past mirages, I am curious to know if that will hold significance in the final two episodes. Until then, all we have is speculation.

Westworld Season 4 is now airing on HBO and streaming via HBO Max!

Have you seen Nolan and Joy’s series? If so, then what are your thoughts on it so far? Let us know! For more Westworld updates as well as drama and science-fiction-related news and reviews, don’t forget to follow The Cinema Spot on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!