Westworld Season 2 - Akane No Mai EPISODE EXPLAINED!

[@zincChameleon]

The monk is not sleeping; he is practicing Zen meditation. Having children place a beetle on his head is not a sign of disrespect; if a monk meditates in a public place, it means he is ready for distractions.

[@pjskywalker2457]

“It is known”.....

[@Deerpoo22]

The wait for nerdsoup break down is too damn long!!!

[@zews1]

If you don't like the wait, ... make your own.

[@blazygardener]

One thing no one is mentioning is what Sizemore said about what happens when you meet your dopplebot. You get heightened suspicion and hostility (Hector and Musashi), feedback loops, and "That!", Mirroring or attraction or whatever Armistice and her counterpart we're doing. The important part is the feedback loops. This is from Wikipedia: The verb phrase "to feed back", in the sense of returning to an earlier position in a mechanical process, was in use in the US by the 1860s, and in 1909, Nobel laureate Karl Ferdinand Braun used the term "feed-back" as a noun to refer to (undesired) coupling between components of an electronic circuit. By the end of 1912, researchers using early electronic amplifiers (audions) had discovered that deliberately coupling part of the output signal back to the input circuit would boost the amplification (through regeneration), but would also cause the audion to howl or sing. Amplification. Maeve's proximity to her dopplebot has boosted her powers into accessing the mesh network.

[@RafaSarriaBustamante]

That's brilliant

[@kelly2fly]

I was wondering how Maeve was able to access the mesh (other than her nearly dying). I think your explanation was better. Kudos 👍

[@KellieDoll28]

Sherry Swift Impressive! :-)

[@twinblade6]

That shogun had them play C.R.E.A.M for Akane's dance...he should've known to protect his neck.

[@InfiniteUmbra]

lol!

[@theonewhochillsout]

LOL he never enwtered the 36 chambers

[@AceSpaceSpades]

win

[@Frankenmuppet]

Fuckin genius 😂

[@jfassettx123]

He could never TRIUMPH over Akane and Maeve

[@Beansbeansbeanz]

It was so lit when the instrumental Paint it Black started playing in the background while the shogun version of the Mariposa robbery scene played out. And I loved the shot at the end when Maeve had a small smirk on her face with blood splashing around behind her 🙌🏼

[@matrixmdog]

Erica Sweeney holy shit I said to myself that sounds like paint it black cuz last episode I noticed runaway or a some episodes before and now that I'm high and iv seen this you have made me happy

[@Beansbeansbeanz]

lmfao I thought I was trippin when I was watching it and I had to ask my dad to confirm whether or not it was the song

[@KaladinVegapunk]

Erica Sweeney I loved that so much, right when we started picking up that they were dopplegangers and the same scenario was playing out the song starts up, that was one of the iconic scenes of season one too

[@guillermojrboy3292]

Another fun tidbit: Both Clementine and Sakura were named after plants/trees.

[@robrogers4167]

Maeve awakens her inner Bluetooth

[@Charm81]

Rob Rogers this made bust out in laughter 😂😂😂 so true!

[@JoshSmith-le7ev]

12:00 i always assumed that Ford controlled the hosts non verbally by using gestures, which is why his finger is raised much like how he controlled the snake with his finger

[@murphydtx]

Love you guys so much and you are always worth the wait. I don’t understand all the hateful comments here and other channels. Hello we have more than 50 hours of story left to tell. It seems like some people can’t keep the big picture in mind as they watch. I’ve rewatched almost every episode and pick up more each time. Thanks for letting me vent. I’m sharing your videos with a few friends. It gives us all a chance to discuss the show and your reviews always help.

[@pjskywalker2457]

murphydtx I am in total agreement!! Come on people, one of the things we should know by now is that Westworld is very good at giving us small pieces of the overall mystery to chew on a week at a time. There will be many, many twists and turns along the way. It takes time!!!!! Relax and enjoy it knowing that there is sooo much more to come.😉

[@missmizzebral8924]

Akane also means deep red which could be reference to Maeve's former profession and the episode title itself "The Dance of Deep Red" is a foreshadowing of the bloodshed which occurs at the end of episode and after the episode cuts to black. Also the Snow Lake is a metaphor for not shedding blood since snow is white, clean, and lacks the red of blood.

[@iloveyourunclebob]

The scene with Clementine seeing the new Clementine broke my soul.

[@mangalvnam2010]

But at least there's a slight hope that she's not a complete zombie, yet. Maybe she will return afterwards, somehow restored.

[@ashleycoonfield9051]

Manoel Galvão I really hope so. I’m always so sad about her, this comment gives me hope.

[@baronessvondengler]

Loved this review more than the actual episode!

[@ElkeDragos]

What a beautiful episode. I loved shogun world, need more of it!

[@Vothify]

The S1E1 scene with Hector coming to town and the tune of paint it black playing in the background is one of the greatest things I've ever seen

[@belevezero2279]

Far from my favorite episode of the series, but still better than most television. The action-adventure element of this show isn't very strong, it's the mystery and mythology of the show that keeps me enthralled, and the layered meaning in it's dialogue. What disappointed me about Shogun world is how small it felt, especially since one of it's purposes is to expand the world we are watching ...and Maeve needs a nerf.

[@burymeinmsg]

100% agree, In terms of plot maeve and the gang didn't really do anything at shogun world. This episode would had been better if it opened directly into the robbery scene without maeve and the gang being there. The novelty of watching this scene again with Japanese hosts would hook you in. 'Hey where have I seen this before' Then the whole arc plays out the same except the head Japanese geisha is in charge and is already 'awakened' Already the world feels bigger because we aren't using shogun world as a plot device to upgrade maeves power. In the last act of the episode the head geisha leads her party into the woods to escape and collides with maeves party where they left off last episode. They recognise each other to be 'exactly the same'. Maeve tries to voice command them but can't.

[@naynay3710]

I really loved this episode! I loved the mirroring and the dopplebots. The story of Akane & Sukura was beautiful, though tragic. I love what seems to be Maeve's gaining more compassion while Dolores is becoming more ruthless even to the point of rewriting Teddy so he won't be compassionate any longer. (So sad). The incredible scenery and the exquisite costumes were a joy. And the actors chewed up the set!!!

[@angiegonzalez52311]

I’ve been loving your Westworld explanations the last few weeks! Thank you. I also thought about the cherry blossom tree on Sakura’a back, which in Japanese culture shows how short life is. Really tragic touch to the death that followed. Great episode.

[@nomMascot]

I was really hungry for this Nerd Soup! Thanks for the video

[@AbruptPause_]

These videos are so good and enable me to enjoy Westworld much more with their insight.

[@Mainimi]

Now that I caught up with the season I've been waiting for this all week, finally!

[@devincain6250]

Finding this channel gave me hope KZbin isn’t dead. Just subbed and am watching all your content.

[@KaladinVegapunk]

The "army of blood" narrative is probably a reference to Kurosawa's Throne of Blood too

[@InfiniteUmbra]

@20:10 She also maximized his Bulk Apperception (introspective self-consciousness)

[@TheWyrdSmythe]

If you watch closely, Ford often controls the hosts with a finger gesture. At the agave plantation with Theresa, he raises his finger, the waiter host sees and freezes while also sending a signal on the mesh network that freezes the nearby hosts. Similar to how Angela does with Logan at the party.

[@reynedefazio6283]

Yay!!!!! I’ve been checking my notifications since Monday morning waiting for this video !!!! Making myself a cup of tea and getting ready to watch!!!

[@Oscar-du4tw]

Been checking back everyday waiting for this video. Thats how you know you got a good channel going.

[@sarahdanks3751]

Yes!!! Finally!!!!!

[@WarDogMadness]

He's a mediating monk not sleeping

[@victoriaad1989]

I've missed the full breakdowns!! Love it!

[@danhirsch6554]

At 12:07 in the video. You can see Ford's left pointer finger. He was the only human that could control the hosts by simple gesturing with his hands. Ford again moves his finger at the end of the scene causing the hosts to come back online. In the scene with the man in black, after he makes Teddy healthy again with that phrase, he motions to the piano that starts playing again. In another episode he's with Delores in the lab asking her about Arnold's death. It's very subtle, but after he's done talking to her he waves his hand in front of her face and you can watch her eyes go from looking at him to what appeared to be analysis mode. Ford was not using the mesh network like Maeve is. He's just using his fingers.

[@TangoNevada]

No call to Musashi being named after the great Miyamoto Musashi - Best Sword Fighter ever. The Book of the 5 rings...etc.

[@desilu1907]

I loved this week's installment

[@DeepPastry]

Deloris is the Judas-Cow. Wrong lessons were learned. A rancher just needs to keep the herd alive and healthy for long enough for the entire herd to become meat and leather. It's perfectly fine to keep the weakest ones alive, the ones that could never survive the fly borne diseases, since the herd isn't going to be used for procreation. The point is total numbers survive, not whether the survivors are the strongest. So she made it so her followers won't question why that bush keeps moving, clearly curiosity isn't needed. Is she leading every last one to their deaths, don't matter, just follow.

[@neilsing1891]

Quiet is not being loud. Quite is the word you're looking for.

[@rheeventures8144]

Wu Tang Wu Tang 😎🔥🔥🔥💜 js

[@lubbucs546]

I grew up on the crime side, the New York Times side. Staying alive was no jive. Had second hands, moms bounced on old men. So then we moved to Shaolin land.

[@lubbucs546]

killjoy malfoy It’s the first verse of CREAM by the Wu Tang clan. You should know that?

[@haymaker710]

Dollar Dollar Bill Y'all

[@ProfEnzyme]

Suuuuuuuuu....

[@KabbalahSherry]

Rhee Venjenz - LOLing at the person who thought those lyrics was your real life! 🤣 Hahahaha...

[@nialloliverkempson8210]

Akane no mai actually translates closer to 'the dance of blood'. Much more fitting.

[@agriperma]

excellent observations and breakdown, many of these opinions and observations I have been sharing in different video reviews, this by far has been the closest to mine. specially the last part about Maeve, while Delores forces people to her will, Maeve respects the host free will, and only uses force as a last resort for survival. The one observation in this video, that I had never thought of, was the Idea that Bernard's memories of him killing the hosts was planted in him as some cover up. I kind of like that. Also I am glad you brought up, the part of the blank minds of the hosts, and that they have had their minds uploaded to other host bodies. which is how I think they are able to escape the park, I would not be surprised that the data stored in Abernathy, is actually the backups of all their minds. ( the 1/3rd ) .

[@matthiascieslik5301]

I actually didn't like it as much, because I want to see the elos immortal storyline going forward. Yes you explained the character building for maeve etc - and after your video I can appreciate it a little more ;) - but I am also more of the sci-fi guy and the shogun world...wasn't my thing so I would give that episode a pass. But the last made up for it 10 times! Good video as always. :)

[@jamesyan9436]

I gotta say, Maiv's Japanese pronunciation in this episode was very spot on, very well prepared for the role.

[@Bramble451]

I think this was one of the weaker episodes of the season, even though it gave me more of what I wanted: more character story, less story misdirection, and less robot-revenge violence. But in the end, the writing seemed weaker. The mirroring of the Sweetwater was a funny twist, but got old really fast. I'm not nearly as fond of this season as I am of Season 1. I knew there would have to be more violence this season, since it's robot-revenge time, but it's still overpowering the storytelling. And I knew they would probably up the misdirection, since now people expect it and are on the watch for it, but once again the storytelling suffers in the attempt to out-misdirect Season 1. Maeve's new superpower seems like another attempt to up the ante from Season 1. It feels like the Star Wars approach to heightening stakes: Death Star to bigger Death Star to Star Killer, at which point you're just going, "Really? What next, and actual star? A galaxy? Where does it end?" Bigger isn't always better. More isn't always better. The big misdirect in Season 1 was the two main timelines, which became common knowledge among viewers by halfway through the season. So really we got to sit back and enjoy the ride more. And I just don't like Dolores, or almost any of the characters, this season. That, at least, is something this episode gave me. I'm starting to root for Maeve, and now I'm definitely rooting for zombie Clementine.

[@jonseals]

It's "Clementine," a tiny citrus fruit similar to a tangerine.

[@Leopold_33w]

I love your videos and the amount of effort you put into them. One negative though, you didn’t show Teddy’s tush ;-) lol

[@yshwgth]

Welcome back, Blue Alien!

[@kilmcm45]

My interpretation of Hopkins nonverbal control over the parks various simulacra, is that it is a form of Neurolinguistic Programming (re. Richard Bandler and John Grinder, for more). This is a way of influencing a person's behavior (after the right conditioning has been applied to the Target) through subtle eye movements, body language, and other subtle cues...color....songs....ext, ect. In this case however robots don't need conditioning...just some clever coding.

[@xsabirx]

ford already merged with machines thats why he can control hosts just by thinking. and he can do all this other shit

[@koutroubasathanasios7322]

How funny was the scene where the Shogun tells Maeve that he deafened his men,not 2minutes after that he commands them verbally to escort the "guests" to their tents

[@companymen42]

Deus ex Maeve at the end lol.

[@inasaira8380]

Ford controlled the host by hand gestures. right after theresa noticed the wine spilling there is a shot where you can see ford has his finger up on his arm rest.

[@KB-vu8ps]

great episode and great breakdown as always...still think episode 4 was the best of the series and it's not close.

[@brycealbert1141]

Did anyone else find the Dolores scenes to be kind of jarring? They killed the momentum of shogunworld. They should have just focused on shogunworld, as the scenes in shogunworld were amongst the best of the season. With that being said.... great episode.

[@ElkeDragos]

john doe ☝️ I didn’t want to watch her part either. Then I was pissed bc of what she did to Teddy.

[@KaladinVegapunk]

Haha yeah my buddy was rewatching it with me as I watched it and he just tuned out and kept playing god of war during her parts but chucked the controller down for all the shogunworld scenes I looved this episode All the Kurosawa references & Maeves cool powers, plus the ninjas and decapitation

[@shellymariejang3467]

I was bored by the shogun japanese parts - was highly anti climactic

[@taz5371]

Elke Dragos Same here! That bitch betrayed Teddy

[@davidyasutake7985]

Teddy was weak

[@lydiaquinn2892]

Thank you for another great video

[@andreteixeira4513]

Nice hat! No way to not see the similarities with GITS, im amazed it took you this long to make a reference haha!

[@Bramble451]

Where do you see all of Teddy's heuristics? Is my screen just too blurry to read them?

[@Uppernorwood976]

I couldn't see therm either, I just assumed Delores was making him more 'bad ass' in general. I'm amazed Nerd Soup even looked that close! That's dedication to the cause though, why we love them.

[@anakin007darth]

You can see Ford's finger pointing out under the table to stop the host.

[@ahzazz]

Present day Bernard could actually be Ford. Consider the message at 2:05 this could refer to Ford. Also, Stubbs says in the first episode, "Stop, Unless you plan to decommission the boss". This could also mean shooting Ford just like first season.

[@shellymariejang3467]

Go Beau the only one from the crew who has the ability to comment on this recursive episode ... not just a sexy voice but a determined mind

[@noahhildebrandt1298]

#teammaeve

[@anthonywarren9885]

Im that very clip. Ford used a hand gesture to control the Hosts. He points his finger at the bottom of the table.

[@Bloodmoon1969]

damn man great work!! i love the effort on these videos, you are a fucking great youtuber!! well done.

[@Carmai7]

I think cash rules everything around Westworld!

[@biswadipdutta2890]

Carmai7 Preach

[@PrivateRye]

Good job as usual

[@ashleycoonfield9051]

I loved this episode. I like to see what’s up with William and all the rest but I’m 100% in on Mauve. That’s where I’m most interested.

[@russellroesner6073]

Is it just me or is the lighting just too dark at night time in show gun world and Westworld in general.? Over the past 2 seasons night time scenes are often under Lit where you at times don’t even see what character is in the scene. Specifically when the show gun gets his head half cut half off you can’t even see what happens because the death scene was shot from 20 feet away in the dark. I saw an extra about how hard it was for the props Dept to portray the man’s head n face cut half off yet they didn’t show the incredible detail of it as was shown in the extra. Too gory or did they just mess up editing the scene or were they pressed for time and didn’t show the final prop? I think the later. I believe this show is so time consuming to produce they blow off a lot of great scenes due to time constraints. Anybody have a thought on this? Look for the extra. The props department did an amazing job and all their hard work was lost.

[@G1nger519]

Russell Roesner are you watching through HBO, because if not then quality can gey really fucked up.

[@thenickseditious]

My fav channel love you guys

[@bobbiefisher9067]

I have a feeling that Felix Lutz is going to bring Sakura (sp?) back to life - like he did the sparrow back in season 1. Doesn't she also do a dance much like the bird that came to life via Felix's code experiments during her dance at the beginning of this episode?

[@Jaeboy]

Antoine Coasta is part of the team brought to regain control of the park. I don't see the reference you made in 02:17. You mean he had Bernard under control since S1?

[@roscojenkins7451]

I'm really thinking (and this could be future seasons) that maeve and delores' arcs will bring them clashing against each other. Delores will have followers that want revenge and "justice" against all humans and Maeve will have followers who just want peace

[@User_Unknown86]

I actually liked this episode it was nice change of pace to focus on Maeve and her group, Seeing as how we haven't really seen much of them doing anything since like what episode before this one?

[@IndigobluBeauty]

Loved this episode

[@williamskat1]

Cream on a shemisen was great lol

[@jerryortiz4193]

I enjoy watching your videos 👍

[@schquitagoodwin7549]

Excellent!

[@LoveandLightHK]

WU TANG CLAN AINT NOTHIN TO EFF WITH

[@MugsyBrews]

Damn. Well done.

[@KingXIIIGravity]

For some reason the mesh network reminds me of the weirwood net from ASOIAF.

[@JezebelIsHongry]

Don't murder Myamato Musashi's name...he's a man who everyone should know. Moo Sah Shee..never lost a duel. Wrote Book of the Five Rings (grabbing the brass ring?) Look up how he won a dues by carving an oar and showing up late angering his opponent

[@m.davidbulmer9664]

I just saw Ran for the first time the other day, so Shogun World didn't really live up to my expectations. If you really want to see a true samurai epic, check out Kurosawa's Ran! He has more critically acclaimed films, but I they didn't have the same impact on me. edit: Way more violent than Westworld!

[@pushkin1969]

Loved the analysis but it is Sak-OOH-rah, it is not pronounced like saccharin : ) Also MAY-sa and Akane no Mai (like MY)

[@pjskywalker2457]

pushkin1969 you are very in tune to true Japanese pronunciation. Do you know the language? I just got back from Japan after a month long stay. I have been excitedly waiting for Shogun World and made sure my DVR was working before I left 😉⛩

[@catladyrai]

Dolores and Maeve are the dichotomy of a fearful and benevolent God.

[@chadstern4954]

Also can we talk about how awkward the else reunion with Bernard was in episode 4z And why is she perfectly manicured? Was this covered elsewhere. Also the stone sliding cave door? That looked like a deep space nine set item

[@kelly2fly]

She might have just been a planted memory. That could explain why she looks so manicured. I could be wrong so take it with a grain of salt.

[@theonewhochillsout]

First of all, huge fan of the channel. All of the content is great especially hearing it in my native accent. Second, 100% agree with what you said about the Wu rendition. Didn’t know how much I actually needed it till I heard it LOL. keep up the good work fellas!

[@kennyknight07]

Nerd soup.... you guys have read my critiques on another Utuber.... LOL. Kusosawa / 7 samurai / Magnificent 7 jajaja!

[@zardox78]

Ford wasn't mentally controlling the hosts in that scene. He raised his left index finger and they all reacted as he'd programmed them to, even the ones who couldn't see his index finger, because they're all connected. It wasn't telepathy. It was a physical gesture. Gotsta pay attention to the details, dude.

[@rayhey]

Stupid question: What about that 'safe mode' on arrows and swords? That should not be possible. So..

[@danny1959]

The wiped hosts are long gone, in "The Valley Beyond."

[@danjones9007]

Yeah Dude, that’s what happened alright, we watched it.

[@stevensamypp]

You mention the heuristics changed on Teddy - I assume you're referencing the screenshot that was shared on Twitter and has not be verified. Within the world of the show, we haven't seen what change was made to Teddy.

[@mangalvnam2010]

And so it's bye-bye for Teddy-O! ("tédio" is portuguese for boredom...)

[@imacg5]

Is it C.R.E.A.M. or the sampled As Long As I've Got You by The Charmels? The title of the latter makes a lot more sense in this situation.

[@rheeventures8144]

Anyone else notice that only see Hosts in Shogun World...🙄 A little bit weird..

[@Mistamann423]

Twas a new world that they were still putting together. I don't think it was ever opened before the end of season 1 happened.

[@Mistamann423]

park* if you don't want to call it a world

[@terrytripp3528]

What are you saying?

[@Mistamann423]

I'm saying the "Shogun World" was most likely still getting put together. Adding hosts and writing scripts, testing them all and that sort of thing making sure it all works.

[@Kyle-fg3rr]

human techs were killed there actually from qa

[@Tyrone-Ward]

Less of an explanation, more of a recap.

[@3tobin]

Maeve has maybe killed more hosts than Dolores in the last episode alone; and completely senselessly, she could just have made them freeze or sleep. This whole Maeve good guy, Dolores bad guy narrative is a rather short-sided way to look at things.

[@Mark-dr4bb]

Pretty good analysis though!

[@brendanward2991]

Weakest episode of the season. The most intriguing part of the show - Bernard's story - was almost completely ignored in favour of two plotlines that are quickly coming to resemble traditional formulaic TV. I don't know how we are supposed to feel any sort of connection with or empathy for characters we have just met.

[@JeffRB]

did this webisode get Demonetized!? I have no ads and I want you guys to get paid and grow!!!!

[@MrRealtf]

Absolutely beautiful ❤❤❤

[@nathanczochara1576]

Seven Samurai is the shit... Love that movie.

[@LiquidSteve89]

how do you know which characteristics they changed specifically on teddy???

[@Albert-xq8me]

what was the point of them escaping and then returning directly to the shogun?

[@aarijzafeer]

Akane no mai It translate to 'Akane is not mother 'in hindi

[@KellieDoll28]

Jack of All Interesting...

[@aarijzafeer]

KellieSand04 yeah she is not mother she got replaced