Small Batch: The Violent Delights And Violent Ends Of 'Westworld'

Season One of HBO's Westworld ended with several bangs last night, so Audie Cornish and I headed into a studio to unpack what happened, and, given the events of the finale, what seems likely to happen when the show returns ... in 2018.

We touch on the show's puzzle-box narrative infrastructure, its use of sex, violence and sexual violence, and how just how meta things get. (Spoiler: a whole lot.)

Westworld seems a show engineered for our cultural moment, inviting viewers to trade clues and theories. What does that do to the viewing experience? Why do some plot threads and characters stand out (Thandie Newton's Maeve, for example), while others fade into the background (most everyone who is not Thandie Newton's Maeve)? And how great is Evan Rachel Wood? (Spoiler: very.)

We'll be back with a full episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour on Friday.