The Stake

Movie Reviews and More from MSP

Have you ever questioned the nature of your reality? Watching Westworld after Election Day

November 14, 2025 by Andrew DeYoung 2 Comments

Something funny happened on the way to episode 7: Donald Trump was elected President of the United States.

Filed Under: Featured, TV Tagged With: Donald Trump, TV recaps, Westworld

Westworld Recap: Season 1, Episode 5

October 30, 2025 by Andrew DeYoung Leave a Comment

We open Episode 5 on Ford, doing what he was doing when we first met him in the premiere: having a chat with Old Bill in the sub-basement. He’s telling the old dog a story about an old dog—a racing greyhound who, one day, finally caught what he was chasing and didn’t know what to do […]

Filed Under: Reviews, TV Tagged With: Recap, Westworld

Westworld Recap: Season 1, Episode 3

October 17, 2025 by Andrew DeYoung Leave a Comment

Why do Westworld hosts have to be unclothed when they’re being worked on by park staff? Back in episode 1, I thought the answer had to do with HBO’s love of naked flesh, and I still think that’s a big part of it, but it may also have significance beyond simple audience titillation. Stripping the hosts […]

Filed Under: Reviews, TV Tagged With: TV recaps, Westworld

Westworld Recap: Season 1, Episode 2

October 11, 2025 by Andrew DeYoung Leave a Comment

“Are you real?” The question is asked by William (Jimmi Simpson), a new guest to Westworld, to the host who takes him through orientation. In context, he’s simply asking whether his current host is human or robot, but the question has a deeper meaning as well: are the hosts themselves “real” in any meaningful sense? I’m […]

Filed Under: Featured, Reviews, TV Tagged With: TV recaps, Westworld

Westworld recap: Season 1, Episode 1

October 3, 2025 by Andrew DeYoung Leave a Comment

The premiere of HBO’s big new drama shows promise—and more than a few problems.

Filed Under: Featured, Reviews, TV Tagged With: premiere, TV recaps, Westworld

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