As Charlotte sends out a distress call to facilitate the extraction of Abernathy, Dolores and her crew prepare to drive a train into the heart of the park – The Cradle.

While I lamented the single-minded nature of last week’s episode, it did at least boast a focus that this week’s is lacking. That’s not say that there isn’t some good stuff here, just that it feels like a series of scenes where each character grouping gets the opportunity to move across the chessboard into their next strategic location. Of greatest interest is Maeve (Thandie Newton) who finally gets to go home and meet her daughter again… but be careful what you wish for, particularly in Westworld. Newton’s crestfallen look as she drops from elation to grim realisation is heart-breaking.

There’s also some great interaction between the Man in Black (Ed Harris) and his daughter. Initially he’s reluctant to accept that she’s real, and finally addresses the guilt that she lay at his feet. There’s genuine tears glistening in the eyes of his granite face… and then he dumps her again! No Father’s Day card again this year.

Bernard gets hooked up to The Cradle’s hive mind, and finds himself reliving the same narrative that Teddy has been enduring on a daily basis, but the real revelation is the ghost in the machine, and while it’s not one of the series’ biggest ‘wow’ moments we’re now left wondering what could happen next.

Verdict: As Dolores and Teddy smash their locomotive into the park’s nerve centre, so to do the disparate factions converge in readiness for the inevitable showdown. We still don’t know quite who to believe or what’s real, but it’s still TV’s best head-scratching hour. 7/10

Nick Joy