A similarly spirited character, if not as free as our badass former madam, she quickly shows off a spine of steel when she dispatches a Shogun's emissary in brutal fashion. The mirroring of narratives (even down to a version of Paint It Black on the soundtrack) is fun one to explore, with Maeve finding a literal soul sister in Akane (Rinko Kikuchi, usually found cancelling the apocalypse in the Pacific Rim movies). Turns out that Shogun World is essentially a Japanese take on Westworld, albeit, as Lee (serving as the show's Basil Exposition right now) explains, one suited for people who find Westworld's level of gore and violence "too tame".
Fortunately, there is indeed some movement and plenty of compensation elsewhere too. Talking of moving the story along, there was a fear that Maeve arriving in Shogun World would be a side trip that did little to help on that front. It's not exactly the biggest push for the story, but it is at least a nudge. The humans are trying to figure out how the story turns from here, and the camera tellingly zooms in on Bernard, who happens to be staring at the body of Teddy. They discover that someone – you can guess who – has wiped many of the hosts' brains. We do, however, start with the Delos QA team clearing up the flooded valley and its dead hosts. But there are some vital plot points doled out this week, so it's a worthwhile check-in with Dolores and co. If you were hoping that we'd spend the entirety of Akane No Mai in Shogun World, you might be disappointed by the trips back into regular brand Westworld. Saddle up! But beware potential spoilers in this review, which will discuss elements of the episode.