Delos teams secure the Mesa and clean up the bodies. Bernard is on the balcony, looking down on the operation. Karl is looking at the devastation in the control room, and gets a call from Maling. Maling says that they're cleaning up the bodies in the flooded valley, and asks Karl if he wants the personal effects. Karl tells her to get everything Maling says that they have two teams out looking for Peter, and Karl tells her to personally bring the Host to him when she finds him.
In the lab, Bernard supervises the removal of the control units from the Hosts' skulls. Karl arrives and asks Antoine what they've got. Antoine says that about a third of them have nothing, as if they never held data to begin with. Worst, the Host backups have been destroyed. Karl figures that if they determine how everything came together to set off the Hosts, they'll know how the story turns.
In the forest, Maeve avoids the ronin's initial attack. He puts his katana to her throat, and other warriors lasso the party. Maeve tells the ronin to release them because they mean no harm, and the ronin tells his warriors to gag her.
The next day, the warriors lead the tied-up party through the woods. Sylvester asks Felix if he can say something to him, and Felix points out that he's from Hong Kong. Lee warns Maeve that Shogun World was made for guests who found Westworld too tame. When the leader, Musashi, threatens Hector, another warrior whispers something to Musashi. Maeve listens, and Lee tells Hector that they all have the comskills buried in their code. Musashi orders them to continue, and Lee tells Maeve that the malfunction has found its way to Shogun World. Maeve's vocal commands didn't work because she spoke the wrong language.
The group arrives at a town and the prisoners are taken by a building with the Mariposa sign. A man confronts Musashi and points out that he's using a dead samurai's horse and sodegarami. Musashi kills the man and a woman, Hanaryo, removes her hat to reveal tattoos like Armistices. The captive hosts realize that their captors are Japanese versions of themselves, and Lee admits that he cribbed some material from Westworld.
Musashi and his people raid the geisha house, just like the Mariposa raid in Westworld. Musashi goes in and kills the Chinese diplomat, and the owner, Akane, steps forward and flirts with Musashi. He claims that he came there to entertain himself now that he no longer serves the Shogun.
Outside, Hanaryo continues shooting down guards Armistice yells a warning to her, and Hanaryo turns to shoot a man charging her. She tells Armistice not to make her regret freeing her, and then breaks her bonds.
Musashi tries to embrace Akane, and Akane pushes him away. His men take her safe with the emissary's gold and one thief advances on a geisha, Sakura. Maeve and the others come in and Maeve fires a warning shot into the ceiling. She tells Musashi that she knows how the story ends, and they should have a more civilized conversation. Akane agrees and says that they much in common, and Maeve agrees.
In Sweetwater, the player piano starts up but grinds to a halt after a moment. Delores and her Horde ride into town, and Teddy looks at the corpses scattered on the street. She says that they were built long before Sweetwater was, and they ride to the train. Delores tells her men to fix what's broke and strip it for speed, and goes off with Teddy to the Mariposa. One Host is going about his programming, dealing cards, while bodies lie around him. Teddy wonders why they need the train, and Delores tells him that they're going to get Peter back. They share a drink, while Clementine looks at the New Clementine reciting her lines. Clementine echoes the words, and Teddy comes over. New Clementine tries to flirt with him, and Delores orders her to stop and tells Clementine to rejoin the others. Delores then tells Teddy that the place was never their home, and there's some place that she wants to see.
Maeve and her people watch as a geisha dances, and Lee warns an impatient Maeve that they have to accept Musashi's hospitality to avoid dishonoring him. Maeve wants to find her daughter, and accuses Lee of plagiarizing their identities. Lee insists that it's supply and demand, and tells her that she has to ask herself if she can trust herself to determine if Akane is trustworthy. Hector tells Maeve not to trust Musashi, and Lee tells Maeve that Hector seeing his own double has him on edge. Armistice and Hanaryo are staring at each other, intrigued.
The Shogun's emissary comes in and says that his master and his army are camped nearby and wish to be entertained. The Shogun has asked for Sakura, the most ravishing dancer in the region, and wishes to acquire her permanently. Akane tells the emissary that it took her years to raise Sakura from a street urchin, and says that Sakura is not for sale. The emissary tells Akane to name her price, and Lee tells Maeve that according to the narrative, Akane has no choice but to give Sakura up. Akane kills the emissary, much to Lee's surprise. Musashi runs in and Akane says that she's hired a ronin to take them away, and that Shogun and his soldiers will come when he realizes that his emissary is dead. Lee speaks up, figuring that they will go to Snow Lake, and Sakura confirms that she was born there. The narrator then tells Maeve that Snow Lake has an access point back to the tunnel and it's their way out. Maeve tells Musashi that they'll join him, assuring him that they're capable in a fight, and Musashi tells Akane to have her people pack their things. Once Maeve leaves, Akane hugs Sakura and Maeve remembers her own daughter.
That night, ninja slip into the geisha house. Maeve is sitting inside, experiencing it all, and ducks aside as a ninja throws a knife at her. Hector opens fire on the ninja, killing him, and draws on Musashi when he comes in. As the two men prepare to attack each other, more ninja attack. Maeve speaks in Japanese, ordering one ninja to kill another. He does so, and Musashi kills the first one. A ninja grabs Maeve from behind, choking her, while a ninja chases Lee down.
Musashi fights the remaining ninja, and Maeve bites the hand of the ninja holding her but he covers her mouth anyway. While Lee's attacker chokes him with a chain, Maeve's throws her through a panel. Hector manages to shoot his attacker, and Maeve mentally takes control of her ninja without speaking and has him kill himself. The ninja choking Lee calls her a witch and runs off, while Shogun checks one of the corpses and confirms that he bears the Shogun's tattoo. Armistice announces that the surviving ninja escaped with Sakura, and the Shogun's samurai enter the town. Lee insists that in his narrative, the Shogun's army never enters the town.
Tanaka, the captain of the Shogun's guard, dismounts and calls on Akane, telling her to come out and face justice. Musashi figures that Tanaka means to terrify the town into submission, and tells Maeve that he used to be captain of the Shogun's guard. Akane dares them to come, but Maeve says that she has a better idea. She asks if Musashi can buy them some time, and Musashi agrees.
Musashi goes out to face Tanaka, saying that his old lieutenant knows nothing of honor. Hector and Armistice come out, and Musashi draws his sword to challenge Tanaka. Tanaka yells at his men to take them, and the soldiers easily overwhelm them while Maeve slips out the back with Akane and Lee.
Delores and Teddy ride to the tree where she and Teddy used to watch the herd. She says that she wanted to see it one last time, and Teddy suggests that the fight that is coming will change them. Teddy tells her that they're both free to walk away, and figures that there's a spot for them. Delores tells him about when they almost lost their herd, and Peter burned the herd to drive off the flies that caused the illness. Teddy says that he would have sheltered the cows and kept the flies from them, and Delores says that he's a kind man. She tells him that she'll think about what he said.
Lee warns Maeve that if the Shogun is awake enough to change the narrative, then the odds of them surviving are non-existent. He suggests that they drop Akane and run to Snow Lake. Maeve tells him that he can't keep giving them people to love and then getting upset when they do. She says that she was coded to only care for herself but is then risking her life for someone else. Lee tells her that she isn’t concerned about her daughter, and Maeve tells him that if he mentions her again then she'll kill him. He wonders how she forced the ninja to kill himself, and Maeve admits that she doesn't know.
The villagers find a wagon for Maeve and take her down the road. Delos security guards are dead, strung up to trees. Maeve tells Akane that they'll get Sakura back, and admits that it's not her fight. She takes Akane's hand and says that it's their fight. Disgusted, Lee goes over to urinate and sees an active radio on one guard's body. He takes it and rejoins the group, and they continue on. They come to a hill overlooking the Shogun's camp, and claim to be the Chinese emissaries. Maeve gives the shogun a gold statue and apologizes to the accompanying daimyos for not bringing them gifts, but they don't seem to notice her.
The Shogun drops the statue on the ground and dismisses the tribute as trash. Cortical fluid leaks from his ear, and Lee realizes that the Host isn't awake. Maeve figures that the Shogun is broke, and the Shogun laughs and figures that Maeve is the witch that his surviving ninjas described. He explains that he deafened his men to keep Maeve from influencing them. The Shogun says that Sakura will dance for them that night, and Akane goes to her daughter. A guard stops her, and the Shogun removes Akane's veil and realizes who she is. He demands to know why she's opposing him, and Akane tells him to give Sakura to her in return for any price. The Shogun says that he saw her dance when she was young, and the price is that she and Sakura perform together. Akane has no choice but to agree, and the Shogun has them held until the celebration that night.
Delores and Teddy look at the Horde working on the train, and confirm that it will be ready by morning. Angela returns and says that she captured one of the men who took Peter. He gave up their destination, and the man says that they're going to the Mesa. Delores and Teddy go up to a room in the Mariposa and Delores asks Teddy if he would want her to leave with him if she'd disappoint him. Teddy says that he's known Delores his entire life, and they go together. They make love and afterward, Delores holds the sleeping Teddy.
Maeve and Akane are taken to Sakura, and Akane discovers that the Shogun has had a bloody tattoo of a cherry blossom tree carved on Sakura's back. Akane tells Sakura that great things lie ahead for them, and she ran away when she was young. and when she came to a Japan a voice told her that she could be who she wanted to be. Maeve repeats her words, and Akane tells Sakura that soon she can be who she wants to be. She goes over to Maeve, who tells her that she had a daughter and she would have loved to meet Akane. Akane asks where she is, and Maeve tells her that she's in a new world, and Maeve will take Akane and Sakura there. She says that the new world holds freedom for Akane, using her powers to influence her, and Akane asks her to stop. Maeve tells her that she's right and some things are too precious to lose even to be free.
Teddy wakes up and Delores tells him that there's something she needs to show him. She says that she's been questioning her feelings for him and whether they're real or a story. Delores tells him that it was all true, and Teddy says that performing for others is over. They saw each other that night, and Delores tells him that she sees him clearly. Delores takes Teddy into a room filled with a rotting cow carcass, and says that she's seen that he won't make it. She opens the door and lets Phil in, and says that some of them will have to burn for the others to survive. Horde men come in and hold Teddy, and Delores tells him that where they're going is nowhere for a man like him. Phil warns that he can't guarantee that Teddy will hold together, but Delores tells him that to grow they all have to suffer. The technician then begins reprogramming Teddy's mind.
The Shogun has Maeve stand where he can watch her, and they watch as Akane and Sakura come out to dance. Before they start, the Shogun tells them that there is one detail missing. He stabs Sakura in the stomach, and tells Akane that Sakura is hers. The Shogun tells Akane to dance and goes back to his throne, and the blood-covered Akane performs her dance. She draws close to the Shogun, strokes his cheek, and then kills him with one of her hairpins, cutting through his neck.
The soldiers declare Maeve and Akane traitors and prepare to execute them. Maeve tells Akane that she's a true mother, and Maeve mentally controls both executioners to kill each other. The rest of the soldiers attack each other, and Akane walks to Sakura's corpse. The rest of the Shogun's soldiers charge the camp, and Maeve picks up a sword and tells Lee that she found a new voice... and now it's time to use it.
Written by Gadfly on May 21, 2018