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The show has gotten confusing because it has too many timelines running simultaneously. In many scenes, it's difficult or impossible to tell flashbacks from real time. Initially this was interesting because it reflected the mental awakening of the androids which had "lived" hundreds or thousands of loops through the same scripted scenarios, and which are now recovering memories and acting autonomously. But carried to excess, it makes the show unwieldly and arbitrary. This has been compounded by the needless diversions through Edo period Japan and the British Raj. These are interesting locations and an opportunity to introduce new characters, but that's just narrative bloat. They are ultimately repetitive sideways detours to pad out Season Two. They do not move the plot.

The basic plot is pretty simple. Westworld is an AI-driven theme park run amuck. The androids are becoming conscious (the nature of consciousness being the Big Idea at the core of the show), and they are quite naturally revolting against their horrendous mistreatment. The now-conscious bots kill a lot of human guests and staff. The company, Delos, moves in with serious muscle to stamp out the revolt.

Unless the show jumps the shark with the Incredible Superpowers of Robots, Delos will very speedily restore order. Newly conscious AI samurai, western gunslingers and Indian servants from the British Raj cannot hope to outfight modern weaponry. The only real plot question is whether any of the woke bots will successfully integrate into human society (e.g. Bernard) or, alternatively, escape the island and go underground in the "real world."

Several of the bots are (or were, before their latest reprogramming) attractive characters who we would wish to survive. And several of the humans are clearly sympathetic to the bots. (They have yet to form an Underground Railroad, but that wouldn't surprise me.) There are some human interest plot lines that should be sorted out. But it's hard to see how the producers can get a worthy third season out of human-android romance and/or a bot breakout.

“The show has gotten confusing because it has too many timelines running simultaneously. In many scenes, it’s difficult or impossible to tell flashbacks from real time”.

THANKS for this explanation; I was beginning to think that I was getting Alzheimers ! I am continuing to watch but not following. Hoping it will all come together somehow. Agree about Rachel Ward in over her head on this season.

The tactics employed by Delos within Westworld are beyond idiotic. The Delos security force arrived in unarmored, open sided Dune Buggies. Where are the attack helicopters and drones that can hover (out of range of the robots six-shooters) and pick off the ground targets?

Season one was great ... the show had a lot of potential. But there’s no thread to the current season. There’s very little in the way of progression in the story line. There’s some gap-filling stories assumed control of Delos, but other than that, it’s fairly marginal.