"The Stray" is another episode where "Westworld" offers a little bit more of world building, still putting the basis to the story. We are three episodes in, so there is the feeling that things could be going a little bit faster, but for now, all is quite interesting so it is easy to keep the viewer's attention.
We get a little bit more of the park's background, and get to know better Ford and Bernard. Elsie and Stubbs go in search of a stray 'host'. Teddy gets a new past, that has repercussions in the present. And Dolores starts to get her own identity.
Even with all the story-lines, this is Dolores's show for now, and Evan Rachel Wood is doing a great job in making us care for her, and in seeing the jumps between 'human' and 'robot'. It is too obvious in some occasions, but the jumps and little quirks of the 'hosts' can be unnerving. We get a good chunk of cowboys' adventures, which makes for empty fun, but they all seem to have a deeper reason behind them, which makes the viewer keep their eyes open. Especially because all little changes in the little story-lines have bigger repercussions in the bigger yarn and its long threads. That is the strongest part of the show for now, how little things bring little changes that are part of a bigger story-line.
Secured direction, slow pace and interesting characters make for a good third episode in this early show's life.
