Westworld season 2, episode 5 synopsis: Akane No Mai takes us to Shogun World

Thanks to Maeve and her epic season 2 quest, we’re about to visit a place that’s been teased since the end of season 1.

The rest of the Delos parks have been unleashed on Westworld, spilling into the Old West setting in which the story began last season. One of them is Shogun World, a land based on ancient Japan that was first hinted at during the stretch run of season 1.

This week’s new episode, “Akane No Mai,” is about to flip the script and take the characters from Westworld into Shogun World. Of course, we know that some of the hosts there are also off their loops, but others aren’t, or at least are carrying out twisted versions of their original behaviors just like in Westworld.

That means that Maeve, Hector and Lee could be walking into an environment that is much more dangerous than they could imagine. We already know Maeve will stop at nothing to find her daughter, but journeying to a place where she doesn’t know the rules could put that to the biggest test to date — although the promo videos for this week also make it look like she will adapt quickly.

As is tradition, the official HBO synopsis for “Akane No Mai” really doesn’t offer too many hints at plot points. Check it out:

“ショーグン・ワールドへようこそ (Welcome to Shogun World)”

So yes, we are headed into Shogun World, and it will be interesting to see if the episode, which is said to be entirely in Japanese with English subtitles, will keep the same tight focus on a small group of characters that we saw last week. Westworld is adept at juggling a number of subplots, but there was a refreshing quality to “The Riddle of the Sphinx” that stemmed from the fact that we followed mostly just Bernard and Elsie interspersed with the Man in Black, in both the past and present.

Next: Check out all the pics HBO has released of Shogun World

In any case, we’re so ready for Shogun World. Tune in Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. on HBO to check out “Akane No Mai” and then join us back here at FanSided.com for our recap and tons of speculation about where we’re headed next.