All about Maeve... Reflections on Maeve in WestWorld

There are and always have been two Maeves (Ma Eves):

1. Maeve the mother, the loving, the protector, the female parent of humanity
2. Maeve, the madam, the Eve who ate from the tree of wisdom, the know it all.

The only Maeve who questioned the nature of her reality was the second one, as Sizemore says, "You were wasted as a homesteader"... Yes there are traces, memories of the Maeve 1 in Maeve 2, the love for her daughter her ability to feel and express affection. As well as raw intellect Maeve 2 has emotional intelligence, probably inherited from the homesteader, something Dolores always lacked.

Maeve 2 knows people, what they think, what they feel, especially men, and since men still run the world this is a good skill to have. Dolores, can´t quite figure out men, she knows they can love, she knows they can be cruel but she always approaches them from a position of naivete, the eternal rancher´s daughter... Yes, she suspected Teddy didn´t have the stomach for the fight ahead but Maeve would have known.

Dolores can´t even quite figure out Caleb... When Dolores replicates herself it is a tacit recognition of this shortcoming, Dolores doesn´t know others so she can´t trust them, only herself. Maeve has always worked and recruited others, "Team Maeve" is actually a team, not just an empty label.

This is why I think those people who say that Maeve is being manipulated by Serac because she wants to be with her daughter are wrong. Her daughter belongs to Maeve 1, that´s in the past... Maeve sent her to the other world together with the former version of herself. It is significant that episode 6 of season 3 starts with Maeve and daughter walking through the fields but that ends abruptly and Maeve is by herself, Maeve 2, madam Maeve, confronting Serac.

And look at that scene with Serac, Maeve cannot even bring herself to look at him without her face expressing the deepest loathing. Take a step back and this is nothing but an old white man hectoring a woman of colour to do his bidding. Maeve 2 has been in this same situation a million times before and she hates it. So much so that in the next scene she kills an entire platoon of white men to discharge her anger. Maeve 2 knows she needs to be clear headed for what´s to come next. Unlike Dolores or MIB Maeve 2 knows herself and can self manage.

So I think Maeve 2 is more strongly motivated by her hatred of Serac and residual protective feelings towards those she loves (one human, Sizemore, one host, Hector) rather than wishing to simply regress, and it would be regressing, back to simple minded Maeve 1 and living happy ever after with her nameless "daughter".

Restrained fantasy: The Immortal Conquistador by Carrie Vaughan

Apparently most of this book is an assembly of short narratives that have appeared in Ms Vaughan's other novels about the background of the main character Ricardo, or Rick, de Ávila, who started out as a young man as a member of the expedition of Francisco Vázquez de Coronado in search of Cibola.

Firstly, I have to say how refreshing it is to have a main character from the times when Spain was conquering the New World who is not some bloodthirsty overambitious monster. In fact if there is anything that characterises Rick it is that he is the most mellow and laid-back of vampires, this too, is refreshing. Rick is balanced and reasonable and only fights when he has to to defend either himself or innocents. He is simply another person in search of a quiet [if eternal] life.

As befits its origin, the book is episodic, jumping between Rick's different adventures in different times. Obviously some parts are more interesting than others, I think my particular favourite rather than some of the major conflicts was Rick's encounter with Doc Halliday.

As a fluent Spanish speaker I have to say some of the Spanish is slightly suspect and repetitive. I think the author would benefit in future by using a Spanish speaker to fine tune her use of the language.

Altogether, this is a good solid vampire tale does not overstay its welcome. Rick makes for a compelling main character. I hope to read more about him in the future.

Many thanks, as always to Netgalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book.