Warning: Major spoilers for Westworld Season 2, Episode 8.

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Westworld's latest episode delved into the motivations of the Ghost Nation, but it also held some big twists regarding Maeve, her daughter, and her growing powers. The bulk of Episode 8, "Kiksuya", is a flashback through the life of Akecheta, a Native American host who became aware of the false reality of Westworld decades before Dolores solved the Maze and achieved true consciousness, told to Maeve's once "daughter".

Alongside that, however, is Maeve at the Mesa Hub: after being nearly killed last week by Delos soliders, she's brought to the lab technicians by Lee Sizemore who uses her Matrix-like powers to get their attention and - hopefully - save his new friend's life. While she and Akecheta are linked by their own self-realization, that's not the only connection in the story: he's actually telling the story to Maeve.

In the final moments of "Kiksuya", Charlotte Hale is informed of how Maeve is able to send commands across the host mesh network (in the process explaining how her powers work in the show's universe), and discovers that she's still doing it in the Mesa Hub. It's then revealed that Maeve is essentially seeing through her daughter's eyes and hearing the story from Akecheta, who is also aware of what is going on. This was seeded throughout the episode with Akecheta being very careful in his word use when referring to the child directly - and has some big ramifications going forward.

Akecheta in Westworld Season 2

This may seem like a pretty slight reveal, but is nevertheless one of great importance; it sees Maeve extend her powers a little further and learn more about the park's past and specifically the Door/Valley Beyond. Given how the episode has set Dolores as a danger and the Ghost Nation against her - while he's enabling the farmhand to go full-Wyatt, it doesn't appear to be what Ford actually wants - this would further position Maeve as the major anti-Abernathy presence going into the final run of Season 2. Dolores and Maeve have already been established as opposing forces in Westworld, but this moves the pieces further into place. While there's little in the narrative to back it up, this would mean Maeve is likely to get out of her tricky situation with Delos.

That Akecheta is telling this to Maeve also suggests that he was at least inadvertently responsible for her awakening - he at least showed her the symbolic maze - and that he now views her as a major part of the plot. We know from the Westworld Season 2 premiere that at least some of the Ghost Nation are felled by Dolores, so with them firmly in her crosshairs, it may be a last-gasp effort.

Westworld has had a choppy second season, with confusing multiple timelines and an overall lack of purpose to its big mysteries frustrating many fans, but Episode 8 heavily corrects some of that - and essential to it is the Maeve twist. This is the most episodic Westworld has ever been, and the hour plays out with a clear story to tell, bookended by the essential Maeve sections. What the long-term effects of this on the show will be revealed in the next couple of weeks, but it's sure to be a surprising ride.

Westworld continues Sundays on HBO at 9pm.