With three episodes left in the first season of Westworld, the battle lines have finally been drawn in the central conflict that seems to be driving everything we’ve seen so far.
In its first six episodes, Westworld focused on the plight of the hosts and the impending robot apocalypse. But the fight for control of Westworld (Dr. Ford vs the Board) was only hinted at in short, vague conversations.
But in Trompe L’Oeil, the conflict took center stage as Theresa Cullen became the first “blood sacrifice” in Dr. Ford’s battle to maintain control of the park from the board at Delos (the company who has some vested interest in the intelligence the park keeps in its hosts).
And did anybody else out there want to go back and watch all of the shows first six episodes after discovering that Bernard Lowe is a host? Congratulations to all of you who had Lowe in the “first human to be revealed as a host” pool.
The show really needed to raise its stakes in these last two weeks and it’s sure done that. Now we can settle in for these final three episodes and see whose running Westworld when season 1 is finished.
I’m going to start with a narrative that’s gotten more philosophical by the week. But at least their’s potential that the end game for William and Dolores in tonight’s episode could have us set for some big things (and some big potential theory confirmations) in the season’s final episodes.
William and Dolores
With Dr. Ford’s narrative giving us significant answers this week, someone had to take up the show’s need for repetitive pyscho babble.
Enter William and Dolores, who spent most of tonight’s episode on a train, making love, and revealing the things that drive them (again!!!!)
Now, I’m not saying the conversation was unimportant. Their dialogue established clearly that these are two people (well one guest and one host? two beings? two states of matter? not sure how to define this relationship) headed in opposite directions. William says that he used to read books because he always wanted to be in the story. Delores, whose been in a story her whole life, just wants out of that story and into reality. William also reveals that he’s discovered Westworld isn’t a place that caters to your lowest self. Instead, it reveals your deepest self. But seeing where William is taking that conversation, Delores tells the human “I’m not a key, I’m just me.” So while the pair finally had their inevitable sexual experience, I don’t see the end game for these two being a happy one.
The train they’re riding with Lawrence gets halted by rocks on the tracks. The Confederados come out and intend to shoot up everyone on the train. But the trio uses an explosion for a diversion. William and Delores escape both the Confederados and the Ghost Nation (an Indian tribe that paints themselves all white) before coming up to a deep, fertile valley. It’s the valley Delores has been painting regularly and seeing in her dreams. But Lawrence, before leaving the pair on their own, tells them no one that headed in that direction came back alive.
I believe there may be some confirmation for the “timeline theory” that’s been running all over the internet the past couple of weeks. If you’re not familiar with the timeline theory, I plan on digging into it with an article later in the week solely dedicated to that theory.
Maeve
Among many of the recent changes to Maeve, one of them is that she doesn’t shut down when “surgeons” show up to remove hosts from the game. She’s in her parlor, as usual, listening to Clementine tell the story of the family farm she’s trying to fund by being a prostitute when the “surgeons” show up. Maeve thinks they’ve come for her. But it’s Clementine they take back to headquarters.
In a scene right before Clementine’s removal, Charlotte Hill (the board member from headquarters we met last week) tells Theresa Cullen that the board wants to force Ford into retirement. But first, they must secure the data Westworld is run on so he can’t erase it all before being removed. This process must start with showing how dangerous Ford’s creation can be. And since it must be the least likely host to pose any danger, Clementine is the sacrificial lamb.
A demonstration is put on for Ford and Lowe where a human (I’m assuming he’s one, at least) beats up Clementine. But when Clementine is reset, she remembers the human and takes revenge on him. Not only does Clementine beat up the human, she cannot be controlled by verbal commands.
This exercise is enough for Cullen to announce the firing of Bernard Lowe. Ford shows no emotion to any of this (not like he ever shows emotion, but as we know now, none of this really concerned him).
When Maeve is brought back in, she asks Felix what’s happened to Clementine. Felix takes her to see Sylvester “retiring” the host. Clementine will never reach her “dreams” of returning to her family’s farm. That’s enough to convince Maeve that she needs to escape. And her two surgeon stooges are either going to help her, or she’s going to kill them.
Bernard Lowe
I have so many questions and theories bouncing around in my mind regarding the host Bernard Lowe that I was tempted to almost discard the rest of this recap just to discuss them. I will hit a little on these in the “Of Note” section, but let’s recall how we got there first.
Lowe had just been fired when he asked to speak to Theresa Cullen personally. He knows the presentation was a setup and has something to show her.
Just last week, we thought Lowe missed out on Cullen being the mole within headquarters because they were sleeping together. But it was the reverse that turned out to be true. Cullen’s trust in Lowe led to her demise.
Lowe takes her out to the house Ford’s replica family lives in. It was unclear why he would do this at first. But as him and Cullen are looking in the underground lab Ford uses for his personal creations, she finds a diagram with a picture of Bernard.
Ford reveals himself at just this moment. Now, Cullen can’t say she wasn’t warned. Ford told her weeks ago to stay out of his way. But with the board pulling her hard on the other side, she found herself there anyway. And now, she must serve as the “blood sacrifice” both Dr. Ford and Charlotte Hale said was coming in this week’s episode.
Cullen checks her phone and realizes she is offline and cannot call for help as Ford orders Lowe to kill her.
Of Note
-A couple of things to ponder now that we know Ford is a host:
- Has Lowe always been a host? Or is he a creation based on a previous character in Ford’s life? Could Lowe represent Arnold?
- Was the wife Lowe talked to on the computer weeks ago a human, another host, or a video of an actress playing the part of Lowe just there to maintain Lowe’s backstory?
- How many other hosts does Ford have set up as humans running things at headquarters with modern backstories, like the one we saw at the start of the episode for Lowe.
-I expect more from Lee Sizemore, the head of creative at Westworld, now that Cullen’s out. They had a lot of conversations about changes at the top and I expect he will be very suspicious once she turns up missing or dead.
-Speaking of missing, being a host did not keep Lowe from wondering what happened to Elsie Hughes. Somehow, she’s listed in the computer as “taking leave” and cannot be detected anywhere in the park.
-Also in Ford’s secret host making lab was a design for Delores. So Ford created Delores? Or did he create a second Delores whose wondering around the park doing his bidding while the other one listens to Arnold?
-Hector was taken from questioning by Lowe for a “priority request.” Turns out, that “priority request” was being tied up to Charlotte Hale’s bed.
I asked too many questions in the “Of Note” section, so I won’t be asking anymore this week. Be on the lookout for my “timeline theory” piece later this week as we move ever closer to the conclusion of Westworld’s first season.