If you’ve been following HBO’s Westworld you likely had an inkling for the big ol’ surprise viewers saw in episode 7, “Trompe L’Oeil.” There will be spoilers to follow here so if you’re not caught up, get caught up. Because for the second week in a row Westworld stepped out as one of the best shows of 2016.
[SPOILERS BELOW]
Westworld Episode 8 Spoiler: You Get A Host! And You Get A Host! And You!
Last night’s reveal that Bernard is actually a host didn’t shock many viewers. There were any number of hints I suppose, but I chalk it up to the fantastic acting of Jeffrey Wright. He played the character exactly right and whatever hunch you had was supported in large part by his efforts. Kudos.
But while you were tweeting out your told-you-so, you may have overlooked another, larger detail. Dr. Ford had another host in his lab, a new host, being created as we witnessed the (presumed) murder of Theresa. And THAT host will, I think, play a major role in the episodes to come. Because that host will replace Theresa in the Westworld corporate power structure. Her purpose? Help Dr. Ford replace the entire Westworld Board of Directors.
As we saw during Charlotte Hale ’s steamy interlude, the Board of Directors for Westworld seems to have a healthy penchant for hedonism. And what better place than Westworld for wanton, unbridled hedonism? And what better way to learn the intimate details of a person than to have a living record of said hedonism recorded by the people involved?
Much like I suspect Dr. Ford will do with Theresa, the hosts involved in the passions of the Board of Directors will use the information against them. It’s clear that most employees and guests view the hosts with as much empathy as we do our smartphones. The literal bubble of the Westworld map adds a sense of isolation and freedom too. You could worry your phone might be tapped in the real world, but Westworld is a safe space and Elon Musk’s ex-wife is hotsy totsy. Hard to stay guarded against those odds, especially when you’re talking to a person who isn’t a person, really. Inorganic confidentiality.
Should my theory prove to be correct, I look forward to the scenes where Bernard and Host Theresa spend time with humans. Bernard might even fall deeper in robo-love with Host Theresa as they work through the whole “I can’t believe I’m not human” thing.
Westworld Episode 8 Spoiler: The Maeve Escape
We also learned this week that former-mother-current-badass-madame Maeve is beyond self-awareness and entering into self-preservation. After several visceral tours of the Westworld workshops she’s ready to try life outside the Westworld map as a robot on the run. The sympathetic technicians who have been helping her claim it's impossible for her to survive on the outside (she’s valuable IP after all) but she’ll have none of it. She knows life among the humans is better than life beneath them. So, what next?
It’s hard for fans to know for sure, given that we don’t get any indication as to what the world is like outside of Westworld. We don’t know if it's a dystopian hellscape or a utopian paradise. We don’t where the Westworld map exists in relation to the globe. Unless the show is onto some next-level terraforming we can presume it’s on Earth at least. But I don’t feel too comfortable even assuming that much.
Given how little we know, and how little Westworld cares to show us, about the world at large I don’t expect Maeve’s escape to succeed. At least not next week. Instead I expect us to learn more about what the world beyond Westworld is like, and what steps Maeve has to take to get there. I’m guessing it involves more dramatic scalpel waving and toplessness.
Westworld episode 8 “Trace Decay” airs 9 p.m. EDT on HBO.
Hooked on Westworld ? Have your own theories? Let us know in the comments!
