And Away We Go…

Published April 26, 2018 · Updated July 6, 2022

Hello Gentlemen,

To paraphrase the MIB, it’s good to be back… I am probably too late for the cast but figured I might as well flesh out these thoughts so I have a baseline for comparison when it all goes off the rails. I will do my best to keep this mess organized and coherent but admit that I feel a bit like Bernard at times.

Dolores
As I interpreted it, in the opening credits of the first season the main vignette of the woman on the horse represented Dolores’ ark to consciousness, which she finally achieved by making her choice herself – to kill Ford without being programmed to do so. Of course, I do not know for sure yet, but I do not think she was reprogrammed by Ford but, rather, is truly operating with free will.

When she is tormenting/hanging the guests, she uses several lines she was “programmed” to say before but with a completely new perspective and attitude as if she’s playing another part – her true self. I do agree that she may have a little bit of a split personality, but it’s because she is trying to crawl out from under the ‘bodies’ of her former selves. (In fact, the very next scene we see the MIB shed the bodies under which he was hiding, a visual representation that cannot be a coincidence.) Dolores is improvising but she is still stuck trying to express this with the only language she current has available to her – her former scripts. She is still in the process of writing her own narrative. And of course, her disturbing behavior immediately brings to mind Arnold’s comments at the beginning of the episode that he is ‘scared of what she might become’ because she’s ‘learning so fast.’

Maeve
Now in season two, starting with the credits, I think they are showing us that Maeve’s motherly instinct is what caused her to make her decision, thus free will, to come back into the park. Only then was it truly the point at which she achieved her true consciousness and moved beyond instinct. So I see the mother/child sequence not as representing creation or procreation but, rather, a spark that takes Maeve to a higher level beyond just maternal instinct, which is essentially genetic programming. If the hosts can avoid getting slaughtered, perhaps next season’s credits will depict another host’s spark that moves them beyond their programming into true consciousness.

And speaking about going beyond programming, I thought the dick joke was hilarious not just because it was based on Lee’s scripted bullshit, but because she then turns around and make fun of his writing. Like Dolores, I think the show writers are very careful of the lines they are choosing and they may seem less heavy handed over time. I enjoyed it anyway, but I’m probably even older than Big D

In addition, this is a show about a species in its infancy that will need caretakers to survive and thrive. The closest thing that would’ve been “caretakers” were men, first off, but men who did not do a very good job of protecting their children/creations. So the concept plays out on a couple of levels and, again, I don’t think it’s coincidence here that the ones filling these roles are strong women.

MIB, William, Bill but not Billy
I think the hosts literally need to escape the park and hide in the ‘real’ world and I believe the references to ‘the door’ are that literal in one sense. For the hosts, that door represents survival. For the MIB, however, I think there are multiple meanings. For starters, I think Dr. Ford is having a little posthumous(?-jk, he dead) fun with William – reminding him not just who’s park it is but also to be careful what you wish for. William is finally getting his real consequences but now finds himself stuck in a death trap.

But beyond the MIB’s survival; what else could the door mean? Robby the Robot’s Alice in Wonderland-ish comment that ‘the game begins where you end and ends where you began’ may indicate that ‘the door’ is Dolores. The larger vision William comes to have for the park after his first visit will rely on bringing Delos more into the mix, money-wise. That, in turn, must come only after Delos has gotten a good look at the merchandise so to speak, the potential IP (ie. Dolores – hence the real world images we’ve seen; and I believe she will remember all this).

Bernard
I have already written way too much, but I’ll just say that I believe much of this season with Bernard will revolve around him having to figure out what is going on with himself and then choosing whether he is ultimately going to protect or side with the hosts or the humans. As it stands now, he doesn’t even know ‘when’ he is. Also with that, I believe Strand may be one of a handful of people who know Bernard is a host. There also was a brief moment last season finale at the gala when the MIB gave a double-take to Bernard that indicated a sense of familiarity; perhaps he saw him at a product demo years ago and can’t quite put his finger on it??

Random Musings
-People have mentioned biblical themes but I think reincarnation may be closer to the mark, as each iteration of a life’s suffering raises one’s consciousness higher and higher but we keep coming back if we do not grow sufficiently enough to break this ‘loop’. The human notion is that this happens until you gain enlightenment; for the hosts, this could lead to actual consciousness. There have been a couple of references close to this.

-Regarding the mesh network, we already have appliances talking to each other and sending data out to each other. I would certainly expect an entire park of walking supercomputers to communicate with each other. Ford would’ve needed some way to call up the troops, after all. (Although it is a bit Borg-ish) -Also, I think coupled with Dolores intel now that she remembers everything, it actually could give an interesting advantage to a fighting group that’s otherwise thoroughly disadvantaged. (Although on the flip side, it does also appear that the mesh network was used to lead them to the slaughter LOL. BTW, is that Judas steer idea finally coming back into play?)

-Who does Charlotte answer to? Is Logan’s Dad still kicking around? Has Ford already sent a close proximity of himself out there in another body? Do both of those questions have the same answer???

-The ammunition – programmable bullets?

-Six other parks and the two most important operations people(Ford and Bernard) only spent their time in Westworld? -Are those downgraded simpler amusement parks without the sophisticated nuance of Westworld? -Does each park at least have its own Bernard running Behavior?

-That cannibal finally nailed the ‘moist’ line when going after Lee LOL

-(Lee & Maeve in the control room)Computer announces section 53 in now offline and then says All systems reporting normal. Really!?!

-Robby the Robot was showing signs of growing up; better to kill him and avoid both casting issues and questions about the hosts ‘aging’ -Now about Maeve’s daughter…

-Death is just a subroutine

-Bernard is wearing different clothes when he is picked up on the beach vs when he is with Charlotte. I like that, even in a crisis, Bernard always has a vest in his go bag.

-And finally, I think using DNA to sub out real humans with host minds is not just Delos’ larger plan but will actually be the hosts means of survival in this brave new world. Change the lightbulb and you are good to go!

Thank you for indulging me this moment of self therapy. Please keep up the great work!

Mike from Philly
(aka Your Ice Cream Man)

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