Character Motivations

Published April 23, 2020 · Updated July 6, 2022

Hi Hosts,

After watching this episode, I am a little confused between the relationship of “predetermination” and “character motivation” in Westworld (and in the real world).

Serac says that Hale caring for her child is the telltale sign that she’s a copy of Delores. Does it imply that Serac believes predetermined means a person’s motivation is only genetically determined (i.e. cannot be changed by life events)? His idea of altering the outliers came from anti-radiation treatment, which is biological. So creating false memory (many suspect this is the case with Caleb) is not to change the outlier’s personality or motivation, but to disguise the fact that they are altered.

On the other hand, Ford and Arnold built hosts and create backstories as character motivation, in addition to an array of basic stats settings (the ones Maeve changed to enpower herself).

This sounds more like a nature vs nature + nurture story to me. Would Serac’s understanding of human nature be his downfall?

While there are findings that human are predisposed to have certain inclinations or risk of mental problems, critical events in life also help to shape personalities. If the real Hale survived last season, she could very much become a more loving mother this season. For example, before the near-death experience, she always thought she had plenty of time to be with her child in the future, and did not cherish the moments she had. After almost being killed, she finally realized that opportunities to be with family is valuable. Hence, her transition is perfectly reasonable.

Even Serac being a control freak can be explained by the trauma from witnessing his hometown being nuked as a child and he had entered a constant survivor mode. Later when he was equipped with an AI “god”, this constant survivor became drunk with power. It can explain why he values the existence of human society at all cost, even when the cost is society becoming a Sims game. It also explains his constant paranoia and not showing up in real person. (I think the Serac who got off the plane is real. But he hid in another office when Hale poisoned the board).

William is also coherent. He is predisposed to be violent (e.g. can’t control anger + lack of remorse). But he tried to behave normally as a member of the human society. His dark side got triggered in the Park. So he stopped pretending to be civilized in the Park, but still maintained a good behavior (mostly) outside of the Park. It is not too different from many other guests.

Ford and Arnold started building hosts maybe for the same reasons as many engineers in the real world, curiosity, creativity, and profit. Arnold and, later, Ford became sympathetic towards the their sentient creatures and wanted to free them from being slaved. All these are understandable.

But then, I have some questions.

Did Ford expect a host rebellion will kill many human guests and staffs in the park? Was the massacre part of his plan? What was his motivation?

What about Maeve? Her motivation was very clear in Seasons 1&2. But “finding daughter” seems a little disconnected and weak comparing to the rest of the stories in Season 3. (I am so sad. Maeve was my favorite character.)

The main Delores’ motivation in the outside world is also unclear, partially because her plan this season has not been revealed. In Season 2, Delores’ action looked like revenge plus protecting sentient hosts at all cost (similar to Serac’s initial motivation for human. But Ford built the Sublime and hosts can exist digitally. It wasn’t as convenient for Serac). Her motivation seems to have changed (S03E01, she said she was not interested in killing people unless they hurt her). But what is it now?

Bernard’s motivation could be he believes that Delores is trying to hurt human and he tries to stop her. But if Delores no longer wants revenge, Bernard has no valid motivation. Maybe Delores does not care about collateral damage (human lives) to reach her goal, and Bernard offers a milder alternative?

I hope all of these questions get answered in the next two episodes. It’s much easier to enjoy scrambled timelines and simulation vs. reality, because I know I am collect puzzle pieces. But it gets a little difficult to follow without understanding character motivations, because I don’t know why I should care. Maybe this season is better enjoyed when binged.

Best,
XD

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