Mistake

Published June 12, 2018 · Updated July 6, 2022

Shat Nation,

I had a thought that helped ease my frustrations with certain parts of this season and I hope it can do the same for you and the other listeners.

In Season 1, Ford tells Bernard: “Evolution forged the entirety of sentient life on this planet using only one tool: the mistake.” He’s quoting Arnold and we see this quote come up a few times throughout the show. It’s an important point and I think we’re seeing it happen before our eyes again, as Evolution ushers in the dawn of a new dominant species.

Throughout the show, we as viewers have moments that range from eye-rolls to full on shouting at the TV as we watch certain characters act like complete idiots.

* Why would Felix and Sylvester go along with Maeve’s plan in the early stages? People had such a hard time believing this that they were convinced the two less-than-brilliant techs were Hosts programmed by Ford to help her. Nope, they just made a series of dumb choices.

* Why would early behavior techs not clear out the old data from a Host before opening the Park? They’re short staffed? Fine, but still a poor decision.

* Why would behavior admins try to keep it secret that a host managed to live in the Park for over 9 years? Because it’s easier to update and keep it quiet rather than risk your job over one Host? Perhaps, but that was short sighted.

* Why were Stubbs and his security team too incompetent to find evidence of Teresa’s murder, Maeve and unauthorized butchers wandering around the Mesa, or Dolores going off her loop repeatedly over the years? Laziness?

* Why would QA consistently underestimate Hosts, even after seeing what they can do? Hubris? Stupidity?

We’re seeing a theme here. Mistake.

It’s easy or more satisfying to think “Ford planned it all!” whenever something seems illogical or someone’s dumbass choice gives another player a huge opportunity. But I think Ford realized that he didn’t have to plan it all. I think he correctly anticipated that mistakes in the form of human error would give rise to a new evolutionary step. He might not have known the exact where and how, but Ford plays the long game and as long as he managed to pull off the massacre at the Gala and become ghost in the machine through the Cradle, he knew he could help aid Evolution as needed. He’s doing it with Bernard right now.

Does this make the boneheaded QA tactics easier to watch? No, but thematically I don’t think we can really accuse Nolan and Joy or the directorial staff for being lazy here. I think it fits the plot.

Now for some light tin foil:

I think we’re seeing other characters’ big mistakes intersect at the end of this season.

Akecheta is leading his people to the Door – the Valley Beyond – for a way into another World. I think he’s going to succeed in the sense that I think Ghost Nation will find and take over synthetic bodies modeled after humans and use the disguise to escape. Yet the very thing that will give Ghost Nation the ability to leave their “wrong world” is Akecheta’s mistaken belief that the Valley Beyond is a literal Door out. He believes based the mistake of attributing meaning the Logan’s insane ramblings and from finding William’s secret facility, but mistaking its purpose.

But Akecheta’s mistaken beliefs are only useful in finding a way out because Logan mistakenly misjudged William (and thus ended up stranded in the desert for Akecheta to find) and because William made his self-proclaimed biggest mistake in building the Valley Beyond.

Hell, Akecheta is only able to form his mistaken beliefs from mistakenly attributing religious symbolism to the Maze (and obsessing on it) and using it as a trigger to retain memory and teach memory to Ghost Nation. He only finds the Maze because Arnold realized opening the Park was a mistake if Hosts can be conscious. And the immorality project and the Valley Beyond only exist because Ford made the self-admitted mistake of not listening to Arnold and of continuing Park operation.

It’s all mistake.

Cheers,

Ken

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