Plausible Solution Explaining Bernard

Published June 12, 2018 · Updated July 6, 2022

Hey Guys,

I have a plausible solution for the Bernard conundrum. I thought of it on Sunday night as I saw the old techs working on Akecheta.

I suspect that Bernard was not introduced to the park until 15-20 years after Arnold’s death. Dr. Ford kept Bernard underground and perfected his work with the help of Dolores over several years. He did not bring Bernard into Westworld until Arnold was reduced to a myth. As Akecheta finds himself in the Mesa 9 years after the death of Arnold we obviously don’t recognize a single Delos employee. Some or all of the following could be reasons why no one remains in Bernard’s time.

1. Employee Burnout: I typically find myself at least looking at other jobs after about 4 years in one place. Delos peons work horrendous hours and their tasks are difficult and thankless. (The closest real world parallel I can think of would be a nurse in an ER or psych – high stress and high burnout with lots of turnover if they’re not treated well enough by their employer.) They are isolated from family, friends, and the world. They are likely working weekends and holidays. They are told not to partake or can’t afford to enjoy the fruits of their labor by going into the park. What could be most gratifying for them is seeing guests enjoying the park but they’re literally kept underground. Dr. Ford is arrogant and dismissive to those beneath him. It’s reasonable to think few employees would stick around past a decade. Burnout potentially leads to efforts at espionage or fucking hosts – activities that would get someone quickly fired.

2. Dr. Ford’s Influence: Dr. Ford likely has great influence over the staff that surrounds him. If they get too close or they’ve been there too long he could push them out or even resort to more sinister means. Because of Dr. Ford’s power in the park the Delos Board would likely bend to his will on simple things like staffing. Perhaps he even signs a letter of recommendation allowing a high-level staff member to take a higher level position elsewhere. It also seems that some of the Delos staff are inept which could be an intentional flaw allowed by Dr. Ford to maintain his personal strength and influence; this could be how Sizemore gets away with plagiarism in Shogun World.

3. Arnold Is Lesser Known: If Bill Gates had lost Paul Allen around the time Microsoft was getting started would we know who he was then today? Dr. Ford is the more publically visible partner. Arnold died before Westworld truly took off and it’s likely after his death that he is over-shadowed by Jim Delos and later William. Delos would naturally publically downplay the incident that resulted in Arnold’s death. Arnold’s wife likely received a massive settlement contingent on a non-disclosure agreement keeping her out.

Thanks for your time! I’m really looking forward to the discussion on this episode so please don’t feel like you have to stick to an hour on the next two podcasts this week. 🙂 It seems Gene underestimated the Westworld community in the instacast – Kiksuya is currently tied for 2nd out of all Westworld episodes with an average of 9.3 on IMDB. I owe you guys a 5 star review on ITunes; I’ll get on that soon.

Ryan S

Subscribe Now