Trace Decay

Published November 21, 2016 · Updated July 6, 2022

Many theories experiencing more than a trace of decay, I reckon.

First time to write in, been listening and following on Twitter, though. ALWAYS look forward to the podcasts. Ok, now, too much words:

1) The MIB’s backstory was interesting and all, but something about it didn’t scour. It almost sounded like a host’s memory, though I’ve never considered him a host for a second. Maybe just the sound of contrivance?

2) Still feel William becomes MIB. I ludicrously base this on a past scene with the MIB flipping his knife as he approached someone toward the camera, and a brief shot in a post-show preview WEEKS ago showing William flipping his knife the exact same way from the rear in some as-yet-unseen scene in which HE approached someone (maybe during this developing Logan brouhaha?)

3) Delores, time frames, church steeples, wtf? I thought the burned, 1/2 buried steeple was current, and the white steeple was the earlier timeline with William/Delores. But no, they get the black steeple, too. So, was there a timeline before that? And yet another where’s she retracing the trip alone? My aching head. Did SHE shoot up the town? The body that looked like her dead in the water had a plaid shirt instead of striped shirt, I think. Very, very similar, but not identical. Haven’t thought to track that to differenciate timelines, hmm. But seriously, wtf.

4) Minotaur? Teddy and MIB getting close? I confess I’ve completely lost track of where exactly they are.

5) Did they crash Medieval World next door at the end of the episode? Except, unlike the old movie, there has been no mention of any Roman of Medieval worlds thus far.

6) If Abernathy can leave the park to do Hale’s dirty deeds, Maeve can leave.

7) Hale really seemed to perk up amusedly at the tale of Theresa’s skullduggery and demise. Clearly she knows differently. But how? Was Hale somehow responsible for the data-transmitting device and so knew she was being fed a load of hooey? She is deep, that one.

8) Timeline again-the hostess who greeted William is repurposed to another role with the Teddy/MIB line. I don’t think there’s an “if” timeline argument anymore. Feels it’s a “how many” question now.

9) Probably redundant, but the whole root of this entire conflict clearly is the cognitive dissonance between Ford and Arnold over the execution of created consciousness: whether it’s better FOR THE CREATED CONSCIOUS to experience the added pain of not forgetting pain, to experience the unrelieved hurt of trauma or emotion, to have life leavened with accrued detail–fairly hideous to contemplate in a place like Westworld–or to relish the empty succor of the eternal sunshine of the spotless mind.

Sorry for too many words. Fascinating episode, though. Thanks for the great podcasts.

-mt-

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