Next week’s season finale of HBO’s Westworld isn’t going to leave us hanging – at least, not about most of the show’s biggest mysteries.
Showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy assure EW that the final two episodes (including Sunday’s hour and next week’s first season closer) will pay off for fans who have been trying to unravel their tightly plotted storylines.
“We weren’t interested in spinning out mysteries with no answers in sight,” Nolan said. “Our goal is to tell an ambitious story in season-long chapters, each with a distinct feel and theme.”
Added Joy: “Most of the questions viewers have will be resolved in the final episodes, except for the most important one: What happens next.”
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"I see as much misery out of them moving to justify theirselves as them that set out to do harm." -Dr. Amos "Doc" Cochran
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Interesting thing about substantial payoffs and answers: it may substantially reduce my interest in the show (not to say that it would be a bad thing).
To explain... I realized during the last episode that I keep watching solely because I want answers to the mysteries, not because I care about any of the characters. A prime example was the finale to Bernard's faceoff with Ford: Bernard was going through some serious emotional revelations (and some serious acting!) during hes final memories, and in particular coming to grips with the role the memory his son's death played in shaping him, but all I cared about was whether Barnard was Arnold (or his pseudo-reincarnation). And after that revelation, I wasn't really moved by him shooting himself; both because I had nothing emotionally invested in him, and because the show has established that there really is no true death for hosts.
Similarly, I don't really care about William or the MIB, and what happns to their characters per se, I only care if they are one and the same, and what the maze is (if and when the MIB finds it).
If they answer the remaining mysteries, and season 2 just promises more of these characters, none of whom I really care about, I'm not sure I'll be too psyched about season 2.
I'm in the same camp I care about the mysteries and secrets not the characters especially as Mike F says the synths can easily be re-spawned. For a show that is doing a deep dive into the essence of what being alive means there is a distinct lack of emotional connections. The most interesting thing to me is how the synths will go about getting their revenge which is sparsely explored.
I'm in the same camp I care about the mysteries and secrets not the characters especially as Mike F says the synths can easily be re-spawned. For a show that is doing a deep dive into the essence of what being alive means there is a distinct lack of emotional connections. The most interesting thing to me is how the synths will go about getting their revenge which is sparsely explored.
Im of the view that the mysteries aren't really that mysterious. I would say that most of the significant items in the mystery are resolved. For me it's the characters particular the droids that are compelling.
I didn't find Bernard's death crushing but instead the fact that Ford and Bernard have had this conversation with Bernard gaining self awareness only to have it ripped away by Ford repeatedly. Same with Delores' and the Maze where in yet another loop she makes it to the church only to have the whole thing reset and start over. It's like the end 1984.
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Did Delores kill Arnold knowingly, or was she programmed by someone(Ford?) to do it?
Quote:
Originally Posted by photon
My bet is Arnold himself told Delores to kill him for some dramatic reason.
I think it will be one of three things...
1. Ford took control of Dolores and had her kill Arnold. The problem with this is that when he was talking to her a few episodes ago, he seemed genuinely curious about what happened when Arnold was killed. Of course, that could have just been a test (like showing Bernard the photo of Arnold) to see if Dolores was properly suppressing her knowledge of Arnold's death.
2. Arnold was distraught after his son's death (I'm assuming that Bernard's backstory was based on Arnold's actual history), was suicidal, and had Dolores kill him. He either couldn't bring himself to do it, or he wanted it to look like an accident either to ensure his wife received an insurance payout, or so that she wouldn't know he had done it.
3. Arnold gave Dolores self-awareness and she realized that the hosts are essentially slaves forced into an unending loop with no chance for escape, so she decided to destroy them all, and herself, as well as their creator/slaver.
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I got the impression Bernard's backstory was fabricated, because Ford said Arnold had trauma in his past, but didn't mention similarities or a child. I'm guessing Arnold's trauma would have been more complicated or harder to use to form Bernard's personality, so Ford made a more direct one that had the effect he wanted.
I'm avoiding spoilers and haven't seen anything since episode three.
Deadwood struck me as a vastly superior show based in the old west - is Westworld worth catching up on, or would I be better off starting The Sopranos? (Which I've never seen either)
I'm avoiding spoilers and haven't seen anything since episode three.
Deadwood struck me as a vastly superior show based in the old west - is Westworld worth catching up on, or would I be better off starting The Sopranos? (Which I've never seen either)
Westworld isn't actually set in the Old West.....
.....oops should have spoiler tagged that one.
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Let me rephrase: a show about the actual old West with Ian McShane dropping ten c***suckers an episode in the midst of Shakespearean verse is way more interesting to me than Jurassic Park with sexbots.
Let me rephrase: a show about the actual old West with Ian McShane dropping ten c***suckers an episode in the midst of Shakespearean verse is way more interesting to me than Jurassic Park with sexbots.
Deadwood is my favorite show of all time, but I am really enjoying Westworld. Mostly because I acknowledge it isn't a Western, and I love identity philosophy.
__________________ "It's a great day for hockey."
-'Badger' Bob Johnson (1931-1991)
"I see as much misery out of them moving to justify theirselves as them that set out to do harm." -Dr. Amos "Doc" Cochran
1. Ford took control of Dolores and had her kill Arnold. The problem with this is that when he was talking to her a few episodes ago, he seemed genuinely curious about what happened when Arnold was killed. Of course, that could have just been a test (like showing Bernard the photo of Arnold) to see if Dolores was properly suppressing her knowledge of Arnold's death.
2. Arnold was distraught after his son's death (I'm assuming that Bernard's backstory was based on Arnold's actual history), was suicidal, and had Dolores kill him. He either couldn't bring himself to do it, or he wanted it to look like an accident either to ensure his wife received an insurance payout, or so that she wouldn't know he had done it.
3. Arnold gave Dolores self-awareness and she realized that the hosts are essentially slaves forced into an unending loop with no chance for escape, so she decided to destroy them all, and herself, as well as their creator/slaver.
3 is interesting and fits with Delores' line of Our world is beautiful it's you who come in and ruin it.
I'm avoiding spoilers and haven't seen anything since episode three.
Deadwood struck me as a vastly superior show based in the old west - is Westworld worth catching up on, or would I be better off starting The Sopranos? (Which I've never seen either)
If you like the Asimov robot stories like I robot and Bicentential man and like pondering the questions of what is consciousness and what differentiates AI from humans it's an excellent show.
Really if you like most sci-fi it is similar in themes
I'm not so sure Elsie is alive. The look on Bernard's face while he was choking her was the same remorseless yet purposeful look as when he killed Theresa. Wouldn't have taken him long to choke her our or break her neck. Would be sloppy of Ford to not account for her body.
Boy the more this show fills in the blanks the more questions become unanswered. I hope 90 minutes is enough time for proper closure.
I was killing some time and started reading some WW articles. I'll put it in spoiler tags even though I don't think there is anything too wild or spoilery. Most of it is just random observations, not real theories.
Spoiler!
- Bernard's son in his memory is named Charlie. The woman representing Delos is named Charlotte and appears to be in her 30s. Arnold died about 30 years ago when his child was young...just sayin'.
- These are probably continuity errors due to the reshoots, but the original photo dug out of the ground was not of MiB's wife in Times Square. It appeared that it was of someone standing in front of the golden gate bridge.
- Also, there are quite a few inconsistencies in the Bernard/Ford scene from episode 9 in the basement. Basically a ton of things on the set are different. Some small, some more obvious. Continuity error from a reshoot? Or signs that they were showing us multiple timelines during that interaction? Ford did hint they'd been through it all before.
- The characters are all obsessed with milk and they are born in a milk like substance. There is no theory here. Just an interesting connection. There are a bunch of examples but the town is called sweet water, Delores drops condensed milk, in one scene where she's shot (i think) she drops milk all around her, that one host who went crazy poured milk on everyone. There are more but I'm too lazy to go find the link again.
