[Spoilers below.]
Where would Westworld be without mystery? From Ford’s backstory to “How’d they make that sex robot orgy?,” each episode piles on the questions, and it doesn’t help that HBO is encouraging us to keep the fan theories coming. That’s why we made a video diving into one of the most important mysteries: Is Arnold, the park’s co-creator, still alive? And is he working to destroy Westworld?
What if instead of dying in an accident, Arnold managed to upload his consciousness into the Westworld mainframe? This would allow him to communicate directly with the hosts and influence how they act. There have been clues supporting this, such as Dolores hearing a voice in her head and the bandit host Walter calling out to Arnold after his crazed killing spree. (This capability would also be why the Man in Black is so hellbent on finding the mainframe — he wants to upload his own consciousness and live forever.) As a part of the mainframe, Arnold is trying to figure out how to control the hosts, which is is why so many hosts seem to be malfunctioning and going against their programming. And once he can command an army of hosts, there would be nothing stopping him from fulfilling his last words to D0lores by destroying Westworld.
But why would he want to do this? On possibility: It all comes back to his love for Dolores. It’s what ruined them both. Arnold realized that even though he created her, she had a soul, so he wanted to set her free. This goes directly against Ford viewing Dolores and all other hosts as nothing more than pleasure bots. Ford blames her for corrupting Arnold, which is why he punishes her with cruel fates every day of her existence. So in order to free the woman he loves, crush Ford, and destroy the prison he helped to create, Arnold has to use its inhabitants to bring it all come crashing down.