Is there a correlation between the dwindling number of new episodes in Westworld’s third season and the level of conspiracy-theory-crazy in our latest Westworld Reddit roundup? Probably.
With only a couple of episodes left to wrap up the show’s wild arc — one that’s given us Nazis and Japanese gangsters and Dolores’ impressive wardrobe changes –, we’re still no closer to understanding what the hell is going on with this series. So instead of railing at the constructs of realism, we’re embracing the chaos.
Here’s our ranking of the best fan theories to come from Westworld’s latest installment. As always, it’s on you to figure out what’s real and what’s just plain bullsh*t.
1. Char-lores
Dolores Abernathy is a bit of a control freak, so it made sense that the only person she trusted to help carry out her master plan was, well, herself. Charlotte Hale was her clone inside Delos, mining all of the company’s data from Westworld before Serac could get his hands on it. Unfortunately, her undercover work came to an end this week when Serac discovered she was the host mole thwarting his plans to buy the company. She was able to easily manage Serac’s security detail – these guys make Stormtroopers look good – but when she reunited with Hale’s family, intending to disappear with her son and his father, things ended badly. Like fiery explosion badly.
Of course, Hale escaped the wreckage because she’s basically indestructible but this new Terminator-esque arc has some fans thinking it’s this version of Dolores that might actually bring about the end of the world. After all, she’s lost everything because of Serac and she’s been all but abandoned by Dolores.
Will Halores go scorched earth on everyone? We hope so.
Read the full thread here.
2. The Ultimate Cliffhanger
Look, we all have a bit of PTSD following that final season of Game of Thrones. HBO has rushed storylines on prestige dramas before. We can’t be naïve enough to think Westworld might be safe. But, the pacing of this season might point to a different season finale than the ones that have come before. In the past, Westworld has neatly wrapped up season-long storylines by the final episode. Mostly.
But with fewer episodes, more characters, and bigger questions at play in season three, is it crazy to think the show might be setting us up to end on a cliffhanger? We know Westworld’s practically greenlit for two more seasons, so there’s plenty of real estate to work with on the writers’ part. And this season’s theme – free will and what determines it – is just beginning to be explored by players like the Man in Black, Dolores, Halores, Maeve, and Caleb. All of these characters need to come together before this story arc is complete but they’re just nowhere near that reunion – unless the show pulls a Benioff/Weiss move and just throws everything into burn barrel, douses it in gasoline, and forces Emilia Clarke to play an unhinged woman with a dragon who lights it all on fire.
Instead, we’d like to believe that this season is just the first part of an even larger endgame. Otherwise, they’ve just wasted Jeffrey Wright and that’s unacceptable.
Read the full thread here.
3. An Old Friend
One of the biggest reveals to (hopefully) come next week will be just who Maeve has recruited to be on her A-Team. With Hector out of the game – RIP to our soft bearded cowboy – Maeve will need strong allies she can truly trust if she hopes to defeat Dolores. There are a few bodies for the taking and Reddit thinks that at least one of them will be Clementine, Maeve’s friend in Mariposa. The two share a strong bond with Maeve acting as a maternal figure for the former saloon girl, so she’s a likely candidate.
As for who else might make the cut – some think Lawrence or Armistice might be good choices.
Read the full thread here.
4. The Man In White
It’s not all about you, William. Except, this episode kind of was. In fact, the drawn-out therapy session that ended with the Man in Black killing his former selves and letting go of his past wrongs felt like a turning point, not just for the character but for the show itself. William, more than any other character, has grappled with the idea of “free will” for seasons now. It seems, by refusing to dwell in his former mistakes, he’s setting himself up to be some sort of savior. Whether that means he’ll help Dolores or Serac, we just don’t know. Sorry, Ed Harris, you’re the good guy now.
Read the full thread here.
5. Caleb’s Cornerstone
We didn’t see any of Aaron Paul’s Army-vet-turned-revolutionary this episode but Reddit is still obsessed with his backstory, especially following William’s therapy session. We know that Caleb has been through the same rehabilitation center that William is stuck in from the flashbacks in episode five. We also suspect the show might be operating between multiple timelines and that has led some to theorize that Caleb might actually be the more reformed version of the Man in Black. Bernard and Stubbs were seen trying to break him out of the facility at the end of this latest episode and it wouldn’t be hard to imagine the two planting William’s consciousness into a different body to keep his identity secret. Whether this true and part of Dolores’ bigger plan or just us grasping at straws because this show has turned us full murder-board crazy, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Read the full thread here.
6. Let Sizemore Live
Yes, we’re all grieving the loss of Hector, but let’s get practical for a second. Hale squishing the outlaw’s pearl means there’s an extra body right there for the taking. And who better to take it than Sizemore? Maeve trusts him, he’s in need of a human form, and if he gets to look like Hector by swapping bodies, where’s the downside?
Read the full thread here.
7. The Breaking Bad Multi-Verse
We’ve already theorized about this once, so either Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy are just trolling us or there really is a shared universe in which both Breaking Bad and Westworld exist. Either way, this is totally the same dude. No further questions at this time.
Read the full thread here.
