Westworld’s penultimate episode answered a few nagging questions but if you thought all of the loose ends would be tied up before the show’s action-packed season three finale — well, you’re too damn trusting to be watching this series in the first place.
We know more about Caleb. We know more about Serac’s genius brother and his tragic end. We know what William believes he needs to do in order to save the world. And we know that the sickest burn for a host is to call him a “can opener.” But there’s still plenty we don’t know — like Dolores’ endgame, the nature of the A.I.s, why Caleb is so important, what timeline we’re operating in … Okay, real talk: We know absolutely nothing. But here’s us brainstorming with the help of Reddit’s brightest theorists.
1. Brain-Powered
We’ve spent most of this season wondering about the show’s new villain. Is Serac a living human being, is he a projection of Rehoboam, is he dead and we’re just seeing him in flashbacks? He’s only interacted with Maeve up until this point, so it seemed likely that theories of simulations and alternate timelines might explain his mysterious absence during pivotal moments. But after this week’s episode, we’re starting to wonder if there was ever a line to be drawn between creator and creation in the first place.
After meeting Solomon and learning more about Serac’s brilliant but troubled brother Jean Mi, fans are viewing these massive A.I. machines in a new way. Solomon seems to have inherited schizophrenic tendencies and an inability to discern which reality is most likely to happen, much like his “father,” while Rehoboam is pragmatic and focused on one solution he believes can prevent the end of humanity. If Solomon is Jean Mi – which is implied since Serac had both shut away in the Sonora facility – then Rehoboam might be Serac. In other words, Serac has uploaded his consciousness into the program and is controlling it, which explains why out of the millions of alternate paths, Rehoboam seems fixed on this current one. It’s Serac’s influence, his very human inability to see more than one solution, that’s contributing to Rehoboam’s rule of law. And isn’t it odd that both machines are shaped like the pearls that power the consciousness of hosts?
Read the full thread here.
2. Cryo Wake Up Call
Fans were finally treated to a bloody showdown between Dolores and Maeve who are fighting for … reasons? Honestly, the adversarial nature of their relationship is one of the more confusing narratives this season but we’re gonna roll with it for now. Dolores looked to be down for the count before she activated an EMP that shut down every powered being in the facility, hosts included. With the lights turned off, many Redditors wondered what that meant for the “outliers” currently trapped in Sleeping Beauty’s cryogenic nightmare. Did they die? Unlikely since they’re technically still human, just more frozen. In fact, turning the switch off might mean the people in those pods – and there were quite a lot of pods – will soon wake up and we can’t imagine they’ll be happy to discover an omnipowerful A.I. condemned them to eternal rest because of their “f*ck the establishment” natures. Serac’s probably going to be sorry he kept these people alive, especially if one turns out to be his psychotic brother.
Read the full thread here.
3. The Passed Pawn
People who not only understand but actually enjoy playing chess are hella smart. Case in point: This Redditor who explained the episode’s titular meaning. Apparently, a “passed pawn” is a piece on the chessboard with no enemy directly in front of it that can be upgraded to a more valuable piece. There are narrative illusions and then there are the metaphors that Westworld comes up with. Subtle, they are not. Caleb seems to be the stand-in for this pawn theory, a man who’s finally coming to terms with the truth about his past, who’s been positioned to lead a revolution while Dolores faces down her mortal enemy. Other characters seem to have more present and immediate threats as well: William wants to eradicate the hosts, Charlores has it out for her maker, Maeve needs to kill Dolores to be reunited with her daughter, etc. The only character without a real nemesis is Caleb, which might make him the most dangerous player on the board.
Read the full thread here.
4. Prime Dolores
As invincible as Dolores often appears, this episode really drove home the fact that she can be beaten. Maeve nearly killed her before she was able to cut the power and their tense battle had most fans holding their breath. If Maeve had crushed Dolores’ pearl, would that be the end of the girl in the blue dress? Probably not. In fact, there’s still one pearl unaccounted for and fans think it might be Prime Dolores, the original consciousness of the host. Is she squatting in a flat in Berlin, raging out to some techno beats and cooking schnitzels? Eh. But there’s some weight to this idea that there may be one more trick up the host’s sleeve.
Read the full thread here.
5. FutureWorld
We know, we know, we’ve theorized about FutureWorld before, but this latest episode laid even more groundwork for the idea that the timelines on this show are just screwing with us. After all, we still need to account for that post-credits season two scene set in the future that shows the A.I. creating fidelity tests that involve William. Add to that Solomon’s throwaway line that caused Dolores to give him a knowing smirk and, well, who’s to say Caleb isn’t a human replicant reliving his memories. What that means for Dolores’ master plan, we still don’t have a clue.
Read the full thread here.
6. Fore(Arm) Shadowing
There are so many moving parts on Westworld, it’s hard to keep up with all of the Easter eggs the creators are dropping in random places. Like the opening credits scene. Should we have guessed Dolores would lose her arm since the host in the show’s intro seems to be missing one as well? We guess. But really, that’s putting a lot of pressure on our observational skills.
Read the full thread here.
