Thus far, season two of Westworld was wilting under the weight of its labyrinthine plots and timelines. But, much like another famous HBO show, it’s just been getting its pieces in order to deliver some mind-blowing revelations in its final third.
In our latest series following the show – read our thoughts on episodes one, two, three, four and five for background – WIRED's Andy Vandervell explores the huge developments from season two, episode six: Phase Space. For regular readers, Matt Reynolds will return next week as he’s attending the Oslo Freedom Forum. How apt.
Westworld’s talent for misdirection knows no bounds. Throughout this season, it’s teased what we assumed was a conversation between Arnold and Dolores. Arnold, musing over the choices Dolores might make while she – dressed in her pre-kill all humans costume – played the dutiful host. But: “No. He didn’t say that”.
With a single line, jaws dropped to floor. At least, mine did. This wasn’t Arnold quizzing Dolores, it was Dolores conducting "a fidelity test" – the same one William gave the ‘cloned’ James Delos – on Arnold/Bernard.
Why she was doing this and, more importantly, when she was doing it are still up for debate, but it adds credence to the idea that the ‘Bernard’ who woke up on the beach and looks permanently confused is, in fact, a ‘cloned’ Arnold.
The episode was bookended by this and another huge revelation in its finale: Ford’s back. He never went away, really, he just loaded his consciousness into The Cradle. At this point it’s worth backtracking a little to understand what The Cradle is and it’s significant because, despite some efforts, the show doesn’t do a great job explaining it.
In short, The Cradle is part-simulation machine, part-host backup system and the nerve centre of the parks. Its main role is as a simulator, allowing Delos to load planned narratives into a virtual version of the parks and see how well they work. From what Elsie says, it also serves a role in controlling the operation of the park, acting as a central server through which commands are sent to the live hosts.
It seems obvious now that the control unit – or ‘marble’ as some people have taken to calling it – that Bernard made and pocketed was for Ford. At some point between him creating it and before Ford had his brains blown out by Dolores, Ford had himself copied onto it and then loaded into the cradle by Bernard.
There are a few interesting things about this. Unlike the James Delos copy, it seems Ford is getting on just fine in The Cradle and is busy pulling strings around Westworld and beyond to reach whatever end he desires. So far, so straightforward.
What’s interesting is that it suggests he knows something about making successful human copies that Delos doesn’t. You could argue it’s not the same as he’s technically not a copy in the same way James Delos was – his copied brain is in a simulation, not a host body after all. But, what’s the difference exactly? Why would the process work when loaded into The Cradle, rather than a host body in the “real world”?
Ford’s presence in The Cradle raises so many questions. One key one: do the hosts really have free will, or is Ford still pulling the strings? And, even if he is pulling the strings, how direct is his control? Are the current events programmed by Ford in detail, or has he used The Cradle to simulate all possible outcomes and then created the conditions to reach the one he desires? That latter scenario leaves room for Dolores, Maeve and co to improvise and go their own way. Indeed, it possible it’s all part of a test designed by Ford to see if they will.
Meanwhile, we have Maeve and Dolores demonstrating vastly opposing views of freedom and free will – the core theme of Westworld. Maeve respects the wishes of Akane to remain in Shogun World and forge her own path. Akane may lack the ultimate knowledge Maeve possesses, but it seems she knows enough to understand her place and she is off her narrative loop and making her own decisions. For better for worse, Shogun World is her home and that’s enough for her.
Dolores, as we witnessed in the last episode, is less interested in the will of other hosts. That said, she’s clearly having second thoughts about Teddy’s enforced conversion. It’s understandable, really. If you converted your sensitive, thoughtful boyfriend into a cold-blooded murderer, wouldn’t you have second thoughts? She’ll have to pull a serious about turn to earn our sympathies, though.
In any event, the massive reveals of this week’s episode mark a serious return to form for Westworld. The aftermath of Dolores bombing the Mesa Hub, and yet more details on what the hell is going on with Bernard, await in episode 7. See you next week.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
