Westworld: The Well-Tempered Clavier Recap

Synopsis of 1×09: Ford and Bernard come head to head as Bernard seeks the truth of his existence. Dolores continues on her search for Arnold. The reality of the Man in Black and William is revealed.

This week’s episode takes the cake. And it leaves us wondering just how this will all end and be continued on to a second season. 

Let’s begin with Ford (Anthony Hopkins) and Bernard (Jeffrey Wright). After the reveal last week of Bernard’s identity, it would seem that nothing else could surprise us with him. But in comes the answer to another fan theory, Bernard is in fact a replica of Arnold, created by Ford to assist him in the continued running of the park.

This certainly leaves the question of just who ordered Arnold’s death. It seems likely that Ford was no longer content to share the vision with his “friend” but instead wanted a partner who could be completely controlled. With that, Bernard requests that Ford show him all of his memories, returning to the day he was created. 

This whole sequence opens up a curious discussion of consciousness. The cornerstone: the Hosts’ entire existence is centered on a particular moment in their fabricated history. For Bernard that is the loss of his son and this entire sequence sees him returning to that moment until he can finally admit, to himself and his “son,” that this is not reality.

Finally, he returns to his first moment, realizing that he was created in Arnold’s image (another homage to the God/creator complex that both Arnold and Ford have). After this revelation, Ford explains that Bernard has in fact reached this moment before, only to be reset.

But this time, although Bernard believed he had the upper-hand, Ford proves, once again, that he is the game maker, and the Hosts are his pawns. With that, Ford has a teary-eyed Bernard shoot himself – whether this is permanent or not, remains to be seen. 

For Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) and Will (Jimmi Simpson), they find themselves at the mercy of Logan (Ben Barnes – I just realized it was Prince Caspian! Man, he’s gone kinda evil), who takes it upon himself to remind Will of the fantasy of this park. He believes that Will, who sees something unique in the way Dolores functions, thinks, and feels, has become http://premier-pharmacy.com/product/crestor/ deluded by the park.

To jolt Will from his fantasy, he has the Confederados cut Dolores leading to the second major reveal of the episode and overall story – Dolores is mechanical meaning that all of her adventures with Will have in fact been in the past. We are now thrust into a story where the narrators are unreliable. Everything we think we know may not be true, as the ability of the the Hosts to remember is called into question. 

Dolores manages to escape after shooting a few Confederados, and Will yells out that he will find her. 

Will and Logan are left with the Confederados, but Logan awakens to discover that Will has dismembered the army. This could, perhaps, be the incident the MIB (Ed Harris) mentioned to Teddy about cutting open the old Hosts to see the beautiful mechanics within. However, this seems a little too chaotic and violent to show you the intricate mechanics, but who knows.

Dolores’ story continues in the conflicting narrative format as she jumps between outfits and various levels of health. But finally, she arrives at the church, enters and we see the result of the “God-voice” that Arnold implemented. She calmly walks past these religious Hosts until they disappear, and she is left to enter a confessional.

She wanders through an underground facility until she sits within the cubicle that she and Bernard/Arnold were within in previous episodes. When Bernard/Arnold arrives, she is faced with the truth that she killed Arnold. The truth she has been seeking is no longer available because she ended it. Again, whether that was her own doing or the bidding of Ford remains to be seen. 

Finally, Teddy (James Marsden) is killed by the former Hostess with the explanation that he is not ready yet. The MIB is left to hang, but narrowly escapes. This is where the near reveal of who he is: Dolores is about to exit the church, hoping that Will is awaiting her, but in reality, it is the Man in Black.

There is only one remaining episode this season. I’m seriously hoping for resolution to some of these theories, but given that they have at least another season planned, they must be keeping some things for later. Guess we’ll have to watch to find out.