Westworld:The Bicameral Mind Recap

Synopsis 01×10: All characters converge as their story lines are unwound and answers to most of the season’s questions are provided.

This was certainly a long season finale. At an hour and a half, the episode attempted to wrap up the story-lines of all the major characters, while still leaving enough for a second season. Rachel Evan Woods (Dolores) described this entire season as “an amazing prequel and a good setup for the actual show” in an interview with Thrillest. And this certainly seems to be true.

This entire season was questioning reality, asking its viewers to look at characters and understand what makes everyone, even the Hosts, human. And now, they can move forward with the concept of the original film that the show is based on which is who will inherit the earth?

For the episode itself, the first 30min were almost disappointing. It focused on the story-line of William (Jimmi Simpson) and his descent into darkness, ultimately leading to the reveal that he is the MIB (Ed Harris). While this has been rumored for several episodes, the revelation of it almost fell flat.

Dolores, luckily, steps into her own, finally making it back to Sweetwater, where she discovers her grave and remembers the truth of who she is. Through flashback sequences, we realize alongside Dolores that she was programmed by Arnold (Jeffrey Wright) to be Wyatt. Arnold believed these Hosts to be alive but could not get Ford (Anthony Hopkins) to understand.

In order to raise the stakes, he uploaded the Wyatt story-line into Dolores, causing her to kill all the hosts with the help of Teddy (James Marsden). As a final blow to Ford and the Westworld park, Dolores is instructed to kill Arnold, as he believes this is the only way to keep Ford from recreating the Hosts.

How wrong he was.

As Dolores recalls all of this, the man in black attempts to hurt her as he believes she is withholding the maze from him, when in reality, “the maze is not meant for you,” as it leads to true consciousness and existence for the Hosts. The two battle, with Dolores kicking some serious MIB ass, until he reveals who he really is: William.

He then explains how it was his search for Dolores that made him who he is. He once cared for her, but is no longer interested in her as she is simply caught in the loop of the park. While thus distracted by this revelation, he plunges a knife into her, only to be himself taken down by Teddy. Teddy has recalled their life together. And he follows Dolores’ final wish to be taken to where the mountains meet the sea.

Up to this point, the episode was fairly straight forward. But here, as Dolores dies in Teddy’s arms, we receive a shock that still has me confused. A light turns on, an audience claps, and Ford steps forward to address this final story he has created.

Did Dolores and Teddy meet the MIB willingly or were they simply a part of some larger story that Ford was telling? I suppose that is a question left for season two.

Outside of the park, while this ceremony is going on, Maeve finally awakens with Hector (Rodrigo Santoro) and Armistice (Ingrid Bolsø Berdal), to be aided by Felix (Leonardo Nam) and Sylvester (Ptolemy Slocum) as they attempt to escape the park completely.

They awaken Bernard (Jeffrey Wright), who shot himself in the head last week, only to have him reveal that this current storyline she was enacting was in fact programmed into her. She, of course, refuses to believe this, and continues with her escape plan.

Hector and Armistice put up quite the fight as they bite off fingers, stab security members, and eventually use the security weapons against security itself. Sometimes you can program something too well. These two know how to kill and feel no fear, even when they are left to fight, so that Maeve can escape.

She finally makes it to the train platform alongside Felix, who I believe she has honestly grown to like. She leaves him with a final compliment, that he is a terrible human, and boards the train away from this accursed world.

However, while sitting in the train, she returns to a slip of paper that was provided by Felix, which holds the coordinates for the little girl Host who once was Maeve’s daughter. As she sits across from a mother and child, she quickly makes up her mind to remain. I for one hope that this is finally her controlling her own story. Someone programmed her to get on the train, but she made the decision not to leave.

Returning to the opening ceremony for Ford’s last story, the various board members and high end guests enjoy cocktails and gun fighting. However, within their blissful revelry, Dolores is reawakened, realizing that perhaps she has been the voice in her own head this entire time. Arnold can no longer control her or guide her because he is dead, but she instead was leading herself along this journey to self-discovery.

With this, Ford allows her to return to the Wyatt programming and she calmly reenters the event. She tells Teddy that she finally understands as she walks to the stage and shoots Ford. Bernard only looks on sadly. I sense a conflict between these two in the coming season.

This moment seemed to be calculated and planned by Ford, as he would not allow the board to remove him or take over his park. He has been masterminding this entire scenario. It’s interesting to see the differing motivations behind him and Arnold. Where Arnold wanted to Hosts to gain consciousness for their own good, Ford allows it for his good. He is not interested in the Hosts, but in hurting the board who wants to take away his creation.

In one final moment, we see the MIB stand just outside the party as he smokes a cigarette. The show cuts to Lee (Simon Quarterman), who will theoretically take over story development with Ford gone, who enters cold storage only to find the compartment completely empty. In one last move, Ford has reanimated all of these Hosts and released them upon the park. The MIB is shot, as these Hosts emerge from the forest, and he smiles, having finally found a game worth playing.

Who is doing the speaking now?