Just when it looked like some theories were beginning to solidify after three episodes, as soon as we hit the season’s midpoint, everything has changed on Westworld. Most of the theories I had so carefully crafted have gone kablooey after episode 4, titled “Generation Loss.” Big-time *Spoilers* to follow.
We Had The Timelines All Wrong
It turns out that all of the scenes with Maeve, Caleb, and the new Westworld park were, in fact, set seven years after Season 3, but this timeline was in the past – at least as far as the rest of Season 4 is concerned.
Maeve and Caleb’s story ran its course all the way to its terrible end. To put it simply, Halores wins. Maeve may have (temporarily) killed Host William, but she blew herself up in the process. Caleb becomes infected with the parasite he was exposed to at the end of Episode 3, and we learn this is the purpose of the new park: to infect the human guests with the parasite so they will spread the disease to the rest of humanity.
We also see numerous images of the Tower and Tower-like antennas beneath the park, and it’s revealed they are sending a signal that controls the minds of infected humans. This is Halores’ plan for humanity, and before the episode’s end, it’s revealed her plan has worked.
Caleb is now a host going through his 278th fidelity test. When he asks why, Halores tells him the real question is: “When?” The timeline has moved nearly 30 years into the future after Halores has obtained control of humanity and built the real Tower, which is a titanic structure in the river near Manhattan (though I imagine there are more of these across the globe if she is controlling all of humanity; I think the Tower-shaped streetlights serve the same purpose). By the end of this scene, I “think” the show has caught up with Bernard’s timeline. Maybe.
Bernard’s Present is the Future
Last week, I believed Bernard’s timeline was the same as Maeve’s and Caleb’s. But, boy, was I wrong. Now, it looks like Bernard’s story is also taking place nearly 30 years later. And that mysterious woman leading the rebels? It’s Frankie, Caleb’s now adult daughter.
Even more, we discover the identity of the weapon Bernard and the rebels are looking for. That turns out to be Maeve, buried beneath the ground, likely in the same place where she sacrificed herself and killed William. I was thankful to see Maeve survive since she’s always been one of my favorite characters. And it’s even more exciting to learn that our super-powered host may have the ability to grow even stronger.
But What About Delores?
This one is still a big mystery, but I think there is a good chance she also may be living in the real world on the same timeline as Bernard. This obviously means she’s not in a simulation. And after seeing the last of the Rehoboam units go bye-bye, I really don’t think she’s stuck in the machine as I believed just a mere week ago. Like Rehoboam plunging into oblivion, so went my latest theory.
However, there is a lot about Delores’s story that does not make sense. In fact, it’s unclear to me whether she’s even a host or a human under Halores’s control. Though if Christina is human, she would presumably have no connection to Delores, which makes little sense since Westworld has always been her story.
With Teddy back, it looks like Christina is very much stuck in a loop like Delores was before she questioned her reality. Maybe this is a special form of torment inflicted by Halores, but who knows? Her story seems like the last mystery remaining on the show. Although I seriously doubt that’s the case. Last week, I thought I had things figured out, and look how completely wrong everything I had assumed turned out to be.
But I suppose that’s one of the things that makes Westworld so fun. It’s like the Maze. And we may not have a clear picture of everything that’s been going on until we make it to the end.