A new park, a new angle on Maeve's autonomy & Teddy's sentience...there's so much to unpack! Here is my review on the latest episode of Westworld. (I'm biased because I love the show, but I think this series gets better and better every episode.)
I report on Westworld for Heavy.com, and I want to give fellow Steemians some insights I've gained about Westworld. Are you a Westworld fan like I am? This is the best show since LOST and BSG. Here are some big theories & clues from Season 3 Episode 2. I really think big things are about to happen on this show.
Just remember, this has spoilers for Virte e Fortuna, so don't read on until you've seen the episode. I'd love to get your feedback in the comments on what YOU think about this episode. Your ideas might end up in a future story that I write (credited to you, of course!)
Raj World
First things first... We got a new park. This is the rumored Raj World that fans uncovered through the Delos Destinations website. It's based on India (which explains the Bengal tigers), but there's a lot more to it than meets the eye.
We learned that the animals are affected by Ford's new code too, thanks to seeing that tiger attack Grace. And Grace (who's definitely been a visitor before) had a strange map with her that had a symbol for a place she's trying to find. Check it out:
In the next section, I'll go into more detail about that symbol. But let's take a moment to just think about Raj World. How amazing is it?! The world is so beautiful, and I would go there just to see the beauty and bask in it. I've heard that Delos advertises its theme parks as a way to hunt animals without guilt, but the animals are so beautiful, I don't think I could do that personally.
(Unpack more about Raj World in my Heavy story here).
That Symbol In Grace's Journal Means A Lot
Everything in Westworld has a double meaning and that symbol on Grace's map is no exception. It looks suspiciously like the symbol that showed up when Charlotte was trying to contact Delos about an extraction:
So Grace was trying to find something, maybe a secret lab like where Charlotte was, but in Raj World?
But that's not the only place we've seen this symbol...
The Symbol Is Embedded in Peter Abernathy's Code
Yes, Bernard found the symbol when he decrypted Peter Abernathy's code.
This symbol has a VERY important meaning, and might be connected to whatever secret project Delos is working on, and the files that were uploaded into Peter Abernathy. Remember: Charlotte uploaded the files with the help of Lee in Season 1, and said it contained 35 years' worth of data. She told Bernard that those files were an insurance file of some sort (in case Ford tried to destroy his creation.) And the reason Peter Abernathy constantly says that he has to get on the train is because that's embedded in the "thin personality" they wrote to get him out of the park. But what ARE those files?
Here are some theories about what those files might be:
- It contains trade secrets for a competing company and Charlotte is not actually working for Delos at all.
- It’s an insurance file kind of like Julian Assange has a deadman’s switch insurance file stored at Wikileaks. Maybe if someone in particular dies, that insurance file is triggered.
- Abernathy’s file might hold Ford’s consciousness or even Arnold’s.
- Or maybe it holds the key to Arnold’s bicameral mind code that gives sentience to the hosts.
- Or it is connected to the DNA data that Delos is keeping from the visitors, and is part of the "pitch" that William gave to Daddy Delos last week.
Read more about Peter Abernathy and see a lot more screenshots from his files that Bernard found in the story I wrote for Heavy here.
If you have a theory about the files that Peter is carrying, leave a comment and let me know!
Maeve's Power Is Confusing
By the way, we also learned that Maeve's power is heckuva confusing. She can't control everyone after all, it seems. Is that a limitation from Ford that he coded into her, or is it somehow connected to her slow journey into complete sentience? I've seen some crazy theories floating around from last season, positing that Ford is a host created by Arnold (part of the reason some fans believe this is because of how he was able to control hosts similarly to how Maeve does...) But we saw what looked like a very real Ford Corpse in a previous episode, so this likely isn't the case...
But that still leaves us with a lot of questions about Maeve's powers.
Speaking of self-actualization, Teddy went against Dolores for the first time ever in this episode. And Hector displayed some self-awareness too. Are these two becoming sentient also?
I wrote a very detailed post about Top Theories from Season 2 Episode 3 right here.
By the way, wondering what some of the top search terms were for Westworld tonight? One of the big ones was Charlize Theron Westworld. Apparently quite a few people thought Armistice was Charlize Theron. The other top search terms for tonight about Westworld were "isabella westworld," "klondike" (that was the narrative that Lee THOUGHT they were in before the Samurai showed up), "termagant" (that was the word for tyrant that was used to describe Dolores), "ghost nation," "stubbs," "craddock westworld," and "grace westworld." What were you searching?
Do you love Westworld as much as I do?! :) Thanks for reading!
Photos courtesy of HBO