Reading Way Too Far Into Westworld

I just binge watched Westworld over the past few days, & am fully caught up. Which of course means I have some wild ideas about what’s going on, follow me…

1. There are 3 timelines happening all at once. There is the present day, in which the Man In Black (henceforth referred to as MIB), is travelling through the park with Teddy. There is the timeline 30 years in the past where William is accompanying Delores back to her home, & then there is a 3rd (older) timeline where we see Delores flashing back to in the town with the church steeple & the hosts are being trained by techs. If you notice the tech interviews with Delores, they’re on different timelines, also - she’s clothed when talking to Bernard (who’s actually Arnold 34 years ago – more on this soon) & in the basement of the cottage where Theresa is killed, that’s in the past. When Delores (& other hosts) are being interviewed naked – that’s in the present. You may have noticed that the Lawrence character is also El Lazo. As Lawrence, he’s in the present timeline with MIB, as El Lazo, he’s in the timeline with William, Delores, Logan. Teddy isn’t in the past timeline, as I think he’s been created to replace William as Delores’ love interest/keep her on her loop.

2. Bernard is the host version of Arnold. It’s the reason he couldn’t see anyone in the photograph Ford showed him besides Ford & his father. It’s also why he didn’t recognise himself in the host plans in the basement beneath the cottage. He’s been programmed not to recognise “Arnold”. I believe that Arnold didn’t like where he could see the park going & programmed Delores to destroy it 34 years before the present timeline, which is what she flashes back to when she finds her home with William in the timeline 30 years before the present timeline.

3. The Man In Black is William in the present timeline. Ed Harris has been dropping verbal hints to this right throughout the 8 episodes so far. He’s stated a bunch of times that he’s been visiting the park for 30 years, that “in a sense I was born here”. I suspect that something happens with Delores in these next 2 episodes which set him on a dark path, where we end up with older, darker William. MIB is the only character who’s never referred to by name, as well. Another hint for this theory is him seeing the woman who greeted him to the park in the present timeline & saying “I thought they would have retired her years ago”.

Random bits & blind speculation:

• The oldest timeline is before the park opens. 34 years before the present day timeline.

• There was probably a failed host revolution – just before the park opened – this is when Arnold was killed by Ford/a host under Ford’s control (Delores?).

• Logan & William visit the park initially to see if it’s worth further investment by the family business – MIB states somewhere on the present timeline that he saved the park 30 years ago – that hints to that investment. (The park was bleeding money at the start).

• The host being created in the basement under the cottage is Elsie’s replacement.

• The key to the maze, which I think is not physical, but is probably a trigger that unlocks full consciousness, is in that town that Ford is excavating.

• Arnold is still alive in the code of the original host – Delores - which is why she’s able to lie to Ford. I also guess that Maeve will unlock something else in her not that she has heightened self-awareness.

• I think we end up seeing the first host revolution at the same time as the impending one at the same time, but on different timelines – Maeve & Delores leading them, respectively.

There have been so many more clues throughout this show that I haven’t mentioned (really obvious on a second watch), but after thinking way too deeply into this, I’m either about right, or I just need to go outside. Whatever happens, I’m totally in for the ride.

West west y’all.