11 "Westworld" Theories That Will Blow Your Mind And Also Hurt Your Head

    Spoilers, but it doesn't really matter, because everyone's confused anyway.

    Crystal Ro
    by Crystal Ro

    BuzzFeed Staff

    1. The conversation between Arnold and Dolores in the first episode is actually a conversation between Bernard and Dolores in the future/now.

    Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed / HBO

    Why this theory makes sense: As we learned in Season 1, when hosts say they had "dreams" they actually had memories. Arnold/Bernard tells Dolores in this scene, "I dreamt I was on an ocean with you and the others on a distant shore [...] you'd left me behind and the waters were rising around me." Later, we literally see Bernard alone and washed up on a distant ocean shore and, by the end of the episode, a flood. It makes more sense for Bernard to be having a memory than it does for Arnold to be seeing this future. SO...this is probably a flashforward Bernard (or most up-to-date timeline if you want to get technical) rather than a flashback Arnold.

    (An interesting side note: the prologue is shot entirely in wide screen — you can see the black bars on the top and bottom — which is unlike the rest of the entire series. IDK if this means something, but that's probably not a mistake.)

    2. The Bernard that washed up on shore in Season 2 is not the same Bernard from Season 1.

    Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed / HBO

    Why this theory makes sense: The Bernard that's running around with Charlotte immediately after the massacre (let's call him "Bernard 1") has a noticeable scar on his temple from when he shot himself last season. However, the Bernard that washed up on shore two weeks after the massacre (let's call him "Bernard 2") DOESN'T have a scar. Also, note that Bernard 2 doesn't seem to care much about his glasses (unlike Bernard 1, the Bernard we know.)

    3. Bernard 2 is actually Teddy.

    HBO

    Why this theory makes sense: At the end of Episode 1 this season, Bernard says, "I killed them all, all of them," which is basically Teddy's main arc in Season 1. Also, Dolores and Teddy are heading to some weapon. So, it's possible they get there, Teddy uses the weapon to kill everyone, somehow gets transferred into a Bernard clone body, and in turn has memories of killing. It's one of the more ~wild~ theories (probably fueled in part by this fake teaser footage HBO released a while back), and I'm not THAT convinced, but it's interesting!

    4. William's father-in-law, James Delos, had his mind uploaded into Peter Abernathy.

    Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed / HBO

    Why this theory makes sense: During the Season 2, Episode 2 party scene, James Delos and William have a conversation that basically implies that although Delos is sick (and maybe dying), he "might not have to" step down from his position — INTERESTING. Did James Delos have his mind uploaded into a host, then? If so, which host? Well...remember in Season 1 how Peter Abernathy glitched out after seeing a photo of Juliet (William's fiancée's/James' daughter)? Makes sense for Delos to recognize/be triggered by an image of his own daughter...

    5. Maeve's daughter is her real, biological daughter.

    Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed / HBO

    Why this theory makes sense: The idea is that Robert Ford wanted to create a host that could reproduce like a human (I know, I know, this is very Blade Runner 2049-esque). But I don't think this idea is that far off considering the intro to the show this season added in a very curious shot of a host mother (who looks a lot like Maeve) holding a host baby. There's even a theory out there that Charlotte could be Maeve's daughter...but, eh?

    6. Westworld exists on an island in the China seas, as do the other parks.

    HBO

    Why this theory makes sense: One of the biggest tip-offs this season was the Chinese-speaking soldier Strand was having an argument with in Episode 1. Pile this on top of the fact that there were two super-subtle moments where people were speaking in Chinese in Season 1 and I think we're onto something.

    7. Stubbs is actually a host.

    Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed / HBO

    Why this theory makes sense: This theory actually started in Season 1. However, the main argument is that at the end of last season, Stubbs was taken down by Ghost Nation warriors...only to reappear this season acting like nothing had happened?! SUSPICIOUS.

    8. Grace is Emily (William's daughter).

    HBO

    Why this theory makes sense: One Reddit theory from user RedSnowCastle argues that Grace is somehow connected to Delos — mainly because she clearly knows The Raj park well enough to not want to hook up with a host and then also notice that some of the hosts were off their loops. So, she's either wealthy enough to visit the park a lot or knows a lot about how Delos runs things. It's a bit of a stretch, but you never know!

    9. The Ghost Nation warriors are saving humans.

    HBO

    Why this theory makes sense: We've never seen the Ghost Nation warriors act hostile toward guests and we've also seen Dolores tell them that they don't deserve to be part of her revolution. And, in Episode 3, they seemed to have a weird interest in taking Lee (away from Hector and Maeve). There's even a ~wild~ theory that Elsie is still alive and reprogramming the Ghost Nation. Consider me intrigued!

    10. Charlotte is Arnold's daughter.

    HBO

    Why this theory makes sense: We know Arnold had a son named Charlie who died. "Charlotte" is not so different a name from "Charlie," so...MAYBE? Charlotte is also potentially the right age to be Arnold's child, but that's kind of a weak point. You really have to take a leap of faith with this theory, but who knows...maybe Charlie had a twin sister? (You: "What is this, Star Wars?!")

    11. And finally, Teddy will Kill Dolores.

    HBO

    Why this theory makes sense: As Reddit user TheChickenOfWar points out, Teddy has two objectives in his narrative — either kill Wyatt or protect Dolores. Since it was revealed in Season 1 that Wyatt and Dolores were effectively merged together, this will create quite the conundrum for Teddy! I mean, as we just saw in Episode 3, Teddy is struggling with the orders Dolores is giving him. Also, Teddy's last name is literally Flood, which seems to connect him with whatever happened to all those hosts we saw in Episode 1.