Before we jump into what might be the most confusing episode this season, it's important to note the entirety of this week's Westworld (save for a few scenes in the present), took place in one time period: Two-ish weeks ago. In other words, every character's storyline is finally happening simultaneously, which makes life slightly easier. But only slightly. On that note!
TWO WEEKS AGO
The Cradle + Delos' Master Plan
Last week, we learned that the Cradle is a simulation unit that Delos uses to test/store narratives. It also contains all of the hosts' backup files. This week we learned SO MUCH MORE. In the interest of saving everyone time, I'm going to break things down as simply as possible:
1) As we theorized a few episodes back, Ford was attempting to beat James Delos at his own game by trying to clone himself. But Ford knew that he'd degrade if he placed his clone mind into a faux human body like James Delos, so he went ahead and inserted said clone mind unit into the Cradle, and it's been chilling out in there, messing with code ever since.
2) Reddit was right: the Cradle = the Weapon. In other words, it allows Delos to test-drive narratives, which means it also allows them to test human reactions to those narratives. Delos can use the Cradle to see potential versions of the future, which brings us to their ultimate plan....
3) Delos has been using the Cradle to test scenarios and monitor/record human behavior—all in the hopes of making humans more host-like. As Bernard puts it: "The park is an experiment...a testing chamber. The guests are the variables, and the hosts are the controls. The guests come to the park, they don't know they're being watched. They get to see their true selves. Their every choice reveals another part of their cognition. Their drives. So that Delos can understand them. So that Delos can copy them."
In other words, Delos has been backing-up the human mind and making it into a massive hard drive (AKA the Cradle) so that ultimately, humans can live forever—just like the hosts.
What's Inside Peter Abernathy?
Turns out Delos uploaded an encryption key into Abernathy's head—a "failsafe on a failsafe" that's presumably a copy of the information the Cradle holds. Dolores is now the sole person in possession of this key (she hacked it out of her dad's skull, poor dude)—meaning she potentially holds the literal future in her hands.
Wait, So Ford and Bernard Are the Same Person Now?
While in the Cradle, Ford tells Bernard that Dolores helped to program him in Arnold's image. So those scenes of Dolores seemingly testing Bernard last week? Yeah, definitely not the result of her shoving Teddy's brain unit in Bernard's body, as some fans theorized.
It's not super clear, but I believe the reason Ford can essentially predict the future is because he's already test-driven this entire robot rebellion in the Cradle. Which explains why he knew Angela would blow up the system, and why he'd need to get himself into Bernard's body. What we now have is Bernard—who appears to be more conscious than ever—combined with Ford, who's ultimately controlling him. It's confusing AF—especially considering only one control unit was put back into Bernard's host shell (how did Ford get in there?!).
What remains even more mysterious is the flashback conversation in Season 2 Episode 1, during which Dolores and Bernard chat about a dream Bernard had involving water. When I first watched their conversation, it seemed prettttttty clear that Bernard was talking about the scene below:
And now, even knowing that their conversation took place decades before, I still think Bernard is referencing this mass drowning (which takes place in the present timeline)—and I don't necessarily think he's omniscient or able to see the future. Rather, Ford is, thanks to the Cradle. Is it possible that when this flashback between Dolores and Bernard was taking place, Ford had already tested the scenario we're seeing playing out present-day? And he somehow uploaded that information into Bernard to prepare him for his eventual role in the rebellion?
A Note on the Door
The Man in Black has been searching for the Door as part of Ford's new game all season long, and Ford mentioned it during a conversation with Bernard this week. More specifically, he explained that Bernard's kind nature makes him a target, and the only way to save him is by "opening the Door." He then proceeded to assume control of Bernard's body. So...is "the Door" a human+host hybrid? And if so, why has the MiB been told to search for it?
Maeve and The Man in Black
So, both Maeve and The Man in Black are kinda-maybe almost dead (oh, and also Lawrence and Clementine), which RIP! The Man in Black was shot and maybe killed by several people, while Maeve was shot by Delos operatives as her daughter was kidnapped by Ghost Nation.
It remains unclear A) What Ghost Nation's deal is, and B) whether Maeve will get the medical treatment she needs to be revived. My thoughts on the matter are: A) Ghost Nation is secretly the good guys, and B) Lee Sizemore will make up for betraying Maeve by cauterizing all her wounds.
PRESENT DAY
Is Ford Still in Bernard? An Investigation
Before you assume that Ford has secretly been lurking in Bernard during all present-day scenes, be advised that something very weird is going on with Bernard's body. As we know, Present-Day Bernard is recognizable due to the lack of scar on his forehead. Actually, lemme go ahead and whip out my side-by-sides. Here's Present-Day Bernard this week:
Meanwhile, Two Weeks Ago Bernard was recognizable due to a scar on his head that he's been sporting in every single episode. Until recently. I noticed that this week, that Bernard came out of the Cradle WITHOUT a scar:
So I re-watched last week's episode and discovered that he also entered the Cradle sans scar:
The last time we saw scarred Bernard was last week, as he and Elsie entered the tunnel into the Mesa.
He also had the scar for a few pre-Cradle "wandering around the mesa" scenes—but the second he was down in the Cradle with Elsie, he was scar-less. So, are we seeing two different Bernards? Is the Bernard that Ford "possessed" a different Bernard than the one who entered the Mesa with Elsie? Or, is it possible that one of these Bernards is a flashback to when Ford used the Cradle to simulate his rebellion? Unclear at this point, but something all kinds of whack is going on, and Westworld made it pretty clear that multiple Bernards are a very real possibility thanks to this moment:
Ugh, Don't Forget the Loop Theory
Not to stress anyone out, but please keep in mind that Present-Day Bernard might be on a loop. There's insanely compelling evidence that something weird is going on, including but not limited to the fact that he knew what Karl was going to say before he said it in Episode 1:
And several continuity errors scene-to-scene—like this Delos computer looking completely different in two shots:
So, why put Bernard on a loop? Presumably, Delos is trying to trick his complicated code into fixing itself by showing him triggering images—like the bodies of hosts in one loop, Ford's dead corpse in another loop, and Teresa's murder and his own robot dopplegangers in this loop. The purpose? Getting Bernard to give up a key piece of information: The location of Abernathy's brain unit.
