Westworld Bits: Jeffrey Wright On That Big Twist, Timeline Explored, And A Few Easter Eggs
In this edition of Westworld Bits:
As is always the case, HBO has released a tiny featurette delving into the most recent episode ofWestworld, with Jonathan Nolan, Lisa Joy, and Jeffrey Wright all discussing the cataclysmic revelations of “The Well-Tempered Clavier.” Like past featurettes, there’s not too much here to sink your teeth into –you get the impression that Nolan and Joy don’t want to risk sayinganythingthat could endanger future revelations.
Vanity Fair writer,Westworldconspiracy theorist, andDecoding Westworldco-host Joanna Robinson shared this screen shot on Twitter, proving that one of the most seemingly random fan theories from the earliest days of the show was true. Some fans realized that you could take the name “Bernard Lowe” and make “Arnold” out of the letters, with the remaining letters able to spell “Weber.” Thus began the theory that Arnold’s last name was Weber…which was confirmed by seeing his name on a door in “The Well-Tempered Clavier.” There are many ways to solve a maze, I guess.
TV Linehas a new interview with the man behind Arnold and Bernard himself, the great Jeffrey Wright, who spoke about how he modulated his performance depending on which version of the character he’s playing:
And when the interview pointed out that in-park Hosts have been brought back from worse injuries than Bernard’s self-inflicted gunshot, Wright deflected the question:
At that point, the mind is kind of dysfunctional, you know? [Laughs] I don’t know what I was able to think. Ford is a clinical guy, it seems. Even with Bernard. That’s what it is.
So, is Bernard gone for good or will someone step in to save him? While Dr. Ford is the only living human who knows the truth about Bernard, Maeve discovered his true nature…and she is heading straight back to the Westworld labs as part of her escape plan…
The Hollywood Reporterhas posted an excellent interview with Michelle MacLaren, the the veteran television director (credits includeBreaking Bad,Game of Thrones, andThe X-Files) who helmed “The Well-Tempered Clavier.” Of course, the centerpiece of the conversation revolves around the key scenes where Bernard learns that he was built to replicate the deceased Arnold:
And while everyone seems to have a great Anthony Hopkins story, MacLaren has gifted us with a great Ed Harris story:
I will tell you this: Ed Harris did that all himself. (Laughs.) That man is incredible. We had a stuntman do one of the passes, and no offense to the stuntman, but we didn’t need it. Ed did it all. Ed had a harness on and a rope around his neck, and had special effects and stunt guys doing the pull on him. But he physically dragged from the point where he took the knife out of Teddy, yanked back to that tree, at the speed that you’re seeing, and hung up off of his feet. He did it himself several times. The man is incredible. He is badass. You look up cool in the dictionary, and it says Ed Harris.
The rest of the interview can be read at the link above.
In an interview published shortly before “The Well-Tempered Clavier” aired,Crave Onlinespoke with Jimmi Simpson, who plays William on the series. When asked about the “William is the younger Man in Black” theory, Simpson laughed it off:
That just seems ridiculous. [laughs] I’m just kidding, I know that’s one of the main theories. I think it’s hilarious and wonderful that anyone is comparing me to Ed Harris. [laughs] Yeah, that one is a favorite as well.
The actor doth protest to much, methinks. Simpson also spoke about his favorite episode of the series:
I would say [episode] seven is pretty up there. I really liked how it gets the final trajectory going. It takes all of that information, loads it into a cannon and then kind of shoots it off. I haven’t seen eight, nine, or ten. Those episodes were difficult to film, just because they were so dense, and thoughtful, and beautifully written. So, I’d imagine that episodes eight, nine, and ten will be right up there with seven, I just haven’t seen them yet.
And in one cryptic moment, he does not confirm that he’ll be back for season two:
Sure. It’s just a beautiful undertaking. I would love to do more.
Ben Barnes, who plays Logan on the series, recently participated in a lengthy Facebook Q&A, which you may watch above. His one piece of advice for viewers going into the final episode of the season is to “let [the finale] wash over you like a huge, terrifying wave,” so do with that what you will.
Uproxxhas done a fantastic job of laying out Dolores' personal story, breaking down the three timelines and revealing how Arnold’s bicameral mind programming led to the massacre we’ve been glimpsing all season long.
For quick reference, theWestworldsubreddithas found this chart showing off when key characters have been active across the show’s timeline. I imagine this will only grow more and more complex, especially once we’re a few seasons deep.
8 Bit Universe has created an 8 Bit cover of Ramin Djawadi’s opening theme forWestworld, just in case you want to imagine the show as an old school video game and not the most advanced video game ever created in the history of fictional culture.
For additional reference, here is Anthony Hopkins' Dr. Robert Ford as seen in four different points in theWestworldtimeline (viatheWestworldsubreddit and Redditor astersnake). While the visual effects of the shot don’t quite hold up when viewed as a still, the de-aging of Hopkins has been truly impressive overall.
Redditor Sour Hero did some freeze faming to read the names on the wanted posters seen throughout Westworld’s towns, revealing that a few members of the show’s crew have been snuck into the narrative.
