Credit: John P. Johnson
Westworld’s fourth episode, “Dissonance Theory,” has aired Sunday night, and it has slowly peeled off some layers of who the characters are, especially the guests. Many of the guests have a past we don’t know about, and part of the fun is figuring them out. For a show that features artificial beings, we care more about the well-being of the robots than we do the humans.
The Man in Black Is a Hero in the Real World
From what we’ve witnessed so far, The Man in Black (Ed Harris) is a very special guest that puts fear into the “hearts” of the hosts. He has killed Teddy and has done horrific things to Dolores, Maeve, and Lawrence. Some of the hosts have nightmares about the man, so clearly he can’t be a saint, right?
Last night’s episode showed us that Harris’ character has a foundation that has helped people. We saw this when two guests approached the Man in Black, wanting a chance to thank him. He quickly shuts them down and threatens to slit their throats. He’s simply on vacation and doesn’t want any outside distractions from his main mission, the maze. We also learn that he is familiar with Arnold, Ford’s former partner. We’ve been told that Arnold has died in the park and that Arnold is only known to a select few. If Bernard had to hear a history lesson from Ford himself about Arnold, I’m pretty sure the general public is clueless as well.
It would seem that the Man in Black is a saint in the real world, and he’s entering Westworld as a black hat to fulfill his dark fantasies. Co-showrunner Lisa Joy compares the character to someone who likes play Grand Theft Auto in a violent way.
“Our sympathies are so aligned with the hosts it’s easy to think of the Man in Black as absolute black evil with a wry smile,” Joy tells EW. “For him, he’s looking at this as just a game and he’s an expert-level gamer. Just like a life-saving doctor can play Grand Theft Auto really violently doesn’t mean he can’t be a wonderful doctor and parent outside that world. So that’s what we’re approaching here, is a shift in perspective that might allow us to imagine a different side of his character that he shows the outside world.”
There are theories that the Man in Black is an older William, but with this new piece of info, perhaps he’s a good friend of Arnold. He definitely wants to continue Arnold’s legacy. If you have checked the preview for next week’s episode, we finally have the Man in Black confronting Ford. Teddy is there as a bodyguard for Ford, as we see him subduing the Man in Black.
William and Logan’s Business Trip
As for new guest and white hat William and veteran black hat Logan, we know that they’re more of an acquaintance than actual friends and that William is married Logan’s sister. In last night’s episode, William revealed that he thought the Westworld trip was more of a family trip. As it turns out, it’s more of a business trip. Is William marrying into wealth? Is Logan’s family investing in the park? What does Logan actually want of William? So many questions!
Robert Ford, the god
The moment Theresa Cullen, the operations head of Westworld, sees dozens… maybe even hundreds… of artificial beings being simultaneously controlled by Ford, it’s pretty much game over for her. Not only did Ford know about Cullen’s history at the park, but he also had her sitting at the same spot she was at when she was a little girl. Ford also knows about her and Bernard, the man in charge of the artificial beings. To top it all off, he threatens her a nice way by saying not to get in his way.
The more I see of Ford, the more I think he’s going to be the ultimate villain and the Man in Black is the one trying to bring him down.
from Nerd Reactor
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