This post turn back major spoilers for the premiere ofWestworld . Head to our show page for moreWestworldreviews , theories , and rich dives .
In theseries premiere of HBO’sWestworld , there is a scene in which the Westworld park operation director Theresa ( Sidse Babett Knudsen ) is upset because the newfangled update to the robots ( called " hosts " ) in the Wild West - theme park is making them do the android variation of Apple ’s spinning bicycle of death . As the park ’s narrative managing director Lee ( Simon Quarterman ) blow up at her suggestion that they pull all fresh update Host out until it ’s fixed , Theresa test to keep her composure . Meanwhile , another human in the insensate , metallic way creepily stares at her .
" It ’s beautiful , " he tells her , moving awkwardly close to her typeface . " Your brow . When you ’re angry but trying to control it , the hunky-dory muscles pull into a little arc . It ’s refined . Would you mind if I record it ? I ’d love to show it to my squad . "
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This , friend , is Bernard Lowe ( akaJeffrey Wright , aka Valentin Narcisse fromBoardwalk Empire ) . At Westworld , he is a serviceman who fall apart many hat . Engineer . Head programmer . outre face - toucher . And soon - to - be destroyer of humankind as we know it .
" But no , " you cry out . " Bernard is a softie , a voguish , sensitive , perceptive man . He would never do something like that . "
I am not suggesting our homo Bernie is an designed agentive role saboteur . But he falls into the camp of painstaking idealist , and look at this is a news report originally concocted by author - director Michael Crichton , those people run to smash the mankind . Exhibit A : derelict Scottish grandparent and ice pick aficionado John Hammond , founder ofJurassic Park .
Unlike Hammond , who had the vision for a dinosaur topic parkland but could n’t do the fancy and technical things needed to pull it off , Bernard is but a student of the original visionary Robert Ford ( Anthony Hopkins ) . But he ’s also a man with both the technological expertise ( he superintend all programming of the androids ) and a societal - emotional compassion for the robots that borders on alarming – everything one involve to do a full - out robot rebellion . Here are the other signs that Bernard could bring doom to Westworld .
1. His obsession with Dr. Ford’s “reverie” updates
In the latest boniface upgrade , Dr. Ford pussyfoot in a new role : " reveries , " a circle of movement the host make that are tied to specific memories ( or , for robots , touch of preceding programming ) . When Bernard explain this to his assistant , she ’s middling confused ; Westworld employee are theorise to purge emcee memories at the end of every narrative loop – i.e. , every Clarence Shepard Day Jr. . Bernard suggests that past programing is still in there somewhere " wait to be overwritten , " and that Ford found a way to get at them " like a subconscious . " He goes on , in a voice replete with awe : " It ’s the flyspeck things that make them seem real . "
Unfortunately , the " reveries " are the reservoir of Westworld ’s current malfunction , a level Bernard reluctantly brings up with Dr. Ford , who then treats him to one of his patented spoken language that puts a finger on the dissertation of the show . Ford excuse that human have top out , because we ’ve been able-bodied to restore all instinctive " misapprehension " and " slew phylogenesis ’s triad . " The next natural pace , he say , is for us to be able to finally " upraise the dead . " But , Ford says , Bernard must pander him " the periodic misapprehension . " Upon learn this , Bernard smile heartily and walks off .
Ford is proclaim himself God in this scenario , and because humans are " done " and " as good as we ’re get going to get , " the more interesting projection at this current time is to push humanoid closer and closer to that human realism , error and all . Judging by Bernard ’s demeanor as this is uncover , it seems that he ’s on board with this .
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2. His secret picture of a child
Halfway through the premiere , Bernard take a moment to look atan old - schoolhouse elementary schooltime photo of a unseasoned boy . He hides it in his pocket when other hoi polloi enter the room . Unless he ’s a narcissist who asterisk at old picture of himself as a tike to gain self - sureness before interact with others , I ’d like to believe that this was Bernard ’s child , who has croak ( at one point earlier , the head of security , another Hemsworth brother , inquire if he has children , and Bernard sullenly and quickly respond " no " ) .
If this is indeed Bernard ’s deceased child , the " upraise the dead " words given by Ford has an solely fresh import . Bernard could be using all that he ’s learned to " revive " his boy , or – in any face – pick up how to create a lifelike android edition of him who is real enough to have ambition and a subconscious mind . If Bernard is willing to sacrifice everything to seek to get to that head , it means he ’ll have burrow visual sense that might blind him to any cherry-red flags . Like , I do n’t know , the robots with bad memories of Ed Harris all planning to enslave civilisation as we have it away it ?
3. The Peter Abernathy saga
short Peter Abernathy . If Dolores ' robo - dad had n’t poked around in the dirt by his Bos taurus playpen , he might still be out there dying by bandits ' handwriting in front of his girl every night . But instead , he ascertain what looks like an old Kodak FunSaver photo of a girl take in a Times Square - esque situation . That did n’t compute . When Peter realized his entire earth was a prevarication , the robot had a spooky breakdown .
So who would embed such a photo in Westworld ? Could it perchance be , oh , I do n’t know , Bernard ? He was the only other person in Westworld hold a similar character of one-time - school pic , and as we see in the pilot , he has the legitimate alibis to journey pretty much anywhere he wants to on the property . Bernard expressed involvement in witnessing the bantam things that make hosts seem real . What good means to experiment than to give the master of ceremonies an genuine , genuine picture ?
Even if you do n’t buy that Bernard planted the photograph , it ’s toilsome to refuse that the roboticist feel shamed over pack Peter away in the basement . After they ’ve made the executive decision to send the husbandman bot to the undercover shed of misfit toys among all the other broken - down golem , Bernard whispers something in his ear .
There has been speculation online about what he might ’ve enounce , peculiarly because Abernathy whispered creepy Shakespeare lines to his girl earlier in the episode . But I think we all make out in our hearts that Bernard told him , " It ’s time to start the revolution . "
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