S03.E03: The Absence of Field

[Lamima]

I haven't read all the responses yet. But I think real humans are the rarity and many of these 'people' are robots. When Dolores says she is the last of her kind or something like that (in like epi 1) I think maybe she is dead wrong. Maybe the human race was going extinct and someone created a virtual world for all their memories to go. And it's on auto pilot. 

I was thinking it's Dolores' ball is in Hale and Bernard is in Dolores. And maybe the Man in Black (William) is THE only human. And all this is a game he built to not be alone in the world. I too have forgotten some of what we learned last season. It's been a long time. And I thought season 2 was kinda lacking so I don't want to rewatch. Loved season 1 and this season is interesting so far.

[ShellsandCheese]

3 hours ago, Chris24601 said:

The twist is that when the Delores/Maeve confrontation finally happens... its NOT going to be Maeve trying to stop the evil Delores from going too far; it's going to be Maeve working for the villain to stop Delores from thwarting the villain's evil plans for humanity.

I like the speculation but who even knows where either Delores or Maeve will stand when their big confrontation arrives. We all know that Maeve is incredibly smart, and I doubt she'd just go along with Serac's plans -- unless he is somehow able to control her fully.

If Maeve were to realize that Delores is trying to save "humanity". Or more importantly prevent Serac from finding where she sent the other hosts; I imagine she would side with Delores, if no other reason than to keep her daughter safe. 

[PotterOtherP]

On 3/30/2020 at 6:00 PM, jane1978 said:

This show has really perfected the we are pretending to be a high quality TV full of inovating ideas and deep meanings while in reality rehashing every overused action scifi "B" movie clichés from 80´s and 90´s. The best thing on the show is Ramin Jawadi music. Even when the plot is pretty boring like this episode his music still elevates it so much. 

 

Along with Big Little Lies, HBO is cornering the "clusterfuck show, great theme song" market.

[enchantingmonkey]

20 hours ago, Chris24601 said:

My hunch is that its actually the opposite; that Delores split off Wyatt into Charlotte while Delores is either still the composite or Delores only.One big clue to me are that the cuts into herself weren't just random clawings, but deliberate patterns of lines and circles indicating ritualistic behavior with purpose instead of general self-harm. Wyatt was programmed to be a fanatic cult leader whose followers ritually harmed themselves in one form or another (ex. Angela's crown of thorns).

Host!Charlotte's cuts look like the divergence symbols the show used in the trailers for the season, and they've also been used intermittently between scenes.  I don't know if it's a clue to anything, or the show just making use of its fondness for demonstrating how everything is connected.  

When Dolores is fixing Host!Charlotte's cuts, she says that Hale was always ruthless.  A predator.  It's possible that when Host!Charlotte identifies herself as a predator at the end that whoever the pearl belongs to is starting to lose the battle to Charlotte's personality, meaning that she might try to betray Dolores at some point.   

 

While I'm not a big fan of the Living-in-a-Simulation theory, it makes me wonder if this season is exploring how one may not be able to tell the difference between living in a simulation and what could be called "reality".

Edited April 1, 2020 by enchantingmonkey
wrong theory

[Lamima]

On 3/30/2020 at 12:23 AM, CynVicious said:

Did I miss something ?How did Dolores get her brainball into her Dolores body? At the end of S2 she left the park as Charlotte and when she brought Bernard back she was back in her Dolores body in a black dress. In this episode it seemed to me that Dolores made a Charlotte body and put someone in it.  Why did she need a new Charlotte body if she had the old Charlotte body she used to  escape?

This season is confusing me.

 

I think Dolores is still in Hale and the visual of the Hale body being created was an old one. I think someone else is in the Dolores body. Was thinking Bernard but could be Maeve. But Maeve and Dolores dont have that kind of relationship that was shown in that hotel room. 

Did Dolores, or whoever is in her body, show fake Hale 4 balls plus Bernard's ball? Or 3 plus Bernard's? We have the 2 gals and then 4 or 5 other balls. Who could the 6 or 7 be?

Maeve, Bernard, Dolores.....? The others in this season are Sizemore, Stubbs and Hector as well as the 2 worker guys (forget their names) and William/MIB. And Hale.

Hale could be Hale. Or her ball is in Dolores. Was Hale shown to be a host last season? 

Edited April 1, 2020 by Lamima

[ShellsandCheese]

1 hour ago, Lamima said:

I think Dolores is still in Hale and the visual of the Hale body being created was an old one. I think someone else is in the Dolores body. Was thinking Bernard but could be Maeve. But Maeve and Dolores dont have that kind of relationship that was shown in that hotel room. 

Did Dolores, or whoever is in her body, show fake Hale 4 balls plus Bernard's ball? Or 3 plus Bernard's? We have the 2 gals and then 4 or 5 other balls. Who could the 6 or 7 be?

Maeve, Bernard, Dolores.....? The others in this season are Sizemore, Stubbs and Hector as well as the 2 worker guys (forget their names) and William/MIB. And Hale.

Hale could be Hale. Or her ball is in Dolores. Was Hale shown to be a host last season? 

Maeve and Bernard are in their own bodies. Either way, I’m starting to feel like our intrepid showrunners can’t keep stuff straight either.

“Delores” left the park in Charlotte’s body, yet this episode clearly shows Charlotte’s body being created at the house. Not only that but a new body would have been created for Delores at this house after they left WestWorld; yet they still show Delores as having the old skeleton. It really makes no sense. I just try not to think about it too much because I do enjoy the show. 

[scrb]

About which pearl is in which body?

Who gives a shit?

Is that really what they're dangling at viewers, to figure out this shell game of who's on first?

Do fucking better at storytelling instead of this dumb gimmick about whose pearl is in whose body.

Yeah but it will spawn a thousand Reddit theories!  These Easter eggs aren't helping the ratings are they?

 

 

[viajero]

So far this season is keeping me interested enough to keep up to date rather than catching up several months later as happened with Season 2.   It helps that some of my negative expectations going into the season have so far proven unfounded.  Chief among these was the fear that Dolores was going to continue her rampage through the "real world" like some kind of Terminator.  Instead she seems to be playing a more nuanced deeper game. 

It probably also helps that I've always like Tessa Thompson, even when she's playing characters I detest. 

[Cthulhudrew]

On 3/29/2020 at 7:01 PM, ShellsandCheese said:

And I still don't know which host it is, I think Teddy is ruled out because he was never aggressive and he's in the great beyond.

He was after Dolores reprogrammed him. The conflict between that and his more protective side could certainly be what these interactions with Charlotte's family are evoking in him.

That said, unless is isn't supposed to be Teddy, then it really doesn't make any sense for the writers to play coy about it. I agree with others who wonder what the point is in them playing this out, unless it's going to be some swerve that really probably makes less sense.

In any event, pretty bored with this episode. Didn't mind the Caleb/Dolores scenes, kind of liked the story they are telling there, but anything with Tessa Thompson just tunes me out. I've never been impressed with her, as far back as when she was on Veronica Mars.

I also found a lot of the dialogue here stale and full of cliched expressions, which seems pretty lazy.

Edited April 1, 2020 by Cthulhudrew

[Dame sans merci]

2 hours ago, scrb said:

About which pearl is in which body?

Who gives a shit?

Is that really what they're dangling at viewers, to figure out this shell game of who's on first?

Do fucking better at storytelling instead of this dumb gimmick about whose pearl is in whose body.

Yeah but it will spawn a thousand Reddit theories!  These Easter eggs aren't helping the ratings are they?

 

 

Oddly enough, i've just taken a look at the Westworld Reddit page - which is just post after post about who is inside Charlotte - and decided I might be checking out for now. If your show has nothing BUT mystery, then it  - as you say - just one big, expensive gimmick.

How did Nolan manage to turn out the fascinating, thoughtful 'Person of interest' on CBS (!!!) and yet use his HBO riches to make...this? A glossy perfume commercial of a show, shallower than a puddle.

Edited April 1, 2020 by Dame sans merci

[Etta Place]

Let's talk about the important thing: Is that dog a real dog?

Because if so, it's the worst dog ever. It just sat there patiently while its (presumed) owner was being strangled, and then obediently followed the murderer/stranger off without a backward glance.

[Kid]

On 3/29/2020 at 11:23 PM, CynVicious said:

This season is confusing me.

EVERY season confuses me!!!

[paigow]

2 hours ago, Etta Place said:

then obediently followed the murderer/stranger off without a backward glance.

The dog had a very high "adoptability" score at the shelter for this reason...

[Quilt Fairy]

Did they ever show how Delores was using that special contact lens?  When she put it in, it gave the same effect as when Charlotte had the glasses put on her to see Serac, so I'm assuming it's something like that.

[enchantingmonkey]

50 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Did they ever show how Delores was using that special contact lens?  When she put it in, it gave the same effect as when Charlotte had the glasses put on her to see Serac, so I'm assuming it's something like that.

There's speculation that everything that happens with Dolores after she puts the contact lens in is a projection but it's strange because she's talking to Martin Connells on the phone about Caleb when she puts it in.  Then she rushes off to help him.  After she saves him a night, it jumps to them walking to the diner in the daylight, so I'm guessing the Show is still playing the silly mind games it's done the last two seasons.  

[WaltersHair]

Crazy theory. We've never really seen Dolores' mother except for one long shot of her dead on the porch entrance. Why is that when are motherhood is such a valued/exploitation in the series?

I have nothing else. I feel like I'm watching a show that borrowed  Westworld's name. The show literally dies outside the park for me.

 

[arc]

On 3/31/2020 at 9:02 PM, ShellsandCheese said:

yet they still show Delores as having the old skeleton

The robot one? I thought that was a flashback Bernard was having. One that was actually Dolores and Arnold, but Bernard is partially Arnold.

[skotnikov]

On 4/1/2020 at 8:16 AM, scrb said:

Do fucking better at storytelling instead of this dumb gimmick about whose pearl is in whose body.

Yeah but it will spawn a thousand Reddit theories!  These Easter eggs aren't helping the ratings are they?

 

 

With this ratings it probably will be done after this season. 

On 4/1/2020 at 10:34 AM, Dame sans merci said:

How did Nolan manage to turn out the fascinating, thoughtful 'Person of interest' on CBS (!!!) and yet use his HBO riches to make...this? A glossy perfume commercial of a show, shallower than a puddle.

Because it's Nolan. Like his brother: much ado about nothing.  

[magdalene]

I am going with the theory that Dolores is in Hale's body and Wyatt in Dolores'.   Even the way they are dressed lends itself to this.  Black  clothes and white clothes. Black and white - two sides of the same person.

[paigow]

12 minutes ago, magdalene said:

I am going with the theory that Dolores is in Hale's body and Wyatt in Dolores'.   Even the way they are dressed lends itself to this.  Black  clothes and white clothes. Black and white - two sides of the same person.

If Wyatt was in Dolores, Caleb would be dead...

[Joimiaroxeu]

Last episode it was the GoT dragon, this one it was a Transformer. What's next, a xenomorph from Aliens?

[Quilt Fairy]

I keep thinking about who is in Host!Charlotte, someone who would be a unique twist that my uncreative brain has not thought of, but all I come up with are contradictions and logic fails. 

First, I think it could be Teddy, because I believe only a copy of his code was uploaded to the Valley Beyond and his original pearl still exists.  This may not be the scenario that Nolan and Joy explained when Season 2 ended, but it wouldn't be the first time a showrunner has retconned a storyline.  The host inside Charlotte seems to be sensitive, and I honestly cannot think of anyone as sensitive as Teddy, strange as that may seem.  The "predator" part?  I got nothing, because I can't think of anyone who I previously would have described as a predator.  Teddy had some violent interludes, but each of those was orchestrated by Arnold or Dolores.  It wasn't part of his basic nature, he's a good guy.  The MIB maybe, but then I don't understand where the sensitivity and hesitancy is coming from.  Perhaps because his code is an imperfect copy of a human?  

But beyond basic speculation as to whose pearl is in her, I can't get past her actions in this episode.  Cutting? Really?  And it makes no sense to me that the pearl inside her doesn't have enough basic information about her to know she has a son, yet "feels" her "coming out" so strongly.   There's nothing we've been shown that indicates a pearl could contain a host/human hybrid and it's unlikely that Halores would have had the time, ability, and/or forethought to create one before she left the park. 

Finally, a highly paid executive who's also a single mom would have a nanny for her kid.  There's no way she'd break off her day at 3pm just so she could pick him up at school.  That's ridiculous. 

[Growsonwalls]

Ok so a friend browbeat me into binge-watching Westworld and now I'm all caught up. Saw first two seasons in 2 weeks.

So far the third season is more interesting than Season 2. I got tired of the Dolores bloodbaths in Season 2. 

Guesses as to who is in Hale's body: a copy of Maeve? This Hale is definitely more maternal than Hale was in the past. Abernathy? Again. a parental figure. Trying to think of who else has kids. Maybe another copy of Bernard?

[Quilt Fairy]

Damn it, I keep thinking about it.  It occurs to me that there may be a clue in what Hale says when Dolores shows her her reflection in the mirror.  Doesn't she say "Why does it have to be her?"  That means it has to be a host or human that has interacted with Hale, and that's a small list.: MIB, Bernard, Ford, James Delos, and Stubbs.  Both she and Teddy were at the Last Supper, but they weren't shown together.  Clementine was already a zombie when Hale turned her into a Judas goat.  Presumably, Bernard and Stubbs have their own original pearls, and I haven't heard anything about Anthony Hopkins coming back to resurrect Ford.  So I think we may be down to MIB and James Delos.  Either one would know how to run Delos because they both did it, both had vicious sides yet had regrets about their own children.  

The only other clue is the "I know you/you know me" reveal.  I can only think of 3 hosts/humans that could refer to:  Teddy, MIB and Bernard. Since I think we can rule out Teddy and Bernard for other reasons, we're left with MIB.  And the more I think about it, this may be why there is a brief scene in one of the teasers where

Spoiler

the MIB says "I know who I am." 

It doesn't explain everything, but I think MIB is the best choice at this point.

Speculating about Westworld may be futile, but it keeps my mind off the coronavirus. 

ETA: I see that the title comes from a poem by Mark Strand:

“In a field
I am the absence
of field.
This is
always the case.
Wherever I am
I am what is missing.”

Does anyone have a clue what that means?

Edited April 5, 2020 by Quilt Fairy

[Growsonwalls]

Whoever Hale is, it has to be someone Dolores is very comfortable with personally. Enough to show affection. 

In this show, I can only think of these people for whom Dolores has shown open affection:

1) Bernard

2) young William

3) Teddy

4) her father

[Nashville]

2 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

It doesn't explain everything, but I think MIB is the best choice at this point.

That’s been my opinion for a 

2 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

ETA: I see that the title comes from a poem by Mark Strand:

“In a field
I am the absence
of field.
This is
always the case.
Wherever I am
I am what is missing.”

Does anyone have a clue what that means?

It’s a poem about extreme negative self-image; the author sees themself as an absolute nonentity, both in their own life and in their interactions with anybody else.  
How that extrapolates into the current season of WestWorld I’m not sure, unless it’s a reference to Rehoboam inferring the existence of disruptive elements by the evidence of activity/interactions in places where all known factors indicate there should not be any.

[Quilt Fairy]

20 minutes ago, Nashville said:

How that extrapolates into the current season of WestWorld I’m not sure,

It could refer to Serac, described as a 3 trillion dollar whole where something should be. 

[lucindabelle]

Are they going to talk in that whispery tone for the whole season?

 

that and the low light make it very hard to stay awake.

[Nashville]

19 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

It could refer to Serac, described as a 3 trillion dollar whole where something should be. 

I know you meant “3 trillion dollar hole” - but derned if I didn’t first read that as “3 dollar whore”.

[Dobian]

I'm really at the level of hate watching this show now.  It's essentially become a story about vengeful overpowered Mary Sues engaged on two sides of a corporate war.  The whole premise is a complete departure from the themes of the first season, where we got to explore the mystery of consciousness and the morality of enslaving robot a.i. to serve and entertain humans.  Now it is simply a power game between two opposing sides that you don't care about, kind of like watching a Super Bowl where your two least favorite teams are in it.

[paigow]

2 hours ago, Dobian said:

kind of like watching a Super Bowl where your two least favorite teams are in it....

And Billy Ray Cyrus is the halftime headliner....

[kokapetl]

What’s with the audio files Charlotte listened to? Where did they come from, how did she make the leap to play snippets? 

How could it not be public knowledge that Charlotte has a son. Real billionaires also have security for their kids, and if they’re particularly busy or just because they can, nannies too. 

Are we supposed to believe that everyone consults this supercomputer for everything? “Hey supercomputer, should I marry Caleb?”

It’s stated that privacy laws were enacted specifically against the supercomputer, so people were suspicious, but it’s implied supercomputer still knows all and everyone seems okay with the the fact that it’s still obviously vacuuming up every little bit of data that exists. 

I’m not surprised that Dolores can instantly lease apartments and hotel rooms. There’s barely anyone anywhere ever. 

There’s some wonky photoshopping in the shots of the city. 

Edited April 11, 2020 by kokapetl

[AudienceofOne]

So I'm the only one who thinks that Charlotte has a copy of Delores in her? 

This episode was way better than Maeve being stuck in the same rat maze over and over again. The theme that the "real" world is simply a more complex version of Westworld really works for me. Also in terms of structural disadvantage, Caleb's storyline is extremely apropos. If society decides that you're not worthy of resources then you end up in a self-fulfilling prophecy. So this show is still capable of making apropos societal allusions when it wants to. This episode gave me more hope for the rest of the season. 

 

Edited May 9, 2020 by AudienceofOne

[SoWindsor]

I gave up on Westworld in the middle of season 2. But I’ve run out of things to watch and am a huge Aaron Paul fan. I checked out YouTube recaps of what happened in season 2 and just started with season 3.

I'm really enjoying this season so far, especially the addition of Caleb, who reminds me of Jesse. Also enjoying the chemistry between Aaron and Evan. 
 

Excited to see more of them together.