S01.E07: Trompe L'Oeil

[Tara Ariano]

Quote

Maeve gives an ultimatum to Lutz and Sylvester; Bernard looks for a way out of a precarious situation; Charlotte seeks to reveal critical mistakes in Ford's creations; William, Dolores and Lawrence find themselves in dangerous territory.

[paigow]

Translation: Wrong Eye ??

[dgpolo]

More like, 'Fool the eye' its a type of artwork that looks 3 dimensional, but isn't.

[numbnut]

If "Trompe L'Oeil" is a clue that everything in Westworld exists in a virtual reality (a world within a world within a world), I am going to be royally pissed. I also pray there are no lazy last-minute reveals like "this entire season has all been a dream."

[Netfoot]

20 minutes ago, numbnut said:

I also pray there are no lazy last-minute reveals like "this entire season has all been a dream."

Wait.  Is Patrick Duffy in this show?

[paigow]

26 minutes ago, numbnut said:

If "Trompe L'Oeil" is a clue that everything in Westworld exists in a virtual reality (a world within a world within a world), I am going to be royally pissed. I also pray there are no lazy last-minute reveals like "this entire season has all been a dream."

Inception... runs in the Nolan family.....

[arc]

48 minutes ago, numbnut said:

If "Trompe L'Oeil" is a clue that everything in Westworld exists in a virtual reality (a world within a world within a world), I am going to be royally pissed. I also pray there are no lazy last-minute reveals like "this entire season has all been a dream."

They say they've plotted out the show for five seasons, so a twist like what you describe probably wouldn't happen till year five!

Here's the promo for Trompe L'Oeil.

Edited November 9, 2016 by arc

[numbnut]

1 hour ago, arc said:

1 hour ago, numbnut said:

If "Trompe L'Oeil" is a clue that everything in Westworld exists in a virtual reality (a world within a world within a world), I am going to be royally pissed. I also pray there are no lazy last-minute reveals like "this entire season has all been a dream."

They say they've plotted out the show for five seasons, so a twist like what you describe probably wouldn't happen till year five!

Yup, year five could be shark-jumping time.

1 hour ago, paigow said:

Inception... runs in the Nolan family.....

The ending in Inception is fine because the premise/hook is about inhabiting dreams. I just don't want any bait-and-switch shenanigans.

[Gobi]

The big reveal at the end will be that it was all a tv show.

[Lingo]

Here is what's in Jonathan Nolan's resume: Memento. The Prestige. The Dark Knight Rises. Interstellar. All movies dealing with timey-wimey stuff and/or tricky plot twists in the last act.

[ACW]

"Here's Trump in your eye."

I suspect the titular "Trompe L'Oeil" is referring to how the hosts are made to appear more "real" than they actually are.

[phoenyx]

1 hour ago, ACW said:

"Here's Trump in your eye."

I suspect the titular "Trompe L'Oeil" is referring to how the hosts are made to appear more "real" than they actually are.

Mm. I wouldn't put it past Nolan to turn the definition on its head though. As in, some androids, such as Dolores, have been fooling their human masters to -think- they are just following their little loops, when in fact they're scheming behind his back. Evidence of that Dolores is doing just that with Ford was already provided in Episode 5. 

[Gobi]

Could also refer to the hosts realizing that the world they see isn't what they thought it was.

[AimingforYoko]

Daaaaaaamn. Well, Theresa, it wasn't like he didn't give you fair warning.

Some guessed that Bernard was a host, but I didn't want to believe it.

[Primetimer]

This story has more echoes than an underground bunker for making secret robots!

View the full article

[okerry]

gaaaaaaaaaaaaah what did I just watch??? That was freakin' amazing! Anthony Hopkins! Thandie Newton!!

[dgpolo]

I hadn't made up my mind about Bernard but when he said "What door?" I got shivers. I guess this is a little more evidence of someone else being in the photo with Ford and 'Arnold', someone Bernard can't see. And here is the quote from 'Alice' I thought it was fitting:

“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

[SeanC]

Anthony Hopkins, the villain?  Quelle surprise!

[AimingforYoko]

1 minute ago, SeanC said:

Anthony Hopkins, the villain?

Anthony Hopkins is the villain. Tessa Thompson is the villain. Delos the company is the villain. There are no good humans. Just the ones giving the orders and the ones taking the orders.

[Captain Carrot]

Bernard: What door?

Me: Oh Shit.

Also, what are the odds that he's making a host version of Theresa. He could have spent decades killing people and replacing them with hosts.

[BeatrixK]

1 minute ago, dgpolo said:

I hadn't made up my mind about Bernard but when he said "What door?" I got shivers. I guess this is a little more evidence of someone else being in the photo with Ford and 'Arnold', someone Bernard can't see. And here is the quote from 'Alice' I thought it was fitting:

“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

Yeah -- as soon as he said that...I thought....'Oh...NOOOOO'  But props to whoever thought at least some were Hosts -- ish.

I'm suddenly sad to find out Bernard is not human......

 

And kinda not gonna miss Theresa.  But something tells me she comes back as a Bot....under Ford's control.

 

Two official Holy Shit! moments, Westworld.  Nicely done....

[SeanC]

Just now, Captain Carrot said:

Also, what are the odds that he's making a host version of Theresa. He could have spent decades killing people and replacing them with hosts.

That was what I figured.  Hell, I was kind of wondering if he had actually replaced the board, but that's probably a little too risky since they're outside the park.

[RandomWatcher]

When Bernard asked 'what door', I was sort of looking away and at something else at that moment so I figured he was looking away when he was asked. It was only when he said he couldn't see what was on the paper did I realize what was going on.

[Captain Carrot]

4 minutes ago, SeanC said:

That was what I figured.  Hell, I was kind of wondering if he had actually replaced the board, but that's probably a little too risky since they're outside the park.

Also, his programming probably wouldn't be perfect. For example let's say there had been an original Bernard, and Ford replaced him. The (hypothetical) original Bernard was a man with a dead child, and divorced wife. So, the replacement would have limited interaction with anyone that knew the original. That wouldn't work with the board members, so they're safe. (For the moment).

[Ellaria]

Bravo to those who guessed that Bernard was a host. I thought it was a far-fetched idea even though the signs were there. I was momentarily shocked when he said, "what door." But that's when I knew that the speculation was correct.

Halfway through the episode I was thinking that Theresa was an underdeveloped. character. And now that's how she will remain. I prefer her to the new corporate boss, Charlotte Hale. The writers gave her a lot of really awful dialogue and one dimensional behavior (have sex with a host, smoke cigarettes, curse and threaten people). Ugh!

I continue to be completely bored with Will and Dolores. 

[Cigale]

6 minutes ago, Ellaria Sand said:

I continue to be completely bored with Will and Dolores. 

Curiously, those two crazy lovebirds had me this week.  I was moved.  I must be losing myself...

[KaleyFirefly]

18 minutes ago, Captain Carrot said:

Bernard: What door?

Me: Oh Shit.

Also, what are the odds that he's making a host version of Theresa. He could have spent decades killing people and replacing them with hosts.

I think it's very likely that he will replace Teresa with a robot version of her that he can control. Otherwise it would lead to questions if she suddenly goes missing. Bernard may have been, at one time, a real person, but was long ago replaced by a robot.

[benteen]

What door?

Yeah, that's the time you lose your shit when you hear that.

I wasn't crazy about the first half but the second half was strong and the Bernard, Theresa and Ford scene at the end was riveting.  Theresa should have taken a shot at Ford at the end.  I think I feel worse for Bernard though.

The show continues to do great Western action scenes.

I like the bearded technician character in Mauve's storyline.

[BeatrixK]

6 minutes ago, KaleyFirefly said:

 

 

6 minutes ago, KaleyFirefly said:

I think it's very likely that he will replace Teresa with a robot version of her that he can control. Otherwise it would lead to questions if she suddenly goes missing. Bernard may have been, at one time, a real person, but was long ago replaced by a robot.

I suspect the model being built when they went down was Theresa.  Bernard was told to bring her down there.  Ford would be better served with Theresa being the one who works with 'The Board' under his control.  AND -- remember back in the first episode when Bernard said he like how her eyebrow arched when she was mad or something and wanted to add it to a 'new host'....yeah...Real Theresa's demise has been in Fords gameplan for a looonnggggg time. 

Plus..she can't exactly 'go missing'.  So she will be Theresa 2.0

Edited November 14, 2016 by BeatrixK
change wording

[formerlyfreedom]

Big ole "HOLY CRAP" moment happened here when Bernard said, "What door?" I was riveted this whole episode. Well. Dolores' story wasn't fascinating to me, but I'm willing to give it a pass this time around. And again, props to Thandie Newton, who I think just should get the Emmy now.

[Captain Carrot]

Now I'm wondering what the turnover rate is for employees. People that are around for too long would notice that Bernard doesn't age. My guess is that working at Westworld gets creepy real fast. Most people probably quit after a few years. The remainder are fired or replaced.

Edited November 14, 2016 by Captain Carrot

[dgpolo]

1 minute ago, saoirse said:

And again, props to Thandie Newton, who I think just should get the Emmy now.

Oh, yes! I almost forgot. When the techs came in and all the hosts 'froze' (and why were there no guests there?) and Maeve realized she had to pretend to freeze. That was amazing! and she shut down the piano!

[on a side note, my spell check want me to switch out Maeve for Mauve, so any misspellings should be given a little leeway]

[benteen]

William was sounding more and more like the Man in Black with his out-of-nowhere revelations to Dolores.

Theresa not trying to attack Ford at the end is annoying me more and more and is a gripe I have about television.  It reminds me of that terrible show The Following.  During the first season, the main villain strangles his female lawyer to death with one hand that has TWO BROKEN FINGERS on it.  The female lawyer barely puts up a fight and dies.  At least act like your life is on the line.

[Amelie06]

Teresa really should have made a run for it. Or picked up something heavy and tried to kill the old man. Ford is evil as shit. Just next level evil. I get that he's a god at this theme park...but having that woman beaten to death by her robot lover is just terrible. And why did he pick on her? Charlotte is obviously the bigger problem. What is going to stop Charlotte from going forward with her plans? Maybe this just means Charlotte will decide to poison his afternoon tea.

Also, has Ford failed to notice that he is old as hell? This house of cards is going to fall down and quickly. He's got the vigor and evil plans of a much younger man. How much longer does he intend to live?

While I love Maeve, I'm starting to side-eye her story. Threatening to kill Sylvester unless he helped her escape was a step too far. At the end of the day, they still have more power than her. If his life is on the line, what is to stop him from saying "screw this job, that robot is dangerous!" I know the writers just want to get to Maeve leading a robot rebellion by the end of the season, but this is clumsy. It makes no sense. They could kill her and lobotomize her before she could do a damn thing. They could make her so dumb she wouldn't begin to know how to plot escapes. Instead, they look scared and impressed by her threats.

Charlotte is the worst! I don't care how much sexual freedom is floating around in this future, you don't call a meeting and then answer the door naked. She did everything but twirl her mustache in that scene.

How is Ford going to explain why the fired Bernard is still hanging around the office?

So now we know that the room "Bernard" speaks to Delores in, is most likely the murder room we saw at the end of this episode.

Who thinks the host incubating is going to be a replacement Elsie? Bernard and Elsie were in it together, which means that Ford knew what Elsie was up to.

Why did Ford have to make Bernard sad? He could have made him an asexual workaholic. He could have made Bernard a happily married man who occasionally has lovely phone conferences with his wife. Why make him the bereaved father of a dead child? Are we to assume that the pictures Bernard had are just some random black child Ford took photos of. That's disturbing. In sum, Ford is a total asshole.

I don't care about William and Delores. I'm really trying. But they are so dull. And who keeps curling Delores's hair? William blathering on about how "real" this experience was irked me. He knows he is talking to a robot. He knows he is at a theme park. Calm down, sir. Stop acting crazy. Why does everyone want to find deeper meaning in this weird ass park? Who goes to Disneyworld to figure out what the Small World ride "really means?" I mean, technically, Delores is at work! You don't see people deciding that their time spent with "Cinderella" is the realest thing to ever happen to them. Maybe Delos's game is to introduce LSD to the guests and see the effects in stressful or sexy situations.

[benteen]

Quote

While I love Maeve, I'm starting to side-eye her story. Threatening to kill Sylvester unless he helped her escape was a step too far. At the end of the day, they still have more power than her. If his life is on the line, what is to stop him from saying "screw this job, that robot is dangerous!" I know the writers just want to get to Maeve leading a robot rebellion by the end of the season, but this is clumsy. It makes no sense. They could kill her and lobotomize her before she could do a damn thing. They could make her so dumb she wouldn't begin to know how to plot escapes. Instead, they look scared and impressed by her threats.

Agreed.  I enjoy the storyline but keep wondering again why they don't just shut Maeve down at this point.

[gatopretoNYC]

OH MY GOD!!!  Damn, I flove this show.

[BigBeagle]

I was surprised with the Bernard reveal, although in retrospect, it makes perfect sense (for one thing, he is a decent guy, and most, if not all the humans, are assholes).

The most disturbing thing about it, to me, is that if Bernard is a 'bot, then just about everybody else can be a bot, too. OK, now I need to go sit in the corner and hug myself.

[AuntTora]

28 minutes ago, Amelie06 said:

Why did Ford have to make Bernard sad? He could have made him an asexual workaholic. He could have made Bernard a happily married man who occasionally has lovely phone conferences with his wife. Why make him the bereaved father of a dead child? Are we to assume that the pictures Bernard had are just some random black child Ford took photos of.

OR...Real Bernard got the Teresa treatment himself, back in the timeline where he's talking to Dolores.

Edited November 14, 2016 by AuntTora

[bmoore4026]

1 hour ago, dgpolo said:

I hadn't made up my mind about Bernard but when he said "What door?" I got shivers. I guess this is a little more evidence of someone else being in the photo with Ford and 'Arnold', someone Bernard can't see. And here is the quote from 'Alice' I thought it was fitting:

“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

Actually, the quote is from Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland.  The parallel's between Ford and Walt Disney strike again.

And, like you, I knew something was fishy when Bernard said "What Door" when he was looking right at it, after all he said about hosts only seeing what they've been programmed to see.  Which means, Ford wanted him to see that cottage.  It also brings up the question when exactly in time are Bernard and Dolores meeting because they are in the basement's host making room.

Evan Rachel Wood is gorgeous and a good actress and all, but it's Thandie Newton that's been this show's MVP.  Once again, her eyes could bring one to tears.  Those expressions as she sees Clementine being lobotomized were gut wrenching.  Hell, at the beginning of the episode, when Clementine was telling Maeve her story, the look she's giving her, knowing that everything she's saying is nothing but a program, was heartbreaking.  When Clementine said she wanted to move her family and herself to someplace cool, I knew she was fucked.

[okerry]

8 minutes ago, AuntTora said:

OR...Real Bernard got the Teresa treatment himself, back in the timeline where he's talking to Dolores.

Yup - even before I started watching this show, my first thought was, "The hosts are all based on actual people, because that would be the simplest way to get the complex personalities that the park demands. Plus, isn't its real purpose the pursuit of immortality - putting human minds into host bodies - and the park is just the way to pay the bills?"

[numbnut]

I knew Bernard was a host but the reveal was thrilling because I didn't expect him to be used as a killer. That was awesome. Kudos to Jeffrey Wright. I guess we'll see more Maeve next week. It was great to finally see a photo of the outside world. More please.

1 hour ago, KaleyFirefly said:

Bernard may have been, at one time, a real person, but was long ago replaced by a robot.

I still think he could be Arnold based on him not being able to see Arnold in Ford's photo.

1 hour ago, Captain Carrot said:

Also, what are the odds that he's making a host version of Theresa. He could have spent decades killing people and replacing them with hosts.

That is such a great plot twist. It's also scary AF. Can't wait to see the new Theresa confronting Charlotte.

1 hour ago, Ellaria Sand said:

I continue to be completely bored with Will and Dolores. 

Same here.

47 minutes ago, Amelie06 said:

Charlotte is the worst! I don't care how much sexual freedom is floating around in this future, you don't call a meeting and then answer the door naked. She did everything but twirl her mustache in that scene.

LOL. Tessa T. was believable in Creed but I'm not buying her in this role.

How will Ford convince Delos to rehire Bernard? And who grabbed Elsie? I thought it was Stubbs but it must have been one of Charlotte's people.

Edited November 14, 2016 by numbnut

[DarkRaichu]

I am just going to leave this here from ep2 thread ;)

On 10/11/2016 at 11:18 AM, DarkRaichu said:

Also other theories:

- I think Bernard was Anthony Hopkins's masterpiece.  Maybe 15-25 years ago he needed someone he could trust to run the day to day operation and decided to create Bernard without anyone knowing.  Since Bernard was never wiped at the end of the day like other hosts, he became more human with every passing day.  Remember the programming of the host allows for self learning.

 

As awesome as Thandie Newton's acting, the 2 dum dums from the basement (or maybe they should be called TweedleDee & TweedleDum) were still the weakest points of the storyline.  So they just obeyed Maeve over and over again?? WTH?

[DarkRaichu]

56 minutes ago, Amelie06 said:

I don't care about William and Delores. I'm really trying. But they are so dull. And who keeps curling Delores's hair? William blathering on about how "real" this experience was irked me. He knows he is talking to a robot. He knows he is at a theme park. Calm down, sir. Stop acting crazy.

Well he was "sane" when he came in to the park.  It was part of the reason why people keep coming back to the park.  They liked who they are in the park better than at the outside world.  Similar reasoning to people who'd rather play the Sims or Second Life than go outside :D

As far as Dolores' hair, she most likely got a maintenance touch up every night.  When William woke up and saw her painting, it was already the next day

1 hour ago, Captain Carrot said:

Now I'm wondering what the turnover rate is for employees. People that are around for too long would notice that Bernard doesn't age. My guess is that working at Westworld gets creepy real fast. Most people probably quit after a few years. The remainder are fired or replaced.

There was a reason Ford made Bernard a black man. ;)  There are several people at my work who are in their 60s but do not look a day older than 40

[feverfew]

Ford really is an evil monster, isn't he? (More thoughts to come when I'm done freaking out)

...happy about Dolores and William though. Need a bit of sweet with my horror stories ;)

[okerry]

So, the hosts are killing people because they're holding grudges? Starting to remember the bad treatment they got?

That's exactly why The Gunslinger in the original film started shooting back. I'm loving it all.

[okerry]

Bernard's reaction to realizing he's a host - anyone here seen *Blade Runner*?

"How can it not know what it is?"

[gatopretoNYC]

1 hour ago, Amelie06 said:

Why did  Ford have to make Bernard sad? He could have made him an asexual workaholic. He could have made Bernard a happily married man who occasionally has lovely phone conferences with his wife. Why make him the bereaved father of a dead child? Are we to assume that the pictures Bernard had are just some random black child Ford took photos of. That's disturbing. In sum, Ford is a total asshole.

I had the same thought. It seems so cruel to give Bernard such a sad backstory. Cruel and unnecessary.

[Avaleigh]

49 minutes ago, AuntTora said:

OR...Real Bernard got the Teresa treatment himself, back in the timeline where he's talking to Dolores.

So do the families just not notice that their loved ones have been replaced by robots? Is Bernard's wife real or not? I was one of the people who thought that Bernard was a host but I didn't guess that he might have replaced a real person. 

I'm wondering if Bernard was modeled on Arnold. 

I've noticed that this isn't the first time that Ford has asked Bernard to recall if he was at the park for a particular event. I noticed too that when Ford was asking Bernard in this episode if he was there for Arnold's death that Bernard didn't answer and instead looked confused. Why wouldn't he answer Ford's question?

[DarkRaichu]

2 minutes ago, okerry said:

So, the hosts are killing people because they're holding grudges? Starting to remember the bad treatment they got?

This was shown in ep 3 (or 4) when Elsie figured out the milk drinking host only killed hosts that killed him in previous storylines.

 Speaking of Elsie, she was probably nabbed by Bernard.  He was the only one who knew that Elsie was in that abandoned theater.

 

1 hour ago, benteen said:

Theresa not trying to attack Ford at the end is annoying me more and more and is a gripe I have about television.

When she figured out Bernard was a host she knew she was f---ed.  Just a few hours earlier she showed Ford just how strong a host could be.  She really did not have any chance with Bernard on Ford's side

[Chicago Redshirt]

36 minutes ago, numbnut said:

How will Ford convince Delos to rehire Bernard? And who grabbed Elsie? I thought it was Stubbs but it must have been one of Charlotte's people.

First, I was wondering if Delos knows that Bernard is a host. On rewatch, it seemed like Charlotte had targeted Bernard and to try to get him to rat Ford out. Ford referred to what was going on between him and the board as a game. What if Charlotte was going after Bernard as if he was Ford's knight, only to have Ford take out their bishop, if that is a good enough analogy?

In any case, Ford probably doesn't need to convince Delos to rehire Bernard. He could either keep Bernard around on the downlow. Or he could have host!Theresa claim that he was rehired. Or he could just transform him into Bernard 2.0 if he wanted and get him rehired that way.. 

37 minutes ago, okerry said:

Yup - even before I started watching this show, my first thought was, "The hosts are all based on actual people, because that would be the simplest way to get the complex personalities that the park demands. Plus, isn't its real purpose the pursuit of immortality - putting human minds into host bodies - and the park is just the way to pay the bills?"

My theory is that the real purpose of Westworld is one humongous honeytrap. Over three decades, you have thousands of rich and powerful people feeling free to be/find themselves in this atmosphere, making all sorts of confessions and acting out all sorts of fantasies. Every second of these interactions has been recorded by one host or another. The guests may think that what happens in Westworld stays in Westworld. Bet it doesn't, though.

Just now, feverfew said:

Ford really is an evil monster, isn't he? (More thoughts to come when I'm done freaking out)

...happy about Dolores and William though. Need a bit of sweet with my horror stories ;)

I reckon Teddy is not going to cotton much to Dolores having sex with someone other than him, though. Or in general to her having broken free of her loop.