Charlotte Hale's been keeping secrets and the war is reaching a boiling point.
In Westworld Season 3, Episode 3 "The Absence Of Field," even more questions about the truth of Dolores's crusade against the humans were raised. We learned who's (probably) puppeteering the host version of Charlotte Hale, but it turns out things may not be as simple as just plugging a new person into an old body after all--and we may not have seen the last of Hale's real personality, which seems to be fighting back from beyond the grave. But as the lines between host and human continue to blur, the reality of Delos and Incite's secret war--a fight that seems centered around the rights to the personal data of every person on the planet--gets harder and harder to decipher. And if that weren't complicated enough already, this week dug even further into the history of Hale, dragging even more skeletons out of her closet and completely reframing her story from back in Season 2. Meanwhile, Dolores and Caleb got to know each other a little better--and all it took was yet another near-death experience for both of them. We've pulled together 14 little details, potential clues, and things to pay close attention to as the season progresses to help shape your theories for the rest of the season. Be sure to share your ideas in the comments below.
1. New Charlotte
We can't be completely certain, but based on the conversation between Charlotte and Dolores, it certainly seems like the host implanted in the Charlotte body is none other than Teddy, one of Dolores's closest companions from the park. He may even be the only other host Dolores trusts entirely--so it would certainly make sense for him to be given such an important job. It is, however, important to remember that that trust may not go both ways. Dolores and Teddy's relationship came to a brutal end back in Season 2 when Teddy's deeply ingrained morality began to struggle against the violence and bloodshed that Dolores was inflicting on both humans and hosts. He "killed" himself as a way out--but, naturally, being a host, escape was never going to be that simple. If it is Teddy inside Host Charlotte, there's probably going to be some really complicated emotional baggage dug up somewhere down the line as he and Dolores are inevitably forced to confront their shared past.
2. Creeping Tender
Delos is being taken over by a "creeping tender," a real-life investment strategy where a buyer gradually takes over a target company's shares via purchasing on the open market.
3. Caleb's past
We can assume that Caleb's military past taught him a thing or two about field medicine, which would explain why he seems to know exactly how to handle a gunshot wound in real time while the two EMTs would rather wait for their system to spit out a diagnosis and treatment plan.
4. Serac
Serac has "complete anonymity" in a world where every living person has been profiled to some extent, this makes him not only the richest man in the world (to the tune of a trillion dollars) but the most powerful as well. Of course, we know that his anonymity comes from the fact that he helped create Rehoboam, the computer responsible for the profiling, but no one else does.
5. Charlotte's Husband
Surprise! Charlotte Hale hasn't always been such a loner--she has an ex-husband, and a son. It certainly seems like this information was not something Teddy (or whoever is inside of Host Hale) had before stepping into the role. Whoops.
6. Extinct Elephants
In case you needed a reminder about just how bleak the Westworld future really is, it turns out elephants have gone extinct. RIP.
7. "I feel like I'm changing."
We don't know much about the relationship between a host's body and control unit, but it would certainly seem like it's much deeper than just a computer inside a robotic shell. It would seem that Charlotte's body is actually affecting Teddy's personality in a major way--and that this is something Dolores has not accounted for. Part of the "change" is manifested as lines carved into host Hale's skin, which are eerily similar to the scarification the host Ghost Nation tribe used to use to represent the Valley Beyond.
8. Even more black and white
Westworld's monochromatic symbolism is back again, with a vengeance. During Dolores and Hale's emotionally charged talk in the hotel room, Dolores is wearing solid black while Hale is in solid white--interesting, considering they're both on the same "team," at least on paper.
9. "Drip"
We've known for a while that Caleb had turned off whatever common place cybernetic implants everyone seems to have, but this is the first time we've actually seen what the tech looks like or what it can do (other than send people on hallucinogenic drug trips). The thugs use Caleb's reactivated "drip" to torture him--almost the same way that the techs would torture and control hosts with their tablets back in the park.
10. "Expression/Collaboration"
The signs behind Caleb and Dolores read "EXPRESSION" and "COLLABORATION," which sure seem like a pretty unsubtle way to hint at the beginning of a promising new friendship.
11. The Predator
Charlotte "remembers what it's like" to be herself--a predator--which may or may not signal the real Hale taking over Teddy's programming entirely. If you remember back to Season 2, Teddy was the exact opposite of a predator--and trying to become one triggered his mental breakdown.
12. Rehoboam's predictions
It turns out that, just like the host's narrative loops, Rehoboam's predictions are kept entirely secret and invisible from the general population. Caleb had no idea that all of his data had been harvested. The song playing in the background of this scene is a slowed down version of the main theme, another nod to the similarities between hosts and humans.
13. The phone
The mysterious calls Hale has been getting were the first five notes to "You Are My Sunshine," the song she would sing to her son.
14. The mole
Charlotte spent Season 2 trying to get the guest data out of the parks, and now we know why--it wasn't for Delos, she's been working for Serac this entire time. But Serac may have an ace up his sleeve--he has more than one person at Delos under his thumb. He doesn't, unfortunately, seem to know about the Hale switcheroo.
15. The Absence of Field
This week's episode title comes from a poem titled Keeping Things Whole 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."
|
