Sunday night’s Westworld finale brought an end to the various complex plots and numerous timelines of Season 1 by completing a perfect loop. William is the Man in Black. Dolores is Wyatt. Bernard is Arnold. Ford is dead. But, with the end of our first loop, we also got a glimpse of the many potential loops left to come. After last night’s symmetrical, shocking, satisfying finale, here are the most interesting questions that were left unanswered.
What is the future of Westworld?
With both of the park’s founders dead and a body count that was still rising as the finale came to its violent end, who knows what is to become of Westworld? Who is in charge? Will the park continue to operate once the dust settles? Will the robots create their own utopia among the rubble of the amusement park? Will the project be scrapped and the data used for something bigger and better? Just as the mystery of Westworld was solved, the park itself becomes Westworld’s biggest mystery.
How many worlds are there?
Two little moments in the finale opened up myriad possibilities for future seasons. As Maeve (Thandie Newtown) executed her short-lived escape from the park, she passed by a group of robotic samurai who look to be part of a feudal Japanese world. Their space bore the logo “SW” (Southworld? Samauraiworld? Shogunworld?) When Felix (Leonardo Nam) told Maeve the location of her daughter, the paper he gives her says she is in “Park 1,” implying there are more parks to behold.
Just how powerful is Delos?
We have long known that Westworld is “A Delos Destination,” but the long-awaited revelations about William (Jimmi Simpson/Ed Harris) gave us a little better taste of what exactly Delos is. The Man in Black is not only a medical philanthropist, as we found out earlier this season, but also the lead stakeholder in Westworld. Once we see William usurp Logan (Ben Barnes) for control of Delos all those years ago, it is implied that he went on to totally control the company and become a ruthless captain of industry. How expansive is Delos’ reach in the outside world? What are the company’s ultimate goals? How will the events of Ford’s final narrative affect Delos’ position in the world?
As we figure out what Delos actually does, we will likely delve back in time and examine the particulars of how William became the Man in Black. Though we got a loose telling of how the fresh-faced innocent became the craggy old cynic, there are particulars we’re eager to explore. Since the show has no problem going back and forth in time, we might just get our wish. How did William toss Logan aside? What became of his wife? What did he do on the outside that allowed him to become the man he wanted to be on the inside?
What is the outside world like?
A question that fans have been speculating on from the very beginning of the series is what the larger world looks like beyond the walls of these Delos destinations. Maeve was tantalizingly close to answering this for us before the lure of her cornerstone beckoned her back into the park. Now that we know that Bernard’s communication with his family was part of his back story, we have no idea what exists beyond the metal-reinforced walls of these robotic vacation destinations. The outside world could be anything, and remains one of the most tantalizing secrets for fans to consider as we wait for next season.
Who survived?
Though Westworld is an unique show, it is still a TV show. And with every TV show, one of the biggest concerns is who is coming back next season. Though all the major threads of the season came together beautifully, the body count is unclear. There are the characters we aren’t sure if we lost along the way, including Stubbs, Abernathy, and Elsie. It’s unclear which of our major board members and employees, including Charlotte, Lee, William, and Felix, made it out alive. Most important for viewers, it is unclear whether Dolores, Maeve, Teddy, and Bernard will be decommissioned or if they will become masters of their own destiny.
We know that some of the hosts have consciousness, but it remains to be seen whether they will be given the opportunity to truly live.
