Debunking and confirming the best 'Westworld' Season 2 fan theories
How many of these did you believe?
After a break that was just, quite frankly, far too long, Westworld has finally returned to our screens. PRAISE BE! And in the very first episode ‘Journey into Night,’ we got a load more information about what the heck is going on in the park.
Here we break down some of the best fan theories and tell you if they were, in the end, true or false…
*SPOILER WARNING*
Theory 1: Westworld is set on a mysterious private island
In 2016, Redditor angel_kink said: “I’m leaning towards the whole thing being on an island… the use of the word ‘mainland’ is what made me initially think this.”
Status: CONFIRMED
This theory turned out to be true! In the premiere of season 2 Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) meets up with Delos’ Karl Strand (Gustav Skarsgård) while he’s arguing with a member of the Chinese military. China has signed over authority of an entire island to the corporation and Strand calls it “my fucking island” as he orders the military men to leave.
Delos’ Karl Strand (third from left) is a new addition to the season
Theory 2: Dr. Ford (Anthony Hopkins) isn’t really dead
A very popular fan theory is that Anthony Hopkins – perhaps the greatest character in the show – didn’t really die at the end of the last season.
Status: FALSE
Based on the very graphic shot of the late Ford, whose body is clearly rotting away, it seems like Hopkins is truly finished with the show.
Read more: ‘Westworld’ fans still haven’t spotted a bunch of clues from Season 1
Theory 3: Westworld isn’t the only park
The existence of other parks has been speculated about and teased since the first season – it was given more credence during the promotion of season 2. So fans wondered whether there were, in fact, more worlds to explore.
Status: TRUE
According to Vulture, when Strand’s team stumble across a Bengal tiger, they say, “We’ve got Bengals in Park Six,” and “We’ve never had a stray across park borders.” How tantalising!
What does the appearance of the tiger mean for the show?
Theory 4: Bodily harm is in fact possible
One of the defining features of the Westworld park is that anything goes and no amount of fucking, drinking or murder can affect any guest, who are all protected by the park’s hi-tech systems. But fans began to wonder whether this is actually true, or if guests could potentially be in danger.
Status: TRUE
In the latest episode, Bernard tells Charlotte Hale (Tessa Thompson) after the uprising at the party that, “Ford must have altered the code to read all of us as hosts,” according to cnet. Effectively, this means that all the hosts can now target the guests, and maybe even get some sweet robotic revenge.
Bernard tips off Charlotte Hale (right) about Ford’s meddling in the park
(Images: HBO / Westworld)
