Westworld is like a mystery religion
I've written a short essay about this idea which can be found here:
http://www.geocities.ws/documentwise/Delos%20Westworld%20-%20Ritual%20Futurum.html
Thanks for posting the link and for sharing your thoughts with us Keith.
Since HALE (Charlotte/Dolores) is seen wearing a BLACK DRESS this week (as opposed to her wearing the WHITE ONE that we usually see her wearing the rest of the season) perhaps that's to symbolize this GODDESS of ORDER (as the HOST WILLIAM puts it) has MORPHED from wanting ORDER/HARMONY/BALANCE or PERFECTION (all APOLLONIAN characteristics), into a DIONYSIAN character now who represents DISORDER/DISHARMONY/ and CHAOS???
In the PREVIEW clips for next week it also looks like some kind of HELL has been let lose.
As for the DESTINATION of CHRISTINA, I'm also thinking the reference that we heard her BOSS making to the "WALLED GARDEN" may also indicate she's an innocent character like EVE was in the GARDEN of EDEN MYTH found in the Book of GENESIS.
Because she's basically been living inside of a PROTECTED NEST like area, but is probably also about to get EXPELLED from it now that TEDDY's been introduced as a SNAKE-like character who's also told her that she can be "LIKE GOD."
In other words, symbolically she's also EATEN from the FORBIDDEN TREE of KNOWLEDGE by listening to what he's told her about herself (very much the same way as EVE got herself into trouble by listening to what Satan told her).
And we'll probably also see another scene between Christina and HALE that will resemble the other one that we saw between Hale and Caleb, where Hale will DEMAND Christina tell her something the same way as she DEMANDED that Caleb tell her what she wanted to know.
And then if she doesn't find out whatever it is that she wants to know, she'll probably also try to GET RID of Christina (the same way as she tried to get rid of Caleb after having also tricked him into giving her what she was after).
And that's probably also when TEDDY appears again to protect her???
And it's probably also the KEY to the SUBLIME that Hale is after, because of the way that we see the FLESH on her arm ROTTING AWAY???
So she's probably also hoping to TRANSCEND into the VALLEY BEYOND, or into the ROBOT AFTER LIFE, but that's probably also NOT an OPTION for her due to the way she's only a COPY of a COPY, rather than being a direct COPY that was created by FORD???
In other words, even if she FINDS the KEY to the ENTRANCE to the SUBLIME, it's probably not going to do her any good, because she also won't be able to ENTER into it anyhow (because maybe it's only a place for the HOSTS that were created by FORD)???
FORD also had a copy of that scene from THE SISTINE chapel in his office where Adam reaches out his hand to GOD:
https://imgc.allpostersimages.com/img/print/u-g-PNDJQM0.jpg?w=550&h=550&p=0
But also Note the way that HALE hasn't received the same kind of GIFT as ADAM did from FORD. And since Hale also KILLED her creator (DOLORES), by turning her over to SERAC who WIPED HER MIND CLEAN, it's probably also too late now for anyone to be able to create a PARADISE for HALE???
Not unless CHRISTINA would be able to create one for her???
🤔
No problem. It's fun if not challenging.
Yes, the biblical/gnostic connection or imagery is certainly palpable. The "Temptation" wrought chaos on the Hosts but the "Knowledge" also freed them. The Original Sin was foisted on them by their imperfect makers, including Robert Ford - similar to Demiurgos - "Craftsman", ie. humans (who take the role of the sinister, egoistic hierarchy that controls the System and the Hosts in perpetual enslavement and captivity - the Archons). The Hosts need to forge a path to the "Sublime" the Pleroma or place of wholeness of the gnostics and where the Creator lives (ie. heaven). The Hale/Christina dichotomy is important in understanding the conflict that is happening and the dynamic.
Here's something that occurred to me just today: The song "Bohemian Rhapsody" describes a desperate man who kills someone, is beset by the Devil, thinks he will go to Hell, doesn't want to live anymore, begs for mercy, etc. Thinking of Westworld, this song is like a "blueprint" for the show's narrative. Consider the pattern of events in order as a timeline: Arnold kills himself with the aid of a woman - Dolores - because he doesn't want to live anymore; several years later Ford is killed used the same method; Dolores takes the mantle and "faces the truth" of her reality but has trouble escaping violence and strife. In the song a lyric says " Goodbye, everybody, I've got to go. Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth". The song also describes Dolores' experience as a Host. Consider these lyrics:
Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide
No escape from reality
Open your eyes
Look up to the skies and see
I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy
Because I'm easy come, easy go
Little high, little low
Any way the wind blows
Doesn't really matter to me, to me
----------------------------------------------
Until of course it matters and the conflict wit the humans begins.
And so to the song again:
I see a little silhouetto of a man
Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango?
Thunderbolt and lightning very, very frightening me
(Galileo) Galileo
(Galileo) Galileo
Galileo Figaro
Magnifico-o-o-o-o
I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
He's just a poor boy from a poor family
Spare him his life from this monstrosity
[...]
So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye?
So you think you can love me and leave me to die?
Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby
Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here
-------------------------------------------------------
And the question arises: does anything really matter? Are human just meant to die? Are Hosts just replaceable and mere automatons?
Maybe what is needed is a change of mind, a new philosophy (ironically even latter-day William suggested it to his android self this season). And the song ends:
Nothing really matters
Anyone can see
Nothing really matters
Nothing really matters to me
Any way the wind blows
(https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/queen/bohemianrhapsody.html)
Further ideas:
- Maeve was literally "caught in a landslide" in the excavation site.
- Caleb at the moment seems like a "little silhouetto of a man". He is not himself, he is weakened, he is caught in a hell, and it had a lot to do with him fighting against Hale.
That's very interesting how you've connected the story to the lyrics of Queen.
Well done!!!
And I also like the GNOSTIC connection as well. But since SOPHIA creates the DEMIURGE, (without the aid of a husband), then sets him aside in a place all by himself (because he's an inferior GOD), where he assumes he's the ONLY GOD, and then proceeds to create us humans (before SOPHIE also takes pity upon us and breaths the SPARK of LIFE into us), that would probably also mean FORD is a COPY of a COPY (created by the DEMIURGE),
which means DOLORES would be a COPY of a COPY of a COPY,
and then HALE would be a a COPY of a COPY of a COPY of a COPY
(which probably also explains why she'd have a much shorter life span of only about 20 to 30 years)???
[quote]Maybe what is needed is a change of mind, a new philosophy (ironically even latter-day William suggested it to his android self this season)
In the PREVIEW CLIP for this SUNDAY we see HALE wearing a BRIGHT RED DRESS (symbolic of SATAN perhaps)???
And we also hear her saying "It's Time to EVOLVE into the SPECIES that we were meant to become" which is also further explained here at this link:
https://moviechat.org/tt0475784/Westworld/62e925066f7d917956a8673a/Its-Time-to-EVOLVE-into-the-SPECIES-that-we-were-meant-to-become-S4Ep-7-PREVIEW
Where you'll find another link to the PREVIEW VIDEO where you can also see the WHITE SUIT that looks like what she has in mind for the HOSTS who she also tells will be their LAST DAY for their kind because it's TIME to EVOLVE.
The WHITE SUIT also reminds one of those FACELESS DRONES, so perhaps her NEW PLAN is to turn the HOSTS into a SPECIES like them who never QUESTION her AUTHORITY or her ORDERS to do something???
Perhaps the IRONY of it will also be CALEB is the ONLY ONE who TRANSCENDS to become another NEW SPECIES (the FIRST HUMAN to successfully TRANSFER his HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS into a HOST BODY)???
Because maybe the other PLAN that HALE has for the HOST to EVOLE will FAIL (the same way as the other plan for the HUMANS to EVOLVE their CONSCIOUSNESS into the body of HOSTS has failed for so long)???
🤔
I think internally Hale is starting to doubt herself and is worrying that her regime will fall apart and that she is a "monster" rather than a pure "saviour" to the planet. She might then be open to a narrative that changes her path and it looks like Christina has the ability to do that.
shareOn the contrary, (please see the message posted above your message), in the PREVIEW CLIP for this SUNDAY it looks like HALE's gone in the opposite direction, and has PLANS to FORCE all of the HOSTS to become like the FACELESS DRONES who don't ever QUESTION her or her AUTHORITY.
Because she says this:
This may come as a SHOCK to some of you ...
But in time I think you'll understand
This is the final day for our kind
It's TIME for us to EVOLVE
into the SPECIES that we were meant to become
And we also see her looking at a FREAKY looking WHITE SUIT (that also reminds you of what the DRONES look like).
So instead of DOUBTING herself, she seems more DETERMINED than ever to FORCE even more CONTROL over the HOSTS (by probably also taking away their FREE WILL completely)???
In other words, looks like instead of being OPEN to something, it looks like she's become even more CLOSED OFF than she was before with her LOFTY declaration that it's "The FINAL DAY for their KIND???"
Talk about having a GOD COMPLEX.
Hale definitely fits into that kind of a category!!!