Death Is Only The Beginning: What Does That 'Westworld' Twist Mean Moving Forward?

We have literally blown our tiny little robotic minds, thanks #Westworld. Every great series has a Red Wedding moment, and the seventh episode of #HBO's robotic royale may just have had its own. The specter of death hung over "Trompe L'Oeil" as we delved into the backstory of poor Bernard Lowe and watched his world unravel. In true Westworld fashion, these violent delights had violent ends.

Warning: spoilers for Westworld Episode 7 ahead!

It was ta-ra Theresa as Sidse Babett Knudsen had a date with a breezeblock wall, and we were all left reeling at the reveal that Jeffrey Wright's Bernard was actually a host. Take a deep breath and let Episode 7 sink in, but what does this mean for the remaining three episodes of Westworld Season 1.

Will the real Arnold please stand up.

While Bernard being a host was no great surprise, it all but confirms the theory that he is the mysterious Arnold too. In the words of the other Arnie, "I'll be back," and Bernard's host vision means that Jeffrey Wright has been the (presumed) deceased overseer of the park all along. Congratulations Reddit for spotting that man-shaped space in the picture of Dr. Ford, his father, and Arnold. It all makes sense when Dr. Ford said to the doomed Theresa:

“They cannot see the things that will hurt them. I’ve spared them that.”

Bern-bot certainly explains a lot: Ford's Houdini appearance from nowhere last week, Bernard not being able to locate the secret lab, and his constant regression to his family "backstory." Bernard's blindness to what was going on around him was further complicated when the hosts only see what they are programmed to see. I had already pinned the theory that the series will end with Dolores finding a bedraggled Jeffrey Wright at the center of the maze as "real" Arnold, and Episode 7 gets us one step closer to that.

Someone Elsie's Problem

Still MIA was Shannon Woodward's plucky Elsie. Episode 6 saw her kidnapped while trying to uncover the web of deceit in the park, to an ambiguous end. However, what if her perilous predicament is actually one of good fortune? We are yet to see who whisked Elsie away, but let's not jump to conclusions that they are actually a villain.

Whoever grabbed Elsie probably knew she was in cahoots with Bernard, and knowing that Bernard was a host controlled by Ford, Ford would soon find out too. We have already seen Anthony Hopkins's villainous creator take out one snoop, so poor little Elsie wouldn't have stood a chance on her own. Perhaps the glove-handed figure who snatched Elsie is the real Arnold (still Jeffrey Wright), and the two will valiantly ride in to save the day for the finale.

The last of Theresa?

The main talking point of the episode though is obviously Theresa Cullen. It is pretty "concrete" that having your head merged with a wall spells the end of days, but I wouldn't be so sure that Sidse Babett Knudsen is out for the rest of the show — she has remained coy about whether we will see Theresa again.

The disappearance of such a high-ranking member of the team is sure to raise a few eyebrows. However, I think that Theresa is about to go down the Bernard route and enter the A.I. realm. Clearly Ford's 3D printing machine was creating something in his little shop of horrors, and given the looming shots as Bernard mushed Theresa to the wall, we can only assume it is a replacement — Knudsen's superbly cold performance already made her more emotionless than the majority of the hosts, so it was a logical step really.

We know that Dr. Ford was always two steps ahead of the park's Operations Leader, and it all makes sense with Bernard as the unofficial mole. With us all assuming that she called the shots, this flips the whole Theresa/Bernard relationship on its head. It now appears that Cullen was just a tool in Ford's long game, but with their meeting in Episode 4 foreshadowing Theresa's demise, we can't say he didn't warn her.

Theresa teaming up with Delos exec Charlotte Hale was the nail in the coffin for Sidse's character, but we didn't expect it to be as violent as that. There was something disturbing as she pleaded with robot Bernard, hoping that there was some sense of human underneath all that silicone. She was sassy, a chainsmoker, and she rocked a pant suit. R.I.P. (for now) Theresa Cullen, we hardly knew yet.