Ahead of the Westworld season two premiere, let’s catch up on everything we need to know about the mysterious Maeve Millay!
In season one of Westworld, we were treated to a myriad of interesting characters that had us perplexed and intrigued from the get-go. Amongst them and perhaps the biggest enigma of all was Thandie Newton’s Maeve Millay. Season one introduces her as a host within Westworld, working as a madam in the simulation’s brothel.
As a refresher, the town of Westworld that guests visit is known as Sweetwater–their first stop in the insane world at their disposal. Here they can channel their inner cowboy, or tap into their darkest desires–courtesy of the madams available to them at the local brothel. Maeve is one of the few hosts that are designed to take on this task and shares a close friendship with another host, Clementine.
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One of the pivotal moments of Westworld’s first season is when Maeve has an internal awakening and becomes aware of her life as a host. Memories of her daughter come rushing back, creating internal chaos within her mind–and OURS! So let’s dive into everything we currently know about this perplexing character!
Maeve’s past
If you recall, season one showed Maeve having flashbacks to her daughter and the Man in Black, played by Ed Harris. The encounter is all-together frightening and full of despair but always leads back to a cabin with her and her daughter. So where exactly is her daughter?
Well, we don’t know–and neither does Maeve. The end of season one Maeve was completely aware of her “situation” and decided to seek out and find her daughter. Do you think we’ll see her daughter in the second season? We sure hope so!
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Maeve’s journey to becoming aware
As season one progressed, Maeve becomes more and more aware that something just didn’t feel right. It was quite the trip to see a host gain consciousness, especially while undergoing maintenance in the lab. Poor Felix. She also catches on that Clementine is replaced by another host or is someone very different, and starts to suspect the life she is living. This aspect of Maeve’s character is extremely intriguing because she is one of the first to notice something is off.
As season one progresses, Maeve stumbles across more evidence alluding to the fact that her flashbacks are indeed real. In an attempt to gain access to the Westworld techs, she begins to kill herself on purpose. Through the techs, she gets her entire system upgraded, giving her more personality and abilities.
By the season’s end, she manages to escape along and helps other hosts escape as well–including the O.G. Clementine.
So what is her end goal?
Based on what we know about season two, we know a host rebellion is underway. But will Maeve be a part of it? It seems like she may not be because she is simply interested in finding her daughter. However, we have seen her adorned in a geisha in season two trailers so perhaps she may decide to pick up a katana and join Dolores and the others! One can hope, right?
Maeve’s actions–free will or not?
So perhaps the biggest mystery of season one, and going into season two will be whether or not Maeve is making these decisions out of free will. Maeve definitely likes to think she is, but Felix begs to differ. Perhaps, this is all part of her “code” and her host’s journey. Seriously, what a mind trip right?!
So it also begs the question, is the rebellion all pre-planned by Ford? Do the hosts truly have awareness or control over their situations? So many questions, not enough answers! At the end of season one, Maeve boards a train and at the last moment gets off. Is this her own decision or again part of her code? Showrunners of Westworld shared their thoughts on this in an interview with Vulture:
"“What we understand in the moment is it’s the first real decision she’s made all season. Which is, she’s not going to fulfill the script she’s been given, which is to take this train wherever it’s going, and do whatever else she’s programmed to do.”"
Whether or not this is all planned, we will have to wait and see but we cannot wait to see where Maeve’s journey will take her this season–geisha and all!
Westworld season two premieres on HBO on Sunday, April 22nd at 9 P.M. EST!