Westworld spoilers lie ahead! If you are not caught up on the latest episode, turn back now!
Opening scene: Teaser trailer
We start with a horse and Native American rider traveling across a desert before, presumably, returning to his home and his wife. This is Akecheta, played by the very emotive actor Zahn McClarnon, who will play a pivotal role in future episodes. Akecheta is the leader of Ghost Nation.
We also know that he is a first-generation host, like the rest of Ghost Nation, so he may not be influenced by Delos. Hence the title of the episode, which translates from Lakota, a Sioux language, to “remember/memory.”
Breaking the stillness
Akecheta and the woman are walking peacefully across the landscape, but there’s a purpose there. What is he seeking? What is Ghost Nation seeking? Right now, in this timeline, my guess is Maeve, and then the Valley Beyond. But is the Akecheta here pre- or post-Ghost Nation? My guess is pre.
A sudden cut shows us Akecheta chasing down a car of humans (presumably employed by Delos), with a voiceover of, “Take my heart when you go.” I assume his wife has been taken from him. This confirms he has memory since we’re in the present timeline.
Then we get a shot of the church and a lone horse running through Escalante interspersed with shots of Akecheta both with and without his Ghost Nation regalia. Does he have full memory of a previous life? I assume so.
Ghost Nation speaks
We get to hear Akecheta speak as he is designed. In Lakota, he says, “The past was calling me.” Likely a reference to the title, but what past, and when? What capacity do Ghost Nation hosts have for memory? Likely different from the other hosts, certainly, based on their function within the park.
How does their Maze compare with the other hosts of varying generations? Remember that Maeve was scalped, so they have inner knowledge of her workings. Is it only her sentience and power they seek, or did they see something built into her? Taking her daughter is clearly a means to an end.
Arnold returns
In Escalante, Bernard, in his original Arnold form, lies dead before Akecheta (not dressed in his Ghost Nation clothes and paint), a gunshot wound to the head apparent—most likely the original one from Dolores and the real Arnold, but we can’t be sure.
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We do a quick flip and now Akecheta is looking down at the dead body of Robert Ford, after his headshot at the end of season 1, assuming we have the right timeline, but this time it’s clearly Ghost Nation Akecheta, which is interesting.
While we think about that, this scene at least bolsters my theory that Ghost Nation was likely present at the bloodbath the night of Ford’s death, but why? And what part did they play? I theorized a while back that they might be the ones who brought the MIB back as a host and replaced the body, but we’ll see. There are definitely bigger questions than that at this point.
“They took everything”
We hear Akecheta say, “But before I could understand it, they took everything from me,” but referring to whom?
Who were Ghost Nation before?
We now see Akecheta, presumably before becoming part of Ghost Nation, examining a maze. Clearly, Ghost Nation has their own, very different, maze, and I’m interested to see how far into it we’ll see in this episode.
The making
We’re now back in the lab and Akecheta wakes, clearly self-aware among other hosts who are not. Another eye flickers—Maeve’s—and again we wonder where we are in the timeline of sentience.
Now, we move on to the longer full trailer!
Westworld full trailer: Opening
We open with Bernard covering the body of a woman and asking why he (Ford) made him kill her. Ford responds, “One man’s life or death is but a small price to pay for the dominion I should acquire.” Depending on when this is, it could mean a variety of things. We know Ford’s original intent did not match his final one.
Maeve’s journey
Maeve is on the move, having the lab boys make some “complicated” changes to her and likely Hector as well, maybe the whole group. She says she’s “getting out of here,” but we know she’s going for her daughter first.
Flashback?
We see Dolores arriving at what is hinted to be the Valley Beyond, but notice that she’s in her old clothes and with Young William (though I know there are theories about that). These scenes all clearly take place on a past timeline, though. Young William tells her this place isn’t good for her, and again we have to wonder where we are in the narrative.
Why did Dolores visit the Valley Beyond in the past? What did she find there? Is it tied to Arnold’s death and the aftermath of the town? Old-styled Dolores states that it’s what Arnold wants. But how far has he gone to get what he wants?
A deeper game
The Man in Black talks about the rules of the game and knowing how to change them, which hints at something that makes sense—of course he can change the rules, as he’s in charge of Delos (or at least was at some point).
Next: Westworld: Bernard’s interrogation may have given us a clue!
Quick-flash scenes show us Teddy fighting, Dolores holding a gun to her own head, Maeve wielding a scalpel with Felix in the background. We’re definitely flashing between timelines, based on wardrobe, character reactions, and the state each host is in.
“There’s a deeper game—Arnold’s game—and that game cuts deep,” are the final words in the trailer, spoken by the Man in Black. Of course, he must have known Arnold, but to what extent? There’s a divide between Delos and Arnold and Ford, but where does William lie on that spectrum? Whatever Arnold’s game, I’m sure it won’t disappoint.
Get some answers (and of course lots of new questions!) on this week’s episode of Westworld, airing Sunday night on HBO at 9 PM EST!.