The cast and crew of Westworld explain the Valley Beyond

During the Westworld season 2 finale, “The Passenger,” a group of hosts led by Akecheta (Zahn McClarnon) and members of the Ghost Nation tribe finally reached the Valley Beyond (aka the Door, aka Glory, aka the Forge). Throughout season 2, many different hosts talked about reaching this place, although no one seemed able to pin down what it was. We finally learned that it was a sort of digital heaven built by Dr. Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins) for the hosts, presented visually as a tear in reality.

The cast and crew of Westworld tear into this knotty, jam-packed episode in this behind-the-scenes video. Watch below:

It’s interesting how different people have different conceptions of the Valley Beyond, the scenes outside of which were filmed in the Pinnacles National Park in California. They likened the Door to everything from an entrance to heaven to a metaphorical representation of freedom. Showrunner Jonathan Nolan explains the idea behind the Valley came from an interest in simulations and the “idea of different levels of reality.”

"If you could create a digital simulation of reality that was compelling and realistic enough that it was indistinguishable from reality, then would it matter if it wasn’t the base level of reality?"

The Valley, Nolan explains, is essentially an alternate universe, “with no transit back and forth.”  The Forge is a different story. As showrunner Lisa Joy explains, the park was created “because mankind wanted to be immortal.” The Forge helped them achieve that by copying and storing the data of 4 million guests. Now that she’s (literally) read the book on humanity, Dolores can exploit that knowledge in her bid to take over their world.

But humans may not be as predictable as Dolores is expecting. After all, Lee Sizemore (Simon Quarterman) was able to break out of his selfish loop when he sacrificed himself to buy time for Maeve (Thandie Newton) and her followers to reach the Valley Beyond. We’ll see how that conflict shakes out in season 3.

Another big moment from the finale was the reveal that Dolores had inhabited the body of a host version of Charlotte Hale (Tessa Thompson) and took her place after killing her in the basement of the Mesa. Lisa Joy says that reveal was something the showrunners had been working on for a long time.

Tessa Thompson had to impersonate Evan Rachel Wood’s Dolores, and did so perfectly. From the tone of her voice to her dramatic movements, Thompson’s portrayal of “Halores” helped sell this jaw-dropping twist. But at the end, after Dolores inserts herself back into her old body, the Charlotte Hale host is still up and running. Who’s in there now? Again, we’ll have to wait.

Finally, Joy confirms that the post-credits scene with the Man in Black (Ed Harris) takes place very far into the future, and that he is being tested by the hosts who are looking for something in his memories they have yet to find. “He is in a prison of his own sins,” Joy says. “And he will be for many years to come.”

Next: Westworld season 2, episode 10 recap: “The Passenger”

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