Is Stubbs Actually a Host on ‘Westworld’? Season 2 Finale Moments You Might’ve Missed
Spoiler Alert
[Spoiler Alert: This recap contains spoilers from “The Passenger,” the Season 2 finale of Westworld.]
You’re not alone if Westworld‘s Season 2 finale, “The Passenger,” left you scratching your head … especially after that post-credits scene.
First, let’s break down the conversation the park’s head of security, Ashley Stubbs (Luke Hemsworth), and Delos executive Charlotte Hale (Tessa Thompson) have on the beach, after it’s revealed it’s actually Dolores’ mind/code occupying a robo-Hale body.
Stubbs stops Hale just as she’s about to board a boat (to a plane) out of Westworld and lets her know he’s aware she’s a host. And that’s because Stubbs is also a host.
He admits he’s worked at the park and for Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins) for a very long time, he’s loyal to Ford’s vision, he’s responsible for the hosts’ safety inside the park, and he references his “core drive.”
In an interview with TheWrap, EP/co-creator/director/writer Lisa Joy confirmed Stubbs is not a human.
“Yes! It is safe to assume,” she said.
“And there is a step further that you can assume too. And we don’t say it explicitly, but if you are left wondering with all [Stubbs’] talk, his knowing talk about, ‘I’ve been at the park a very long time,’ and Ford designed him with certain core drives, and he’s gonna stick to the role he’s been programmed with; it’s a little acknowledgement of just why he might have his suspicions about what’s going on with Hale, and then lets her pass.”
Here are some other moments that you might have missed:
The Pearls
When Halores escapes, she looks into her bag and has multiple pearls. We know from earlier in the episode they contain enormous amounts of host data, alternate realities, and the all the stored information on the millions of guests that have come through the park.
One pearl probably contained Bernard, since she remakes him in the outside world. Halores also mentions some hosts were “left behind” and then we cut to Teddy in the Valley Beyond, so we assume it means he didn’t make it to the real world.
Who’s Dead?
Is anyone every really dead in Westworld? Hosts can be rebuilt, and now we’ve learned that human can be programmed and replicated.
Dolores, Bernard, and Charlotte made it out of the park. We see them at Arnold’s house about to enter into the real world.
Maeve, Hector, and Clementine were killed before entering into the Valley Beyond, but later on, Tom and Sylvester are tasked with “salvaging” any viable hosts, so we can hope they choose them to revive.
It’s also safe to assume Elsie Hughes (Shannon Woodward), Lee Sizemore (Simon Quarterman), and Karl Strand (Gustaf Skarsgard) are probably legitimately dead since they were actually humans.
And what about Anthony Hopkins? Bernard says goodbye to his memory of him, but Ford’s been the puppeteer this whole time … is he ever really gone for good?
The Man in Black/William
Talk about having a rough time.
In the post-credits scene we see an injured William stumble down into the Forge. It’s dark, empty, damaged and looks like a significant amount of time as passed. Then, he sees his daughter Emily, whom he previously killed.
Meanwhile, in a previous scene, we saw William in a tent on the beach barely alive but still breathing and about to be evacuated, so it’s not clear what time line is taking place. But as we know, there are reality simulations happening concurrently all the time in Westworld.
Back in the Forge, William is talking to a possible host-Emily. She tells him, “This is your world. Or what’s left of it” and then walks with him into an experiment room eerily similar to the one James Delos existed in.
She reveals she’s been testing William for “a long time” in the hopes of finding “fidelity.”
So does this confirm that the MIB/William is a host or copy of the alive person we saw on the beach?
We’ll have to wait until Season 3 to find out.
