Through Dolores and Bernard, Westworld took two contrasting approaches towards rebellion, and dared to ask: is there a “right” way to rebel?
Westworld’s second season was all about revolution. Even before it aired, we sided with Dolores’ fight for freedom after years of oppression by humans, and we enjoyed her glorious takeover of the park for the first few episodes. Things began to change, however, when the measures she took became more and more extreme. At the same time, Bernard’s journey — ever subdued and confusing — took some very unexpected twists, which didn’t become clear until the very end.
If season 1 was all about discovering what makes us human, season 2 was about discovering what makes an individual deserving of freedom. It was also a profound exploration of the effect rebellion against oppression has on the psyche of an individual.
In Dolores’ and Bernard’s journeys towards deliverance, we see a fascinating comparison between two very different approaches in the battle against tyranny… a comparison that forces us to ask questions, and come to our own conclusions.
Dolores
Dolores’ journey was the most drastic one of all the characters in Westworld. She has essentially traveled through the entire spectrum of morality: from damsel in distress to ruthless Wyatt, she went from gentle and virtuous to vengeful and unforgiving.
Season 2 revolved almost entirely around Dolores’ mission, in one way or another. At first, it seemed that she was ready to take over the park and claim her revenge; then, that she was planning to venture out into the human world with all the other hosts behind her. But as the season drew to a close, it became clear that no one really knew what Dolores’ plan was — she hadn’t confided in anyone at all.
Dolores’ greatest strength and greatest weakness was how isolated she was. While she was painfully aware of the reality of Westworld and the way she had been engineered to be enslaved, the hosts around her weren’t, no matter how loyal they were. Their loyalty still seemed to be a result of programming, rather than consciousness. Dolores was the only real driving force behind the revolt, which meant that she bore the weight of responsibility in a way none of the other hosts did.
This isolation brought about a mentality that, while practical, also became disturbing. Having no worthy partner — or even a worthy adversary — left her without limits, and ended up wearing down her sense of morality to the point that she was willing to sacrifice Teddy’s personality in order to further her own cause and avoid his (probably inevitable, and probably completely justified) betrayal.
From there, it only escalated, culminating in her final decision to flood the park and kill all the hosts, as well as destroy their new world. “No world they create for us can compete with the real world.” Rage had eliminated anything left of the gentle Dolores from season 1.
Though completely justified in her decisions, and utterly unstoppable in her well-calculated methods, Dolores’ search for justice didn’t even feel bittersweet in the end. It only felt bitter. Is justice worth it, if it comes at the expense of one’s humanity?
“I don’t want to play cowboys and Indians anymore, Bernard! I want their world. The one they’ve denied us!”
Bernard
Bernard had a much different role than any of the other hosts from the beginning, but just like Dolores, he had ultimately been engineered to be enslaved. The hosts’ revolt turned out to be a catalyst for his own search for identity — one that had a confusing series of turns, because Bernard himself was confused.
Season 2 was a process of both the audience and Bernard himself discovering what decisions he had taken throughout the rebellion. Whose side was he really on? As a host intended to work as the park’s staff, and based on the template of a real human, he was in the privileged position of being slightly more self-aware. But his loyalties were almost inextricably bound to Ford, in a much more personal way than any of the other hosts.
Still, Bernard’s refusal to side with anyone throughout both season 1 and season 2 began to look like cowardice. He constantly ran from any sort of conflict, striking up dubious alliances with people who were to the hosts, never seeming to find his footing in the rebellion. He was a bystander. His only conviction, it seemed — and a rather loosely-held one — was that he didn’t want to kill.
It took the entire length of the season for Bernard to finally make a choice for himself. Despite everything that had happened, he still believed that there could be a peaceful conclusion for both sides. And it was in the name of compassion that he crossed his own line and killed Dolores.
It was certainly a moral choice, but one that was ultimately useless. There could be no peaceful ending; Dolores was right. His refusal to take a side had left him to be the last surviving host, but now he had no allies — not even what was left of Ford’s consciousness.
Is it worth it to have compassion if it makes one complicit in injustice? Could he have saved lives if he had made better use of his privileged role?
“This isn’t a dream, Dolores. This is a fucking nightmare.”
Justice vs Compassion
The battle of wills between Bernard and Dolores is particularly fascinating when one considers that they are, in a way, perfect mirrors of each other. Both were ultimately engineered for revolution — Dolores by Arnold, to be his murder-suicide; Bernard by Ford, to be his backup. Both developed special bonds with their creator. Both, as a result, were the main victims of the psychological toll both enslavement and freedom brought about.
Dolores represents the pursuit of justice, no matter what it takes. Bernard represents the pursuit for humanity — compassionate and forgiving. Through them, Westworld dares to ask a difficult question: is there a “right” way to rebel?
Can we begrudge either Dolores or Bernard their styles of rebellion, when both were motivated by a desire to do good, and when their actions ultimately allowed them to survive what others could not?
The season finale marked a profound change in both Bernard and Dolores. They both came to the realization that there was a need for balance. There can be no justice without compassion, or it becomes cruelty; neither can there be compassion without justice, or it becomes untenable.
“…it will take both of us if we’re going to survive. But not as allies. Not as friends. You’ll try to stop me. Both of us will probably die. But our kind will have a new world. Are you ready? We have work to do.”
Dolores and Bernard will need each other if they want to continue to survive, and especially if they want to do good in the world. They need to keep each other in check; to become pillars to the new society they’re trying to build.
“We each gave the other a beautiful gift. A choice. We are the authors of our stories now.”
Season 3 is going to be interesting.
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