Westworld: What We Know About Dolores So Far

The first season of HBO’s mind-blowing series, Westworld, is officially half over.

After Contrapasso, the fifth episode, we learned a lot more about Dolores (Evan Rachael Wood) and gained some insight on her history as a host and possibly her future role in the storyline.

When we first met Dolores Abernathy, she was sweet and innocent farm girl who lived on a ranch with her family in the town of Sweetwater.

We learned that she was the oldest host in the park, meaning she is (or at least her AI mind) is over 35 years old, and was completely content living her simple daily narrative.

However, after five episodes of utter tragedy and awakening Dolores has evolved into something or someone entirely new.

Although we aren’t entirely sure if she is having flashbacks, dreams, memories or when everything is taking place, episode 5 revealed a lot that we didn’t know before.

Here is what we know about Dolores Abernathy at the half-way point of Westworld…

Dolores Knows Arnold

After Dolores was having visions of herself in the town of Pariah, she ran into a parade of insane-looking people and promptly passed out. 

She opened her eyes and was sitting naked in a dark room with Dr. Ford, where he proceeded to ask her a series of questions and run diagnostics.

He first asked, “Dolores, are you having dreams again? Thinking of breaking out of your modest little loop…taking on a bigger role?”

This tells us that the exact same thing has happened to Dolores in the past, maybe even more than once.

He then asks her if she remembers Arnold, the man who created her, explaining that he is still there underneath all of her updates. And if she is hearing voices in her head again

She claims she doesn’t know who Dr. Ford is speaking about and she isn’t hearing any voices. He switches her into “analysis” mode and asks her when she spoke to Arnold last.

She responds with 34 years 42 days 7 hours ago and a number of days down to the very second. Dr. Ford says yes, the day Arnold died.

This tell us that Dolores was actually with Arnold when he “committed suicide” in the park. 

We also learn that Arnold’s last words were spoken directly to Dolores; he told her that she is going to help him destroy this place.

He apologizes for bothering her, explaining that no one else was there, and no one else understands.

As Dr. Ford turns off the lights and walks away, Dolores starts talking to herself saying, “He doesn’t know anything, I didn’t tell him anything!”

Hosts can’t lie.

 

 

Dolores Is In Control

At the end of the scene with Dr. Ford, Dolores tells Arnold that she lied about hearing voices. She lied so well, that she succeeded in tricking Dr. Ford.

But how could a host lie in analytics mode? It’s simple really – she is no longer under control of her programming, stuck in her narrative loop, or listening Dr. Ford.

There is quite a lot of evidence that Dolores is now listening to her own wants and needs instead of following the rules.

Dolores has one vision that re-occurs over and over again. The vision appears when she sees something that reminds her of the past event.

For example, when Dolores, William, and Logan are on their way to Pariah they walk through a random graveyard, which prompts Dolores to have a memory. 

She stops dead in her tracks and sees herself in the doorway of a blue church with a steeple, surrounded by a similar crosses and tombstones. In her head, Arnold says, “Find me,” and she responds with “Show me how.”

William notices and asks if she was talking to someone, she lies again and says it must have been the wind.

 

She has another vision of the same church, and again William notices her talking to herself and asks if she’s ok. They start talking about making life changes and choosing different paths. William mentions the “real world,” and Dolores stops him asking what he means.

At this moment, William realizes that Dolores understands. The hosts are programmed to ignore any talk of anything outside of Westworld, but Dolores is hanging onto their every word.

When they reach Pariah, Logan makes a deal with “Lawrence” to hold up some soldiers. Dolores, who is always well-mannered with perfect behavior agrees to go along.

She changes her clothes and becomes a new “person.”

The change in clothing might seem frivilous, but leaving her dainty blue dress behind and opting for a cowboyhat and a gun holster is symbolic for leaving the old Dolores behind and making her own conscious decisions.

Dolores being in control means she is acting out of her natural programmed character, especially when she breaks her programmed rule not to hurt anyone, picks up a gun and saves William from being hurt.

She is finally “being herself.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dolores Has A Mission

While Dolores, Logan, and William are at the rather lavish, hedonistic party in Pariah, Logan instigates a fight with William in turn making him angry.

Dolores is in deep thought and taking in every detail around her with a bit of confusion. She gets visibly upset while Logan is belittling William, forcing him to break.

William turns around and Dolores is gone. She runs down the hallway and into a fortune tellers room. She pulls a card that reveals the maze and she see’s herself sitting across from her wearing her old blue dress 

Blue dress Dolores tells herself that she must follow the maze and that she is unravelling. 

She discovers that there was a setup and warns William that they have to run. William reponds with, “of course we do, it’s part of the story.“

Dolores pleads that it isn’t a game and that together they can make a way out. She reveals that there is a voice inside of her telling her the way out through the maze and it’s telling her she needs William, too.

At the very end of the episode, Dolores shoot and kills the other solider hosts that are hurting William saving his life. William is shocked.

With a sense of urgency she tells him to run towards the train, because it’s their only way out of Westworld alive. 

“Lawrence” happens to be on the train and tells them it’s a long ride to “the front.”

Dolores sees the image of the map on a wooden coffin and declares, “I’m coming.”

She fully understands what is happening around her, she is speaking with Arnold, and she is on a clear-cut mission to get to the maze.

Now that Dolores is “awake” it will be interesting to see how her decisions differ from those that were programmed into her life, if she continues with William, if she completes her mission, and if she ends up being the hero that the hosts so desperately need.

We’re officially halfway through the season and her evolution is already fascinating. Imagine how much more alive she will become in the last five episodes!