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SPOILER Warning. Just to be perfectly clear there are spoilers galore in this post. I'm gonna spoil your face off. So if you haven't watched 'Trompe L'Oeil' (Episode 7) get thee to a TV set or thou shalt henceforth be spoiled.  
Well, folks, it's official. Our beloved Bernard is but another of Robert Ford's seductive inventions; a carefully calibrated host and lapdog who has served faithfully for years. For many, including myself, this is confirmation of a theory so popular many of us have already moved on to the next big Bernard theory (I'll get there in a bit). But what the creators have pulled off is a twist that doesn't feel like a disappointment, but a genuine revelation -- an impressive trick to pull off when it's been so long predicted -- and an opportunity to deepen and reshape our understanding of Westworld's creator and the world he's shaped.
Tonight brings the first of what may be many instances of the fanbase predicting a Westworld twist long before its reveal. In the age of social media-fuelled speculation where millions of minds are collaborating on a single mystery, twists become an at-your-peril narrative decision that threatens to leave audiences unsatisfied or smirking with a self-congratulatory, "I knew it." With the first major reveal in what I imagine, and very much hope, will be many more in the closing episodes to come, Westworld manages to rise above that with careful craftsmanship. Because the episode didn't just drop the knowledge on you and cut to credits. Instead, the reveal was embedded in propulsive narrative action that will have consequences within the world of the show, not just on the audience. [caption id="attachment_596238" align="alignright" width="360"] westworld-chestnut-image-7 Image via HBO[/caption] Westworld's writers know what kind of game they're playing and, if you were looking, the signs have always been there. The way Ford has always spoken to and about Bernard in a condescending, know it all fashion. The pillow-talk jokes with Teresa about whether or not Benard is "practicing" his humanity with her. The fact that his son died of an illness in a time when we know all illness has been cured. For more details, you can check out my Westworld theories explainer or Kayti's Bernard break down, but Westworld has invited this speculation  from the beginning, and that's exactly why the 'Trompe L'oeil' twist works even if you saw it coming. The truth about Bernard has been carefully and intentionally worked into the narrative in a way that feels like a payoff rather than a deception.
At no point is Bernard's reveal played as a gotcha moment. To the contrary, the episode guides you there from the beginning, and not altogether very subtly. The episode itself is titled 'Trompe L'oeil', which is the name of a painting technique used to make two-dimensional objects appear 3D. No, not very subtle at all. The subtext is there from the opening shot, which echoes the morning loops we've seen from Dolores and Maeve -- a centered close-up of Bernard in bed as he opens his eyes and wakes. The scene reveals he's trapped in a nightmare, the tragic moment of his son's death, but the framing is too intentional to dismiss. From there, we see Bernard in his little loop, coping with his grief and programming the hosts day-in and day-out.

But Westworld isn't in its usual state, so neither is his loop, and the tumultuous relationship between DELOS and Dr. Ford leads to the revelation so many of us have been waiting for after Bernard loses his job and brings Teresa to the home of Ford's surrogate family. As they're arriving he tells her, "The longer I work here, the more I think I understand the hosts. It's the human beings who confuse me." No, not very subtle at all.

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Image via HBO

Once there, she discovers Bernard's tragic truth, that he's nothing but one of Ford's creations, and the audience discovers it visually in what is becoming a classic Westworld camera move. Teresa points to a door that Bernard cannot see, the camera swings 360 behind him to reveal it was there the whole time. We just couldn't see it because we were seeing from his perspective. (We've seen this move a lot with our unreliable host narrators, Dolores in particular, and I imagine theorists would do well to go look back on those moments for context cues.) It's a nice touch and a demonstration of how expertly designed this show has been -- this is exactly why Bernard couldn't see Ford until he was right next to him in 'The Adversary'. Every bit of this series has been meticulously thought out. Westworld respects its audience. If you are paying attention, it will reward you.

For example, look at Teresa's body language as Ford is closing in on her. She's doing just what Bernard told her, keeping her hands on her hips in a power pose so she doesn't show her weakness. Tragically, she just can't see that she's the most vulnerable she's ever been. Credit must also be paid to Sidse Babett Knudsen and Jeffrey Wright for making this moment work. They are extraordinary, especially Knudsen, who runs an emotional marathon as she slowly grasps how dire of a situation she's truly in.

And just like that, the truth of Bernard's sad existence is revealed and the rest of the sequence plays out with a stomach-sinking horror as Teresa discovers that truth for herself, finding Bernard's design plans, and with his casual dismissal and the ultimate confirmation: "It doesn't look like anything to me." That horror only sinks further when Ford appears, having instructed Bernard to bring Teresa after a crass power play from the board. And in a single sequence Ford reveals himself for the true snake he is, commanding Bernard to murder the one real person he has grown intimate with. Ford is a "fucking monster" indeed and that revelation is part of why this twist works so well. In the midst of Westworld's orchestrated mysteries, it was time for some truths.

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Image via HBO

The truth about Bernard is only a part of the reveal, a slight shift in perspective that frames a ballistic advance in the narrative. We also now know for sure another truth we've long suspected, Ford is a calculating player of Westworld's game -- and he's the very best, shaping the future of both the world he's created and the world he lives in. He plays god in the "real world" as casually as he does in the park. He's also a cold-blooded killer, which was hinted at in 'The Adversary when the child/host Ford killed the family dog. Teresa's murder will likely have implications of its own, though Ford seems rather confident he can literally get away with murder, and that assurance in itself raises all kinds of questions.

First of all, how will he conceal her murder? Or is it possible he's so powerful he doesn't have to? Maybe I'm just not keen to see Knudsen go, but has he already started creating a robot surrogate for her? Wouldn't it be a chilling reveal to find that the host he was crafting in his off-the-grid home was actually a Teresa dupe? And if he can churn out a host every few days, how many sleepers does he have roaming around the halls of Westworld's offices? Depending on how deep his god complex runs, and I'm thinking it's pretty damn deep, it's not unreasonable to think that Ford may have amassed a secret army of his own over the years (not to mention the army we know is resting in cold storage).

Has Ford gotten away with murder before? That seems likely. Did he, in fact, kill Arnold as Teresa accused? That's rather more up for debate. But on the subject of Arnold, let's talk about those forward-looking Bernard theories I mentioned earlier. The confirmation that Bernard is a host is far and away from resolving all the questions about his narrative. There are many, again, including me, who have speculated that Bernard is Ford's recreation of Arnold, a surrogate partner on par with his surrogate family. This remains to be seen, but there is ample evidence to suggest this is the case. [caption id="attachment_601266" align="alignright" width="360"] westworld-sidse-babett-knudsen-jeffrey-wright-shannon-woodward Image via HBO[/caption] Look at the photo Ford shows Bernard of Arnold, we learned that the man is not Arnold but Ford's father, and there's enough room for another person in the shot -- a person Bernard would not see if it looked just like him because "they cannot see the things that will hurt them". Arnold's life was "marred by tragedy", Bernard is ever-grieving the loss of his son. Then there's the fact, as a commenter pointed out, that Bernard Lowe is an anagram for Arnold Weber. And hey, haven't we seen this basement before? As I said before, this show has not been subtle, the clues have been carefully crafted and well laid out.
And finally, there are the conversations between Bernard and Dolores, in which he offers her the path to the maze that will set her free. As much as I love the implications of an A.I. that is trying to guide another of his kind to freedom, now more than ever, I believe these aren't conversations between Dolores and Bernard, but Dolores and Arnold in the time when the Westworld co-creator was seeking to create true consciousness. But this is all conjecture, and even if Bernard is not Arnold, this reveal has opened up narrative pathways for fascinating reveals about Bernard's character.
He has essentially been living as a privileged host. He is not subjected to daily traumas, and despite the repetition of his loop, he carries long periods of memories at a time. I wonder what his bulk apperception level is.We can empathize with hosts now more than ever. This is a host who can truly comprehend the full horror of his situation. Who will he be in the wake of Teresa's murder and what will he remember? Likely, he will forget the crime itself, at least for a time, but will he also forget about Elsie's disappearance? We don't know if Bernard has been updated with reveries, so will he ever recall his own recent trauma? That's assuming the reveries are responsible, which we still don't know for sure. One thing we do now for sure is that hosts absolutely can kill human beings and that sets a dangerous stage for the end of the season.
Westworld now has three episodes to wrap up its first season. Three episodes to satisfy the extraordinary wealth of fan theories that have sprung up over the season. Three episodes to reward the audience for their eagle-eyed attention to detail. If 'Trompe L'oeil's Bernard reveal is any indication, Westworld's final episodes are going to come together like a tapestry -- a detailed and intricate assembly of what we know and what we've suspected that interweaves the past with the present in a single cohesive narrative. If each reveal is treated with the care and consideration Bernard's was, I say bring it on.