Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for the finale of Westworld Season 4.Westworld’s fourth season concluded with an epic bloodbath. Hosts and humans fought it out in an Escape From New York-style dystopian battle royale. Although it was arguably the most action packed episode of the series yet, “Que Será, Será” left time to conclude the romance between Christina (Evan Rachel Wood) and Teddy (James Marsden). Teddy’s return to the series had been a surprise; many fans had assumed that he was gone for good after he entered the Sublime at the end of the second season.
Teddy had returned earlier in Season 4 to gradually inform Christina about her true identity. Although it appeared as if Dolores’ memories from her time in Westworld had been erased, Teddy helped remind Christina about everything that she had endured over the past few seasons. In last week’s episode, “Metanoia,” Teddy and Christina broke into Olympiad Entertainment to initiate the endgame, where Teddy informs Christina that they are simply “reflections of the people who made us.”
It appeared last week that Teddy and Christina had only barely missed running into Frankie (Aurora Perrineau) and Stubbs (Luke Hemsworth), who were on a mission to rescue Caleb (Aaron Paul) at the tower. It was clearly explained why; they weren’t really there at all. Christina realizes that she is the author of the narratives in Charlotte Hale’s (Tessa Thompson) city. These stories are reminiscent of her time in the park.
In “Que Será, Será,” Christina and Teddy search through the remnants of the city as they look for the person that left the clues behind. It’s Teddy who notes that the symbol on the deck of Christina’s apartment is a familiar one. “The Maze” served as a pathway to consciousness in the first season. This indicates to Christina that she has one more illusion that she needs to wake up from.
Christina realizes that Teddy, Peter (Aaron Stanford), her roommate Maya (Ariana DeBose), and all the other characters that she encountered this season were merely companions that she had created to help remind her of her past. Christina awakens to find herself staring face-to-face with her true self: Dolores. Christina is simply another copy of the original Dolores, and this is a world of her creation. She wasn’t ready to hear the truth until Teddy had returned to her life. “Humanity will never change,” he tells her. The stories that Christina created represent both the good and bad of mankind. She has observed mankind’s cruelty, but she’s also witnessed its compassion. The memory of Teddy is her “cornerstone,” and she refers to him as her “one true love” as Hale uploads Christina’s consciousness to The Sublime.
The Sublime itself has been preserved by Hale, who saved the drive containing the digital afterlife after listening to the message from Bernard (Jeffrey Wright). Hale survives a bloody shootout with the host version of William (Ed Harris). “The Choice” of the season was Hale’s decision to save the hosts, including Teddy and all those that had survived within The Sublime. Hale ultimately chooses to crush her own pearl, thus ending her life.
The Teddy that we’ve been seeing this season may be just part of Dolores’ memory, but the real Teddy has survived in The Sublime. When the memory of Teddy disappears, Christina vows to search for the real Teddy in the digital afterlife. It is here where she will create her new world, one based upon the original Westworld. This test will be drawn entirely from her memory, and will determine whether the remaining hosts can set themselves free.
It’s likely that Christina (now dressed in Dolores’ original outfit from the original Westworld) will encounter Teddy again in the new game within The Sublime. If this version of the park plays out with the exact same loop, then Dolores will see Teddy once he arrives in Sweetwater. The details of her test aren’t expressly clear, but it appears that Dolores’ final game will pit many of the characters that she’s encountered against each other. Teddy holds on to hope that there is still goodness left in the world. Perhaps, if she is able to see compassion from people like him, there is reason to hold on to hope.
Marsden has continuously been one of the more undervalued performers on Westworld. Teddy’s inherent goodness, and his inability to see the flaws in Dolores, make him one of the show’s most heartbreaking characters. Marsden was able to bring out the darker elements of Teddy when Dolores changed his programming in the second season. In Season 4, we see a more evolved Teddy who plays a critical role in the thematic subtext. Teddy may not be a “deep thinker,” but he’s one of Westworld’s best characters. If the show receives a fifth (and presumably final) season, then hopefully Teddy and Dolores will get their happily ever after.