Everything you need to know about the wildest William theory this season on 'Westworld'

The Man in Black Westworld The Man in Black Westworld
Ed Harris as Old William on "Westworld."

Warning: Spoilers ahead for HBO's "Westworld" season two, including speculation of future events.

As any "Westworld" fan knew was inevitable, theories trying to solve mysteries presented on the second season are already running rampant online. One of the biggest unanswered questions so far lies in the control unit for a human-host hybrid which Ford had Bernard create. Whose conscious mind was digitally printed onto that little red pearl?

One compelling argument is that it's William — which would potentially mean the older version of William we've been watching navigate the park's chaos is actually a host who doesn't realize he died.

The case for William being a host is linked to "The Door"

On the opening episode of this season, we learned that Ford coded a game designed for William called "The Door."  

"Now you're in my game," Ford told William via his young-host-self. "In this game, you have to make it back out. In this game, you must find the door. Congratulations William. This game is meant for you. The game begins where you end. It ends where you began."

Young Ford Host Westworld season two episode one HBO
The Young Ford host who told William about "The Door."

"Westworld" co-creator Jonathan Nolan told Entertainment Weekly each season of the show has its own title. The first season was "The Maze," and the second season is "The Door."

The maze featured so heavily on the final episode of the first season with Dolores finally achieving consciousness and the audience realizing both Arnold and Ford's motivations with the park. So it follows that the importance of the door will be a major aspect of this season's finale. 

So what if the door involved William needing to confront the revelation that he's a host? 

If Ford had Bernard print a control unit pearl with William's consciousness on it, and successfully built a William-host who doesn't even realize he's a host, that would mean Ford succeeded where William himself failed (with the James Delos host). 

James Delos Westworld season two
Host-James Delos as seen on "Riddle of the Sphinx."

Maybe the game Ford has set up for William is a journey that slowly allows his new host-human hybrid mind to catch up with reality. 

"The game begins where you end," Ford said. "It ends where you began."

If it began with William's literal end (death), and then ends with William arriving to the place where his host-human self was made, that fits with what Ford said about "The Door."

Later on the fourth episode of this season, Ford repeats a similar sentiment to William that caught the ear of "Westworld" fans on the show's subreddit community.

Lawrence Daughter host Izabella Alvarez Westworld season two HBO John P Johnson
Ford spoke to William through this host.
John P. Johnson/HBO

"You still don't understand the real game we are playing here," Ford said (via Lawrence's host-daughter). "If you're looking forward, you are looking in the wrong direction."

If the right direction is backwards, perhaps William is on a path to discovering his own death which happened sometime in the not-too-distant past.

More context clues from the first season that might connect to the theory

This theory would also fit with why Ford told William the maze "wasn't meant for him" last season — it's only designed for hosts who aren't conscious yet. But if William is the first successful host-human, then he wouldn't need the maze.

Then there was the first and last time we saw Ford and William speaking to each other. On the fifth episode of season one, Ford entered the park to talk to William in a bar. William thought Ford was trying to prevent him from finding the center of the maze.

"Far be it from me to get in the way of a voyage of self-discovery," Ford said. 

Ford William Westworld season one bar scene
Ford's motivations with William have always been mysterious.

This was the last thing we saw Ford say directly to William. What if his plan was already in motion at this point? Maybe Ford knew William was already on the path to discovering his host-human identity, and wanted to check in one last time. 

It's also noteworthy that Ford was playing "Clair de Lune" by Debussy on the piano right as William walked into the bar during this scene. Debussy's "Rêverie" is connected to Arnold and the hosts' growing consciousness, which means the presence of another Debussy song in this scene could have been an intentional nod to the link between William and the hosts.

Arguments against the theory of William being a host

The biggest concern for many about this theory is that we already had a "this 'human' is really a host" twist on the first season with Bernard. While it's possible for the show to pull this reveal off twice, this might be too similar for many fans' comfort. 

There are also several other convincing arguments for who Ford had Bernard print a control unit for, including Ford himself or his dead partner Arnold. 

A clever idea for a twist on the theory is also that Ford did have Bernard help create a William host-human hybrid — but maybe it's a young version of William (played by Jimmi Simpson). Vanity Fair's Joanna Robinson convincingly makes the argument for this option, noting that Young William is the person who had the deep connection to Dolores which would connect this big reveal to the robot rebellion storyline nicely.

Until more clues present themselves, we'll have to stay in the speculative gray area. But "Westworld" fans should keep this possibility in mind as the second season progresses further down the rabbit hole.

For more on "Westworld," including our master timeline of every major event so far, read all of INSIDER's coverage here.


SEE ALSO: 9 compelling 'Westworld' fan theories you need to know

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