Westworld: Can Bernard be Trusted?

Westworld has shown us a lot about Bernard. Can Ford go on trusting him as his right-hand man?

We now know maybe a little too much about Bernard. The character started as just another one of Westworld’s boring humans, but he is now so much more. Having Bernard “outed” as a Host opens up a world of possibilities, though not many of them promise a happy ending. We know that killing Theresa had a profound impact on Bernard — an impact that Ford referred to as “beautiful.” Since we know that Hosts are capable of that level of emotion, it’s tough to say if Bernard can actually continue to be trusted by Ford.

In the last episode we saw a flash of Bernard killing Elsie, an event that Ford lied to Bernard about. It’s not going to be good when that inevitably comes to light. We also know that the Hosts are capable of holding onto fragments of their memories after they’ve been wiped. Ford erased Bernard’s memories of killing Theresa (and also their relationship,) but those could pop back up at almost anytime. Just look at what both Maeve and Dolores are going through.

Ford is fiercely, dangerously intelligent, but he is also full of himself on a grand scale. It’s possible that he wouldn’t keep an eye on Bernard, believing that his control is enough to keep him in line. But that’s likely not going to be the case. If Ford believes that he is infallible, which he clearly does, it could give Bernard an opening for revenge. That’s not such a concern right now, and it’s possible that little plot point won’t become relevant until season 2. But it’s bubbling their, directly under the surface of Bernard’s perfectly designed face.

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Playing this sort of guessing game is one of the reasons that Westworld is great despite its flaws. The first season is quickly coming to a close, but predicting what’s going to happen is practically impossible. Just enjoy the ride.