| “ | The only thing stopping the hosts from hacking us to pieces is one line of your code. | ” |
–Ashley Stubbs, to Elsie Hughes, in "The Stray" | ||
Ashley Stubbs is a main character in the sci-fi western TV series, Westworld. He is the Head of the Westworld QA Security Force and most often found in the Control Room. In the Second Season Finale it is heavily implied that he is actually a Host built by Robert Ford. Stubbs is played by Luke Hemsworth.
Biography
Background
Stubbs is Westworld's Head of Security, in the Quality Assurance Division. His responsibility, ostensibly, is to monitor the park and make sure that the Guests are kept safe. He is also responsible for investigating any park disturbances and has other responsibilities that were assigned to him by Ford[2] when he started working as head of security. Stubbs has authority in the control room, having allowed the Man in Black to continue his killing spree. [3]
Season One
"The Original"
Stubbs is waiting with Theresa Cullen when Bernard Lowe arrives, summoned by her, in the Control Room. She tells Stubbs to check on some unscheduled activity in Sub-Level B83, "Cold Storage", and he says he'll take a security detail. Bernard's a little condescending about Stubbs' plans for and armed details and he's a little condescending in return, but there doesn't seem to be any bad feeling between the men. He and Bernard accompany an armed security detail to the sub-level. It's partially flooded. They walk through the level, down the silent escalators and enter the Cold Storage Hall, a large, damp, area full of Hosts, standing quietly in rows. At the back of the hall they find someone in a room, and Bernard stops Ashley when he goes to draw his weapon. He points out that one of the people in the back room is Robert Ford, the Park Director. Ashley hangs back while Bernard goes to speak to him
Stubbs turns up with a team to clean up when Walter starts shooting other hosts earlier than in his script. He goes to look after two guest who were caught up in it while Bernard and Elsie Hughes stay outside. When he comes back out, Theresa tells him to recall all remaining updated hosts and examine them individually.
Stubbs and a Behaviour Tech examine Dolores Abernathy as part of Theresa's recall. When she's brought back online Dolores panics and Stubbs quickly tells the Tech to turn off the effects of her emotions. He calls her "sweetheart", and he's quite gentle with her. While he's questioning her, Dolores tells him that she's terrified - without showing any emotion. He tells her that there's nothing to be frightened of and asks if her father has ever questioned the nature of his reality. Dolores makes excuses for her father, saying that he was scared, not thinking right. He asks her about the picture, she says that it didn't look like anything to her.
Stubbs asks her what it was that her father whispered to her, she says that he told her not to tell anyone. Stubbs reassures her and she reveals that Peter Abernathy whispered "These violent delights have violent ends." in her ear. He asks her if she's ever lied to "us" (the staff at Westworld) she replies no. His last question is would she ever hurt a living thing and she says "No, of course not."
The Tech asks him if he thinks Dolores' core code has been affected? He replies no, that Dolores has been repaired so many times that she looks brand new - but in fact she's the oldest host in the park.
"Chestnut"
"The Stray"
"Dissonance Theory"
"Contrapasso"
"The Adversary"
"Trompe L'Oeil"
Stubbs is present when a demonstration of the hosts' potential violence towards the guests is given. He tries to restrain Clementine after she kills the other host in the demonstration, but is forced to shoot her when she ignores orders to deactivate and advances on him.
"Trace Decay"
Stubbs debriefs Charlotte and Ford on what happened to Theresa when her body is discovered. He reveals that she was found with a transmitter, and deduces that she was trying to transmit from a high place when she slipped and fell. He listens while Ford and Charlotte speak about matters pertaining to the park's safety and the hosts' narratives, interrupting only to bring up a point relevant to the discussion.
"The Well-Tempered Clavier"
Stubbs is alerted to a signal coming from Elsie Hughes' device, which is somewhere in the middle of the park. He finds it suspicious, as she is supposed to be on leave, and goes into the park to investigate. He finds the area emitting the signal, and suddenly hears a noise. A group of Ghost Nation Hosts appear from the trees, and Stubbs tells them to cease all motor functions. They ignore the command and continue advancing on him. He pulls out his gun and gives the command again, and is about to shoot when he is tackled by a Ghost Nation warrior.
Season Two
"Journey Into Night"
Approximately two weeks after the hosts took over, Stubbs is on the beach at the edge of the park helping the PMC and the Delos Extraction Team with their rescue operation. He rescues Bernard from some soldiers, unaware of Bernard's true nature, and takes him to Delos Head of Security Karl Strand. Stubbs tries to defend Bernard when Strand accuses of him of failing as Head of Behavior for the hosts, but is quickly reminded by Strand that as leader of the security force Delos suffered the single greatest loss of life under him.
Later on he joins the security team in investigating the scene of the massacre, finding the dead body of Robert Ford in the process. While approaching a location where the hosts supposedly are, the team is startled to find the rotting host corpse of a Bengal Tiger from Park 6: Stubbs points out that they have never had hosts stray from their parks before. Continuing on, they discover an entire sea has emerged in the middle of the park, and floating in the water are the corpses of hundreds of hosts.
"Virtù e Fortuna"
Stubbs joins the security team as they arrive in the underground, where they meet up with Charlotte Hale.
"The Riddle of the Sphinx"
Some time after he was initially attacked by the Ghost Nation hosts at the start of the host uprising, Stubbs is at a camp of human hostages while being harrassed by Ehawee, when Grace is thrown next to him. He tells her about the protocol for guest evacuation, but she says she does not want to leave the park. After Grace breaks free from their captors, Stubbs is subdued and a knife is placed on his throat. The wielder, Akecheta, whispers in his ear (in English, whereas they had previously only spoke in Lakota), "You live only as long as the last person who remembers you." After a dramatic movement of the knife, Stubbs suddenly finds himself alone, but alive.
"Phase Space"
Stubbs arrives at the Mesa in time to meet Charlotte Hale, who brings in a struggling Peter Abernathy and retrieves a tablet to contact Delos. Stubbs reacts in disbelief that she is only now calling for an extraction team, but Charlotte explains that Delos would not send for help until Abernathy was safe. Stubbs helps Hale and some technicians restrain Abernathy in the Behavior Lab and Diagnostics area, but reacts with horror when they decide to nail him to the operating table.
Outside the Mesa, Stubbs meets with the extraction team, led by Coughlin, who refuses to cooperate with Stubbs, accusing him of letting the situation in the park occur.
"Les Ecorches"
In the present, Stubbs pulls Bernard aside and warns him that the Delos team is more interested in extracting their data than rescuing people and suggests they make their escape, to which Bernard agrees. On their way out, however, they are stopped by Strand, who thinks one of them has the key that motivated them to kill Theresa Cullen: Stubbs is surprised, as to his knowledge Cullen had died in the park. They are taken to a Remote Diagnostic Facility where Cullen was killed, and Strand threatens to kill Stubbs, thinking he must be the one that killed Cullen. Just as Bernard tries to stop Strand, they are interrupted by one of the soldiers finding a locked door. Entering it, they discover numerous Bernard hosts, revealing Bernard's true identity to everyone. Stubbs later watches as Bernard is tortured by Hale through simulated waterboarding, which he is clearly disturbed by. After Bernard's information is extracted, Stubbs joins the group heading for the Valley Beyond.
In the past, Stubbs informs Hale that the train has been deliberately crashed into the Mesa. Coughlin orders Stubbs to stay and protect Abernathy. Stubbs later hears the team sent to confront the hosts getting massacred, and upon seeing Hale orderRoland to cut open Abernathy and copy over his control unit, demands to know what is in Abernathy's head. Hale ignores him.
The task eventually takes too long and Hale tells Roland to simply remove the control unit. Hearing the carnage going on nearby, Stubbs loses his patience and pulls a gun on Abernathy, once again demanding to know what is in Abernathy's head. Hale starts to explain he has an encryption key that they need, but they are interrupted by the arrival of Dolores and Teddy, who holds back Stubbs as Dolores confronts Hale. Stubbs listens in as the hosts destroy the Cradle and protests as he sees Dolores about to torture Hale, but they are momentarily distracted by Abernathy recognizing Dolores and Teddy leaving to deal with some nearby gunfire. Stubbs seizes the distraction and helps Hale escape into an elevator.
"The Passenger"
On-route to the Valley Beyond, Maling reports several human life signs nearby. Stubbs replies that they must be the remaining guests and requests boats and some soldiers to help rescue them, but Strand refuses as he is not there for the guests. Hale interrupts and grants Stubbs permission, though she adds that they should go on-foot. Stubbs leaves.
Later, Stubbs oversees the rescue and departure of the remaining guests, only to see Charlotte Hale (now revealed to the audience as Dolores since before Stubbs and Bernard met up with her in the Hub in "Virtù e Fortuna") approaching the line. He confronts her, noting he thought she was working on retrieving Delos's information, to which she replies she has business on the main land. Pausing for a moment, Stubbs cryptically tells her that he has been working at the park "for a very long time" and he does not really trust Hale or Delos because his loyalty has always been to Ford. Essentially, it has been his "core drive." He then leans in and emphasizes that, with Ford gone, his duty has always been to protect the hosts in the park, hinting that he knows more about her than he has been letting on. He then lets her through the security.
Personality
Stubbs is skeptical about the ability of the Delos Incorporated engineers and scientists and sees himself as often having to clean up their mess. He is anxious to go into action, in "The Original" he was accused by Bernard of "liking to play dress up more than the guests."
Relationships
- Elsie Hughes: When they have to track down a stray host, he lightly flirts with her (indicating that he likes her company) and he shows real concern for Elsie after the host escapes a pit and seemingly attacks her with a giant rock. When learning that her signal was discovered somewhere in the park sometime after her disappearance, he is quick to search for her, concerned for her safety.
- Bernard Lowe: Stubbs seems to be on friendly terms with Bernard as one of his subordinates, expressing relief upon finding him on the beach. He is quick to defend Bernard when he is accused of failing as Head of Behavior by Karl Strand, insisting that Strand was not in the park when the hosts took over and would not know what they were dealing with. Even when he learned Bernard was actually a host, Stubbs was obviously discomforted by the torture Charlotte Hale put him through.
Gallery
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Appearances
Trivia
- Stubbs' service pistol is a Beretta Px4 Storm Subcompact. He has stated he carries his pistol with him at all times in the park - even while he sleeps.
- The ending scene of "The Passenger" heavily implies without directly stating that Stubbs is another host built by Ford. This was more or less confirmed by episode director Frederick E.O. Toye and Lisa Joy.[4]
- The scene where Stubbs hints he may be a host was written by Jonathan Nolan the night before the scene was filmed; Hemsworth, upon reading the script, reacted positively.[4]
