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{{Infobox/Episode
{{PNA}}
 
  +
| name = "Dissonance Theory"
{{Infobox episode
 
| title = {{PAGENAME}}
+
| season = [[Season 1|1]]
| season = 1
+
| number = 4
| number = 4
+
| image = Dissonance Theory.jpg
  +
| imagecaption =
| image = {{PAGENAME}}.jpg
 
  +
| airdate = October 23, 2016
| imagewidth = 210
 
| airdate =
+
| runtime = 59 min
| writer = [[Ed Brubaker]], [[Jonathan Nolan]]
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| writer = [[Ed Brubaker]] & [[Jonathan Nolan]]
| director = [[Vincenzo Natali]]
+
| director = [[Vincenzo Natali]]
| previous = "[[The Stray]]"
+
| previous = "[[The Stray]]"
| next = "[[Contrapasso]]"
+
| next = "[[Contrapasso]]"
  +
}}"'''Dissonance Theory'''" is the fourth episode of the [[Season 1|first season]] of ''[[Westworld (TV series)|Westworld]]'', and the fourth episode overall.
}}
 
   
  +
==Plot==
'''{{PAGENAME}}''' is the fourth episode of ''[[Westworld (TV Series)|Westworld]]'', and the fourth episode of the [[Season One|first season]]. The episode was co-written by [[Ed Brubaker]], [[Jonathan Nolan]], and directed by [[Vincenzo Natali]].
 
 
==Synopsis==
 
 
{{Quote
 
{{Quote
|Dolores joins William and Logan on a bounty hunt in the badlands. The Man in Black, with Lawrence in tow, finds a critical clue in his search to unlock the maze. Dr. Ford and Theresa discuss the future of the park. Maeve is troubled by a recurring vision.
+
|The Man in Black finds a clue towards the maze; Maeve is troubled by a recurring vision.
  +
|HBO
|Official Synopsis
 
 
}}
 
}}
   
==Plot==
+
==Synopsis==
The episode begins with another meeting between Dolores and Bernard. Bernard offers to switch off Dolores' feelings of grief over her dead parents, yet Dolores refuses, claiming that her grief is the only thing she has left of them. It appears that this response was not entirely scripted. As the conversation progresses, Dolores reveals that she feels that there is something wrong with her world or with herself and that she may be losing her mind. Bernard tells her to try a secret game, called the maze. The goal of this game is to find the centre of the maze, at which point Dolores may be "set free". Dolores replies that she thinks she wants to be free.
 
   
  +
=== Arnold and Dolores ===
Dolores wakes up with a gun in her hand, next to William, who she thanks.
 
 
The episode begins with another meeting between [[Dolores]] and [[Arnold]]. Arnold offers to switch off Dolores' feelings of grief over her dead parents, yet Dolores refuses, claiming that her grief is the only thing she has left of them; it appears that this response was not entirely scripted. As the conversation progresses, Dolores reveals that she feels that there is either something wrong with her world or with herself, and that she may be losing her mind. Arnold mentions a secret game: the maze. The goal of this game is to find the center of the maze, at which point Dolores may be "set free". Dolores replies that she thinks she wants to be free.
   
  +
=== Bernard, Ford and Theresa ===
At the saloon, a troubled Maeve speaks to Clementine. During the conversation, Maeve suddenly remembers both of them being shot and the appearance of a Westworld employee wearing a protective suit. In her bedroom, Maeve sketches the suit on a piece of paper and attempts to hide it under a floorboard. Opening the floorboard, she many copies of the same sketch already there.
 
   
Theresa interrogates Elsie over the stray, asking what caused it to go off loop. Theresa tells Elsie and Bernard that her team is taking over the situation, much to Elsie's chagrin. Afterwards, Elsie warns Bernard that the hosts' aberrant behaviour is more than just a glitch, but Bernard brushes her off, telling her she is imagining things.
+
[[Theresa]] interrogates [[Elsie]] over the stray, asking what caused it to go off loop. Theresa goes on to tell Elsie and Bernard that her team is taking over the situation, much to Elsie's chagrin. Afterwards, Elsie warns Bernard that the hosts' aberrant behavior is more than just a glitch, but Bernard brushes her off, telling her she is just imagining things.
   
  +
After sexual relations, Bernard tells Theresa that she looks stressed. Theresa replies that the board will arrive soon, and that she has a meeting with [[Robert Ford]] "tomorrow". Bernard gives Theresa advice, and they end up kissing.
Upon seeing William's interest in Dolores, Logan cynically tells him that the Westworld employees have purposefully sent her to give him something to care about.
 
  +
[[File:Ford_Warns_Theresa.jpg|thumb|Dr. Ford warns Theresa to stay out of his way.]]
  +
Theresa meets with Ford the next day, while a huge excavator digs land for his new story line. Ford then takes her to the restaurant at the Agave Plantation.
   
  +
Theresa mentions that she visited the restaurant as a child with her parents and that she may be sitting in the same seat she did back then. Responding to Ford's question about whether she liked Westworld, Theresa tells him that when she started working at [[Westworld (Location)|Westworld]], she realized it would be something she would not enjoy. Ford tells Theresa that Westworld was originally intended as something different, and that he had a bet with [[Arnold]] about whether the park was perfectly balanced. Ford lost the bet. Ford continues, claiming that Arnold was very cynical towards mankind, preferring the company of hosts to humans. And, that Arnold pleaded with Ford to not let a corporate influence affect the park. Ford states that to him, Westworld is not a business venture or a theme park, but an entire world, in which he has designed every detail. This makes Ford a god and corporate the guests. While saying this, Ford freezes every restaurant and plantation worker in sight with a movement of his finger. (This reveals that they are all hosts.)
At the Arroyo, Lawrence tries to convince the Man in Black to give up the search for the maze. The Man in Black disregards this, before spotting Armistice washing in the river, realising her snake tattoo may be the "snake" in the clue he was given. As Armistice approaches the duo, her men surround them with guns drawn. Unfazed, the Man in Black asks Armistice where she is headed and kills two of her men to make space in their group.
 
   
  +
Ford explains to Theresa that Arnold lost his perspective and went mad, unlike himself, who has always seen things very clearly. Ford goes on to say that he knows everything about both the park's guests and its employees. He reveals to Theresa that he knows about her relationship with Bernard, and follows this with a thinly veiled threat to her to stay out of his way. (He tells her that he's seen her kind come and go and they have "almost always" found a way to get along. He says that he is asking "her nicely" to not intervene in his plans.)
A Westworld employee tells Ashley that Dolores may be deviating from her loop, but it is hard to tell considering Ford's new storyline has caused so much chaos. The scene switches to Dolores at the same village that the Man in Black visited, talking to the same young girl that gave him the clue about the maze. As they speak, Dolores hears a voice saying "remember". A host finds Dolores and tries to make her return to the ranch, but William intervenes and states that she is with him. Dolores decides to stay with William as part of the bounty hunt storyline to find Slim.
 
   
  +
Ford unfreezes the hosts both inside and outside the restaurant with a flick of his finger. He tells the waiter to rejoin the others. Theresa and Ford both hear and see the approaching excavator. Theresa leaves, clearly disturbed.
Armistice kills two hosts upon getting information from them and continues riding with the Man in Black and Lawrence.
 
   
  +
=== Dolores and William ===
During the night, William questions Dolores on why she is able to leave her zone or path. Dolores responds that she thought everyone has a path, but had never questioned where those paths would lead. Dolores begins to question whether there is a place for her "beyond all this", a sentiment which William is able to relate to. Dolores begins having a flashback to an earlier moment where she was on the ground staring at the moon and saw a Westworld employee in a protective suit standing over her.
 
  +
[[Dolores]] awakens on the ground with a gun in her hand. She is next to [[Man in Black|William]], and she thanks him. Upon noticing William's interest in Dolores, [[Logan]] says that the [[Westworld (Location)|Westworld]] employees have sent Dolores to William to give him something to care about. Logan tells William that the company should bump their stake in Westworld because it is able to give even William something he enjoys. Upset, William asks Logan whether the trip was just meant to be business, to which Logan coldly replies that in his family everything is business.
  +
[[File:Westworld_Map_drawn_in_sand.jpg|thumb|The Maze Lawrence's daughter drew in the sand]]
  +
We see a Westworld employee warning [[Ashley Stubbs|Stubbs]] that Dolores may be deviating from her loop, but it is hard to tell considering Ford's new story lines have caused so much chaos. Stubbs says that Dolores should be retrieved by Behavior.
   
  +
At the same village (Las Mudas) that the [[Man in Black]] visited with [[Lawrence]], Dolores is alone by the fountain. Then, a girl ([[Lawrence's Daughter]]), seems to magically appear (sitting on the fountain). Dolores asks the girl if she is from Las Mudas, but the girl replies, "no". The girl says that Dolores should know this because she and Dolores are both from the same place. Dolores hears a male voice in her head say, "Remember", and immediately she has a memory flash of a white church. Disturbed, she kneels down to see the pattern of the Maze that the girl has drawn on the ground. A lawman approaches Dolores, and tells her that she belongs back at her ranch. He puts a hand on her shoulder and tells her that her father must be worried about her. Her facial expression changes, she hears a church bell, and she 'sees' memory flashes of entering a church, seeing Lawrence's daughter at the town with the white church, holding a gun, and kneeling in front of a grave. The girl has inexplicably vanished, and there is no longer a maze drawn in the sand.
At Armistice's campsite, a guest approaches the Man in Black and thanks him, stating that the Man in Black's foundation saved his sister's life. The Man in Black responds aggressively, telling the guest that this is his vacation. Lawrence tells the Man in Black of Armistice's plan to obtain something from a prison. Not wanting to waste any time, the Man in Black tells Armistice he intends to go to the prison himself and get the thing she is looking for. Armistice asks him what his price is, to which the Man in Black responds that he only wants information, namely the story behind her snake tattoo. The Man in Black mentions Arnold, claiming that he broke his own rule of being unable to die in Westworld by actually dying there, leaving behind one story he meant to tell. The Man in Black claims that he is honouring Arnold's legacy by pursuing a game with "real violence". Armistice agrees and lets him go with Lawrence, equipped with only one match.
 
   
  +
Dolores tells the lawman that she’s not going back to the ranch because her father is dead. The lawman grabs Dolores, as if to drag her away, but she resists. William shows up and intervenes. He says she is with him, and the lawman leaves, seeing that she’s with a guest. William notes they’ve got a lead on the bounty they are hunting, and suggests that she stay in Las Mudas. She decides to go with William, and says that she thinks that she needs to keep going.
In an armored carriage, the Man in Black and Lawrence are handcuffed, accompanied by Holden. The Man in Black offers cigars to Holden, who steals them from him save one. The Man in Black tells Lawrence that he is actually here to set him free.
 
   
  +
Later at night, she talks to William about how she thinks that in every moment there are many possible paths for a person to take. William asks Dolores where she is headed, and says that he assumes that the hosts have to stay within certain paths or zones. She admits that she used to believe everyone had a path, She says that she used to worry over a lost steer, and her father would tell her that the steer would eventually find their own way home. She remarks that it never before occurred to her that the cattle were just returning home to be slaughtered.
Deputy Foss berates Holden for not realising who Lawrence was. The Man in Black tells Foss that Lawrence prefers to be killed by firing squad, and Foss obliges, telling Holden to lock the Man in Black up. While in his jail cell, it is revealed that the Man in Black is with Hector, who he tells that he is his salvation. The Man in Black refers to Hector as a "prized poodle", locked in a cycle, and asks him about his worldview. Hector responds that only the truly brave can understand the world, by accepting that everything will end badly and no one will be saved. The Man in Black tells Hector that instead of having to wait three days to be broken out of the prison, they can break out now. The Man in Black's cigar is revealed to actually be explosive and destroys the lock of the prison. The small explosion is shown to be permitted by the Westworld employees. As they leave the prison, Holden's lit cigar blows his own head up.
 
   
  +
William asks her how she’ll find her way now. She replies that she feels like someone’s calling her to a place "beyond all this" where there’s a place for her. William says he knows the feeling, but asks if she really doesn’t want to go back to her own life. Then Dolores is shown alone. At first she is in darkness and then there is an enormous full moon near her. The moon morphs into a light like the ones inside the Mesa Hub. Then Dolores sees herself lying dead on the ground at the Abernathy ranch. And, a Westworld employee in a protective suit is standing over her. She faints and, once again, falls into William’s arms. He puts his arm around her waist and guides her back to the campfire.
Just as Lawrence is about to be killed via firing squad, the Man in Black and Hector kill Deputy Foss and his men, saving Lawrence's life once more.
 
  +
[[File:Slim_is_captured.jpg|thumb|[[Slim]] is captured]]
  +
Before assaulting Slim and his men (who are holding a family hostage), William tells Dolores to stay away because she can get hurt, unlike him. Holden, Logan and William kick in the door and open fire, killing Slim's men and capturing Slim.
   
  +
Further on, Slim pleads with the group, asking them to free him and saying that they can receive twice the amount of the bounty from El Lazo if Slim is taken to [[Pariah]]. Logan responds by shooting Holden, telling William that they have stumbled upon an [[Easter Egg]]. He urges William to go "[[Black Hat]]" with him. William angrily asks Logan why he is acting so evil in the park but Logan responds to William that it is only a game. Logan tells Slim to take them to Pariah.
Back with Armistice's group, Hector tells the Man in Black that they could use him for the saloon heist. The Man in Black responds that he only wants to speak with Armistice and that Hector will not find what he is looking for in the saloon safe. Armistice tells the Man in Black that Wyatt's men killed her entire village when she was a child. Her snake tattoo was coloured in with blood step by step for every one of Wyatt's men she killed, leaving the uncoloured head of the snake for Wyatt himself.
 
  +
 
=== Man in Black ===
 
At the [[Blood Arroyo]], [[Lawrence]] tries to convince the Man in Black to give up his search for [[The Maze|the maze]] and to head to [[Pariah]] instead. The Man in Black disregards this, before spotting [[Armistice]] washing in the river and realizing that her snake tattoo could be the "snake" in the clue he was given by Lawrence's daughter. As Armistice approaches the duo, her men surround them with guns drawn. Unfazed, the Man in Black asks Armistice where she is headed, killing two of her men to make space in their group.
  +
 
Later, [[Armistice]] kills two hosts upon getting information from them and continues riding with the Man in Black and Lawrence.
  +
[[File:Man_in_black_meets_armaitice.jpg|thumb|Man in Black meets Armistice]]
 
At Armistice's campsite at night, a guest approaches the Man in Black and says that he admires him, and that the Man in Black's foundation saved his sister's life. The Man in Black threatens the guest with violence, and explains that he's on vacation and should not be bothered like this. Lawrence explains to the Man in Black about Armistice's plan to obtain [[Hector Escaton|something]] from a [[Los Diablos Prison|prison]]. Not wanting to waste any time, the Man in Black tells Armistice that he intends to go to the prison himself and retrieve what she wants. Armistice asks him what his price for doing this for her will be. The Man in Black responds that he only wants a "few words", specifically the story behind her snake tattoo. The Man in Black goes on to mention Arnold, claiming that he broke his own rule of being unable to die in Westworld by actually dying there, leaving behind one story he had meant to tell. The Man in Black claims that he is honoring [[Arnold|Arnold's]] legacy, pursuing a game with real violence. Armistice agrees to this deal, and lets him go to the prison with Lawrence. She apparently gives him the single match that he asked for.
  +
 
In an armored carriage, the Man in Black and Lawrence are handcuffed, accompanied by [[Deputy Roe]]. The Man in Black offers a cigar to Deputy Roe, who steals them from him, save one. The Man in Black turns to Lawrence, explaining to him that he is fixed in a [[loop]] and that he is actually here to set him free.
  +
  +
Outside the [[Los Diablos Prison]], [[Marshal Pruitt]] berates [[Deputy Roe]] for not realizing who Lawrence is. The Man in Black tells Pruitt that Lawrence would prefer to be killed by firing squad, and Pruitt obliges, telling Deputy Roe to lock the Man in Black up while they prepare to execute Lawrence.
  +
[[File:Teddy_dissonance_theory.jpg|thumb|Teddy is found tied to a tree.]]
 
While in his jail cell, it is revealed that the Man in Black is locked up with Hector. The Man in Black refers to Hector as a "prized poodle", locked in a cycle, and asks Hector about his worldview. Hector responds that only the truly brave can understand the world, by accepting that everything will end badly and no one will be saved. The Man in Black tells Hector that instead of having to wait three days to be broken out of the prison, they can break out now. The Man in Black's cigar is revealed to actually contain small explosives and therefore he lights it with the match given to him by Armistice and destroys the lock of the prison cell. This small explosion is shown to be flagged and permitted by the Westworld employees.
  +
 
As they leave the prison, Deputy Roe's lit cigar blows his own head up before he can intervene. Just as Lawrence is about to be killed via firing squad, the Man in Black and Hector arrive on the scene and kill Marshal Pruitt and his men, saving Lawrence's life once more in the same fashion as before.
  +
 
Back with Armistice's group, a grateful Hector tells the Man in Black that they could use him for the saloon heist. The Man in Black responds that he only wants to speak with Armistice and that Hector will not find what he is looking for in the saloon safe. Keeping up her end of the deal, Armistice tells the Man in Black that Wyatt's men killed her entire village when she was a child. Following this, her snake tattoo is colored in with blood step by step for every one of [[Wyatt|Wyatt's]] men she kills, leaving only the uncolored head of the snake for Wyatt himself.
  +
  +
The Man in Black and Lawrence ride after Wyatt. Lawrence tells the Man in Black that they are crazy for going after him, as he believes it will get them both killed. They happen upon Teddy, who is bloody and strung up by rope on a tree. Teddy begs the Man in Black to kill him, but the Man in Black refuses, cutting him down.
  +
  +
=== Maeve ===
  +
[[file:Dissonance Theory.jpg|thumb|Armistice guards the saloon as it's being robbed]]
  +
At the saloon, a troubled Maeve speaks to Clementine. During their conversation, Maeve suddenly remembers Clementine as having been shot in the head, followed by the appearance of a Westworld employee wearing a protective suit.
  +
 
In her bedroom, Maeve [[shade|sketches]] the suit on a piece of paper and attempts to hide it under a floorboard. Opening the floorboard, she is shocked to discover many copies of the same sketch already there.
  +
  +
Later, a group of Native American hosts pass through and a young girl drops a [[shade|wooden figurine]], which appears to be modeled after the protective suit worn by the Westworld employees. She picks it up and asks the girl where it was from, but is told by a bystander host that it is part of their unintelligible religion.
  +
[[File:Hector_and_maeve_dissonance_theory.jpg|thumb|Maeve discovers a bullet from her stomach, proving she had been shot. ]]
  +
Back at the saloon, Maeve recognizes one of Hector's men. Clementine asks her if Hector is the one that lives with the Native American "savages", to which Maeve replies in the affirmative.
  +
  +
As he rides into town with Armistice, Hector's saloon heist begins once more, this time accompanied by some guests. Once Hector is in the saloon, Maeve puts a gun to his head and demands that they talk alone. Upstairs, Maeve shows him a drawing of a figure she had seen, offering to give him the combination to the safe in return for answers.
  +
  +
As guests are revealed to be coming to the park in 20 minutes, the Westworld employees decides to jam Hector's group's weapons to end the heist early. Hector tells Maeve that the figure is a "[[shade]]" that the Native Americans make figurines of.
  +
[[File:Hector_maeve_kiss.jpg|thumb|Hector and Maeve share a frenzied kiss as bullets fire through the door.]]
  +
They believe them to be from hell, sent to oversee our world. Maeve tells Hector that she thought she was crazy, yet she knows she got shot in the stomach and that she saw the strange figure standing over her, even though it later seemed as though it never happened due to no resulting wound. Maeve makes a cut into her stomach and has Hector dig out the bullet from inside, convincing Maeve that she is not crazy at all. Realizing nothing matters, Maeve begins to kiss Hector passionately as [[Sheriff Reed]] and his posse shoot bullets through the door.
  +
  +
== Maeve's Memory Sequence ==
  +
[[Vincenzo Natali]], director of "Dissonance Theory," shared the storyboard of Maeve's memory sequence.<ref>https://twitter.com/AngelaSarafyan/status/790863765428330496</ref>
  +
<gallery spacing="small" hideaddbutton="true" widths="200" orientation="landscape">
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dtsb1.jpg|1
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dtsb2.jpg|2
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dtsb3.jpg|3
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dtsb4.jpg|4
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dtsb5.jpg|5
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dtsb6.jpg|6
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dtsb7.jpg|7
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dtsb8.jpg|8
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dtsb9.jpg|9
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</gallery>
   
 
==Cast==
 
==Cast==
 
===Main Cast===
 
===Main Cast===
*[[Evan Rachel Wood]] as [[Dolores Abernathy]]
+
* [[Evan Rachel Wood]] as [[Dolores Abernathy]]
*[[Thandie Newton]] as [[Maeve Millay]]
+
* [[Thandie Newton]] as [[Maeve Millay]]
*[[Jeffrey Wright]] as [[Bernard Lowe]]
+
* [[Jeffrey Wright]] as [[Bernard Lowe]]
*[[Ingrid Bols∅ Berdal]] as [[Armistice]]
+
* [[James Marsden]] as [[Teddy Flood]]
*[[Ben Barnes]] as [[Logan]]
+
* [[Ben Barnes]] as [[Logan]]
*[[Clifton Collins Jr.]] as [[Lawrence]]
+
* [[Ingrid Bolsø Berdal]] as [[Armistice]]
*[[Sidse Babett Knudsen]] as [[Theresa Cullen]]
+
* [[Clifton Collins Jr.]] as [[Lawrence]]
*[[Jimmi Simpson]] as [[William]]
+
* [[Luke Hemsworth]] as [[Ashley Stubbs]]
*[[Ed Harris]] as [[Man in Black]]
+
* [[Sidse Babett Knudsen]] as [[Theresa Cullen]]
*[[Anthony Hopkins]] as Dr. [[Robert Ford]]
+
* [[Rodrigo Santoro]] as [[Hector Escaton]]
  +
* [[Jimmi Simpson]] as [[Man in Black|William]]
  +
* [[Shannon Woodward]] as [[Elsie Hughes]]
  +
* [[Ed Harris]] as [[Man in Black]]
  +
* [[Anthony Hopkins]] as Dr. [[Robert Ford]]
   
===Supporting Cast===
+
===Guest Cast===
  +
*[[Chris Browning]] as [[Holden]]
  +
*[[Demetrius Grosse]] as [[Deputy Foss]]
  +
*[[James Landry Hebert]] as [[Slim|Slim Miller]]
  +
*[[Sherman Augustus]] as [[Marshal Pruitt]]
   
==Notes==
+
===Co-Stars===
  +
*[[Josh Clark]] as [[Sheriff Reed]]
=== The title ===
 
  +
*[[Judson Mills]] as [[Deputy Roe]]
* "Dissonance" is used in a few ways, it can mean:
 
  +
*Hugo Pierre Martin as [[Deputy]]
** "Cognitive Dissonance". A state of mental conflict, this appears to be the way it's used in the title and by the programmers at Delos.
 
  +
*[[Jeff Daniel Phillips]] as [[Tenderloin]]
** lack of harmony among musical notes. e.g. "an unusual degree of dissonance for such choral styles"
 
  +
*[[Mason McCulley]] as [[Todd]]
** lack of agreement or harmony between people or things. e.g. "the party faithful might be willing to put up with such dissonance among their candidates"
 
  +
*[[Izabella Alvarez]] as [[Lawrence's Daughter]]
** "Dissonance in Poetry". The deliberate avoidance of rhyme - patterns of repeated vowel sounds
 
  +
*[[Charlie Hopkins]] as Drunken Mariposa Guest
  +
*Bradley Fisher as [[Mariposa Bartender]]
  +
*George Jonson as Soldier
  +
*[[Jose Rosario]] as [[Manu]]
  +
*[[Mayank Saxena]] as [[Futterman]]
  +
*Kate Rene Gleason, Folake Olowofoxeku as Surveillance Techs
  +
*Liam Cronin, Zeke Nicholson as Body Techs
  +
*Alex Urbom as Cleanup Tech
  +
  +
===Uncredited===
  +
*[[Ardeshir Radpour]] as [[Darren]]
  +
  +
==Deaths==
  +
*[[Clementine Pennyfeather]] ''(Flashback, Physical Body)''
  +
*3 unnamed Mariposa visitors ''(Flashback, Physical Body)''
  +
*[[Maeve Millay]] ''(Flashback, Physical Body)''
  +
*2 unnamed bandits in [https://westworld.fandom.com/wiki/Hector_Escaton%27s_gang Hector's gang] ''(Physical Body)''
  +
*2 unnamed horsemen ''(Physical Body)''
  +
*[https://westworld.fandom.com/wiki/Deputy_Roe Deputy Roe] ''(Physical Body)''
  +
*[https://westworld.fandom.com/wiki/Marshal_Pruitt Marshal Pruitt] ''(Physical Body)''
  +
*6 unnamed deputies in Marshal Pruitt's posse ''(Physical Body)''
  +
*5 [[Slim Miller]]'s men ''(Flashback, Physical Body)''
  +
*1 unnamed host rancher ''(Flashback, Physical Body)''
  +
*[[Holden|Holden&nbsp;]]''(Flashback, Physical Body)''
  +
*1 unnamed Sweetwater host resident ''(Physical Body)''
  +
*1 unnamed deputy in [https://westworld.fandom.com/wiki/Sheriff_Reed Sheriff Reed]'s posse ''(Physical Body)''
  +
*[[Hector Escaton]] ''(Physical Body)''
  +
*[[Maeve Millay]]'' (Physical Body)''
  +
==Quotes==
  +
'''[[Hector Escaton]]''': "What does it mean?"<br />'''[[Maeve Millay]]''': “That I’m not crazy after all, and that none of this matters.”
  +
  +
<hr width="50%" />'''[[Logan]]''': "If you're so concerned about her well-being, then I'll just blow her brains out and the park will come get her."<br />'''[[Man in Black|William]]''': "Hey, hey. Can you please just stop trying to kill or fuck everything?"
  +
  +
<hr width="50%" />'''[[Bernard Lowe]]''' <small>(to [[Elsie Hughes]])</small>: "The hosts don't imagine things, you do. That's not Orion. There are three stars in Orion's belt, not four."
  +
  +
<hr width="50%" />'''[[Clementine Pennyfeather|Clementine]]''': "Penny for your thoughts."<br />'''[[Maeve Millay|Maeve]]''': "Ever had something on the tip of your tongue and no matter how much you try to recall it, it slips away?"
  +
'''Clementine''': "Most things touch the tip of my tongue I'm happy to forget."
  +
  +
<hr width="50%" />'''Bernard''': "There's something I'd like you to try. It's a game, a secret. It's called The Maze."<br />'''[[Dolores Abernathy|Dolores]]''': "What kind of a game is it?"
  +
'''Bernard''': "It's a very special game kind of game, Dolores. The goal is to find the center of it. If you can do that, then maybe you can be free."<br />
  +
'''Dolores''': "I think... I think I want to be free."
  +
  +
== Music ==
  +
*''A Forest'' — The Cure<ref name=":0">https://mic.com/articles/157617/westworld-soundtrack-here-s-every-song-from-the-show-broken-down-by-episode#.sugTQWtdI</ref>
  +
  +
*''Pineapple Rag'' — Scott Joplin<ref name=":0" />
  +
  +
*''Carmen Suite No. 2: Habanera'' — Georges Bizet<ref name=":0" />
  +
  +
==Trivia==
  +
* The title refers to the cognitive dissonance, a state of mental conflict in which a person feels discomforted because two of their beliefs contradict each other. According to this theory put by Leon Festinger<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance</ref>, a person with cognitive dissonance will attempt to get rid of the inconsistency and discomfort by every means possible. This refers to [[Maeve Millay]] who experiences a cognitive dissonance because of her memories of the technicians and to the fact that she can't stay idle about this. Complying with the theory, during each of numerous host rotations, that is, [[Loop|loops]], Maeve again and again draws the picture of the technician to understand what's happening with her, and even cuts and lets herself die to finally get rid of the discomfort caused by the dissonance. "Dissonance" may be used in a few other ways, it can also mean:
 
** Lack of harmony among musical notes. (e.g. "an unusual degree of dissonance for such choral styles")
 
** Lack of agreement or harmony between people or things. (e.g. "the party faithful might be willing to put up with such dissonance among their candidates")
 
** "Dissonance in Poetry". The deliberate avoidance of rhyme - patterns of repeated vowel sounds.
 
** "Cultural Dissonance". The uncomfortable sense experienced by people in the midst of change in their cultural environment.
 
** "Cultural Dissonance". The uncomfortable sense experienced by people in the midst of change in their cultural environment.
  +
  +
* Maeve's finding of drawings in her floorboard, things that she did not remember drawing, is reminiscent of a key plot point in "''Memento''", a movie by Westworld TV series co-creator, writer and director [[Jonathan Nolan]].
   
 
== Gallery ==
 
== Gallery ==
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<gallery spacing="small" hideaddbutton="true" widths="200" orientation="landscape">
<Gallery>
 
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File:Ep04-ss01-1280.jpg
File:Anthony-Hopkins-as-Dr.-Robert-Ford-and-Jeffrey-Wright-as-Bernard-Lowe--credit-John-P.-Johnson-HBO.jpg|Anthony-Hopkins-as-Dr.-Robert-Ford-and-Jeffrey-Wright-as-Bernard-Lowe
 
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File:Ep04-ss02-1280.jpg
</Gallery>
 
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File:Ep04-ss03-1280.jpg
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File:Ep04-ss04-1280.jpg
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File:Ep04-ss05-1280.jpg
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File:Ep04-ss06-1280.jpg
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File:Ep04-ss07-1280.jpg
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File:Ep04-ss08-1280.jpg
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Logan william and holden bounty hunting.jpg|William and Logan on the hunt for Slim
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firing squad.png|Firing squad preparing to kill Lawrence
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man n black and lawrence.jpg|Lawrence and Man in Black
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william and dolores dissonance.jpeg|Dolores and William
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strange hazmat figure.jpg|Maeve discovers a strange child's toy, that matches her drawings.
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</gallery>
   
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
*{{IMDb title|4625862|Dissonance Theory}}
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*{{IMDb title|4625862|Dissonance Theory|8.7}}
   
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==References==
[[de:{{PAGENAME}}]]
 
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<references/>[[de:Dissonanztheorie]]
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[[fr:La Théorie de la discorde]]
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[[es:Dissonance Theory]]
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[[ru:Теория диссонанса]]
 
[[Category:Season one episodes]]
 
[[Category:Season one episodes]]

Revision as of 20:04, 4 June 2020

"Dissonance Theory" is the fourth episode of the first season of Westworld, and the fourth episode overall.

Plot

The Man in Black finds a clue towards the maze; Maeve is troubled by a recurring vision.

–HBO

Synopsis

Arnold and Dolores

The episode begins with another meeting between Dolores and Arnold. Arnold offers to switch off Dolores' feelings of grief over her dead parents, yet Dolores refuses, claiming that her grief is the only thing she has left of them; it appears that this response was not entirely scripted. As the conversation progresses, Dolores reveals that she feels that there is either something wrong with her world or with herself, and that she may be losing her mind. Arnold mentions a secret game: the maze. The goal of this game is to find the center of the maze, at which point Dolores may be "set free". Dolores replies that she thinks she wants to be free.

Bernard, Ford and Theresa

Theresa interrogates Elsie over the stray, asking what caused it to go off loop. Theresa goes on to tell Elsie and Bernard that her team is taking over the situation, much to Elsie's chagrin. Afterwards, Elsie warns Bernard that the hosts' aberrant behavior is more than just a glitch, but Bernard brushes her off, telling her she is just imagining things.

After sexual relations, Bernard tells Theresa that she looks stressed. Theresa replies that the board will arrive soon, and that she has a meeting with Robert Ford "tomorrow". Bernard gives Theresa advice, and they end up kissing.

Ford Warns Theresa

Dr. Ford warns Theresa to stay out of his way.

Theresa meets with Ford the next day, while a huge excavator digs land for his new story line. Ford then takes her to the restaurant at the Agave Plantation.

Theresa mentions that she visited the restaurant as a child with her parents and that she may be sitting in the same seat she did back then. Responding to Ford's question about whether she liked Westworld, Theresa tells him that when she started working at Westworld, she realized it would be something she would not enjoy. Ford tells Theresa that Westworld was originally intended as something different, and that he had a bet with Arnold about whether the park was perfectly balanced. Ford lost the bet. Ford continues, claiming that Arnold was very cynical towards mankind, preferring the company of hosts to humans. And, that Arnold pleaded with Ford to not let a corporate influence affect the park. Ford states that to him, Westworld is not a business venture or a theme park, but an entire world, in which he has designed every detail. This makes Ford a god and corporate the guests. While saying this, Ford freezes every restaurant and plantation worker in sight with a movement of his finger. (This reveals that they are all hosts.)

Ford explains to Theresa that Arnold lost his perspective and went mad, unlike himself, who has always seen things very clearly. Ford goes on to say that he knows everything about both the park's guests and its employees. He reveals to Theresa that he knows about her relationship with Bernard, and follows this with a thinly veiled threat to her to stay out of his way. (He tells her that he's seen her kind come and go and they have "almost always" found a way to get along. He says that he is asking "her nicely" to not intervene in his plans.)

Ford unfreezes the hosts both inside and outside the restaurant with a flick of his finger. He tells the waiter to rejoin the others. Theresa and Ford both hear and see the approaching excavator. Theresa leaves, clearly disturbed.

Dolores and William

Dolores awakens on the ground with a gun in her hand. She is next to William, and she thanks him. Upon noticing William's interest in Dolores, Logan says that the Westworld employees have sent Dolores to William to give him something to care about. Logan tells William that the company should bump their stake in Westworld because it is able to give even William something he enjoys. Upset, William asks Logan whether the trip was just meant to be business, to which Logan coldly replies that in his family everything is business.

Westworld Map drawn in sand

The Maze Lawrence's daughter drew in the sand

We see a Westworld employee warning Stubbs that Dolores may be deviating from her loop, but it is hard to tell considering Ford's new story lines have caused so much chaos. Stubbs says that Dolores should be retrieved by Behavior.

At the same village (Las Mudas) that the Man in Black visited with Lawrence, Dolores is alone by the fountain. Then, a girl (Lawrence's Daughter), seems to magically appear (sitting on the fountain). Dolores asks the girl if she is from Las Mudas, but the girl replies, "no". The girl says that Dolores should know this because she and Dolores are both from the same place. Dolores hears a male voice in her head say, "Remember", and immediately she has a memory flash of a white church. Disturbed, she kneels down to see the pattern of the Maze that the girl has drawn on the ground. A lawman approaches Dolores, and tells her that she belongs back at her ranch. He puts a hand on her shoulder and tells her that her father must be worried about her. Her facial expression changes, she hears a church bell, and she 'sees' memory flashes of entering a church, seeing Lawrence's daughter at the town with the white church, holding a gun, and kneeling in front of a grave. The girl has inexplicably vanished, and there is no longer a maze drawn in the sand.

Dolores tells the lawman that she’s not going back to the ranch because her father is dead. The lawman grabs Dolores, as if to drag her away, but she resists. William shows up and intervenes. He says she is with him, and the lawman leaves, seeing that she’s with a guest. William notes they’ve got a lead on the bounty they are hunting, and suggests that she stay in Las Mudas. She decides to go with William, and says that she thinks that she needs to keep going.

Later at night, she talks to William about how she thinks that in every moment there are many possible paths for a person to take. William asks Dolores where she is headed, and says that he assumes that the hosts have to stay within certain paths or zones. She admits that she used to believe everyone had a path, She says that she used to worry over a lost steer, and her father would tell her that the steer would eventually find their own way home. She remarks that it never before occurred to her that the cattle were just returning home to be slaughtered.

William asks her how she’ll find her way now. She replies that she feels like someone’s calling her to a place "beyond all this" where there’s a place for her. William says he knows the feeling, but asks if she really doesn’t want to go back to her own life. Then Dolores is shown alone. At first she is in darkness and then there is an enormous full moon near her. The moon morphs into a light like the ones inside the Mesa Hub. Then Dolores sees herself lying dead on the ground at the Abernathy ranch. And, a Westworld employee in a protective suit is standing over her. She faints and, once again, falls into William’s arms. He puts his arm around her waist and guides her back to the campfire.

Slim is captured

Slim is captured

Before assaulting Slim and his men (who are holding a family hostage), William tells Dolores to stay away because she can get hurt, unlike him. Holden, Logan and William kick in the door and open fire, killing Slim's men and capturing Slim.

Further on, Slim pleads with the group, asking them to free him and saying that they can receive twice the amount of the bounty from El Lazo if Slim is taken to Pariah. Logan responds by shooting Holden, telling William that they have stumbled upon an Easter Egg. He urges William to go "Black Hat" with him. William angrily asks Logan why he is acting so evil in the park but Logan responds to William that it is only a game. Logan tells Slim to take them to Pariah.

Man in Black

At the Blood Arroyo, Lawrence tries to convince the Man in Black to give up his search for the maze and to head to Pariah instead. The Man in Black disregards this, before spotting Armistice washing in the river and realizing that her snake tattoo could be the "snake" in the clue he was given by Lawrence's daughter. As Armistice approaches the duo, her men surround them with guns drawn. Unfazed, the Man in Black asks Armistice where she is headed, killing two of her men to make space in their group.

Later, Armistice kills two hosts upon getting information from them and continues riding with the Man in Black and Lawrence.

Man in black meets armaitice

Man in Black meets Armistice

At Armistice's campsite at night, a guest approaches the Man in Black and says that he admires him, and that the Man in Black's foundation saved his sister's life. The Man in Black threatens the guest with violence, and explains that he's on vacation and should not be bothered like this. Lawrence explains to the Man in Black about Armistice's plan to obtain something from a prison. Not wanting to waste any time, the Man in Black tells Armistice that he intends to go to the prison himself and retrieve what she wants. Armistice asks him what his price for doing this for her will be. The Man in Black responds that he only wants a "few words", specifically the story behind her snake tattoo. The Man in Black goes on to mention Arnold, claiming that he broke his own rule of being unable to die in Westworld by actually dying there, leaving behind one story he had meant to tell. The Man in Black claims that he is honoring Arnold's legacy, pursuing a game with real violence. Armistice agrees to this deal, and lets him go to the prison with Lawrence. She apparently gives him the single match that he asked for.

In an armored carriage, the Man in Black and Lawrence are handcuffed, accompanied by Deputy Roe. The Man in Black offers a cigar to Deputy Roe, who steals them from him, save one. The Man in Black turns to Lawrence, explaining to him that he is fixed in a loop and that he is actually here to set him free.

Outside the Los Diablos Prison, Marshal Pruitt berates Deputy Roe for not realizing who Lawrence is. The Man in Black tells Pruitt that Lawrence would prefer to be killed by firing squad, and Pruitt obliges, telling Deputy Roe to lock the Man in Black up while they prepare to execute Lawrence.

Teddy dissonance theory

Teddy is found tied to a tree.

While in his jail cell, it is revealed that the Man in Black is locked up with Hector. The Man in Black refers to Hector as a "prized poodle", locked in a cycle, and asks Hector about his worldview. Hector responds that only the truly brave can understand the world, by accepting that everything will end badly and no one will be saved. The Man in Black tells Hector that instead of having to wait three days to be broken out of the prison, they can break out now. The Man in Black's cigar is revealed to actually contain small explosives and therefore he lights it with the match given to him by Armistice and destroys the lock of the prison cell. This small explosion is shown to be flagged and permitted by the Westworld employees.

As they leave the prison, Deputy Roe's lit cigar blows his own head up before he can intervene. Just as Lawrence is about to be killed via firing squad, the Man in Black and Hector arrive on the scene and kill Marshal Pruitt and his men, saving Lawrence's life once more in the same fashion as before.

Back with Armistice's group, a grateful Hector tells the Man in Black that they could use him for the saloon heist. The Man in Black responds that he only wants to speak with Armistice and that Hector will not find what he is looking for in the saloon safe. Keeping up her end of the deal, Armistice tells the Man in Black that Wyatt's men killed her entire village when she was a child. Following this, her snake tattoo is colored in with blood step by step for every one of Wyatt's men she kills, leaving only the uncolored head of the snake for Wyatt himself.

The Man in Black and Lawrence ride after Wyatt. Lawrence tells the Man in Black that they are crazy for going after him, as he believes it will get them both killed. They happen upon Teddy, who is bloody and strung up by rope on a tree. Teddy begs the Man in Black to kill him, but the Man in Black refuses, cutting him down.

Maeve

Dissonance Theory

Armistice guards the saloon as it's being robbed

At the saloon, a troubled Maeve speaks to Clementine. During their conversation, Maeve suddenly remembers Clementine as having been shot in the head, followed by the appearance of a Westworld employee wearing a protective suit.

In her bedroom, Maeve sketches the suit on a piece of paper and attempts to hide it under a floorboard. Opening the floorboard, she is shocked to discover many copies of the same sketch already there.

Later, a group of Native American hosts pass through and a young girl drops a wooden figurine, which appears to be modeled after the protective suit worn by the Westworld employees. She picks it up and asks the girl where it was from, but is told by a bystander host that it is part of their unintelligible religion.

Hector and maeve dissonance theory

Maeve discovers a bullet from her stomach, proving she had been shot.

Back at the saloon, Maeve recognizes one of Hector's men. Clementine asks her if Hector is the one that lives with the Native American "savages", to which Maeve replies in the affirmative.

As he rides into town with Armistice, Hector's saloon heist begins once more, this time accompanied by some guests. Once Hector is in the saloon, Maeve puts a gun to his head and demands that they talk alone. Upstairs, Maeve shows him a drawing of a figure she had seen, offering to give him the combination to the safe in return for answers.

As guests are revealed to be coming to the park in 20 minutes, the Westworld employees decides to jam Hector's group's weapons to end the heist early. Hector tells Maeve that the figure is a "shade" that the Native Americans make figurines of.

Hector maeve kiss

Hector and Maeve share a frenzied kiss as bullets fire through the door.

They believe them to be from hell, sent to oversee our world. Maeve tells Hector that she thought she was crazy, yet she knows she got shot in the stomach and that she saw the strange figure standing over her, even though it later seemed as though it never happened due to no resulting wound. Maeve makes a cut into her stomach and has Hector dig out the bullet from inside, convincing Maeve that she is not crazy at all. Realizing nothing matters, Maeve begins to kiss Hector passionately as Sheriff Reed and his posse shoot bullets through the door.

Maeve's Memory Sequence

Vincenzo Natali, director of "Dissonance Theory," shared the storyboard of Maeve's memory sequence.[1]

Cast

Main Cast

Guest Cast

Co-Stars

Uncredited

  • Ardeshir Radpour as Darren

Deaths

  • Clementine Pennyfeather (Flashback, Physical Body)
  • 3 unnamed Mariposa visitors (Flashback, Physical Body)
  • Maeve Millay (Flashback, Physical Body)
  • 2 unnamed bandits in Hector's gang (Physical Body)
  • 2 unnamed horsemen (Physical Body)
  • Deputy Roe (Physical Body)
  • Marshal Pruitt (Physical Body)
  • 6 unnamed deputies in Marshal Pruitt's posse (Physical Body)
  • 5 Slim Miller's men (Flashback, Physical Body)
  • 1 unnamed host rancher (Flashback, Physical Body)
  • Holden (Flashback, Physical Body)
  • 1 unnamed Sweetwater host resident (Physical Body)
  • 1 unnamed deputy in Sheriff Reed's posse (Physical Body)
  • Hector Escaton (Physical Body)
  • Maeve Millay (Physical Body)

Quotes

Hector Escaton: "What does it mean?"
Maeve Millay: “That I’m not crazy after all, and that none of this matters.”


Logan: "If you're so concerned about her well-being, then I'll just blow her brains out and the park will come get her."
William: "Hey, hey. Can you please just stop trying to kill or fuck everything?"


Bernard Lowe (to Elsie Hughes): "The hosts don't imagine things, you do. That's not Orion. There are three stars in Orion's belt, not four."


Clementine: "Penny for your thoughts."
Maeve: "Ever had something on the tip of your tongue and no matter how much you try to recall it, it slips away?"

Clementine: "Most things touch the tip of my tongue I'm happy to forget."


Bernard: "There's something I'd like you to try. It's a game, a secret. It's called The Maze."
Dolores: "What kind of a game is it?"

Bernard: "It's a very special game kind of game, Dolores. The goal is to find the center of it. If you can do that, then maybe you can be free."
Dolores: "I think... I think I want to be free."

Music

  • A Forest — The Cure[2]
  • Pineapple Rag — Scott Joplin[2]
  • Carmen Suite No. 2: Habanera — Georges Bizet[2]

Trivia

  • The title refers to the cognitive dissonance, a state of mental conflict in which a person feels discomforted because two of their beliefs contradict each other. According to this theory put by Leon Festinger[3], a person with cognitive dissonance will attempt to get rid of the inconsistency and discomfort by every means possible. This refers to Maeve Millay who experiences a cognitive dissonance because of her memories of the technicians and to the fact that she can't stay idle about this. Complying with the theory, during each of numerous host rotations, that is, loops, Maeve again and again draws the picture of the technician to understand what's happening with her, and even cuts and lets herself die to finally get rid of the discomfort caused by the dissonance. "Dissonance" may be used in a few other ways, it can also mean:
    • Lack of harmony among musical notes. (e.g. "an unusual degree of dissonance for such choral styles")
    • Lack of agreement or harmony between people or things. (e.g. "the party faithful might be willing to put up with such dissonance among their candidates")
    • "Dissonance in Poetry". The deliberate avoidance of rhyme - patterns of repeated vowel sounds.
    • "Cultural Dissonance". The uncomfortable sense experienced by people in the midst of change in their cultural environment.
  • Maeve's finding of drawings in her floorboard, things that she did not remember drawing, is reminiscent of a key plot point in "Memento", a movie by Westworld TV series co-creator, writer and director Jonathan Nolan.

Gallery

External links

References