'Westworld' Debunked This Fan Theory In Tonight's Episode & It's A Big One

Westworld's first season was full of unreliable narrators, from Ford, who was hiding his true motivations to Bernard, who was a secret host, to Dolores, whose memories replayed over her current experiences, making it hard to discern past from present. But there was one character honest about who he was: The Man in Black. But this season William's viewpoint has come into question. Can we really trust his version of events? Fans always believed the Maze revealed itself to William back in Season 1, but a new point of view says otherwise. Warning: Spoilers for Westworld Season 2 follow.

The Man in Black was not totally a straightforward character in Season 1, but the places where his narrative was skewed were either places where it was understandable or places where it wasn't his fault. For instance, he's not pretending to be a different person than William. It's not his fault no one actually calls him by his name until the finale, nor is it his fault Dolores has been taking us on a journey through 30-year-old memories of him at the same time he's in the park in present day.

As for the suicide of his wife, it's understandable he's not able to talk about it in a frank manner. Any man who retreats into the park in response to his wife killing herself is someone who isn't dealing very well.

But William's story of his first time in the park after his wife's death rang true. He went to the homesteaders' section and shot down a random woman and her child, "just to see if I could feel something". Viewers believed him, and they believed when he said:

And then the Maze revealed itself to me.

But it wasn't true. When Ford said "The Maze is not for you," he wasn't just saying it wasn't a game for William. He was saying the Maze didn't reveal itself to William at all.

This week's story of Akecheta showed him to be the one obsessed with the Maze. He was accidentally woken early on and discovered dying was how "those below" wiped your memory. He struggled for a full decade to stay alive, injuries be damned. A few of those times, when he was near death's door, Maeve's daughter brought him water and helped him keep going. He never forgot it.

After his trip "below," Akecheta returned determined to teach everyone "This world was wrong" and to show them the Maze. He included Maeve and her daughter as a thank you for helping him survive in his time of need, so he looped through their village regularly. Each time Maeve and her daughter hid in fear, but what viewers never saw is that he didn't attack. He drifted by the window and then drew the maze in the dirt in front of their house.

That's the same loop William interrupted when he marched in, hellbent on killing innocent people. Viewers see Akecheta float by the window, then the door opens and William walks in. Viewers assumed this was *instead* of Akecheta. But in reality, it was during the time Akecheta always drew the Maze for Maeve.

William's intense narcissism is why he assumed the Maze "revealed itself". He really thinks everything which happens in the park is about him. It's not.

That the Maze was for Maeve also explains why the Ghost Nation kept trying to get her to join them. Akecheta wanted her to go with them and escape through the door Ford promised is located in the Valley Below. Maeve is dying in the lab, but at least they have her daughter. She probably won't join them in the Valley physically, but he will take her heart when they go.