This ‘Westworld’ Theory About Bernard & The Man In Black Is A Lot To Take In

Westworld Season 3, Episode 6 spent a great deal of time delving into William, aka the Man In Black. Though fans have seen him over the year, at various ages, this was the first dive back to his childhood, via a technique known as "AR Therapy." But the session ended with a shock, as William found himself rescued by two familiar faces: Bernard and Stubbs. But how and why? This Westworld theory about Bernard and The Man In Black might give viewers an idea of where the show is heading. Warning: Spoilers for Westworld Season 3 follow.

Bernard and Stubbs were last seen walking out of the Incite building as Connells blew himself up along with several of Serac's people. But before he left, Dolores in Connells' told him he was going to have to pick a side, and soon.

Has Bernard chosen if he's Team Dolores or not? His arrival at the facility suggests he has, at least for now. Dolores was the only one who knew how to track William down — she and Charlotte conspired to put a protein in his blood so they could locate him after he was taken away.

But this raises a different question. Why is Dolores rescuing William when she was the one who locked him up in the first place? The answer may lie in Charlotte's triple-agent status, working for Delos, Serac, and Dolores all at once. It also would explain the image at the 33-second mark in the promo for Episode 7.

Here's the screengrab, where views can see William's status has been changed to "Deceased."

When the Dolores in Charlotte reveled in William's being dragged away, most viewers assumed it was part of her plan, revenge for the decades of abuse. But that's not necessarily true. The person who benefits most from the removal of William from the Delos board is Serac.

It would make sense that sending Charlotte to have William removed was Serac's plan, and Dolores decided to allow it. She'd enjoy seeing him brought down a peg, and she and Charlotte could put a tracer on him so they could bring him back when needed.

Having Bernard change William's status to "deceased" would be necessary to fool Rehoboam, at least fool the machine long enough to move William to a new location. Serac's pet project already struggles with predicting Dolores and is focused on her. Bernard and Stubbs, as hosts outside the machine's awareness, are blank spaces, able to operate with impunity.

But the real joy of what comes next won't just be Bernard and Stubbs joining Team Dolores. It will be getting to see these three characters team up for the first time in the show's history.

William only met Bernard for the first time in the Season 2 finale, and it was for all of 30 seconds. He's probably barely seen Stubbs, other than a quick introduction as "head of security," with a face that slid past his view. At least he knows Bernard is a host; he'll most likely be shocked to find out Stubbs is as well. Having the three of them be a team against Serac (and maybe also Dolores) is going to be fun.