Entertainment

These 'Westworld' Theories About Dolores' Purse Will Make Your Head Spin

by Ani Bundel
HBO

Westworld Season 2 spent a lot of time setting up the physiology of hosts. Characters cut into the brains of the robots they've created and revealed how the computerized minds were put together. Inside the skull, which is filled with cooling fluid for the brain processor, is a "brain muffin" which looks a bit like a CFL light bulb. Inside the muffin is the actual brain chip, which looks like a black marble. Five of those marbles were in Dolores' purse at the end of the episode. Who does Dolores have in her purse? Warning: Spoilers for the Westworld Season 2 finale follow.

Westworld Season 2 ended on a stunner of a reveal. Bernard kills Dolores, out of desperation to stop her and her reign of terror. He cannot bear the thought of her escaping the island, and what havoc she might wreck upon the real world outside the park.

But when Elsie is murdered by Charlotte, Bernard realizes the few good human allies will be killed by the more ruthless. He decides he was wrong to judge Dolores. He recreates her brain marble and puts it inside the muffin in Charlotte's host clone. Dolores is now riding around in Charlotte's body and has been for weeks. In that time, she's tracked down Peter Abernathy's brain muffin, and she's printed a few more marbles while she's at it.

When Charlotte-as-Dolores gets on the boat to leave the Delos island and head to the mainland, there's a shot of the interior of her purse.

HBO

Five brain marbles ride with her.

But who are they? Who is so important Dolores felt they should go along with her to the mainland?

One we can remove from the list right off is Teddy. Dolores printed Teddy's marble, or maybe she just took it out of the brain muffin she was carrying after he killed himself. But she decided apparently she was wrong about the Door. Rather than resurrect him, or take him with her, she put Teddy somewhere she hoped he will be safe and happy: Into Ford's simulation in the Valley Beyond. The last shot we see of him, he's standing in the golden fields, teary-eyed because he's alone without her.

Another we can remove from the equation is Bernard. Charlotte-as-Dolores killed the host version in the park, but she uploaded him into a different simulation, one where she can visit with him during her trip. This she says, is a place Ford built for them, so they would always be safe.

Final candidate disqualified: Ford. His marble is red. All of hers are black.

HBO

So who did she take then? Here are a few ideas:

  • Peter Abernathy: This is a no-brainer. There's more contained in his marble than just backups of the human data. There's something else in there, a map of the North American continent, for reasons still unknown.
  • Angela: Angela was Dolores' ride or die right-hand sister in the rebellion. Dolores would totally want her by her side out in the real world.
  • Charlotte Hale: Fans don't know what the real Charlotte Hale was up to out on the mainland. I'm betting Dolores printed her marble so she could ask Hale questions when necessary, especially since Dolores is masquerading in her body
  • Clementine: Clementine is the "control host." She has the ability to control other hosts by thought. That's a really useful thing to have as a power, especially if there are "sleeper hosts" on the outside.
  • A Surprise Choice: Almost certainly, one of those marbles is going to be an off the wall surprise, maybe even someone fans haven't met yet, a decommissioned host Dolores decided to resurrect for her traveling purposes. But who?

Fans won't find out until Westworld Season 3, which seems very far away indeed.