The Biggest Unanswered Question From Westworld Season 3

Robert Ford was the mysterious, string-pulling, dapper driving force behind Westworld’s first season. He oversaw every event, slowly pushing the pieces into place with enigmatic charisma and a knowing smile, only to eventually be killed on his own orders. He was like Albus Dumbledore if he’d gone into the private sector and built robots for people to have sex with.

Out of the many big reveals at the end of season 1, Ford’s Machiavellian control and near-godlike perspective were some of the most striking. Even after his death, the park’s founder stuck around for a minute in host form to rub it into William’s face that he’d been masterminding everything.

But just how long was Ford’s reach, and how far did his plans extend? Did his ambitions begin and end with freeing the hosts to live independently, or were the stories in season 3 part of his scheme all along? Did he want humans freed from the influence of Incite’s quantum computers? Or was releasing the park’s robots nothing more than a final mea culpa and submission to chaos for a man whose life was defined by control?

Details are still scarce, but we know that Westworld will be returning for a fourth season in the not-too-distant future. Maybe fans will finally get a little more insight into Ford’s intentions. Then again, maybe that particular maze was never for us.