Below showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy give us the lowdown on episode 7, Trompe LOeil.
Also see ourinterview withWestworldstar Jeffrey Wrightwhere he gives his thoughts on the Bernard reveal.
Entertainment Weekly: At what point did you know that Bernard was a host?
Credit: John P. Johnson/HBO
Was that from the very beginning or evolve along the way?
Jonathan Nolan: Bernard has been a host from the beginning.
But we were careful with Jeffrey.
We let him in pretty early on.
We didnt want him to feel like we pulled the rug out from under him.
How did Jeffrey react when you told him?
He just sat there for a second like: Oh.Ohhh.
Ive been such a fan of Jeffrey for so many years and always dreamt of working with him.
And thats our plan.
You compound the reveal of his nature by having him do something that horrifies us.
Joy: It horrifies us, and it horrifies him.
Its a betrayal of everything that he as a man he thought he was believed in.
He had real feelings for Theresa.
So is the whole place bugged or is there something else Im missing there?
Ford has access to that kind of stuff.
Oh, thats right!
Nolan: Thats part of it.
That area that theyre operating in is one the hosts are programmed to avoid.
Technicians are maneuvered away from that area.
Its a bit of a black hole in the park.
Its a place where Ford can go and get away from it all and spend time with his family.
Its wheels within wheels.
I also want to ask about Clementine in this episode.
The scene where she gets beaten is going to get an strong reaction from viewers, I suspect.
Joy: For me, its one of those scenes I find the most emotional this season.
And when shes stopped in her tracks I get so mad.
Thats how you sell the idea the hosts are dangerous.
Shes the most innocent, the most loving of all of them.
Shes like this delicate bunny rabbit.
And Angela is like this gentle, kind, etherial creature with an incredible sense of movement and grace.
Then shes apparently lobotomized.
Were so used to the hosts coming back to life over and over again.
Does this mean Clementine has been killed off?
Nolan: Its a little more complicated than that.
Theyre physically removing part of her personality.
Its like when the NSA has a hard drive they want to get rid of.
They dont just erase it, they drill holes in it.
So the person we know as Clementine is largely gone.
Will it make sense to us at some point how large this place is?
Its within 500 square miles.
I think Ted Turner owns that much in Mexico.
Its certainly not out of the realm of possibility that a park this size would exist here in America.
Like do they need to recharge?
Nolan: Their construction and their power source is something were really going to get into during season 2.
So wed like to keep that mysterious.
Theyre largely indistinguishable from a human beings, but their brains dont require oxygen which opens up interesting possibilities.
Their brains are not as fragile as ours.
There are advantages and disadvantages to being a host.
More Westworld coverage: See ourinterview with Jeffrey Wrightand check outour deep-dive recap.
