The Season Finale of 'Westworld' Reminds Us What the Show Is Truly About

Only a few nights ago, #HBO's hit show Westworld aired its Season 1 finale, and fans and cast alike took to Twitter to share their thoughts. From discussing theories to praising actors, to expressing sadness that the show may not return until 2018, it'd be nearly impossible not to come across a #Westworld tweet in your feed. Understandably so! The finale confirmed the two timelines/William is the Man In Black theory, one of the most anticipated reveals yet. It also confirmed the true villain of the season, Wyatt, who, in a shocking twist, was revealed to actually be #Dolores! And of course, the final scene. Dolores kills Robert Ford and multiple guests as decommissioned hosts rise up against those who so foully mistreated them. It's a jaw-dropping, heartbreaking, beautiful episode that perfectly rounds out the season. Most importantly, though, the finale reminds us of what the show truly is about, and it isn't its plot twists.

Some of the cast have stepped forward on social media letting fans know that they can take a breather and just enjoy the show. #BenBarnes in a recent Facebook Live video talked about how trying to figure out every single plot point can take away from the show when you're actually watching it. All of a sudden it becomes about being right, rather than just immersing yourself in an incredible story.

"I think sometimes, if you try to hard to theorize and work out what's going on instead of just enjoying the show and digesting it, you can ruin some of the surprises because you're more excited about being right than you are about being surprised, or feeling the emotions that some of these reveals are supposed to incite."

It's an important point. While we all like to theorize, I think many of us have forgotten what Westworld is really about. It isn't a show about multiple timelines or robots. Though it has many twists and turns, the show itself isn't about those shocking moments. What has and continues to make this show stand above all others is its introspective nature. It forces us to look within ourselves and ask, what are we capable of?

Near the end of the episode, #EvanRachelWood leads us home with a shocking and beautiful scene. Dolores sits down and discovers that throughout the season, she hasn't been talking to Arnold or to Bernard, but to herself. She sits, for the first time, in a state of total understanding. She has been guiding herself to the center of the maze, to the answers she has been so desperately searching for, the thing she's always wanted.

"To confront, after this long and vivid nightmare, myself. And who I must become"

Saying this, Dolores has a single tear rolling down her cheek as she comes to terms with who she is. It's an incredibly raw moment, and one that makes us realize that the maze, while very real, physically does not exist.

Take the Man in Black/William. He spends so much of his life searching for the center of the maze. Step by step, he follows the map until he should land right where he wants to be, only to discover, frustratingly, that nothing is there. He tries, as many of the audience does, to convince himself that there must be something he missed, something Ford is hiding from him. But the truth is that the center of the maze has been nothing more than a concept, something that is within yourself. True enough, you are more likely to discover it by travelling further into the park. William can attest to that. But the maze is not a secret room in the middle of the park. The maze is to see your soul as it is, to discover and accept the truth of who you are, both the ugly and the beautiful. It is to understand that everyone has both good and bad within them. As much as we'd love to classify ourselves as a hero or a villain, is there really such a thing as either? Look at someone like William, a kind, shy man who started off playing White Hat, someone who couldn't condone even the concept of killing a host. Even when his morals began to go lax, his love for Dolores was true, it was something we could count on. Fast-forward decades later, he's the one of the darkest Black Hat's we've seen, literally beating Dolores and even killing her on more than one occasion. He made a complete switch, and we have to wonder if he would have become so violent, so cold if he had never entered the park. Did the park make him evil, or did it just expose the darkest parts of his soul? Parts that he didn't even know he had?

Westworld offers guests the chance to discover their darkest fantasies and play them out, without consequence. As Logan pointed out early in the season, everyone succumbs eventually. The second season looks to be delving even further into this concept. Now the hosts are far more powerful than before, able to not only harm but murder a guest. Ford announced that his new narrative will be focused on "the birth of a new people" and their difficult choices. Who do they want to become? Now it seems that the hosts will also have to come face to face with themselves. A world that was free of consequence is now riddled with it. And while we may have to wait two years until the second season, this story is only just beginning.