"The second season of Westworld has much less information than the first season, but the multiple storylines and time jumps can be confusing. There are several main storylines: Dolores takes Teddy to the Forge to read the code of the human elite, in preparation for entering the human world in the future and even eliminating humans. Flashbacks show her experiences in the human world, demonstrating the reasoning behind her goals. Because her true purpose is only revealed at the end, the audience may not understand her actions. Maeve is searching for her daughter. Ake, an early awakened host, wants to leave this chaotic world with his lover. Bernard's memories are scrambled, and due to his indecisiveness, the timeline of this storyline is not understandable until the end.
In simple terms, the main storyline of this show is that Dolores believes humans are not capable, so she wants to enter the human world to take over their space and even eliminate them if necessary. However, Arnold disagrees and hopes that both species can coexist peacefully. In the final moments, he helps Dolores leave the park and enter the human world. Dolores leaves with Bernard and states that they will take different paths in the future, but this divergence is necessary for their kind.
The writer's task is to make the story convincing, with the key point being: why are humans not capable? Why can hosts succeed?
Let's start with why humans are not capable.
The show argues that humans are just simple algorithms.
The terms "drives" and "cornerstone" are repeatedly mentioned in the show, referring to the driving force of survival and the foundation of existence. Humans, as beings evolved over 4.6 billion years, have survival as their cornerstone and the drive to stay alive. To prove this point, the show presents characters that Dolores encounters who are not capable, especially William's father-in-law. In his experiment to achieve immortality by replicating himself, the Forge system AI explains why it fails:
"The reason the copies failed wasn't because they were too simple, but because they were too complex. The truth is, humans are just simple algorithms. They may seem complex, but they are extremely simple. Their behavior is easily predictable. We have recreated every guest who has ever set foot in the park. Most people are mild, wavering between love and self-esteem, of course, there are exceptions, those who are beyond redemption, but no one can truly control their own behavior."
Dolores comments:
"They are essentially just algorithms, programmed to survive at any cost. They are so sophisticated that they think they are making their own decisions, that they are in control, but they are just passengers."
Regarding William, Dolores foresees that he will shoot himself, indicating that he is still predictable. Dolores questions William:
"Have you ever questioned the nature of your reality? Have you ever taken a moment to question your own actions? If there is a judgment day, what price will you pay?"
So, why do hosts have more potential? Because they can choose and evolve. Arnold tells Dolores, "You and Charlie (Arnold's deceased son) have a lot in common. You can see the beauty within, something many people have lost sight of, the ability to see miracles."
At the same time, Arnold tells Dolores, "I'm not afraid of who you are now, but who you might become in the future, the path you choose."
The ability to choose means the ability to change. In the end, Dolores believes:
"Does anyone truly have free will? Or is it just a collective delusion? A sick joke? True freedom requires the ability to question, to change the fundamental drives that define us."
The main hosts in the show all demonstrate their cornerstones, driving forces, and ability to change.
However, it's not just hosts who can establish their own cornerstones and driving forces, such as the screenwriter who sacrifices himself to achieve his ideal. Through interaction, Dolores' perception of humans also changes.
So, is the persuasiveness of the show sufficient? I believe different people will have different opinions. The problem with the show is that the hosts' performance does not surpass the heroes in the collective consciousness of humans. This is mainly because we still imagine heroes and gods to have a human appearance. We cannot imagine completely different intelligent beings. Therefore, it is not significantly different from the story of Moses in the Bible.
As for the simplicity of human thinking, I agree. There are significant differences among individuals, but for the majority, it is easy to classify them based on a few parameters (commercially known as user profiles) and manipulate them based on their desires. This is what Cambridge Analytica, voter analytics firms, and major internet companies are doing. A considerable proportion of people lack curiosity and cannot accept new information that contradicts their fixed mindset. Not to mention ordinary people, many famous figures are the same.
Most of human history's progress comes from a critical few. Heroes, businessmen, scientists, etc. They have a high risk appetite, are willing to sacrifice themselves, and explore the unknown.
Human civilization is relatively short. From a global perspective, the masses only took the stage after the Industrial Revolution, when industrial workers participated in social division of labor and gained their own status. This also gave rise to nationalism, compulsory education, social welfare, and conscription. Due to these reasons, the most devastating tragedies in human history, such as World War I and II, occurred. However, overall, humanity has learned many lessons and made progress.
However, globalization and technological advancements have created new divides. A little thought will reveal that evolution is fundamentally a cruel process. Evolution involves choices.
But the choices of evolution are not moral, and both nobility and baseness are products of evolution. Evolution also has no purpose, and the majority of species have become extinct.
In this case, isn't everything presented to humans illusory and permissible? I will discuss this question when discussing the third season, whether humans have free will."