A Quickie: Ford's Sacrifice (Westworld)

It seems as though a lot of you are interested in what I have to say about Westworld. Sadly I can't make long posts (like THIS one) about the show all the time. I say sadly because there is so much to discuss from characters to themes. However, I'm going to aim to make shorter posts to help cover some of the topics about the show that interest me.

I'll also be using this shortened format for other shows/movies/ect. that I am interested in.

Today I'll be discussing a very odd move by Ford in the Westworld Season 1 Finale.

What Seemed to Have Happened

Without looking deeper, it seems very clear cut what happened. Ford informs Delores that Arnold's plan had been for Dolores, who had Teddy help her, kill all the Hosts and himself. He was hoping that this would make the park close for good.

Arnold didn't feel it was right for the Hosts to be treated as mere puppets when they were really alive. Alive in the sense of being conscious.

Soon after his conversation with Delores Ford tells Bernard that Arnold was moving too fast and that the Hosts needed more time. It is then the infamous handshaking scene happens. There is a moment where the Host looks at the man's hand as if something is off. In an earlier episode Ford revealed that the older Hosts could be given away with a simple handshake.

Or it could be Bernard not really comprehending what the human is going to do

After Ford's awkward handshake with Bernard, he then gives a speech. The speech ends with Delores killing him. This is made all the more confusing by the fact that he has sacrificed himself for the Hosts. He has sacrificed himself so that one day the Hosts can be free.

Why This Doesn't Make Sense

Characters are more than free to evolve and show sides of themselves that we haven't seen before. A man as complicated as Ford is more than deserving of being able to show all the many faceted sides of himself but his sacrifice doesn't make any sense.
From all we've seen of him in the show, any action he makes is for himself. He will show compassion and other emotions for others only when it doesn't endanger him. He loves being in control and pulling the strings. While he might care for Arnold, the fact is that he created Bernard to serve him. He created a Host that looked and acted like his old friend and used him as a lackey.

Okay, I admit I was simplifying Ford's relationship with Bernard when I called him a lackey. Ford seemed to feel a true friendship with the Host which you can see by the way he talked with him and the fact the human tried to keep him alive as long as possible. It was only when Ford realizes another memory wipe won't work that he has Bernard kill himself.

So in the end Ford will choose his own safety over any feelings towards others.

So why would Ford all of a sudden sacrifice himself for the Hosts? Why would he give up his own life and his control?

Why?

What Could Have Really Happened

Ford wouldn't just abandon control of Westworld and so needed a ruse to escape suspicions. He could've created a Host to look like him so as to make others believe he had died. He was making a Host throughout Season 1 but we haven't seen who it was of. It could've been Ford for all we know.

Ford could've also had his real self die and just have been reborn as a Host. He might not think it's a step up in evolution, but it would more than allow himself to keep control.

A person online (forgot where I saw it first) said that the Host revolution was just yet another loop and that this isn't the first time it has happened. Throughout the first season of Westworld we have seen the importance of loops from the day to day antics of the Hosts to the fact that humans are stuck in their own loops. So loops have ranged from just part of the plot to deeper themes.

What I'm trying to get at is that loops hold such an importance to Westworld that it would make sense that Ford, for all his craftiness, would have one in case he needed to take back control. He could talk about this being for the Hosts when it's all about him in the end.

Remember: Ford can care but at the end of the day he cares about himself the most. Even if he has to kill others.

If the Host Revolution of Westworld is a loop then it could help explain why no one remembers Arnold Weber. Not just as a name as not even pictures remain of him. If there was a Host Revolt like the one that started at the end of Season 1 then...well...it would be more than easy to cover up evidence after such a bloodbath.

Of course I could be all wrong about Robert Ford's character and he really did sacrifice himself. Maybe this kind part of him is something he keeps from others or is something so hard to see because of his creepy nature.

All we can do now is wait until Season 2 and see what happens.