Is Ford A Host On 'Westworld'? This Theory Has Some Merit

The only labyrinth more complex than the maze in Westworld is the warren of Reddit fan theories about Westworld. After it was revealed that Bernard was a host, and once fans saw the fullness of Maeve's power coalesce when Felix and Sylvester cranked up her intelligence, fans of the show quickly began speculating who else might be passing for human on the show. While Dolores et al are pretty much understood to exist on a different timeline, what does this mean for the ever-evolving mystery of Arnold and Dr. Ford? Is Ford a host on Westworld? Was Arnold? Here are some of the ideas brewing.

First, there's the theory that Ford is, in fact, a host created by Arnold, which Redditor davinci2100 was quick to point out. One of the big hints from Episode 8 was his philosophical conversation with Bernard about the nature of consciousness, which seemed to suggest that Ford believed consciousness was some sort of burden. Some fans have speculated that Arnold built Ford to be aware of the nature of human consciousness, and regard it as a flaw in design. Thus, Ford can be free of the consciousness that potentially plagued and destroyed Arnold. Ford may have even been the one to kill Arnold, in this scenario.

The second clue supporting the theory that Ford is a host is that he can control the other hosts using only his voice, like Maeve. The thinking is that Maeve can control other hosts with her mind once she's been given privileges, while the human behavioralists working on the hosts need devices, because she herself is a computer. She doesn't need the device because her mind is already a controller. Perhaps this is why Ford, too, can control hosts with only his mind. (Bernard's use of the device to tinker with hosts must have been a part of his "make them believe you're a human" programming).

As for who's controlling Ford, should he be a host, there are a couple of potential possibilities. One is that there are two Fords — a human and a host. Human Ford could have built a clone of himself to do the grunt work around the park, leaving Human Ford the time to focus on continuing to build out the game. Another option is that Arnold is still alive and controlling Dr. Ford as his own creation.

Then, of course, there's Redditor dolnar123's theory that (should Ford end up being human after all), Arnold is simply the name of a code he wrote, rather than a real person. This would be a particularly intriguing end to the season, especially considering the obvious fact that viewers have never seen what Arnold looks like. I'm sure fans will be given the answer eventually to this plaguing question, it's just a matter of when. But in the meantime, it's fun to guess!