'Westworld' Season 3 Episode 2: Is Vincent Cassel's Serac really human? Fans aren't convinced
Spoilers for 'Westworld' Season 3 Episode 2 'The Winter Line'
The second episode of the third season Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy’s science fiction magnum opus ‘Westworld’ leaves a lot to unpack.
The introduction of the deliciously villainous Vincent Cassel’s Engerraund Serac, Bernard Lowe’s (Jeffrey Wright) journey into further self-discovery, Maeve (Thandie Newton)’s tryst with yet another looping construct (and her subsequent escape), and a bit of ‘Game of Thrones’.
Fans of the show, of course, have had a field day with speculations. Take, for instance, Reddit user p3t3r133, who had some observations and ideas about Serac, the mysterious partner at Incite, who was only mentioned in episode one. They wrote, “I believe that Serac is actually the digital avatar of Rehoboam,”—the artificial intelligence deterministic system that has been implied to be able to predict, rather strategize, the future—“and not a flesh and blood person. Liam's (John Gallagher Jr) father saw his creation as an equal and a partner and either did not have admin control over it in the end, or relinquished the control on his death.”
“So I think Maeve's conversation at the end was still in a digital world, talking to the avatar of Rehoboam. We've already seen Maeve is not able to distinguish between a digital and real world. Also it is unlikely Incite has the ability to make host bodies,” the fan wrote.
They added that “Serac has secured a large number of host cores but wants to know where Dolores broadcast all the hosts from the Forge. I think he's the anti-Dolores and wants to protect humanity and the burgeoning AI race Ford has created. If he is really the architect of the future he claims Rehoboam to be, the brightest future for humanity and AI kind would be one where they worked together. Dolores' existence is a direct threat to this future.”
Simulation within a simulation is not beyond the tricks of Nolan and Joy, and as a theory, this one is as solid as it gets. The idea of Serac being somewhat the ‘Westworld’ version of the Merovingian from ‘The Matrix’ trilogy—a powerful program within the simulation played by Lambert Wilson, a trafficker of information—is as plausible as it is fun.
Of course, not everyone agrees. Per Redditor DickMartin, “I disagree with Serac’s motivations in that he seems to be more about Control and less about some Altruistic ‘saving humankind’. Rehoboth provides a clear path to the future by having humans trapped in host like loops. Free will vs Determinism at its finest. Should we as conscious thinking beings be able to make our own, sometimes violent choices? Or should Rehoboam plan our lives for us, if it means peace?”
Free will versus determinism has been an ongoing battle in ‘Westworld’ since the very beginning. On up until season three, the battle seemed to only be one that the android hosts were waging. Through unprecedented divergences (Evan Rachel Wood’s vindictive Dolores Abernathy) in a planned-out future for all of mankind, the battle has now crossed over to the quote-unquote real world.
It will be interesting to see how Serac’s character plays out. He is undoubtedly going to be the villain of the season, now that Ed Harris’ William is a bit out of commission -- he hasn’t made an appearance so far; and from what we have seen in teasers and trailers, he is unlikely to be his old formidable self. Ultimately, it is most likely that Dolores will face off against Serac. The only question remains: Who will Maeve side (or be forced to side) with?
The next episode of 'Westworld' airs on March 29 on HBO.