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This flowchart shows how the looped narratives work in 'Westworld' for robots

Kim Renfro   

This flowchart shows how the looped narratives work in 'Westworld' for robots
Alleyinsider5 min read

Dolores Abernathy in Sweetwater Westworld

HBO

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Westworld."

The INSIDER Summary:

• HBO's marketing website has been releasing helpful materials that explain how "Westworld" works.
• The latest is a GIF of a flowchart showing Dolores Abernathy's scripted loop.



"Westworld" partially takes place in a gigantic theme park where guests can interact with hosts (robots), all of which are operating on a scripted narrative. Entering the park is almost like working one's way through a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book, but with hyper-realistic robot humans who are also trapped in a looped script.

HBO created a website - "Delos Incorporated" - which is designed to look like the official Westworld employee site. They've already released a handy map of the corporate offices through the site, and now there's a useful GIF that shows how Dolores' narrative loop works.

Take a look:

Dolores narrative loop Delos Westworld

We'll walk through each step one-by-one.

Dolores wakes up at Abernathy Ranch

This happens every day, which means the control room at Delos Incorporated must have a way of verifying that Dolores is back in her bed before each morning. If she's not, they'll intervene.

Dolores waking up Westworld episode three

HBO

Each morning Dolores is supposed to walk outside, have a conversation with her father on the porch, then head into town and go to the General Store. She buys groceries, including a can of milk.

Dolores drops the can of milk

Again, Dolores is scripted to drop the milk every day. What happens next all depends on whether or not someone picks it up for her.

Dolores and Man in Black  with milk Westworld

HBO

Here the loop splits into three choices. Either a guest picks up the can for Dolores, Teddy picks it up, or Dolores grabs it herself.

Guest picks up the can

If a guest happens upon Dolores, the narrative assumes they'll want one of two things: to "woo" her or to "menace" her. If the guest successfully woos her, then they'll be invited home to the ranch for dinner, and it's up to the guest how the evening ends.

If the guest menaces Dolores, then Teddy might intervene and "rescue" her. But if the menacing guest kills Teddy, or Teddy never shows up at all, the guest can have their way with Dolores.

Dolores picks it up herself

If Dolores is left to grab the can herself, she'll then pack up and ride out to the riverbank. There, she will paint the pretty horse scene, and serves as a more "family friendly" narrative for the afternoon. If someone stumbles upon her, they'll have a pleasant conversation about horses or the like, before Dolores heads home.

Westworld Dolores and young guest with horses

HBO

Teddy picks up the can

This is the scenario we watched play out in the very first scene of the pilot. Teddy picks up the can, and he and Dolores ride off into the countryside for some good ol' fashioned flirting. Then they go back to the ranch before it gets too dark outside.

Dolores Bernathy and Teddy Flood talking Westworld

HBO

After Dolores heads home

If Dolores goes home alone after painting there are two possibilities. Either "all is quiet," she eats dinner, goes to sleep, and the narrative resets, or there's an attack at the ranch.

If Dolores goes home with Teddy, there are similar outcomes. Either Peter Abernathy (Dolores' father) will make Teddy leave, and then Dolores goes to sleep and resets the narrative, or there's an attack at the ranch.

Attack at the ranch

So far in the show, the ranch has been under attack almost every time Dolores comes home. The attack is always coordinated by other hosts, but sometimes a guest is with them. According to the flowchart, if it's a "skilled guest" then the narrative ends with Dolores' parents killed and Dolores herself is left to the mercy of whatever the guest wants.

The guest might play "good guy," saving Dolores from the bandits and comforting her. Or the guest might be one of the more menacing types.

Teddy and the Man in Black opening episode Westworld

HBO

But if an "amateur" guest is with the bandits, then the flowchart breaks into two more options. Either Teddy is with Dolores, in which case he might save Dolores by killing the hosts attacking and scaring off the guest.

If Teddy is absent, the attack plays out and the narrative is reset.

What this means for Dolores

After seeing her narrative mapped out, the purpose of Dolores' presence the park is very clear. She's the sweet "girl next door" combined with a "damsel in distress." A guest can, depending on the point in her narrative, either pick her up and go home for a sweet dinner, or perhaps rescue her from a bandit attack and be her hero.

Any guests looking to torment and exercise power can also use Dolores' loop against her. They might help the bandits attack and then have their way with her, perhaps after fighting Teddy and killing him.

Dolores shocked Westworld episode three

HBO

Based on what we've seen in the show, Dolores rarely has a peaceful afternoon painting and then goes home for a quiet dinner and good night's sleep. More often than not, someone takes advantage of the "attack" narrative. It's no wonder she's beginning to rail against her programming.

HBO may continue rolling out Easter eggs on its marketing sites, so keep a close eye on Delos Incorporated and Discover Westworld for more.

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