HBO
Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Westworld."
Jonathan Nolan - the co-creator of "Westworld" - just gave Redditors and fans around the world a gigantic treat.
The "Westworld" subreddit has over 100,000 subscribers, and dozens of theory or discussion posts are shared there daily. A recent post, by Redditor mattdezine, asked a simple question: What happens to all of the paintings Dolores draws?
We know that part of Dolores' regular narrative loop includes the option for her to stop by the river and paint the landscape and horses. But because her memory is reset so often, that means she could have completed hundreds or thousands of paintings without realizing it.
So where do they go?
That's where Nolan comes in. The "Westworld" showrunner is a known Redditor. He's conducted an AMA (Ask Me Anything) and even commented on the Westworld subreddit once in the past. But this time he went beyond the call of duty.
HBO
Nolan created a GIF from never-before-seen footage and linked to it using the phrase "Doesn't look like anything to me" (the line hosts use when they are confronted by something that might make them question reality).
The GIF, shown below, is of a park technician extracting a pile of canvasses from a kitchen cupboard. They flip through the stack, revealing completed painting after completed painting.
Clearly Nolan and his co-creator/wife Lisa Joy are already one step ahead of fans, and have a narrative explanation for where all of Dolores' paintings end up. Nolan must have made this GIF specifically for sharing it on this Reddit thread.
This is a super cool preview for fans who are eager to learn everything about "Westworld." Nolan didn't include any other details, so this could just be a deleted scene. But we're on high alert now for a mention of Dolores' paintings in the final three episodes of season one.
Nolan commented in the "Westworld" subreddit only once before, when a Redditor requested that he do an AMA for the show's community. The original request included a note saying, "We know he monitors Reddit."
Nolan simply commented: "No I don't."
Kim Renfro/INSIDER
Jonathan Nolan and his wife/co-creator of "Westworld," Lisa Joy.
He clearly loves being cheeky with the fans on Reddit.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Nolan explained his fondness for the site and how he has indeed been keeping track of the community's "Westworld" fan theories.
"I love Reddit," Nolan said. "I don't do social media, and Reddit is sort of the non-social version of social media. I've been reading that website for the better part of a decade."
For now Nolan is choosing to refrain from commenting on the discussion threads which discuss fan theories and questions that have larger implications (like the popular but divisive idea that William and the Man in Black are the same person). But fans are still thrilled to know how engaged he is in their community.
We'll be keeping a sharp eye out for more bonus scenes shared by Nolan, assuming they look like something to us.