John P. Johnson/HBO
Warning: Major spoilers ahead for "Westworld" episode seven.
Fans of "Westworld" were stunned Sunday evening when a running fan theory was confirmed and we got our first human death at the hands of the robot - all in one powerful scene.
Bernard took Theresa to an unmonitored area of the park where Dr. Ford had been keeping a group of hosts (created to mimic his own family). When they entered a basement work area, Theresa found prototype drawings that revealed Bernard was actually a host.
HBO
Ford then appeared, divulging that he not only designed and created Bernard, but that he had brought Theresa to him for the purpose of getting her out of the way once and for all. Ford directed Bernard to kill Theresa, and he did so without hesitation.
This double surprise - Bernard being a host all along and the murder of Theresa - set the fandom into a frenzy.
Holy cow! What a twist- poor Bernard. Ford is a great bad guy. #Westworld
- Steve Soliz (@ssoliz67) November 14, 2016
WTF! Bernard! 🙀🙀🙀 #Westworld
- MarÃa José Ulloa R. (@_coteee) November 14, 2016
#Bernard #WestWorld OH MY GOD pic.twitter.com/95hf9w1Pzd
- Ivan (@iqudoblev) November 14, 2016
BERNARD JUST KILLED HER WTF AHHH WHAT IS GOING ON #Westworld @WestworldHBO
- Jessica Thenoux (@Jthenoux) November 14, 2016
Bernard!!! WTF! Blowing my mind. #Westworld #HBO
- bsjb (@bsjbrux) November 14, 2016
People on the /r/Westworld subreddit were also freaking out, despite many having guessed Bernard's true identity early on in the season.
"This sub called Bernard being a host a long time ago, but holy sh-- was it still surprising," Redditor HeyYoureAwesome wrote in the discussion thread.
"Jesus f--king christ this show," wrote TheRealMe99. "I had suspicions that Bernard was not what he seemed, but holy hell."
HBO
Where "Westworld" goes from here remains a titillating mystery. How will Ford explain Theresa's disappearance? Will Bernard be reset so he doesn't remember killing Theresa?
Then there's a lot of backstory explaining to be done. Why did Ford create Bernard in the first place? Why give him the backstory of having a child die?
With Bernard's identity as a host confirmed, the theorizing has already moved into the next phase. Some people think Bernard might actually be a host version of Arnold - Ford's dead business partner. But we're going to have to wait for more episodes, and more reveals, before all this becomes clear.