‘Westworld’ Season 2: Who Will Bernard Choose, Hosts Or Humans?

The Season 2 premiere of HBO’s Westworld saw Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) walking among humans as he flipped between timelines. Humans think he is one of them, and Bernard has always lived among them as one. However, which side will Bernard ultimately choose?

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains information about the Season 2 premiere episode of HBO’s Westworld. Please proceed with caution if you have not yet viewed this episode and wish to avoid spoilers.

The Season 2 premiere episode of Westworld revealed that Bernard lived among the murderous hosts for two weeks before he woke in the water and was recruited by Karl Strand (Gustaf Skarsgard) to help bring the park back under human control. While he joins the human team, Bernard does not seem himself in the first episode and many fans have speculated over what is wrong with the host. Some suggest Bernard could have been taken over by the processor from another host. However, it is also possible that Bernard is considering which side he truly belongs to in Westworld.

In an interview Jeffrey Wright did with Esquire, the idea of Bernard having to choose sides in Season 2 of Westworld is raised. While Bernard’s immediate concerns are based on survival, Wright reveals that Bernard will explore his own existence and which side he belongs on as the season progresses.

“For Bernard, the question is out of necessity—how will he survive it first? He’s not going to be able to side with either host or human until he can patch up his fluid leaks and some other matters. That’s his first order of business. And as the season proceeds, he’ll try to begin to make a decision of where he sits in the overall upheaval of the world.”

Season 1 of Westworld saw the introduction of multiple timelines running concurrently. These timelines weren’t initially evident to the viewer. However, now moving forward into Season 2, the viewer is acutely aware of them. For the hosts, though, these timelines are less of an issue for storytelling than for humans who see the story as multiple branches. For a host, the timeline of events is almost irrelevant as they aim to process everything that has occurred. However, as Wright points out, there might be a more human side to Bernard as a result of these fractured timelines. In a way, Bernard could represent the viewer in Season 2 of Westworld as he grapples with processing everything. This could, in theory, mean that Bernard stays much more sympathetic with the humans even though he now knows he isn’t one of them.

As for whether Bernard will pick the side of the humans or hosts is unclear yet and fans will just have to tune into further episodes to find out. One thing Jeffrey Wright did point out, though, was that by the end of Season 2 of Westworld, the reason for these fractured timelines will be much more evident to the fans.

Season 2 of Westworld returns with Episode 2, titled “Reunion,” on Sunday, April 29, at 9 p.m. ET.