Decrypted: Who needs linear time when you’ve got Westworld?

Annalee Newitz

Uh oh. This seems bad.

HBO

This week's Westworld episode, "The Well-Tempered Clavier," gave us all the answers. Well, most of the answers. OK, SOME answers. Fine. We're still freakin' mystified.

My guest on Decrypted this week is Norman Chan, co-founder of Tested, who writes and makes videos about science, technology, and pop culture. Norm has some fascinating observations about which robot characters are the most realistic, and he told us what he thinks is really going on with Wyatt.

Topics discussed: The big reveal about Arnold (and what this says about Ford's plans); timeframes and robot memory (this is a lot more complex than a "dual timeline" theory); long loops and short loops (and OMG we are starting to think a lot about Matrix: Reloaded); what the robot revolution will really be like (and how maybe we don't really want to see the robots leave Westworld); how the show really sells us on robots (it's not the effects; it's the acting); robot therapy (which involves nuking your memories); Maeve's incredible scene with Bernard (one of the most intense moments in the show so far); what needs to get resolved this season and what we are OK with leaving until season 2 (seriously we don't mind waiting to know more about the Delos plot).

I'm analyzing, debating, and dissecting Westworld every week with a different guest, and we post the podcast on Tuesdays. The episodes air on Sunday, so you have plenty of time to watch before we get into major spoilers. Yes, there are spoilers. Listen when you're ready!

Listen

Decrypted is Ars Technica's weekly podcast about the TV that obsesses us. Currently we're dissecting Westworld. Listen or subscribe however you please above, and let us know what you think—ideas, questions, or your favorite theory about what the hell Ford is doing—through the comments section, on iTunes, or via e-mail.

Westworld airs on HBO in the US on Sunday evening and on Sky Atlantic in the UK on Tuesday at 9pm.