'Westworld' Sets Up Deadly New Mystery: "Death is Always True"

The Man in Black (Ed Harris) and Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) are front-and-center in a preview for the HBO drama's fourth episode, "The Riddle of the Sphinx."


[This story contains spoilers for season two, episode three of HBO's Westworld, called "Virtù e Fortuna."]


"This game is meant for you, but you must play alone."


The ghost of Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins), speaking through the vessel of El Lazo (Giancarlo Esposito), was rather explicit about the terms surrounding the Man in Black (Ed Harris) and his current mission. But a preview for the next episode of the series strongly suggests that William is still aiming to break the rules.


The black-hatted gunslinger was absent from this past week's installment, "Virtù e Fortuna," but stands to have a heavy role in "Riddle of the Sphinx," the fourth hour of the show's second season. He's front-and-center in the preview for the episode, directed by Westworld co-creator and showrunner Lisa Joy, standing opposite another dangerous entity: Major Craddock (Jonathan Tucker), the Confederado whose life was spared by Teddy (James Marsden), Dolores' desires notwithstanding.


"I know of something you don't," he tells Craddock. "I know where you're going. You call it glory, but it's got a lot of names, and I know the way."


Through three episodes, it's clear that this place Craddock and the Confederados seek, "Glory," is one and the same as Dolores' own goal. It's also clear that Dolores' next destination (more a "weapon" than a "place") is the site of the Man in Black's "greatest mistake." If William and Craddock are in league, then this deadly new alliance are on a collision course with the oldest host in Westworld — a woman with whom both men have a bone to pick.


Elsewhere in the preview, we see what just might be the start of an answer to the mystery: Bernard (Jeffrey Wright), working inside of a lab, surrounded by several murderous drone hosts. It appears to be a top-secret project, one that's likely in line with William's goals. Bernard (assuming it's not Arnold) describes the place in hushed tones: "There's something here... something they've been working on a long time. I don't remember."


Perhaps a partnership between William and Craddock might jog Bernard's memory, or at least find the answer on their own. Then again, should we bank on an alliance between these two gunslingers? After all, the Man in Black's final words in the preview are rather ominous: "You haven't known a true thing in all your life. Death is always true." Doesn't sound like the friendliest of conversations, does it?