WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Season 3, Episode 6 of Westworld, "Decoherence," which aired Sunday on HBO.
In Westworld's third season, Ed Harris' Man in Black, aka William, has been dealing with the ramifications of what happened in Season 2. Last season, while the hosts were trying to escape the Western-inspired theme park, William delved deeper into its make-believe reality, chasing Robert Ford's ghost in the hopes of winning the game. However, as he further descended into the trappings of Westworld, William became unable to differentiate fact from fiction. As a result, he ended up killing his own daughter, believing she was nothing more than a host.
Now, William finds himself all alone and back in the real world. Worst still, thanks to Dolores' machinations, he was locked up in a psychiatric facility, an act of satisfactory revenge for the host who was at the cruel man's mercy for the better part of three decades. For most of the series, the Man in Black has been painted as a villain. In Westworld's latest episode, William may have adopted a new role: Hero.
When viewers first met a young William in the flashback segments of Season 1, he was wide-eyed and innocent, taking in the wonders of Westworld. He fell in love with Dolores, only for him to eventually realize the hardships of the world. Over time, he grew into the resentful, twisted, and violent Man in Black, a transformation that was marked by his switch from a white stetson to a black one. Now, however, William may be reverting back to who he was before he first came to Westworld -- or something as close to what he can get, after all, he's been through.
In "Decoherence," William undergoes an intensive psychiatric treatment which allows him to interact with multiple versions of himself from different periods of his life. The "meeting" is mediated by his former boss James Delos, who doesn't hesitate to push William every chance he gets. It's revealed that perhaps William wasn't the idealistic young man he appeared to be when he was first introduced. In truth, the dark violence was perhaps always there inside of him. After realizing this, William violently murders all other versions of himself.
In essence, William erases everyone he was before and chooses to become something else. When all is said and done and William is left alone, covered in blood, he proclaims he finally knows what he is: The hero of this story. The line between heroes and villains in Westworld has always been a bit blurry. In fact, right now, it's difficult to say who is the real villain of Season 3, and who is its hero: Dolores and Engerraund Serac, or vice versa. What's more, it's rare for any character to state, without hesitation, which side they're on.
William has made the distinct statement that he sees himself as a hero. What exactly that means for him isn't clear. It may signify he is only out to serve himself, or that what he experienced during his treatment made him realize he needs to choose a side in the ongoing battle between humans and hosts. At this point in time, it's impossible to say which side William will choose. As both Dolores and Engerraund wage a calculated war against one another, William could prove to be the wild card that makes all the difference.
Airing Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO, Westworld stars returning cast members Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton, Ed Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Tessa Thompson, Luke Hemsworth, Simon Quarterman and Rodrigo Santoro, joined by series newcomers Aaron Paul, Vincent Cassel, Lena Waithe, Scott Mescudi, Marshawn Lynch, John Gallagher Jr., Michael Ealy and Tommy Flanagan.