'Westworld' stars Ed Harris, Jeffrey Wright break down that puzzling finale

Ed Harris doesn't know what that mysterious "Westworld" finale post-credits scene means for the Man In Black/William, but he knows when it takes place, providing an intriguing clue for Season 3.

“It’s way into the future, so the Man In Black (is) deceased. He couldn’t live that long,” Harris says of the surprise sequence, which adds more questions to the many raised in the 90 minutes that preceded it.

The future time frame means his daughter, Emily, who approaches him as he enters the wreckage of The Forge, isn’t human, either. But Harris doesn’t know what exactly they are at that point, or where the scene will lead.

“Whether he’s a host or some other being, I wouldn’t know,” Harris says of his character, the majority owner of the Westworld theme park who is distraught at the literal and personal damage its technology has caused. “I have absolutely no clue where they’re headed with this in terms of next season.”

That’s one point upon which Harris and Jeffrey Wright, who plays the android host Bernard, agree.   Each man focused on his own character's story and actions to anchor his understanding of a complex show that has become even more challenging for many viewers.

“Well, no kidding,” Harris says when asked about the show's intricacy. “I have an understanding of what my character’s doing. (Then) I just watch on Sundays. There’s a lot I don’t totally understand, but it’s still really enjoyable to me. It’s done very well, but it is very complicated.”

(Executive producers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy declined an interview request to elaborate on the finale.)

Wright had a particularly demanding task in sorting out Bernard’s presence in different timelines and with “de-addressed” (or disconnected) memories. He did that to prevent theme-park managers and security forces from harvesting  his mind for information to use against the robot hosts.

“It was almost like an act of self-deception and dumbing down as a means of strengthening the likelihood of his survival,” he says.

In the episode, the two characters finally met, with an introduction from shared acquaintance and host Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood), as they sought to shut down The Forge, the secret storage area for copied versions of park guests’ minds.

However, as Season 2 ended, William – a once all-powerful human – and Bernard, an over-programmed android host, were in much different places. William, the human theme-park owner, now seems trapped in the fantasy world he controlled; Bernard, the theme-park android who always seemed to be doing another’s bidding, is free in the real world and apparently ready to make his own choices.

Bernard was saved by Dolores, who apparently created a new version of the android after a Dolores/Charlotte Hale hybrid (Tessa Thompson) shot him. Dolores wants to destroy humanity, but Bernard still exhibits empathy despite growing reservations about mankind’s ability to evolve. Still, they remain connected, Wright says.

“They’re yin/yang. They are each other’s creator, and a part of each of them lives in the other," he says. "Together, they make a whole in some regards.” As for why Dolores would keep a potential foe around, “There’s this idea of not existing unless one is witnessed and one is remembered. They need each other to provide a mirror reflection on themselves.”

There's plenty of time for fans to rewatch and reconsider  the past season, since Harris says filming for Season 3 won't start until next June. (In the meantime, he's hoping to get financing to direct a film set in Montana based on Kim Zupan's novel, "The Ploughmen." Robert Duvall, Garrett Hedlund and Harris' wife, Amy Madigan, would star.)

Harris, an acclaimed film and stage actor in his first regular  TV role, applauds viewers who immerse themselves in the complexity of "Westworld," but advises others to simply go along for the ride.

“If you enjoy watching it, get what you can from it and talk about it with your friends,” he says. “My mother watches and doesn’t have any clue what’s going on, but she enjoys seeing her son, so there you go.”

WPXI