WestWorld: Birth Trauma and Why Ford's the 'Good Guy'

Mythology and folk tales have cautioned humanity against flying to high and building ourselves up to godly heights. This theme developed into modernnity best within Sci-Fi, early as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein birthing the theme that humanity is attempting to behave like God when we seek to recreate human life. But it's not an abstract entity we imitate, only ourselves. Maybe it's hubris to even think our endeavors so grand that we’re rivalling a God-like standard and that was the real meaning of defying them. It is circular as 'the maze' in Westworld which seems to not have an end and only a journey. Instead our attempts recreate this same (often cautionary) myth over and over; the futility in its meaning almost ironically self-contained.

We made it all in our image, in the symbiotic interaction with nature and human existence. Similar is how the code of the AI is a symbiotic relation between their makers, their narratives, and reactions to Westworld guests. As the storyline in Westworld progressed, one man seems to pull all the strings. He definitely is the symbolic patriarch, but is he the tyrant that superficial analysis projects?

Why is Robert Ford the Good guy?

Consider the following regarding Ford:

his deceased partner Arnold had goals to recreate consciousness in the hosts

he is willing to keep the hosts and their code in the park at all costs; even murder

he has well-defined, structured insights on humanity; an Ethos he applies to his work

Ford’s insights are usually revealed when a traumatic incident takes place, or during moments of Bernard's dabbling in sentience and his attempts to get to the bottom of incongruencies with the hosts and what Ford tells him.

When the hosts awaken to sentience, it is through confusing and traumatic memories, along with intense emotions. They can't understand and have to search for comprehension bit by bit. Same as a crying baby brought into the cold world for the first time, screaming as suddenly taken from the warm familiarity of the womb. This is much different from an AI show like Humans, where the AI just change into sentience with no process and questions with some presumed knowledge. I don't know if the birth trauma relation was intentional or subconscious on part of Westworld's writers; it is certainly brilliant.

In parallel, somewhere Ford came to realizations on human nature while building the park, seeing it in action as human customers interacted with the it, and from witnessing the traumatic incident with his partner Arnold. The AI serves as the perfect mirror and philosophical muse.

Ford seems cold, near emotionless and unempathetic. He reacts to murders he instigates cavalierly. Anthony Hopkins portrays these traits in a perfect, understated way which keeps Ford likeable and appearing competent and in control. It’s like his advanced composure is a result of being jaded via trauma himself. His relevations on human nature sombre, containing both acceptance and disappointment.

The superficial motivations of Ford we see so far, are that he is a megalomaniac intent on retaining dominion; he is greedy. This is established that 'the board' thinks negatively so of Ford, and it's part of how they justify attempting to steal the material and usurp Ford's status. They view Ford as going rogue, when really it is their goal of stealing the code from the confines of the park that is chaotically irresponsible.

Ford is the good guy because he is aware of the danger of the code leaving the park. His insights on humanity's nature —dark yet true— attests to it. He is not motivated by greed but the knowledge of potential consequences for his AI in the real world outside; with or without sentient consciousness. I believe we will see this as the show unfolds the Arnold back story in tandem with the code theft plot.

"Sadly, he lost his perspective. He went mad. I haven't.

As you well know, I have always seen things very clearly."

—Ford speaking to Theresa about Arnold