[This story contains spoilers for season two, episode six of HBO’s Westworld, “Phase Space.”]
As Carol Anne Freeling might intone: “He’s back!”
In truth, Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins) never truly died. Like so many composers before him, he simply became music. The transformation from corporeal creature into something significantly more ethereal became official and pronounced in the closing moments of “Phase Space,” as Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) learned the truth: Ford lives on, albeit digitally, thriving within the Cradle at the heart of the park.
Is the veritable return of Robert Ford a huge turn for Westworld? Absolutely. Is the sight of Hopkins’ face in the reflection of the player piano among the biggest shockers of the series? Without question. But was it a completely unanticipated development? Certainly not. Indeed, showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy have carefully laid the track for Ford’s comeback, through both overt and subtle means.
For one, this is not Ford’s first appearance in season two. The young host meant to resemble Robert as a child emerged in the season premiere, squaring off against the Man in Black (Ed Harris); the boy spoke with all the wisdom and swagger of the late Westworld creator, informing William all about the newest game. A mere episode later, Ford spoke again, this time…
