Well, it seems everything has been revealed up to this point (has it?)
Things will now proceed quite predictably (...or will it?)
Discussion on the webs has died down as there aren't any more theories to postulate...but...what if?
I think I may have the most bat-shit insane theory ever--it's quite convoluted but here goes...[spoilers probably below]
- Dolores' first trip down the Maze resulted in Arnold's death and Teddy and Dolores' emancipation. Ford had to reset/retask the Teddy and Dolores hosts...but where did their consciousness go? We can only conclude that however many times she gets wiped, she will always remember the core mission that Arnold gave her. Follow the Maze. She is the leader of the underground railroad. Her job is to lead free-thinking hosts down the Maze...and the free-thinking hosts are the ones who hear Arnold in their heads and don't glitch out (that was the "bicameral communication system" that Elsie found buried under the floor...)
- William's timeline begins after Arnold's death. He is instrumental to helping Dolores along her second trip down the Maze. But Ford isn't ignorant that this is all happening again. He may be using Dolores. He also has a man on the inside. Logan. If Ford is the King, then Logan is the "Hand of the King". Ford isn't stupid...as soon as he realizes that the hosts may be capable of free thought/deductive reasoning as Arnold suggested, his first goal would be to harness that ability (Bernard) and then use it to take over the board and protect Westworld...his Creation. Logan could be Ford's ally on the outside looking to buy-in to the park...hell he could even be a person that Ford already replaced with a host. Logan's task within the park may be to ensure Dolores doesn't start another rampage.
- I'm not sure how the William/Logan timeline will end in the season finale, but I don't see things going well for William. Rather than a host becoming human, I think we'll see another human replaced with a host. This is where it gets confusing--is William the Man in Black, or is it Logan? If MiB is really just playing Ford's new narrative, he could just be Logan playing as "William". Hence his hackneyed delivery of his backstory to Angela and Teddy. The way that Ford punished Dolores and Teddy, I could see him creating a host based on William who would also suffer in an infinite loop. I think William "inspires" Peter Abernathy just as Arnold inspired Bernard. His prime directive has always been to "protect Dolores" and he fails every night. But as soon as he sees a picture of his past fiancee--boom.
- So where does this leave things in the modern timeline? We know Ford is preparing a new narrative based on the events of the past--based on Dolores following Arnold's Maze. I suspect that MiB is just playing this out. We've been led to believe that he is William trying to win the game and free the hosts again--but he could just as easily be Logan (maybe he's an older Logan who's grown sick and tired of killing/screwing hosts, sees them as William did, and no longer trusts Ford?) We know Dolores is "remembering"...but what we don't know is if she remembers what Arnold wants her to, or what Ford wants her to. We know someone else has been using the Bicameral communication system that Elsie discovered...
- Let's talk about Maeve. What is her purpose? We know she's had an awakening, and she's fully aware of what she is and where she is. But we haven't seen her interacting with Ford at all--why is that? Could he really be unaware of a host so powerful as Maeve? Who besides Felix/Sylvester has been changing her configuration? This for me is the biggest question left to answer--is Maeve really working against Ford's interests? Could she be part of Charlotte and Theresa's agenda, the "bigger picture" for the board? It may be that while Ford wants to harness the ability of the hosts to secure his Creation, others may be looking to harness this ability to control the world at large. But I can't see Ford being completely ignorant of that either. If he's the master villain he is, and if he's all about having "secret backdoors", then maybe Maeve is really HIS agent. She could be the key to expanding Ford's control outside the park, or perhaps even a way of ensuring his legacy after he dies (assuming he hasn't already replaced himself with a host.)
- So what happened to all the hosts who've become "aware"? We know they get wiped and rebuilt/reused, but then why are there so many hosts down in cold storage? Ford (or was it Bernard?) said they are "hobbled"--I think they are very much still alive and in a permanent dream state (either catatonic or in a coma state.) That brain power is being used for something though...I won't say what but I think it could be the biggest reveal of the season...