Westworld writers confirm one major theory about Season One’s finale is correct

It feels like such a long time ago that we were all so caught up in Westworld that we kept forgetting to do basic things like eat and bathe and stuff.

And it is going to be even longer before we get to revisit the very violent, very sexy theme park - Season Two is set for release in 2018, and HBO likes their shows to usually kick off around the same time every year, so we expect it to be around October. So just 21 more months! In the meantime, everyone is still trying to decipher certain things from Season One and what they might mean going forward, and at the PaleyFest in LA over the weekend, the show's writers talked a little bit (via EW) about some of them, and shed some major light on one aspect in particular. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX3u0IlBBO4 While they wouldn't be drawn in on whether or not Season Two would involve the glimpsed Samurai World ("God, that would be cool, wouldn't it?"), they did talk about the actions of Maeve (played to perfection by Thandie Newton) in the season finale. If you've watched it, and if you hadn't then you should probably stop reading this now. You'll remember that Maeve had violently bust out of the park and was on the train to escape when she decided to turn back and find her daughter. Or should that be "daughter"? Along the way, she discovered that her impromptu escape was actually part of a much-bigger plan, and what she thought was self-awareness may have actually just been a pre-programmed decision making routine. Jonathan Nolan, the shows lead writer and co-producer, decided to clarify the matter once and for all:

“The way that we designed it and the way we shot it… that is really the first decision she’s ever made. For me, it’s a very emotional moment in the episode because you’re seeing the first free will.”

On the other hand, when asked if Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) and her decision to shoot Ford (Anthony Hopkins) was also free will, he was far less forthcoming:

"Isn’t it more fun to just guess?"

So, there you have it: Is Maeve self-aware? Yes. Is Dolores self-aware? Maybe. Can we wait for Season Two to begin? No.