Westworld is well known for its double bluffs, convoluted narratives and the way any character can return from the dead, in any way and at any time.
Given the HBO show is set in the future and is firmly based in the realm of sci-fi with its endless possibilities this shouldn’t be much of a surprise, but Season 4 seems to step away from the expected by having Evan Rachel Wood portray new character Christina.
But, how new is Christina really and could she really be Dolores in disguise? Here, Newsweek will explore all the signs the character is not who she says she is.
The Five Signs Christina Is Really Dolores in ‘Westworld’ Season 4
In an interview with Newsweek, Wood was quick to confirm that Christina is a new character but her wording suggests there is some room for interpretation.
While reflecting on playing Christina, Wood told Newsweek that Season 4 “really was wiping the slate clean, [a] completely new character,” and she added: “There was something exciting about that, to sort of play a much more human version of this character.”
It’s the end of this comment that gives us pause because by referring to Christina as a “much more human version of this character” this suggests that she does have a link to Dolores, somehow.
Here are all the signs that Christina could really be Dolores.
1. Christina Wakes Up Just Like Dolores
The first time viewers are introduced to Christina she is asleep in her neo-Los Angeles apartment and when she wakes up it’s hard not to notice the similarities between her and Dolores.
No, we’re not referring to the fact that the characters look the same because of course they would when Wood is playing both. It is the way Christina wakes and her small movements that mirror the way Dolores woke up back in Season 1 that are important to note.
The manner in which Christina awakens is unlikely to be a coincidence. This is Westworld after all, so every little detail is integral to the plot no matter how small.
2. There’s Something About Her Stories
The premiere episode of Westworld Season 4 saw Christina be confronted by a man named Peter Myers, who believed her stories had influenced his life.
He demands that Christina, a writer for gaming developer Olympiad Entertainment, change his story, but in the end he takes his own life as he claimed she’d predicted in her writing.
If you think back to Season 3 there was a computer AI system named Rehoboam that charted and predicted everything humans did. It did so to ensure they stayed within a set path to avoid utter chaos and the downfall of humanity itself.
With Dolores’ help, Caleb Nichols (Aaron Paul) and Maeve Millay (Thandiwe Newton) successfully destroyed Rehoboam, but only after the host was connected to the AI and her memories were wiped.
This may be a stretch, but perhaps by connecting with Rehoboam Dolores was given the same ability to predict humanity’s future? A power that she could unwittingly be using as Christina if she has no memory of it.
3. Dolores’ Memory Was Wiped
Speaking of having no recollection of the past, Dolores’ memories were wiped by Engerraund Serac (Vincent Cassel) when he connected her to Rehoboam to find the key to The Sublime in Season 3.
If Dolores lost her memories then what’s to say she couldn’t have survived her apparent death and simply taken on a new persona?
The character has come back from the dead before so there’s always the chance that she could return, just without her memories and with a new name: Christina.
4. A Familiar Face Is Back in Her Life
Episode 1 of Westworld Season 4 saw the welcome return of James Marsden.
The actor previously portrayed host Teddy Flood in the show’s first two seasons, until the character took his own life and uploaded his consciousness into The Sublime where he was apparently meant to remain.
Except now Marsden is back, and he made a brief appearance in the fourth season’s first episode where he watched Christina while she stood on her balcony.
Although it’s not yet confirmed if Marsden’s character is indeed Teddy, the fact he is in Christina’s life is no doubt important and certainly suggests that she could really be Dolores, given Teddy’s past romantic interests in her.
5. Is Maya Really Who She Seems to Be?
Another new character that Westworld fans know very little about is Christina’s roommate Maya (Ariana DeBose).
Apart from her close friendship with Christina, there is little to ascertain about the character. Maya says she works but we don’t know where and she is invested in her roommate’s love life but doesn’t appear to have one of her own.
Perhaps Maya is a host herself and is keeping an eye on Christina to make sure she doesn’t realize who she really is.
Or maybe we’re barking up the wrong tree, but that’s the beauty of Westworld. It makes you question the nature of your reality— to quote Jeffrey Wright’s Bernard Lowe.
Westworld Season 4 airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, and it is available to stream on HBO Max.
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