Warning: Spoilers ahead!
It's hard to put into words just how complex Westworld is.
The HBO series tackles some really big themes, making viewers question just about every aspect of their lives: Is technology good? Are human beings inherently evil? Must violent delights always have violent ends?
For Jeffrey Wright, these existential questions are a large part of his character Bernard's story. As he explained in an interview with E! News, the host is one of the few characters who is torn between his beliefs in humanity and technology. "He has this allegiance to both sides of the parks, if you will—to the hosts, but also he has this strange, stubborn allegiance to humans," he said. "There's this persistent belief that, despite all this evidence to the contrary, there's still something at the core [of the human race] that's beautiful and capable of grace and worth saving."
This is why, in episode seven, titled "Metanoia," Bernard runs through all the different possible outcomes to each situation. He wants to know what the best choice is, knowing that whatever happens outside the simulation will have larger ramifications on the society as a whole.
Ultimately, Bernard decided the best outcome was for William (Ed Harris)—who is seemingly left in charge of Delos—to destroy his, Maeve (Thandiwe Newton) and Charlotte Hale's (Tessa Thompson) Pearls, a.k.a. the hosts' control units, effectively killing them for good. (Or so we're led to believe.)
Right now, it's hard to see how the show can move forward without these characters, but as Jeffrey said, "One thing that we know about our show, is that yes, there is a lot of uncertainty, and perhaps ambiguity, but we also know that anything is possible. So I've learned to trust that and just go with it."
Still, it was pretty damn sad to see Bernard and Stubbs (Luke Hemsworth) go their separate ways after building such a strong bond, with Jeffrey noting that the two characters aren't your typical hosts. "Bernard and Stubbs' bond has evolved beyond just the programming," he said. "It's very human in terms of their relationship to one another."
So here's hoping we haven't seen the last of Bernard as we know him—even if it's just for Stubbs.
Westworld's season finale airs Sunday on HBO.