9 Years Ago, HBO’s Best Sci-Fi Series Revealed Its First Major Twist (And Fans Still Haven’t Recovered)

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I remember when Westworld first came out in 2016, it totally blew my mind! Everyone immediately jumped online to try and figure out what was going on – the show was packed with mysteries. It really leaned into that ‘mystery box’ feel, with things like the maze and the Hosts saying that famous line about not seeing anything. It started with the original movie by Michael Crichton, but the series took that cool idea of cowboys and robots and used it to ask some really fascinating questions about what it means to be conscious.

The first big surprise in HBO’s Westworld came in the seventh episode of Season 1, “Trompe L’Oeil,” which aired on November 13, 2016. The episode ended with a shocking reveal: Bernard Lowe (played by Jeffrey Wright), the park’s chief programmer, was actually a host – a lifelike robot – created by Dr. Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins) as a replica of Ford’s deceased partner, Arnold. This twist stunned audiences, created a lot of excitement around the show, and perfectly highlighted its central themes. Even almost ten years later, fans are still reeling from the discovery.

On November 13, 2016, Westworld Pulls Off a Major Twist

Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy created the series, which starred Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton, Ed Harris, and James Marsden as both hosts and humans caught in a repeating pattern of conflict. By the time the episode “Trompe L’Oeil” aired, viewers were deeply invested in unraveling the show’s mysteries. The character Bernard, who initially had a hidden past, sparked extensive online speculation, with fans creating countless theories. Even his philosophical discussions with Ford about what it means to be conscious led to many wild guesses, most of which didn’t align with the writers’ actual plans.

In the seventh episode, Theresa Cullen, who works with and is involved with Bernard, finds a secret lab belonging to Ford. Inside, she discovers the designs for the hosts, and shockingly, sees Bernard’s face among them. Bernard then tells her “it doesn’t look like anything to me,” and Ford immediately orders him to kill her. This twist wasn’t just shocking emotionally; it made viewers really think about the show’s core question: what truly separates what’s real from what’s artificial? Bernard had been led to believe he was a real person, so was he? His struggle to understand his own consciousness is perfectly captured in a line from the next episode: “I understand what I’m made of, how I’m coded, but I don’t understand my feelings. Are my experiences real? My wife? The grief over my son?”

Fans Are Still Reeling From the Host-Bernard Reveal

Fans weren’t just interested in Westworld – they were completely captivated. The show’s online forum exploded with activity during the first season, becoming a place where people intensely analyzed every detail. Users compared lines of dialogue, created detailed timelines, and even examined screenshots of things like door handles, all to support their theories. A week before the episode “Trompe L’Oeil” aired, a now-famous Reddit post correctly predicted that Bernard was a host and represented a deeper level of consciousness, backing up the claim with compelling evidence, like similarities between Bernard and Dolores.

After the big reveal, fans dove deep into the show, uncovering hidden details and connections. Some noticed that the name “Bernard Lowe” could be rearranged to spell “Arnold Weber.” Others speculated about how long Ford had been secretly replacing people with hosts, or even if the entire Delos board were actually robots. Viewers meticulously re-watched early episodes, finding strong evidence and subtle clues that supported a complex storyline. One fan even playfully suggested that the show was intentionally misleading viewers through the way scenes were filmed.

Looking back, it’s amazing how cleverly Nolan and Joy presented their big reveal right in front of us. The episode title, “Trompe L’Oeil,” is a French term for realistic art that creates the illusion of depth. This title hints at Bernard’s true nature and perfectly captures how Westworld initially presents itself as a simple sci-fi story, only to completely subvert expectations and challenge how we view everything. For many viewers, the “Trompe L’Oeil” twist was when they realized just how brilliant the season was, and even nine years later, Westworld fans are still analyzing it, finding new details, and discussing its deeper meaning.

The moment Bernard’s true nature was revealed was when Westworld had the biggest impact on popular culture. While later seasons explored complex ideas like simulated realities, they never quite matched the brilliance of that first season’s shocking twist. Fortunately, Season 1 is strong enough to stand on its own as a truly exceptional sci-fi show from HBO, and one of the best of the decade.

Did you predict Bernard’s big reveal? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion in the ComicBook Forum!

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2025-11-13 23:13