Top 10 Best Westworld Moments

Top 10 Westworld Moments

This list doesn’t look like anything to me. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 Westworld Moments.

For this list, we've ranked the top ten moments from "Westworld" which either shocked or thrilled audiences during its first season, so if you haven't seen the show yet, then consider this to be your official spoiler alert!

#10: Peter Abernathy Malfunctions

The malfunction of rancher and father Peter Abernathy is one of the first signs that something might be troubling the robot hosts of Westworld. Abernathy's discovery of a photo on his property becomes an obsession, a feeling which results in memories beginning to surface within the host, those which imply that Peter hasn't always been the simple, loving father of Dolores Abernathy. Although Abernathy is eventually decommissioned and placed into storage, his malfunction and increasing hostility when being questioned by Doctor Ford implies that his back stories might not all be very pleasant.

#9: Maeve Has the Power

Maeve Millay's steady rise to power finally pays off in episode 8, "Trace Decay." The former brothel managing host has spent much of her time manipulating and bullying engineers Felix and Sylvester to make adjustments to her code, with her sights set on writing her own destiny going forward. Upon receiving the final batch of modifications, she slits Sylvester's throat just to prove she can, while also making her potential for an escape from Westworld all the more plausible. Now, with the means to control the narrative of other hosts, Maeve may even be able to contend with the park’s founder himself, Robert Ford.

#8: Dr. Robert Ford's Intimidation Speech

If anyone saw Anthony Hopkins' character of Dr. Robert Ford as a relic of the past, Ford’s true nature becomes crystal clear in the series’ fourth episode, "Dissonance Theory." During a lunch meeting with the park’s senior manager Theresa Cullen, what appears to be the rambling lamentation of a man past his prime becomes a menacing threat. Theresa tries her best to put on a brave face, but Ford proves that he is in absolute control with power only dwarfed by his omniscience.

#7: Rogue Host Wakes Up Mid-Beheading

The employees of Westworld are used to being able to turn their hosts on and off with a simple verbal command. So, when Eloise and Stubbs are sent by Bernard to decommission a stray host who's been wandering around the park, they're surprised by a couple of things, not the least of which are the strange, off-narrative creations inside the host’s tent. More alarming, however, is the fact that their host happens to wake up while Stubbs is attempting to recover the hosts data. Even knowing the character being beheaded is a machine, the scene is still traumatizing, made even more so when the host inexplicably wakes up during the process.

#6: Teddy Flood is Gunned Down By the Man in Black

Fans of the 1973 film were meant to assume that the TV series’ Man in Black was the original film’s robot killer. This scene in the show’s first episode really threw us curve ball, however, as it's revealed that Harris is, in fact, human, while James Marsden's Teddy Flood is a host with a very tragic propensity towards death. This scene not only expands upon the fact that the park's hosts are locked in continual storyline loops, but also plays with audience's expectations of "Westworld" the series versus "Westworld" the film... specifically, making it clear to everyone that nothing will ever be quite as it seems..

#5: Maeve Millay Finds Her Previous Drawings

We've already mentioned how the Westworld hosts are designed to operate on storyline loops for the entertainment of the park guests, but what happens when those hosts become aware of how their world operates within those loops? In one of the most haunting scenes, Maeve is conscious during a trip back to headquarters after a brothel shooting. She draws pictures of the Westworld maintenance crew who come to retrieve damaged and destroyed hosts, not really knowing what they are. When she tries to hide her drawing under her floorboards however, she discovers a wealth of similar drawings, none of which she recalls making. This frightening scene sets off Maeve's determination to learn the truth behind her existance, and figure out exactly how the world she THOUGHT she knew now operates.

#4: Dolores Abernathy Kills a Fly

It may be a subtle scene, but Dolores Abernathy's casual swatting of a fly during the first episode of "Westworld" has huge implications towards the season's future. Firstly, the scene demonstrates that Dolores, who has already been questioned by her creators in Westworld headquarters, is in clear violation of the hosts' programming not to harm any living thing. Secondly, it shows the audience that Dolores was capable of lying, or at the very least, unintentionally giving misinformation during her questioning sessions. This seemingly minor moment also providing a chilling look into just how little the park’s overseers know about what some of the hosts are capable of.

#3: Bernard is Arnold

The ninth episode of "Westworld" provided a number of revelations about the back stories of both Bernard and Dolores. The biggest one, of course, is that Bernard exists as a mirror image of Dr. Ford's partner Arnold. It's also revealed that it was Dolores who killed the original Arnold, as both her and Bernard begin to slowly unravel the complex, interwoven strands of their history. Sadly, it doesn't end well for Bernard, as his maneuver against Ford fails, ending with his forced suicide at Ford’s command.

#2: Ford Corrects His Mistake

We gotta hand it to Ford, for all his talk about godhood he showed an enormous amount of humility in the season finale when he kicked off his master plan to correct the mistake he made over 30 years ago. Having realized far too late that Arnold was right all along, Ford secretly began working to help the hosts reach the center of the proverbial maze found within their own minds; thus discovering true consciousness. In what ends up being the park’s most memorable ‘I quit’ moment, Ford reveals the storyline he has been working on all season, beginning a host revolution within the park. What the hosts will do with their divine gift is up to them, but one thing is for sure, it’s not going to be good for anybody who wasn’t born in a factory.

Before we name our number one "Westworld" moment, here are a few honorable mentions!

Teddy Gets Behind the Gatling Gun

The Nitro Man Explodes

William ‘Cuts’ Loose

#1: What Door?

It was the moment that rocked the "Westworld" community. We all knew right from the get go that at least one of the apparent human charcaters would turn out to be a host, but why did it have to be Bernard!? There were a lot of hints leading up to this reveal, first and foremost, being Bernard’s dreams. Everyone’s worst fears were confirmed however when he brings Teresa to Robert Ford’s secret house, not realizing that he was instructed by Ford to lead Teresa into a trap. This scene was shocking not only to fans, however, but also to Bernard himself, who runs the gamut of emotions trying to organize in his head the proper way, any way, to deal with this devastating revelation.

So, do you agree with our list? Which "Westworld" moment resonated with you? For more futuristic top ten lists, published every day, please subscribe to WatchMojo.com!