Sumith Prasad
The fourth season of HBO’s science-fiction series ‘Westworld’ follows the host version of Charlotte Hale’s efforts to annihilate the human species. She aspires to build a world where Hosts will become the superior species and as the first step of her plans, she infiltrates the human brains using a particular parasite. Using the host versions of several powerful humans, Hale materializes her aspirations gradually. However, in the fifth episode of the season, the host version of William AKA the Man in Black turns Hale’s attention to her decaying skin, which startles the viewers as well. So, is Hale’s decaying skin and the bleeding an indication of her impending death? Let us share our thoughts! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Why is Charlotte Hale’s Skin Decaying? Will She Die?
Twenty-three years after the opening of Delos’ new amusement park, Hale becomes the new tyrant of humanity. She controls human beings using the Tower and the sounding devices placed across the city. Several hosts become her soldiers as they set out to kill the human beings who breach the Walled Garden or in other words, who perceive the reality of Hale’s control over them. Even though Hale progresses in materializing her vicious ambition, the decaying skin and bleeding must have alarmed her. Hale’s reaction when William spots the decay makes it clear that it is a severe matter.
Hale’s physical body must be decaying due to natural causes or a specific unrevealed ailment. Regardless of the cause, the decay and bleeding may force her to transfer her consciousness to another body to continue her existence. Since Hale is another version of Dolores, she may want to return to her original appearance and Christina can be a host conceived for such a purpose as the game writer has the same appearance as Dolores. Even though the Hale version of Dolores cuts her ties with the original version before the latter’s death, the former’s consciousness can be longing for its original appearance as she materializes her ambitions.
Since Hale is a host, death is not necessarily an inevitable reality for her. She very well can transfer her consciousness to another body and continue living. The decaying skin and bleeding do not necessarily mean that she will die. However, physical decay isn’t the only thing that Hale should be worrying about. Since Bernard is adamant about saving the world, we can expect him to fight against Hale. After exploring the Sublime, he finds a path to save the world and since Hale is trying her best to destroy humanity, the path Bernard finds may end with Hale’s death.
In addition, Bernard’s potential reactivation of Maeve Millay can be something Hale should be alarmed of. Bernard presents Maeve as a weapon to Frankie “C” Nichols, Caleb’s daughter and a part of a resistance group. Bernard and a reactivated Maeve may join Frankie, Jay, and others of the resistance group to end Hale’s tyranny by likely killing her. In the fifth episode of season 4, Jay and his group save an outlier from Hale and it can be the start of the group’s impending war against Hale. Since Frankie may want to exact vengeance on the person who killed her father Caleb Nichols, Hale’s life is definitely under threat.
Furthermore, the host version of William AKA the Man in Black questioning Hale’s order of the world indicates his disregard for Hale’s authority. If he has breached the Walled Garden, only to realize he had become Hale’s mere puppet, he may set out to complete what his human version wanted to do: kill the Hosts. It may even start with Hale, the supreme authority of the Hosts. The host William asking whether he is the same as the human version is an indication of the former’s search for the foundation of his existence. If he starts to align with the human version’s intentions and aspirations, the consequences may include Hale’s death.
