What Dolores does to Teddy proves that absolute power corrupts absolutely in this week's Westworld episode, "Akane No Mai". In the episode "Virtù e Fortuna", Dolores ordered Teddy to execute Major Craddock and the rest of the Confederados, but Teddy couldn't bring himself to do it. This did not sit well with Dolores' master plan. Now, Teddy's little revolt has now caused a slight fracture in their relationship.
In "Akane No Mai", Dolores and Teddy are back in Sweetwater, and they head to the Mariposa Saloon and some whiskey. Maybe to help Teddy calm his nerves after seeing Clementine speak through another host. He is obviously trying to process this new reality in Westworld. Afterwards, they ride out to a ranch where he thought he and Dolores may live out the rest of their lives. But Dolores is on to bigger and better things, and this world is just a part of it. She goes on to tell a story about how her father once burned their sick cows to help prevent the spread of disease from infected flies. It's this story that may be a metaphor for Dolores's overall plan - and Teddy might be the first step.
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Once they get back to Sweetwater, Dolores wants to know if Teddy still wants her to stay even though she'll disappoint him in the future. Of course, the ever-loyal Teddy is still stuck in his fantasy of being with her forever. In this scene, they still seem happy - so happy that they end up having sex. Back in Season 1, the Man in Black told Teddy that he was programmed to never get the girl, but in this new Westworld, Teddy has a chance even after he its to Dolores that he's "not gonna make it" in this new reality.
Dolores has a sinister trick up her sleeve to help Teddy cope with this new world, however. She leads him into a backroom (populated by a dead cow covered flies) with a tech standing nearby. In Season 1, Ford had Teddy's personality reprogrammed for his new narrative; programming made him a little tougher and more driven to find Wyatt and save Dolores. But even with that upgrade, it wasn't enough to help Teddy survive in this new world. Instead, Dolores has one of the techs give Teddy another new upgrade. Based on his stats on, he is extremely loyal to Dolores, but she has turned him into a lethal killing machine by pumping up his cruelty, self-preservation, decisiveness, loyalty and tenacity to the max.
With the introduction of The Raj and ShogunWorld, this season is about expanding out into other worlds beyond Westworld. Sadly, it makes sense to see Teddy change from the good-hearted cowboy to a henchman of a diabolical leader. But what does this mean for Dolores' grand plan? What's interesting about the dead cow story is that it parallels the Judas steer story back in Season 1. This was when Dolores explained to Teddy about the Judas steer. The one steer that the other steers follow into the slaughterhouse.
Combine these two stories, and they may explain the dead host bodies shown floating in the water at the start of the season. It looks like Dolores may be the reason behind all of it, and Teddy may have played some part in their destruction. What's interesting, is that Teddy is one of the dead hosts in the water. In this week's episode "Akane No Mai", his body is pulled ashore and a voiceover refers to Teddy as the key. Could Teddy be one of the steers lead to their own deaths? Whatever the truth, he still has a prominent role in understanding what is really happening in Westworld.