end of Westworld season 3, the farm girl turned violent revolutionary seemed dead for good, with every memory that made up her personality chiseled away. Westworld season 4 then introduced Christina - a dead ringer for Dolores in both looks and personality, but possessing no recollection of her former life.
With the assistance of James Marsden's Teddy, Christina realized the world around her is a lie, that she's a host instead of a human, and that Charlotte Hale is the villain pulling humanity's strings. Christina has also honed her narrative-writing powers, and can manipulate humans through telepathic commands. Unfortunately, Teddy has been keeping his biggest surprise until last. As Westworld season 4's appropriately-titled "Metanoia" draws to a close, Christina's powers are overridden by William's tonal command. Realizing the humans can't even see her, Christina begs for answers. Her new boyfriend duly replies, "You're not in this world. It's real. But you're not."
"Metanoia" ends before Teddy can elaborate, leaving a slew of unanswered questions. How is Christina not in this world? Where is her consciousness really kept? What does Teddy mean by "not real?" Let's try and untangle Westworld season 4's latest philosophical crisis.
Christina Was Never Physically There In Westworld Season 4
Based on Teddy's statement, we can perhaps assume that "Christina" has never physically existed throughout the whole of Westworld season 4. Every time audiences saw Evan Rachel Wood's red-haired alter ego in a street, office, coffee shop or apartment, she wasn't really occupying that space, and the same goes for Teddy. Westworld demonstrates this clearly when Christina and Teddy stroll right past Stubbs and Frankie in the Olympiad building without either pair acknowledging the other. She's a digital ghost blowing through Westworld's real world, falsely believing her own authenticity.
Wait, Hasn't Christina Interacted With People?
Teddy says humans don't see Christina because she doesn't exist, but Westworld season 4 is packed with examples of her interacting with other people. She talks to her roommate Maya, her dinner companion before Teddy, Peter the stalker, and her boss at Olympiad, creating a discrepancy that Westworld season 4's finale needs to iron out.
One explanation is that Christina's small handful of companions are also fake, planted by Charlotte Hale to help maintain the illusion. As early as Westworld season 4's premiere, Maya accused Christina of being a recluse, meaning social interactions are few and far between. The people she does know might function like guard dogs - which would explain why Maya has strangely disappeared in recent episodes.
Alternatively, Christina has been subconsciously providing narratives for the human race, controlling their thoughts, feelings and actions. Whenever the need to interact with one arose, perhaps she unknowingly used those powers to make them see her, despite not being physically present.
One final possibility is that the small handful of characters Christina speaks with exist in the same place she does. Evan Rachel Wood's character talks with Teddy as if he's right next to her, but the two lovers are digital projections from somewhere else. Maybe the likes of Maya and Peter are trapped in the same digital plane as Dolores and Teddy.
Where Dolores REALLY Is In Westworld Season 4
Dolores has to be inside the Sublime, right? Back in Westworld season 2, around the same time she made copies of her pearl, Dolores sent the Sublime to a massive server inside Hoover Dam. It's plausible that she ed a backup of herself at the same time, which would neatly explain why Hale and the Man in Black were so keen to acquire the station earlier in Westworld season 4. Hale, of course, can't access the Sublime without Bernard's key, but perhaps linking the digi-heaven to the Tower (Bernard mentions these two locations are connected) meant Dolores' consciousness could be exploited without unlocking the Door.
This would address Teddy's shock return in Westworld season 4 too. His consciousness was last seen roaming the Sublime's plains, after all. And if Dolores is plugged directly into the Tower's control system, she'd only see humans ed under Hale's regime, which is probably how she doesn't notice Stubbs (a host) or Frankie (not controlled by the parasite).
Can Dolores Return For Real In Westworld Season 4?
If Dolores saved a version of herself inside the Sublime and is projecting into the real world, then she can be resurrected for real. Westworld season 4, episode 7 makes a point of confirming host personalities from the Sublime can be brought back physically when Charlotte Hale announces this was her plan for Earth all along.
Maybe that's why "Metanoia" begins with Bernard opening up the Sublime. Bernard's Westworld season 4 plan is a delicate tapestry of predictive trial-and-error, and episode 7 never explains why cracking the Sublime's door is so important. Bernard also records a video message shortly before he goes offline, beginning with "there's time only for one more game." The line echoes the "game" Arnold used to play with Dolores in Westworld, suggesting she's the intended recipient of the video. From the very beginning, Bernard's plan to save Westworld might've been holding tight and opening a "path" for Dolores to ride to the rescue.
Westworld continues Sunday on HBO.