I'm a bit late to the party, so this might have already been covered, but I think what this episode really proves is that William is not the Man in Black.

I've seen a few observations on this in the comments, but nobody's gotten any farther than you did.

I'm beginning to think that the corporation itself might be confused about its motivation. There are clearly some members of the Board who think of it as a failing but potentially profitable amusement park for wealthy sadists, but there are other Board factions (e.g., the Man in Black and whoever is behind the attempt…

Pretty much, yes. Although he'd probably be hoping that low population density (and zombies, and the fact that anyone who panics and flees Negan's camp looking for help from other communities would be cheerfully shot on sight instead of admitted) might prevent the disease from spreading.

That depends on the virus. . .

Sigh. I didn't mean that the size of the earth has literally changed. My point was that the roads are becoming less hazardous as human and walker populations decline.

It's true, we don't know all that much about the "Season 4 Virus" beyond the fact that it's contagious and spectacularly deadly. If it fails to spread, or spreads too slowly, the tactic could easily backfire. If it spreads too fast, to the point where it slips into Alexandria, the results could be even worse.

Those are all good points, and they create an important moral dilemma. That's part of why I like this idea so much. Negan's character has been presented to us as the living embodiment of perfect evil. . .which should be a flashing red warning light to the audience that we're being lulled into thinking he's as bad as…

Desperate times call for desperate measures. And 600 miles isn't as far as it used to be. There are fewer human survivors at this point, and even the walker population seems to be slowly dying out (if that's the term).

The "Season 4 Plague" could be transmitted between human carriers, and was extremely virulent. It didn't rely on people eating contaminated meat. Figuring out what Negan would want could take a bit of guesswork, but he seems to like meds.

The pigs are consuming the zombie virus, which has no effect on the living unless they get bitten by a carrier (medically bizarre, but that's the story).

Anyone who caught the plague and survived it is now immune. Unfortunately, the only person who comes to mind as a plague survivor is Glenn. . . but there might be some others. Alternately, handling contaminated materials with the proper equipment and great caution could work. . .although anyone without formal training…

I love the scene where Negan gets his hands on Rick's "Intake Interview" and mock-gasps at the bearded wildman Rick used to be. "There's no way I'd have messed with that guy. . .but you. Are not. That guy."

Much appreciated. How we get ourselves into these scrapes is beyond me.

Or three- Henry Ford was an industrial pioneer, but in a way that dehumanized workers; and he was a frothing racist to boot. That would have some resonance in the case of Westworld as well.

Well, somebody thought enough of your post above to block it. Since nothing you said is offensive or implausible, I take that to mean you might be on to something. (Yes, that assumes HBO has people scouring comment threads like this one, obliterating spoilers. . .which sounds like a crazier theory than any of yours, I…

And why is it impossible for Americans to buy Dead Air?

Good call. I can't imagine Theresa and Lee spent much time devising motives and backstories for all ~150 of the hosts who were marching in that weird torchlit parade, or who who were part of any of the various other strange mobs in Pariah.

Nope. . . but there's probably something valuable and interesting buried in that robot's memory. I get the impression that Ford has spent the last few decades trying to evoke that one piece of information without success.

I think Pariah is a "pop up" environment that exists only when (and for only so long) as its existence is absolutely necessary to complete a storyline. When that happens, I think the park has to scramble to find enough bodies to fill the town, and might even be pulling Hosts from other sections of the park (another…