The memory of her daughter's death wasn't scripted. It was William's unexpected act. It BECAME her cornerstone memory. It was a spontaneous, real event that triggered a very real change in her. So in that sense it wasn't a "directive". It was as valid as any human's memory.
For her to break a narrative over…

We know it was to at least get out of the Westworld. In the basement Bernard reads out the steps of her mission. His last line before Maeve breaks the tablet is "after infiltrating the mainland.." It's also on the tablet if you freeze the right frame.

That doesn't mean that Bernard wasn't a person before rejecting the memory. It just means that he sees a bigger picture now. Or at least that's how it adds up in my mind. Maeve's situation is a bit different because:
1. Her daughter & her relationship with her were real (albeit mostly scripted). The emotions…

Well, he saved their ass once, even if it was for his own amusement.

It's also a clear sign of free will. She went against her programming, which had her infiltrating the "mainland".

I think Dolores is sentient, now that she hears her own voice. But she needs to learn a few more things before escaping. No idea who else has admin. privileges. He shut Bernard down because he would've naively sent the hosts to their death. Like Ford said they need TIME to understand humans if they're to ever…

William as the Man in Black's importance got grossly exaggerated by the internet. Taken without that influence it just looks like William is a soundboard for Dolores's self-exploration & MIB is some darkly obsessed gamer. Their growing convergence is only supposed to be a thing in the last 3 or 4 episodes.

No, it is real. Listen to Ford at the end. He acknowledges it. He just doesn't feel like the hosts are mentally strong enough to outlast their human oppressors yet.

More like "Let's go share an apartment somewhere & go job hunting because this place is run by fucking lunatics.."

The major thing that the internet theorizing has done is to make people give William excessive attention as a character. He was always first & foremost someone for Dolores to play off of in her self-exploration. That's it. The William=MIB was just supposed to be a nice, darkly poetic little bonus. Instead it got…

Actually, I should rephrase that. It determines that a host is CAPABLE of sentience. Arnold thought it was a done deal once they completed the maze. But they still need to hear their own thoughts with their own voice. That would be the last stage in the Bicameral Process. The voice Dolores heard in ep 9 in front…

Okay then I guess NO human on this show that had sex was good. They're all assholes, which is basically my point.

It's not really used by frontline NATO. It's supposed to be an emergency weapon for tank crews or maybe security inside a compound. Special Forces might use them for stealthy missions.

A hardcore gamer & usurper of power in the real world.

I think because of the internet, people have invested much more time & attention on William/MIB than they normally would. Without outside influence I feel like Dolores's personal mental journey, Maeve's arc & the Ford/Bernard/Delos chess game easily takes over. Without Reddit, young William seems more like someone…

Also, maybe Ford's narratives are a way to gradually imbue them with the kind toughness & self-reliance that the characters of the Old West seem to embody. The looping nature of their existence could be to condition them for the daily grind of survival, etc.

I thought about that too. For that to work EVERY Delos rep would have to die so there'd be no witnesses. The hosts would have to get their memories altered, camera footage changed, etc. But it could be done. After all we NEVER DID see who the new host in the house basement was going to be. Maybe William just…

Hardcore gamers usually go with Japanese w/English subs because they can't stand how their English voices sound like really crappy voice actors. You need special contact lenses for the subs.

Smoking a peace pipe with Elsie & her new friends.

I know, that part sucks.