Maeve is heading back into the belly of the beast to get her daughter back, and it turns out the decision to do so is 100% her own. Westworld showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy answered questions about the hit HBO show at a Paley Center event on March 25, addressing the finale’s final twists and revealing the one host that actually exhibited free will by the end of the season. Not so surprisingly, it was Thandie Newton’s Maeve.
Nolan and Joy were joined on stage by some of the Westworld stars, including Newton, while revealing this already relatively known information, although it’s never been confirmed up until now.
“The way that we designed [Maeve going back for her daughter] and the way we shot it — really the first decision she’s ever made,” Nolan said, according to Polygon, confirming fan suspicions. “For me, it’s a very emotional moment in the episode because you’re seeing the first free will.”
Every move Maeve made up until choosing to go back for her "daughter" was programmed and wholly expected.
The finale of Season 1 saw Maeve about to follow through with her programmed Mainland Infiltration storyline. Instead of doing so, she rejects her programming and heads back into the park to find the “daughter” she remembers from a previous storyline of hers, the one killed by the Man in Black. Maeve will supposedly track down Felix, who she’s told is in “Park 1,” in Season 2, which might just be the teased-at Samurai World.
So, not only is Maeve a fighter and loyal to a fault, but she’s also the beginning of a revolution.
Westworld Season 2 is expected to premiere in 2018 on HBO.
