In chess, a passed pawn refers to a pawn that is advancing to the eighth rank with no opposing pawn on its way. In this episode, Caleb is the passed pawn who is on the way to reach the eight rank and become the queen.
We find out in this episode that the plan all along is for Caleb to lead the humans towards freedom. According to Bernard, Dolores was built with a poetic sense of irony which has led her to recruit Caleb to destroy mankind. We can notice the word choice that they both use. Dolores wants Caleb to “free” the humans while Bernard thinks Caleb has been recruited to “destroy” them. This brings up the question of free will that the show is grappling with all over again. Is freeing the people from the pre-defined life that Serac has enforced the same thing as destroying humankind. I mean, you can agree with the statement to an extent, Serac has previously stated that “Humanity’s biggest threat has always been itself.”
This sentiment certainly holds true for our real-world now. The way we have been dealing with the pandemic, the degree of economic uncertainty that a large number of the global population face, and the extent to which we have depleted the environment – these are all examples of how we have certainly become our own biggest threats – big enough to potentially lead to our own extinction. Is this what Dolores plans to do? Freeing them so they can destroy themselves?
The episode begs the answer to the question about what is better, living in a chaotic free world where nothing is certain and everyone is constantly at risk or for a few selected people to live in a perfect world where everything is perfect but they have no control over themselves?
In answer to the question to lead humanity, Caleb responds that he is only a construction worker. He is a literal pawn controlled by others – an outlier who doesn’t even have access to his own memories, whose character arc is leading him towards becoming the most powerful chess piece of the game. Even if Caleb was reluctant to revolt before, finding out that he was forced to kill his friend and made to forget about it, will definitely ensure that he as a much stronger motive to do so now.
Aside from the philosophical questions raised, the episode also showcases numerous future weapons including a machine gun that folds out into a suitcase wielded by Musashi-Dolores. We also see a military-grade EMP (electromagnetic pulse generator) that is capable of frying up any electronic device that comes into its range. Seeing that tech like this exists in this world makes you wonder why they didn’t use it to fight the hosts in Season Two.
The story arc of Maeve has been a let down for me personally. Her motives make absolutely no sense, and her logic for siding with Serac and going against Dolores makes no absolute sense. Mainly, for this reason, I get irked when she shows up and I keep rooting for her to lose. Maeve was such an individual character but in this season she has no agency.
There is still a chance that Maeve would change sides for whatever reason. Maybe she is being controlled by Serac in some ways that we are not being made privy to. Maybe she has been re-programmed by Serac in the same way Caleb was. But whatever the reason, the show certainly loses some points for making such a bad use of such a strong, unique, and well-developed character.
We also learn that the Man in Black is still the Man in Black at heart. What we thought was a metaphor for his change of heart, was just a fluke. He is still doing what he was doing before, tormenting hosts. But Dolores let him live for a reason and even Arnold thinks he might be of use in the future. So I am betting that he will help out the hosts in some way even if he does not intend to do so. After all, he did not become the Man in White by choice, it was something that he was forced into.
Now only one more episode remains in the series, which has already been approved for Season Four, but we still haven’t seen the fifth Dolores yet. My assumption is that the Dolores that we have been seeing on her own body till now was also a copy and the one who we have yet to meet is the OG Dolores. I guess we will find out for sure next week.
