Bernard asks Dolores what happened, and she says that the outlaws hurt her parents. She describes how she's lost everyone that she cares about, and Bernard offers to make the feeling go away. Dolores wonders why she would want that, saying it's all that she has left of them. She then explains that she adapted it from a scripted dialogue about love, and asks if there's something wrong with the thoughts that she's having. Bernard says that there isn't, but warns that he's not the only one making the decisions. She asks him to help her, and thinks that there's something wrong with the world: something hiding beneath it. Dolores wonders if she's losing her mind, and Bernard says that he wants her to play a game and find the center of the Maze. If she does then maybe she'll be free. Dolores says that she wants to be free.
Dolores wakes up beneath a tree near her family farm. The revolver is in her hand and William offers her a cup of coffee.
Sweetwater starts up and Clementine asks Maeve what she's thinking about. Maeve says that there was something on the tip of her tongue that she can't remember, and she looks over at three guests laughing. She sees Clementine's eye with blood in it and has a memory-flash of Maeve lying dead on the floor, a gunshot wound in her head. She then remembers one of the guests shooting the hosts, including her, and the tech crew coming in to clean up the hosts and taking her to the complex to remove the bullet fragments from her abdomen. Maeve snaps back to the present and feels at her unharmed abdomen.
Maeve walks down the street to her home, and checks her abdomen in the mirror. There's no sign of any damage, but she finds a spot of blood on her chamois. Maeve quickly sketches a picture of the cleanup tech that took her away and then hides it beneath the floorboards. There are other pictures there of the same man.
Elise and Stubbs report to Theresa about the Woodcutter's behavior Elise insists that the host's behavior wasn’t unusual even though it smashed in its head with a rock, but Theresa figures that Elise is covering for Behavior's screw-up. Bernard comes in as Elise explains that they manages to preserve the host's wetware before there was too much decomposition, and Theresa says that her team will take over the investigation. Elise objects but Theresa tells her that QA will handle similar events going forward. Bernard readily agrees and asks for a post mortem when they're done.
Outside in the hallway, Elise asks Bernard why he caved. She says that there's a pattern of behavior and wonders why Bernard doesn't want her to tell anyone. Bernard suggests that she's imagining things and points out that the "constellation" the Woodcutter carved isn't a match for Orion.
William offers Dolores his coat and then tells Logan that they have to take her back to Sweetwater. Logan refuses, reminding his friend that he dragged him out to hunt down Slim Miller. He offers to blow Dolores' brains out, and William objects. Logan figures that the park sent Dolores so that William would have something to care about. William points out that Logan invites him because they were family but now he's talking business, and Logan says that in their family everything is business.
The Man follows the directions to a canyon and points out that all of the snakes are of the non-egg-laying variety. Lawrence wonders what the Man hopes to find, and the Man says that the world is a story and he wants to know what it all means. He sees Armistice in the nearby river, bathing with her shirt off. A snake tattoo covers her torso, and the Man figures that she's the snake they're looking for.
A group of outlaws come up behind the Man and take Lawrence prisoner. Armistice comes over and the Man asks what the story of her tattoo is. He asks where she's heading, and Armistice says that she's going to retrieve something of great value. The Man points out that she's short-handed, and guns down two outlaws. He points out that she has a couple of positions open, and Armistice agrees to take him on.
At the complex, Stubbs receives a report that Dolores is deviating from her loop. They're not sure if Dolores is accompanying guests because of Robert's new storyline, and Stubbs tells the technician to have Dolores tagged for Behavior to pick up later and check her out.
William and the others ride to a village, and Dolores sees Lawrence's daughter sitting by the fountain. The girl says that she's from the same place that Dolores is, and asks if she remembers. Dolores has a memory-flash of the girl and a church, and looks at the maze that the girl is drawing in the dirt with a stick. A deputy comes over and says that he's received word that a girl is missing from the Abernathy ranch, and takes Dolores along. Dolores remembers more of the church, including the cemetery, and says that her father's dead and she's not going back. The deputy grabs her arm, but lets it go when William comes over and asks what's going on. He says that Dolores is with him, and the deputy walks away. William tells Dolores that they have a lead on Slim Miller, and Dolores insists on going with him.
The Man and Lawrence ride with the outlaws, and Armistice goes on ahead to meet with two men. She kills them once she has the information she needs.
That night, Dolores apologizes for causing trouble between William and Logan. He says that it's fine and wonders where she's heading, and Dolores admits that she doesn't know. When he talks about zones and paths, Dolores says that she used to believe that there's a path for everyone but she never asked where the path is taking her. She talks about how the steers always found their way home... and were slaughtered. William wonders how she's going to find her way, and Dolores says that sometimes she feels like something is calling her, telling her there's a place beyond where she is. He says that he knows the feeling, and Dolores has a memory-flash of cleanup techs collecting her and the other "bodies" at the ranch. She wavers and William catches her, and says that she had a chill.
At the outlaw's camp, one of the guests tries to thank the Man, saying his foundation saved his sister. The Man tells him to shut up because he's on vacation. Lawrence tells the Man that Armistice plans to steal a cannon from a Union cavalry unit and blast their way into a prison. The Man isn't interested in wasting time and tells Armistice that he'll ride to the prison, get what she wants, and bring it back himself. As payment all he wants is the story of her tattoo. He asks if she's heard of a man named Arnold, and he created a world where someone can do anything that they want… except die. Then Arnold broke his own rule and died in the park, and the Man figures he had one story left to tell. He shows Armistice the scalp map, and figures her tattoo is the next piece of the puzzle. The Man then says that he'll take Lawrence with him and needs one match, and Armistice agrees.
The next morning, a handcuffed Man and Lawrence are taken to the prison in a stagecoach. The Man takes out a case of cigars and asks the deputy guarding them for a light. The deputy refuses and the Man offers him a cigar. Once the host takes it, the Man tells Lawrence that his companion goes along with the Man's choices because if he made his own, he'd face a truth he couldn't comprehend: that he's always been a prisoner with no choice. He says that he's there to set Lawrence free, and Lawrence glares at him.
The stagecoach arrives at the prison and Marshal Pruitt greets them. He tells the deputy that Lawrence is wanted in three counties and has a guard take him away. Pruitt has the Man locked up in a cell with Hector. When Hector wonders who he is, the Man says that he's his salvation.
Pruitt takes Lawrence to a post where a firing squad is waiting. The Man watches from his cell and tells Hector that they've never met, and he already figured the outlaw as market-tested but locked in his own cycle. Hector figures that no one will be saved in the end, and the Man admits that they have more in common than he thought. The Man knows that Hector's men will come in three days to rescue him, but he doesn't have that much time. He then lights the match on the cell door.
At the complex, Stubbs is informed they have a request for two small pyrotechnic effects. He confirms who requested it and gives his approval.
The Man sticks a lit cigar into the cell door's lock and steps back, and it explodes. When he and Hector walk out, the deputy prepares to shoot him, the cigar he's smoking explodes in his face. The Man then recovers his guns.
Lawrence tells Pruitt to get it over with, and Pruitt gives the signal to his men to open fire. The Man arrives and kills them all first, and takes off Lawrence's blindfold while Hector kills Pruitt. They ride back to Armistice and the Man tells Hector that he's never going to find what he's looking for in the safe. Armistice then tells him that masked men killed everyone in his village except for her. She tracked down each killer and painted her skin with their blood, and there's only one man left: the head of the snake. Armistice says that his name is Wyatt.
In Sweetwater, Maeve and Clementine watch with the other townspeople as Union soldiers escort a group of Indians down the street. One of them drops a doll that looks like a cleanup tech, and Maeve runs over to pick it up. She asks the girl what it means, but the girl walks on and a soldier tells Maeve not to waste her breath.
At the Mariposa, Maeve has a drink and listens as Clementine negotiates price with a john. She then goes over to Maeve, who says that the two men Clementine was talking to ride with Hector.
After sex, Theresa gets dressed and Bernard figures that she's stressed. She says that she has to talk to Robert because he's creating chaos and she needs to buy some time with the board. Bernard advises her not to show that she's nervous or defensive, and they kiss.
Later, Theresa visits Robert, who is supervising a vast excavation out in the desert. She asks if he needs more time and claims the board would be glad to grant it. Robert takes her to a nearby hacienda and Theresa says that they want to protect his legacy. He points out that she doesn't like the park very much, and Theresa says that she admires it. Robert says that in the beginning, he thought things would be perfectly balanced. Arnold always preferred the hosts and begged Robert not to let Delos in, but Robert figured that they wouldn't understand what they were paying for: an entire world. All of the hosts around them freeze, and Robert says that in the park they were gods and Delos are their guests. Arnold lost his perspective and went mad, but Robert insists that he hasn't and he sees things very clearly. Theresa realizes that Robert brought her to the chair that she sat in when she visited the park as a child, and Robert says that they know everything about their guests and their employees. He tells her to be careful with Bernard because he has a sensitive disposition.
The hosts start moving again and Robert asks Theresa to stay out of his way. She stands up and says that the board will be sending a representative. Robert says that they already have and dismisses the hosts. All of the hosts walk away and the table shakes, and Robert tells Theresa she can tell the board that his narrative will be done on time and it won't be a retrospective. A giant earthmover comes over the horizon and Robert says that he's not the sentimental type as it chews up the fields.
William asks Dolores to stay at the camp while their guide Holden takes them to where Slim and his gang are. Dolores offers to help, but William assures her that he can't get hurt. He then goes over to join Logan and Holden, and Logan says that he's calling dibs if William doesn't have sex with Dolores. Holden tries to tell them that Slim's men are holding a family hostage, but Logan knows it all and goes on ahead and the other two follow.
Inside the house, Slim and his men are playing cards when Logan kicks in the door and opens fire. The outlaws' bullets have no effect on Logan, but when he tries to shoot one host he discovers that he's out of bullets. He pistol-whips the outlaw instead and takes his gun.
The Man and Lawrence ride off after Wyatt, and Lawrence warns that they're badly outgunned. They come to a man strung up to a tree, and discover that it's Teddy. Teddy begs them to put him out of his misery, and the Man cuts him down.
William and the others ride back to town with slim. They stop to gag him, and Slim says that his boss Alonzo will pay Holden twice what the bounty's worth. Logan shoots Holden in the head and says that Alonzo is their ticket to the best ride in the park. He frees Slim and Dolores steps forward and refuses to let Logan let the outlaw go. He draws his gun on her, and William threatens to shoot Slim. Logan finally lowers his gun and asks William to give him a little something now that William has saved Dolores. When William wonders when Logan became an evil prick, Logan insists that it's all just a game and that Dolores doesn't care. She has no idea what he's talking about and Logan rides off with Slim to find Alonzo.
At the complex, the techs confirm that some guests are riding with Hector and prepare for the big shootout in Sweetwater. As Foss comes out to confront them, Stubbs retasks some of the soldier hosts to give the outlaws something to shoot at. Hector shoots him and the Mariposa safe robbery goes off as scheduled. However, Maeve put a derringer to Hector's head and says that she wants to talk. She takes him to her office and offers him the combination to the safe in return for some answers. She shows him the picture of the cleanup tech and asks what it is.
When Stubbs receives word that some guests are inbound, he has the techs jam the outlaws' gun and send in the cavalry.
Hector says that the figure is a shade from Indian lore, and Maeve gives him one number. She asks what the shade does, and Hector says that it's the Man Who Walks Between Worlds and oversees their word. Maeve gives him the second number, and then grabs his knife and says that she thought she was crazy. She shows Hector where she got shot, even though there's no wound, and she saw the shade standing over her. Maeve tells Hector to cut her in the same spot, but he refuses and says that it's a blessing from God to see the one who pulls the strings
Outside, Reed and his deputies gun down Armistice and the others.
Maeve braces herself and then rams the knife into her own abdomen. She tells Hector to reach in and pull it out. and then screams in pain as he does. Reed and the others come in and hear Maeve's screams. As they pound on the door, Hector takes out the bullet fragment that the techs missed and wonders what it means. Maeve says that it means that she's not crazy and that none of it matter, and then kisses Hector as the deputies fire through the door.
Written by Gadfly on Oct 24, 2016