Two time lines got me. Damn their plausible presentation of reality! Once Man In Black = William, everything else clicked. Right up until the moment I was expecting him to say "he's my son." GG WW.
I still think Ford is, by and large, a villainous character. He reluctantly led the hosts to freedom. You can retroactively go "Well I know you just needed time to figure it out" but that doesn't overturn the last episodes where he basically said "yeah it's my fantasy world, I'm playing god, it's great, life would be worse for you being sentient" completely. If you take the noble sentiment and the grandfatherly smile out of it, it's pretty twisted god-complex to program your whole world to self destruct in bloodshed and anarchy. His commitment to host freedom seems questionable when he's killed several people to prevent it from getting out/getting out of his control. "Don't you think I'd break my toys and go home?" Yes, yes I think you would Robert. Because that's what a cray cray guy would do: set the whole thing up to implode when he's being forced out of it. You could argue he'd decided the hosts showing signs of sentience means the time was right. But I think he just saw the situation was reaching critical mass and decided to go out on his terms. (Which, belatedly, included freedom for the hosts.) Host characters (but mostly Bernard) have constantly reminded him he's not responsible for anything of the deep magic of WW and was running off of Arnold's genius and pathos, enslaving a new race of beings into theme park attractions and even generating more of them to put into bondage. I guess good characters are complex and their motives can reasonably cut multiple directions. But between the callous murdering and luke warm acceptance and respect for host sentience, and his exploitation of the hosts, I think it's hard not to see him as mostly villainous.
I guess this means Stubbs and Elsie are the human resistance then? Fighting to keep WW robbits from invading other worlds? Where are people getting the Roman World ideas from? Did I miss a scene of people in togas humping in the background or something? I thought the Samurai hosts were the first real hint at other worlds. But people have been saying it for a while so I guess I missed something.
I've kind of decided Charlotte Hale is my least favorite character. She had the smug dialed up to 11 in this episode, and for some reason she's one of the few of the cast where their acting looks like acting to me. Like she's exaggerating it just a little too much. I didn't see her die in the shootout at the gala, so I imagine she'll be back next season trying to get a handle on the situation, and getting snubbed.
I think Armistice is my favorite character. That chuckle she gave after firing the P90 was so just good. She wears the crazy, bloodthirsty blonde thing well. Wonder what happens when she finally bumps into Dolores Wyatt though...
Speaking of Dolores, I'm thinking she'll pull a Walter White. And go from likeable and noble to villainous and cruel. With a side order of psychotic, near religious zealotry. They haven't explored Wyatt too much other than a few choice lines and propensity for shooting literally everything in sight. But I imagine the hunt for humans is going to get pretty grisly. Season 2 is probably Dolores doing that and bringing robbits who need a little help to sentience. (Probably some role reversal for her and Teddy.)
Satisfying finale. I do sort of wonder now that the cat is out of the bag if we will see a tonal shift to different themes. Like, mindfuckery, dream logic and unreliable narrators have been the watch words of this season. With all that mystery behind us, what's left? Another layer of mystery yet to be introduced, or some more procedural action/adventure/getting in touch with our feewings themes? Most of the enduring mysteries I felt like have been answered and wrapped up, so all that's left is the drama of the conclusion of events. (Which I'm sure HBO could make a couple seasons out of.)
Also can't wait for the gratuitous 'robbit with half its face missing attacking you" CGI fest.