Westworld and suicide: A curious obsession

In the aftermath of episode “Vanishing Point”, there’s no denying that Westworld and suicide go together like peas and carrots. Why? Caution: Spoilers.

Have you ever questioned the nature of your reality?

Well, if you’re a character on Westworld, the answer is a resounding “yes”. Generously peppered throughout the series in Season 1, the reality test was a jumping off point that caused serious psychic stress and pain for anyone who began to turn the question over in their mind. Docile and happy hosts don’t question their reality, but humans do. So do hosts that have reached sentience. On Westworld, the complex construct of reality is framed as a weighty burden to bear.

And, as a result of that burden, we’ve seen many, many characters brutally take their own lives in acts of suicide too numerous to count.

This week, the tally increased by two as both Teddy (James Marsden) and Juliet (Selma Ward) committed suicide as a direct result of feeling betrayed by a loved one. But even prior to this episode, chock full of suicidal ideation, Westworld has had a storied and complex past with the act.

As we close in on the final episode of Season 2, it’s clear that Westworld and suicide go together like peas and carrots. On the heels of Teddy’s shocking death this week, almost every single main character – with the notable exception of Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) – has made a successful attempt on his or her life throughout the short run of the series.

In all cases, self-inflicted deaths on the series are considered to be a much-welcome release from current reality. They are also as abundant as all get out. Season 1 saw Maeve (Thandie Newton) kill herself over and over again in a macabre version of Groundhog Day, Arnold (Jeffrey Wright) commit suicide by host, and Ford (Anthony Hopkins) urge Dolores to kill him in front of a gaping crowd of investors. Season 2 had both Maeve and Bernard taking control of the mesh network and forcing hosts to off themselves as a protective tactic. And who could forget the stunning “Kiksuya” in which a spiritually depleted Ake (Zahn McClarnon) gives in to death in order to break on through to the other side.

And then there’s Juliet, the Man in Black’s (Ed Harris) long-suffering wife. Her suicide has cast one of the essential mysteries over the entire series thus far, and “Vanishing Point” seeks to provide some sort of answer for viewers.

The emotions telegraphed by suicidal characters on Westworld often accurately mirror the feelings of depressed and hopeless individuals in reality. There is an endless multitude of differing catalysts for people who want to end their own lives, but what the decision ultimately boils down to is truly believing there are no other options left for relief.

The increased prevalence of suicide on Westworld just so happens to coincide with the deaths of two beloved American visionaries – Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain. The world mourned them while asking the questions reserved for deaths related to suicide. Why would they do this? How did they do it? Wasn’t there another way? Those very same questions haunt Juliet’s presence on the show as we watch her mental health slowly decompensate over the course of an illuminating evening with her husband.

Juliet’s narrative provides a stark comparison from the usual pairing of Westworld and suicide. Hers is a death that takes place removed from the park itself, and the catalyst is (presumably) unrelated to any mazes, twists, or the general mind f*ckery we’ve come to expect from the show. No. Her death is driven by betrayal, substance abuse, and depression. In a stirring monologue delivered by Harris with gravely gravitas, the Man in Black reveals his true self to his wife. And when he does, the shocking weight of that confession drowns them both, pulling them under in a lifetime of unspoken words and broken promises. In the end, each of them chooses a different coping mechanism to deal with this reveal. For Juliet it’s pills and a razor blade, while the MIB sets off on a park walkabout in order to distract from his true feelings.

Given the MIB’s mental breakdown and subsequent bout of suicidal ideation in the park, suicide partially seems to be prevalent on Westworld as an indicator of technology separating us from our emotional instinct as humans. Ford confirmed as much this week in his speech to Maeve when he states, “All this pain, so that they can patch a hole in their own broken code.” Social media, gaming, and internet interactions are enticing because they give us the illusion of togetherness and productivity, but they mostly provide avenues in which we can distract and run away from what’s truly wrong. In a society where technology allows us the luxury of instant gratification, where we can get anything we want at the click of a button, quick fixes such as mental health medication are frequently touted, yet they don’t appear to be working. Why? If central issues are not addressed head on, individuals can feel as if they’re in the wrong world, trapped and helpless to avoid continued pain. Treatment for mental health issues takes time, patience, and work, three things that seem in short supply as technology steadily continues to creep into our lives.

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Arguably, the use of suicide has taken many forms throughout the course of the series. Before the destruction of the Cradle (a giant server with backups of all the hosts’ cognition), hosts – such as our stoic Maeve – could off themselves over and over again with little to no consequence, popping right back into existence like a buoyant Mario with infinite extra lives. The search for something deeper in death was paramount, and once Maeve realized that she had choices and a level of agency over her own life, her suicidal impulses disappeared.

As a host, Ake had a similar experience, succumbing to death and subsequently creeping around the Mesa in an indelible sequence set to Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box”, coincidentally a song written by Kurt Cobain, a man who famously took his own life. Westworld is certainly a show that traffics in the deep and dark corners of the artistic mind. Yet, similar to Maeve, Ake decides that he’s seen what he needs to see, and returns to his life inside the park, determined to spread the gospel of the maze.

Now that the hosts are no longer capable of regeneration due to the destruction of the Cradle, they seem to be subject to mortality, just like humans. Which brings us to Teddy. Poor, sweet Teddy. Dolores, focused solely on her own objectives, didn’t bother to check in with her devoted partner as she served up a bit of the old ultraviolence throughout the park. As Teddy vacillates between sweet cowboy and killing machine, suicide was something that she – and we – didn’t see coming.

The bridge between Teddy’s death in the present and Juliet’s in the past is an obvious one born of broken trust, and it’s worth examining. These are the first suicides on the show that have a deep emotional component, and the first ones that – unless Teddy has some sort of secret backup somewhere – will likely stick. The deaths illustrate individuals so worn down by their respective realities that they don’t believe they are in control of their lives anymore, who feel trapped in a maze of frustration and unending psychic pain. This is what depression feels like. This is why suicide happens.

Westworld is skilled at presenting a psychically stressful and confusing reality from which people would want to escape. In a refreshing turn, the series never places blame or judgment on characters that take their own lives. Instead, there’s recognition that suicide is a choice borne of desperation, confusion, and loneliness. As humans, we are all too susceptible to becoming trapped in loops of our own making, stuck in our own heads, living old regrets and accomplishments over and over again. We’re frequently on unsure emotional footing, and we need people we trust to help us navigate through. Westworld is a reminder that sometimes the center of our own maze is a dangerous place to be and that the holes in our psyche can’t possibly be patched with something as impersonal as a few lines of code.

If you or someone you love is contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK. 

‘Westworld’ airs Sundays at 9/8c on HBO.