Foreshadowing is a powerful storytelling technique when used well. Westworld is a show that has been able to use foreshadowing in clever and meaningful ways, especially during the show's first season. Westworld's plot twists are effective not only because of the shock value, but because they feel rewarding after all the careful foreshadowing and development leading up to the twists.
This also adds to the rewatch value of the show, as fans pick up on hints that they missed during their first viewing. Much of the best foreshadowing ties in with the mind-blowing reveals that Bernard is a host modeled after Arnold, young William became the Man in Black, the different timelines in season 1, along with major developments in Dolores's character arc.
Dolores Kills A Fly
Westworld's pilot episode naturally does a lot of world-building. One of the key rules that are established is that the hosts cannot hurt any of the guests. It is mentioned that the hosts won't even hurt a fly and there are even shots of hosts doing nothing while flies crawl over their faces.
This rule is challenged at the very end of the episode when Dolores kills a fly crawling on her neck. This makes it clear to the audience that Dolores is more autonomous than the other characters realize and it hints at the many violent acts she will perform later on in the show.
“No One Knows You Like I Do.”
One of the it was Clementine or Angela.
It turned out that the host who looked like Charlotte Hale was actually a copy of Dolores that Dolores made herself. This is cleverly foreshadowed when Dolores says to her, "No one knows you like I do." This makes it seem like the host is just someone close to Dolores, but it's actually a hint that the host is a copy of Dolores as only Dolores knows herself better than anyone.
Bernard Has Been At Westworld "Forever"
In season 1, Elsie mentions how Bernard has worked at Delos Destinations forever and that this makes her more trusting of Bernard. The use of the word "forever" is important, as it communicates that Bernard has worked there for a very long time, so long that neither Elsie nor any of the other employees know about his past before Delos Destinations or how long he's been there.
This is a subtle clue that Bernard is a host that Ford modeled after Arnold. Elsie and the other employees don't know much about his life before working at Delos Destinations because he had no life before it and he has been there longer than any of them have. He has been a mainstay employee for so long that no one questions his presence, his motivations, or his history.
"I Know How That Head Of Yours Works."
When Ford senses something is troubling Bernard in the second episode of the first season, Ford says, "I know how that head of yours works." This line is meant to be taken more literally than most fans initially realized.
It foreshadows that Ford knows how Bernard's mind works because Ford literally built Bernard and coded his consciousness. There is more than Ford's intuition at work in this important interaction between him and Bernard.
Theresa Asks Bernard If He Is Trying To Be Like His Creations
When Theresa and Bernard are in bed together, Theresa mentions how Bernard's creations--the hosts--never stop talking. Bernard explains that this is because the hosts are error-correcting when they talk, essentially practicing to make themselves more human. Theresa jokingly asks if Bernard is practicing by talking to her.
While Theresa has no idea that Bernard is a host, her playful remark does hint at the truth about Bernard. The comfort and intimacy shared between them make her death even more tragic, as Ford forces Bernard to kill her.
Ford's Conversation With Theresa
Theresa and Ford share a conversation in the park that is filled with multiple examples of foreshadowing. He mentions knowing all about his employees and immediately follows this up by saying he hopes she will be careful with Bernard, as he has a sensitive disposition. This is another clue about Bernard being a host under Ford's control and that it is through Bernard that Ford has intimate knowledge about Theresa.
During their conversation, Ford also warns her not to get in his way and asserts that his new narrative will not be a retrospective and will instead be something new, as he is not the sentimental type. His warning foreshadows that she will die at his command later in the season. His comments about the narrative being new and not at all sentimental hint at him freeing the hosts and even letting them kill him. He is prepared to stop clinging to the past and to let the hosts finally control their lives.
William Almost Chooses The Black Hat
When young William first comes to Westworld, he has to choose between a white hat or black before entering the park. His gaze lingers on the black hats and it seems like he is about to choose one of them before he chooses a white hat instead.
This hints that William will become the Man in Black, a character who in the park is almost always seen wearing a black hat. It foreshadows that he won't remain innocent for long and is poised to go down a dark path that will forever change him.
Characters Appearing And Disappearing From Dolores's Season 1 Scenes
Throughout season 1, many characters keep appearing and disappearing in Dolores's scenes. This hints that Dolores's scenes are taking place in two different timelines.
What was happening is that the audience was seeing events from Dolores's past with young William. At the same time, they were seeing her retrace her past in the present, going to the same places she had journeyed to with William all those years ago, which in the present took her to the church where she was confronted by the older William. The trippiness of characters appearing and disappearing in many of her scenes had a purpose in foreshadowing the different timelines.
The Picture Of Arnold
When Bernard is shown a picture of a younger Ford and Arnold, there is clearly something off about the picture. There seems to be a space on the right-hand side of the picture where someone should be standing. The picture becomes even more of a mystery after Bernard finds the man/host who he assumed to be Arnold and learns that this person is not Arnold.
This is all because hosts are unable to recognize or understand something that makes them question their existence or their reality. Bernard was unable to see Arnold in the picture because seeing a man identical to himself would have made him question his existence and his reality. This use of foreshadowing with the picture makes the reveal that Bernard is modeled after Arnold all the more satisfying.
Ford's Quote About Mozart, Beethoven, And Chopin
One of Ford's last lines before Dolores kills him is that "An old friend once told me something that gave me great comfort. Something he had read. He said that Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin never died. They simply became music."
The quote is not only meant to show that Ford will live on through the hosts, but it foreshadowed his return in season 2 and that the audience and the characters hadn't seen the last of him. His consciousness lived on as code that had been ed to the Cradle. Much like the composers who became music, Ford lived on as a piece of the art he created.