Teddy Flood (Westworld)

"Don't mind me. I'm just trying to look chivalrous." (Westworld, “Chestnut”)

Teddy is a character in HBO’s Westworld. Due to the nature of the show, it is difficult to cast him as a villain or a hero. He is a host, a robotic character in Westworld, a theme park intended to give the guests an authentic Wild West experience. He is the classic roaming cowboy archetype, designed to come to town and fall in love with Dolores, the farmer’s daughter.

Teddy is programmed to love Dolores. Putting questions about artificial passion aside, Teddy is an interesting character because of what this motivates him to do. The creators of the park intended this love to prompt Teddy to rescue Dolores, or to protect her from any harm. Instead, once Dolores overrides her programming and gains sentience, she uses this inherent love to manipulate Teddy into becoming her personal attack dog. Teddy is a representation of what something as powerful as love can do when it is perverted by a vicious and selfish monster.