+5
I'm assuming that we needn't use spoiler tags once an episode has aired, but I do have some thoughts below that might feel spoilery if you haven't watched episode 3 yet...
Okay, let's deconstruct the opening credits a little bit ... now that I've paid more attention to them at the beginning of episode three ("The Stray").
Throughout the credits we see the muscle-creating machine that leaves a sort of white "web" when it's creating the hosts. But in the beginning of the credits we see it also "creating" a piano. And it wouldn't have to create the piano. They could simply use, umm, actual pianos.
So I started watching the credits with that curious beginning in mind. And of course in the beginning the piano is being played by a pair of hands. And, it's a pair of not-quite-finished host hands, but it's still a pair of hands. Meaning, it's not functioning on its own. Yet.
By the end of the credits, we see the piano playing itself (as a player piano does -- programmed, sure, but it *looks* like it's playing itself). Then in this episode, we see a host sitting at a piano in Ford's office. I keep coming back to the interesting parallel between the machine (a piano) being played by others (another machine, in this case) and then ultimately playing all by itself.
They keep focusing on the tabbed paper that a player piano uses to play the right notes. It's an early form of programming. It's a beautiful parallel and a lovely image every time they use it.
Also interesting in this episode: The maze obviously *is* a way for the hosts to eventually self-actualize (or whatever you want to call it). We're pretty sure now that Dolores is going to head in that direction, right? And I'm also pretty sure that the Man in Black (that's his IMDb name, BTW) *is* a host. He's obviously trying to find the maze because he wants to self-actualize too. But why would the little girl in episode 2 tell him the maze isn't for him? So I do still have a smidge of a doubt that he's a host. Is he, in fact, Arnold?
Right now, though, I think he is perhaps one of Arnold's creations and Ford is letting him go to see how far it'll progress. For whatever reason... since he doesn't seem to agree with Arnold's theories -- at least in front of Bernard, he doesn't.
Also also: I keep wondering if the name "Ford" was done on purpose, to remind us of Henry Ford, who gave us the assembly line and new ways to automate manufacturing.
ANYWAY... the show continues to live up to my (increasing) expectations. It's a good sign that, as soon as I finish watching an episode, I immediately think, "I'll need to rewatch this."