7 'Westworld' Theories That Could Explain What's Up With Caleb

There's still a lot to learn about Aaron Paul's Westworld character, Caleb. So far we know that he's haunted by the death of his military friend, Francis (Kid Cudi); that his mother is sick (and seems to have Alzheimers); that he works for a construction company; and that he uses an app for low-level crime called Rico to help pay his mother's sizable medical bills. The rest of his life is a slowly unraveling mystery, but fans have plenty of Reddit theories about Caleb they think may help fill in the blanks.

1. Caleb Is a Host — or He's Just Stuck In a Loop

Some viewers have suggested that Caleb is a host, but for others, it's too been-there, done-that, considering the show already pulled off this twist with both Bernard and Stubbs. The more interesting storyline would be that he is, indeed, human, but is stuck in his own loop just like the Westworld hosts. "They're telling us we aren't so different... because we're not," z33 wrote.

2. He's Actually Teddy

If the host theory does prove to be true, one Reddtior guessed that Caleb might be Teddy, whose consciousness Dolores may or may not have smuggled out of the park. Not only are their backstories similar, but they both have a connection to Dolores.

3. He's a Cyborg

Reddit user SmashJacksonIII posited that Caleb is neither fully human nor a host, but a cyborg — aka "a human with tech enhancements." We already know that Caleb was shot in the head at some point, and that he has an implant, so this would certainly make sense. "Hosts are tech with human enhancements," SmashJacksonIII continued. "At what point do humans become more tech than human? And at what point does tech become more human than tech? That may be one of the points of the show."

4. We Are Seeing Two Different Timelines

"Caleb's jacket keeps changing from leather to that purple-ish one. Specially on the last job. Just when he accepts the last job, he is wearing leather," Reddit user WhiteRenard pointed out. "Next scene is in the parking lot and until the end of the episode he's wearing the purple one. Why would someone change their jacket in a short span of time like that?... Could it be that we're actually looking at two different timelines?"

This might also explain why a teaser depicts different scenes of Caleb and Dolores meeting, as Zuubat noted.

5. Caleb and Francis Were Involved in Russia's Second Civil War

After watching Caleb talk to Francis on the phone throughout Season 3's first episode, we learn that he's actually been speaking to an AI, and that the real Francis died in combat. DrNemoManhattan noticed that during the flashback, there's Russian on the wall behind them, which Reddit user Nigel_Rigel explained means "Entry is forbidden."

Redditor AD_Music connected this to a Season 3 teaser, which reveals that Russia had a second civil war beginning in February 2037. "Perhaps this flashback takes place during the 2nd Russian Civil War and [Caleb] is part of a mercenary force intervening on behalf of the Russian Government or on the side of the rebels," they wrote.

6. Dolores Meant to Run Into Caleb

User jkj_2000 pointed out that Dolores "was kicking butt left and right, and just sort of strolled away after the fight...and the next thing you know, she's staggering down the tunnel when Caleb finds her. She wouldn't have gone through all that meticulous planning just to collapse by sheer luck into his arms?"

It's unclear why exactly Dolores wanted to run into Caleb (if that is indeed what happened), but jayhawk618 theorized that after Caleb got shot in the head, "there's been some sort of rewiring done in his head at some point — maybe it could make him susceptible to Delores' ability to take over other machines."

7. Dolores Is Going to Kill Caleb

"I suspect Caleb will be killed by Dolores, confirming her 'Kill All Humans' party membership; the season finale would be my guess," reggie-drax wrote, then asking: "Will Dolores actually have feelings for him? How soon will he become aware that she's a Westworld host? Will he ever?"

If that's her intention, then Caleb better watch his back.