Was that a 'Breaking Bad' Easter egg?
Was Caleb Nichols Jesse Pinkman in an alternate life? And does Dolores know all about it?
Sunday's episode of Westworld included a reference to Aaron Paul's former show, Breaking Bad -- though it wasn't intentional (or even on Paul's radar).
"They put you in a cage, Caleb, decided what your life would be," Evan Rachel Wood's Dolores told Caleb in the episode, as he officially joined her fight against Incite. "They did the same thing to me."
Fans have been joking about that line since it was included in Westworld's season three trailer, noting that Paul's Jesse was locked in a cage in Breaking Bad's fifth season. While they couldn't get enough of the imaginary Easter egg, Paul told ET it hadn't crossed his mind.
"You know, I never really ever thought about that, but yeah," he told ET's Leanne Aguilera at Westworld's season three press day earlier this month. "It's just so crazy what a science fiction show Westworld is, but it feels like it's really based on sort of a distant reality -- which is terrifying."
"I was so blessed with Breaking Bad. I thought that was really capturing lightning in a bottle," Paul shared. "And I really feel like I am jumping into yet another magical show such as [Westworld], and it's really such a blessing."
Sunday's episode saw Dolores and Caleb team up -- and her plan seemingly get more complicated as Serac's (Vincent Cassel) ties to Hale (Tessa Thompson) were revealed. Just how much Dolores and Hale know about Serac's involvement in Delos is still unclear, as he appeared to have made his deal with Hale before her death in season two.
"Serac would be the master of the world. He's the one that's running the world today because he has access to all the data that's concerning everyone in the world," Cassel told ET. "But nobody knows anything about him -- and that's the big difference."
Viewers were first introduced to the mysterious character in last week's episode, as he recruited Maeve (Thandie Newton) to help him track down and stop Dolores. Their first encounter, however, didn't go smoothly, as Maeve realized the free will she had worked so hard for over the last two seasons didn't work around Serac; he could actually control her.
"He is a match for her and she is a match for him. And I think that is why there is a kind of seduction thing going on through all those scenes. There is this respect and fear of the other, but she needs me and I need her, so we've got to work together," Cassel shared.
"Yeah, it's a really interesting power play because they need each other, but she's retired, like, big time," Newton added. "She starts out retired and wants to stay that way. ... Every new step she takes is uncertain. Everything new is uncertain."
Westworld airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.
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