Did Gwen kill Orville Park? That’s what fans of Knights of Guinevere are asking after watching episode 2, “Wolves Around the Corner.” The adult animated thriller dove into some dark themes with some strong implications the android lashed out against her creator as retaliation for the physical and potentially sexual abuse he inflicted on her.
Wait a Minute…Why Do People Think Gwen Killed Orville?
Near the end of “Wolves Around the Corner,” Gwen intervenes when a drugged out Park officer Armend attacks Frankie. During the confrontation, Gwen flashes back to a memory of a much older Orville with blood falling down his face. “You’re supposed to be dead,” Gwen snarls at Armend. Or is she referring to her hallucination of Orville?
Gwen was created by Orville for his daughter Olivia following a traumatic event she experienced. It wasn’t long until he built a series of floating theme parks known as Park Planet. Gwen would become the theme park’s mascot and the face of the multimedia empire that would follow. Meanwhile, Olivia would develop an extreme obsession with “fixing” any imperfections Gwen had, but in reality she was brutally mutilating the droid. Worse, “Wolves Around the Corner” suggests Orville wasn’t above tormenting Gwen as well.
“You’re supposed to be dead,” Gwen snarls at Armend. Or is she referring to her hallucination of Orville?
Then she slips her tendrils through the bullet wound she gave Armend earlier in the episode. They burrow throughout his body and maybe his organs too. “Be dead!” Gwen says, then proceeds to rip Armend’s mechanical hand from the rest of his body, an act that eventually kills him.
That one scene has led to plenty of speculation with most viewers believing Gwen really did kill Orville? Or did she?
The Case for “Yes, Gwen Might Have Done It
Killing Orville would be in line with the direction Knights of Guinevere seems to be taking Gwen’s character. The horrific abuse she suffered at the hands of the Park family has manifested into PTSD so severe it’s negatively affecting her processors. It’s already been established that her trauma makes her a danger to other people, particularly if they remind her of the Parks, the source of her trauma. Her attacking and even killing Orville wouldn’t be a surprise and could be seen as a form of karmic retribution. He is the reason Gwen’s life had been a living hell.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the only time Gwen remembers Orville (outside of the memories of him interacting with Olivia) is whenever she’s around the slimy no-good Armend. His dialogue makes a few references to having sexually predatory behavior. When he’s fighting Frankie he tells her, and I quote “Joke’s on you. I like a girl that puts up a fight,” a line that leaves Frankie and Andi visibly disturbed.
And Gwen responds to that behavior with lethal force. Why should we expect Gwen to not act similarly to Orville after she reached her breaking point with him?
Plus, let’s not forget about Gwen saying “You’re supposed to be dead” to Armend while simultaneously hallucinating Orville’s bloody face. To me, that’s a classic example of “show, don’t tell” in my book.
But There’s Still a Possibility Gwen Didn’t Kill Orville
When Gwen told Armend he was supposed to be dead, she could have been referring to Armend instead of Orville. She shot him with the intent to kill, so of course she would be taken aback by him still being alive.
What makes this scene so unsettling is that it’s hard to understand the context behind what Gwen is seeing. Even if Gwen did attack Orville it doesn’t mean she killed him right then and there. She could’ve hit him, then her rage could have faded long enough for her to try and escape Park Planet. Gwen has been around for over a century so we’re only getting bits and pieces of a life she doesn’t remember due to her amnesia.
Also, why would Olivia go out of her way to retrieve an android who murdered her father?! It doesn’t make sense. But then again, Olivia is a deeply disturbed individual and for people like her, common sense is usually thrown out the window. “Wolves Around the Corner” makes it clear she became estranged from Orville by the time she reached adulthood. It’s possible that if Gwen did kill Orville, Olivia probably didn’t care and dismissed it as another sign Gwen needed to be “fixed.”
But the company behind Park Planet probably wouldn’t have wanted a killer robot as their mascot. Especially not the one who murdered the company’s founder. If Park Planet’s board knew Gwen killed Orville, they would have gotten rid of her. And Olivia would be powerless to stop them because she doesn’t have her dad around to force everyone to stand down.
Personally, I think Gwen did kill Orville Park. The evidence supporting that theory lines up with what Knights of Guinevere has shown us so far. And I’d be lying if I didn’t admit it would be a convenient way to explain how Orville died. But, we are only two episodes into an eight-episode season.
One of the things this show is good at is making us question our perception of the events playing out before us. When it comes to Gwen, are the things we’re seeing actually reflecting the reality of the situation? Are we only seeing what we want to believe? A glimpse of a bloodied Orville pops up while Gwen is trying to kill a predator will naturally cause viewers to jump to conclusions: “Oh my God, Gwen killed Orville?!” But is it really that simple?
