Maeve is Kohana?

alison

Agree with you both that this episode was a much needed return to meaningful character development. What knocked me off my feet emotionally was that I felt Ake had found Kohana once more. When Maeve said “Take my heart when you go,” wasn’t that a direct quote from Ake and Kohana? The idea that Maeve’s consciousness used be in Kohana’s form would explain why we never see her at the Logan solicitation or Delos party scenes. Kohanna’s earlier awakening may also explain why Maeve was more susceptible to be woke. I know there are a lot of theories on what the end means - curious to hear your thoughts. Thanks for watching each episode a million and one times, and for being my connection to Reddit!!

alison

Ha, I wasn’t clear above. Meant to say I felt Ake found Kohana once more in Maeve when they were speaking at the end. Sorry!

CretanBull

I think Maeve finds love (for her daughter) through Ake...by tapping into his mind, she has access to his memories and 'experiences' his love for Kohana and in that finally understands/connects to the love she has for her daughter.

As I mentioned in the episode thread, love is what causes Ake to transcend his programming and is the impetus for his awakening.  Maeve's awakening is linked to the trauma she experienced.  Even when she remembers her daughter and feels a connection to her, that connect is based on a traumatic event.  She feels loss (more trauma) from being disconnected from her daughter and it seems like that disconnection itself that is motivating Maeve's search for her daughter...as if she's trying to repair and disconnection, rather than being motivated by love itself - like she's in search of love, but doesn't quite have a grasp on it yet.

By vicariously living through Ake's memories, experiences and his love of Kohana, I think Maeve finally understands what love is.  She expresses her love to her daughter in the same way that Ake expressed his love for Kohana because it's her only authentic experience with love - and does this while she's being torn apart on an opperating table (experiencing more trauma).  It's her transcendent moment where she's no longer defined by her trauma - she's literally ignoring the horror that she's personally experiencing - and is comforting her child, putting her daughter's fear ahead of her own pain and (I think) for the first time understanding love.

ken hale

She also presumably heard him say those words in his story, so it's not as if she HAD to be Kohana to know that phrase.  Simplest explanation? We haven't seen an instance of a host's "brain" being transplanted into a new body, although it certainly seems possible I just think they would have made that a bit clearer.