There was also a camera trick Jonathan Nolan used to show how Maeve was truly making her own choice in that moment.

HBO

Nolan told Vulture about the clever camerawork intended to show viewers that Maeve was truly making the choice to leave the train on her own — she is completely sentient. A Steadicam was used to film all of Maeve's scenes until that very last moment when she stands up and leaves the train.

"What we understand in the moment is it’s the first real decision she's made all season. Which is, she's not going to fulfill the script she's been given [...] She can get off the train," Nolan told Vulture. "At which point, we shift to handheld camera, which we'd held back on throughout the entire season until one moment with her [...] We're no longer in programmatic or prescribed behaviors. She's improvising, and we're right there with her."