As usual, this week’s episode of Orphan Black, “Certain Agony of the Battlefield,” provided even more surprises on backstory for Leda and Castor clones along with disturbing and humorous moments.
(Helena eats her imaginary, manipulative friend scorpion. Alison and Donnie celebrate their recent earnings from their suburban narcotics operation with an underwear-only, money-tossing dance session in the bedroom.)
But probably the biggest development is that we learn Dr. Coady has always had a master plan for the clones and the whole operation — one that she believes will change the world as we know it.
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She’s not only playing mother to the Castor brothers, she’s also playing God.
One question that comes to mind is whether or not the Leda and Castor clones are exemplary genetic samples for this type of complicated plan. Our genes play a role in who we are in every way, some ways more obvious than others.
A recent New York Times piece looked at the role genetics play as to whether or not someone is prone to infidelity or naturally more monogamous due to the presence of specific variants of vasopressin and oxytocin receptor genes. (It’s an interesting story – worth reading.)
But beyond tendencies toward monogamy, what about all of the other personality traits in which our genes play a role? For example, what about a variant of one dopamine receptor subtype, the D4 receptor, which can lead people to seek novel, sometimes risky activities and objects for pleasure (like sex, drugs and money).
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If there were a master plan when it comes to cloned humans, how intricate would the process be to pick and choose who the “originals” are?
Would we want a variety of types of clones with all different traits to mimic the balance (or imbalance) in the real world, or would we want to rule out the people who did for example have more reckless, undesirable traits, not to mention any variations that lend toward disease?
When it comes to both the Leda and the Castor clones, they each have very different personalities — nature vs. nurture is a consistent theme. Some of them are clearly a little crazier than others, and most of them tend to have an innate ability to stand up to “the man” and demand answers. I wouldn’t consider any of them to be particularly submissive.
This has made me question my own personality in some ways because while watching the show, I’m constantly thinking, “Why don’t they just run away, escape, change their names, forget anything happened?” But a TV show about me in this situation would be incredibly boring and would last for maybe one and a half episodes.
The Leda clones are strong-willed and relatively independent. The Castor clones, excluding Mark, are also strong-willed, but very obedient and violent, primarily due to their military background. They all seem to be loyal to their own brothers and sisters, for the most part. Some are slightly reckless.
It’s hard to say whether or not there would be such disparities and similarities in real clones. When it comes to a military cloning operation, you would think they would choose genetic personality traits that were tailored in a way to avoid retaliation or rebellion. Something to think about…(or get slightly freaked out about).
A lot happened in the last episode — for those who want a full rundown on the various twists and turns, check out io9’s recap.
Photo: Orphan Black Facebook
