Orphan Black S1 episode 5-End

In my last post, which dealt with the first four episodes of season 1, there was not a whole lot that had been unveiled to the characters. The clones knew that they were identical, but how this happened was not yet discovered. With each episode grew a heightened sense of skepticism and a stronger desire to uncover the truth. The last half of season 1 also granted some insight to the possibilities of genetic cloning and modification, as well as the possible dangers and implications that accompany these advancements.

    There are two major topics of discussion in my opinion after viewing the conclusion of season 1. As the season progresses, the clones come together to assist each other, even trading places at times for the sake of keeping their secret hidden. The first discovery made is that each of these women possibly have an observer or “monitor” with the duty of studying the behaviors of the subjects. Once this realization is made, Sarah finds out Paul is her monitor, and the audience then learns Olivier (who runs Neolution, an organization begun in 1977 that experiments with gene modification and enhancement) has total control over Paul because of past mistakes he made. If that isn’t enough trouble for the clones, Helena believes she is the original clone and attempts to hunt down the others as she has been brainwashed by Tomas to believe there is an imposter among them. 

    As I watched the season progress, I was unsure of what the biggest issue is with the “cloning” experimentation. Of course, one issue is how the subjects are responding to being clones. That is, they are repeatedly using their sameness for malignance. However, the biggest implication for cloning is revealed in the last episode when Sarah’s birth mother reveals herself. Typically, one might think of cloning as something futuristic, perhaps being done in some complex machine that we might see in a cartoon or a science-fiction film. As the season ends, Sarah is relieved through the belief that she and her daughter, Kira, are safe from any harm. Upon learning she and the clones are actually products of in vitro fertilization, she is told that she and the other subjects are controlled property of the scientists involved in Project Leda. This project has been patented, meaning any products of the experiment belong to those who created them. When Sarah returns home, she finds that Kira has been taken from her and there is nothing she can do. To me, this is the main issue that comes with cloning, and that is exactly what the unfolding of the plot aims to tell the audience.