CHAPTER 20
Top Five Ideas for Future
Orphan Black Episodes
Orphan Black has been renewed for at least a fourth season and hopefully will run for many more. We know new things are coming. For instance, the official Orphan Black comic book informed us in August 2015 that one of the sestras from the Helsinki Leda pod, Veera Suominen, did not die when Topside ordered them destroyed in a fire.
Some things I hope will not change: the Canadian feel of the show, where we have occasional violence but not the gross violence of American shows; the ambiguity of the city, which could be in the north of America or the south of Canada (even though everything is actually filmed in Toronto); Kathryn Alexandre, perhaps the greatest and most unappreciated understudy ever, who constantly doubles as Tatiana Maslany in key scenes where the Ledas interact (shots are often filmed with Maslany and Alexandre, then Maslany does the take again as the clone that Alexandre was playing). So where could the plot go in future episodes? Obviously, anywhere its creators want, but in case they run out of ideas, here are five, based on the science of cloning and what has worked well in other medical and science fiction dramas.
1. ONE CLONE SACRIFICES HEROICALLY FOR ANOTHER
Because the Ledas and Castors are genetically 99 percent identical, they are perfect donors for surgical exchange; their immune systems will not reject one another’s tissue, blood, or bone. Accordingly, one future plot could involve one sestra sacrificing something to save another Leda’s life. This could be as simple as a transplant or a transfusion of blood, skin, or bone marrow, but could involve much more, such as a piece of a liver, a kidney, or a cornea. If an otherwise healthy clone were dying or brain dead, her organs could be transplanted to save another sestra.
Think of Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper, where parents of a dying girl decide to have what bioethicists call a “savior sibling,” a second child who is a good match for his or her older sibling and who can be used as a source of bone marrow, a transplanted kidney, or a bit of liver. The tension in the family and the conflict of interests create riveting bioethics drama.
This basic idea has many variations, but one that has worked well historically in fiction is for a villain, such as Rachel, to be redeemed by sacrificing herself to save another. Or, if a Castor were to sacrifice himself for a Leda, it might forge new bonds between the two groups of clones.
Twins in the real world often sacrifice for each other medically and seem to do so quite willingly; as mentioned, the first kidney transplant occurred in 1954 between two adult male twins. The special bond between genetically identical individuals seems to play a part in encouraging one twin to help the other, even at great risk to herself.
2. A NEW POD OF CLONES IS DISCOVERED
Topside and the Dyad Corporation created two sets of clones that we know of (albeit from the same genetic ancestor); who knows what else they’ve been up to? A whole new set of clones might emerge—and perhaps this time, someone non-white will be its ancestor.
What additional storytelling resonance might emerge from dealing with a group of, say, Asian women in their twenties living in Shanghai who discover they are clones? What differences could it make that they were raised in a non-democratic regime? (We already know rumors that in China, convicted murderers who are the right organ match for important Chinese officials needing an organ transplant are sometimes executed early and with surgical efficiency to preserve their organs.) What difference would it make if the level of surveillance and control tolerated by citizens were much greater than in North America? Worship of ancestors is a strong part of Confucianism. Would this make a difference in how the cloned women feel about being descended from the same ancestor?
3. CLONES ARE DISCOVERED WHO MUST BE RESCUED
Perhaps Dyad has been very busy and some new teenage clones are discovered. The new clones are being raised in a remote place and are approaching the age where they can be exploited either for organs, as in the 2005 movie The Island or the 2005 novel Never Let Me Go, or perhaps for scientific research.
A rescue mission could be a great opportunity for the Castors and Ledas to work together. Now approaching age thirty, they might see the teenagers as “their children” and work to help them become self-aware and resist their intended fate.
4. A CLONE IS THREATENED WITH A TRIAL AND IMPRISONMENT
As we’ve seen, identical twins have in fact escaped conviction when a prosecutor could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that one twin did the crime and not another. If a Leda were prosecuted for a crime, her sisters could help get her off, perhaps by providing an alibi. (“Judge, she couldn’t have done it—look, she was caught by this ATM camera all the way across town at the time of the murder!”) Maybe Alison gets caught selling drugs, or Dyad and Topside frame Sarah for something to get her out of the way. Whatever crime the Leda is charged with, her sestras could make proving that she did the crime “beyond a reasonable doubt” very difficult.
5. HUMANZEES ARE CREATED
Using cloning techniques and genetic manipulation, such as with the CRISPR techniques previously discussed, the Dyad Corporation creates a humanzee—a part-human, part-chimpanzee (or other animal) hybrid. Think not just Olivier’s tail, but a whole human-chimp hybrid. Think a Castor with super upper-body strength. The Ledas or Castors might then need to rescue him from the evil scientists or evil generals.
Of course, none of this or all of this may happen in future episodes of Orphan Black. That’s the exciting part about the show—its basis in cloning, realistic science, and bioethics means that not only can it grow in so many different ways, but new plots can be driven by the latest breakthroughs in medicine and science as they arise, commenting on the same issues our society is grappling with in real life.