Orphan Black - Boys vs Girls vs. Boys?

A week ago I decided to "push" (publicize) my blog post by flagging it as "Boys vs. Girls" thing.  You know, male clones versus female clones.  Granted, it was an over simplification but I wanted to press some easy buttons to attract attention to the post. 

Coincidentally, across the wide expanse of the internet the OB show runners were taking pains not to characterize their new season in that manner.

It's an easy trap to fall into.  The boys versus girls thing.

To start the season, Sarah was set against Rudy and I thought, "Ah, here we go, the two sexes are at odds."  By the end of the second episode I can see that the two sides are only at odds because they are searching for the same truths.

They ask the questions we all ask of our selves.  Who am I?  What is my place in the world?  Does my life have meaning?

As clones, some of the questions that are asked run a little deeper.  Why me?  And more importantly, "What is wrong with me?"

For the female clones it is a question of infertility and a mysterious sickness.  For the males, "Glitching" seems to be a serious problem.

Searching for the answers of these truths will definitely put the two groups at odds as they cross paths but the bigger threat comes from those pulling the puppet strings.

Boys versus Boys

We took a perilous turn towards fratricide when Rudy eliminated Seth.  It was a shocking turn of events but it seems Rudy wanted to put Seth out of his misery.  How bad does this glitching get?

Rudy had the opportunity to kill Cal but he chose not to.  In similar fashion, Paul held Cal at gunpoint but went to great pains to show him he meant him no harm.

So if the girls don't want to hurt the boys and the boys don't want to hurt the girls and the boys don't want to hurt the boys, what does everyone want?

It seems Castor wants the original genome as much as Leda/Dyad does.  Since we've been repeatedly told the original genome is out of the picture (do we really believe that?) alternative measures are being sought.

Castor has Helena.  For what?  Research?  To see how a Clone can become pregnant?  How does that help the glitching problem?

Wouldn't Helena's "babies" have helped that problem?  How the heck did Rudy miss that canister full of Helena's eggs?

In addition, why bother collecting hair and follicle samples from a woman that has nothing to do with the Leda side of the project?  (Good to see Detective Beth Childs again!)

When Cosima and Scott met with Dr. Nealon at Dyad we got a bit of an exposition dump from the good Doctor.  He gave us the not so believable story about the original genome being lost.  He also reiterated Dyad thinking Castor "died on the vine."

So why hold Rudy captive?  Basic curiosity into the opposition?  Why was Nealon so nonplussed about Rudy making his escape?  Did he hope Castor via Seth and Rudy would dig up some answers?

If I were to posit a crackpot theory I would think Dr. Nealon is straddling the fence.  Working both sides, both Dyad and Castor.

Here's another question.  Why bother giving Helena the empathy test.  (I call it the "Empathy test" as it seemed a obvious nod to the movie Blade Runner.)  Is Castor curious about Helena possibly glitching?  Don't they know she is a little off her rocker?  (Silence, insect!)

And why bother telling her Sarah gave her up when they are holding her prisoner?  So she can pass the Empathy test?

This is the time in the blog post when I ask myself, "Why am I asking all these questions?"

I guess the larger answers are, Dyad wants to make more clones or at least foster their neolutionist theories through clone research and Castor wants to fix the clones they made.  Is Castor still making clones?  They seem to have an awful lot of them.  Which begs the question, why would Rachel and Ferdinand conspire to kill off invaluable Clones?

Sigh, too many questions.  How about some odds and ends?

Odds and Ends

Another wink to Blade Runner was the Origami figure. 

In Blade Runner the Origami figure was a clue to self awareness.  Interestingly enough, the Castor clones are all self aware while the Leda clones needed monitors.

Hiding in plain sight.  Here's something else that Rudy missed.  The Dr. Moreau book that contains Duncan's work towards the original genome.  Do you need a biological genome if you have a written one?  I bet not!  This ploy of hiding something in plain sight was reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe's, "The Purloined Letter" where the missing letter in question was always amongst the rest of the letters.

Mark went to great lengths to eliminate any association with Castor.  Is his self mutilation a symptom of Glitching?  Or just desperate times leading to desperate measures.

Team Hendrix.  Everyone fist bump!  Cute how they both are wearing matching purple.  And now they are in the drug trade.  I suppose there is plenty of room in the garage should anything go wrong.

One last thing

Don't you think Felix should invest in a little more security for his loft?  Everybody just walks right in.