Jump to content

Type keyword(s) to search

Sarah Manning: Protagonist Clone


Recommended Posts

Obviously Tatiana Maslany plays all the clones, and therefore at any time the show could choose to make one of the other clones the "featured" character, but I tend to view Sarah as the true protagonist, with the other clones supporting the telling of her story. And, of course, there's the central mystery of how she was able to have a child, which makes her the "special" one. Discuss all things Sarah here.

Link to comment

I originally thought Sarah might be the original clone, but now as others have pointed out, she isn't older than the other clones, so that doesn't make sense. But obviously there is something different about her, with her having the ability to have children of her own. I hope we start to get some more clues soon.

Link to comment

Coxfires over on the Delphine thread asked:

Do we know who Sarah's monitor is, or if she has one? I can't remember.

Some thought it was Mrs. S for a while, but she's way too obvious. If it's Fee? THAT will break my heart. Maybe it's VIC!!

Link to comment

Sarah had no monitor - when Amelia (the birth mother) took off after going through with in vitro, the embryo, unbeknownst to the DYAD Institute and Leekie, split and developed into two clones rather than one --  Helena, who they know about but had no idea where she was, and Sarah, who until she popped up impersonating Beth, was known to no one involved in the project (that we know of, anyway).

Link to comment

But Mrs. S was involved in the project, was she not? Weren't they aware of her birth, but lost track of her at some point...God, it seems I need to re-watch and refresh my memory. I'm thinking that Sarah didn't have a monitor, but they knew of her existence, just not her whereabouts.

Link to comment

Yes, Leekey says that Sarah Manning was like the white whale. I don't think he knew her name was Sarah Manning until she took over Beth's identity and appeared on the Clone scene. So they knew about Helena, but her twin had managed to stay under their radar until now. That's why I think Mrs. S is not evil. Because she has been hiding Sarah and Kira for as long as she's had them--at least from people like Leekey.

Link to comment

From the Episode S02E01 thread:

 

 

I don't know that we've seen Sarah's healing abilities yet per se.  But the fact that Helena and Kira have them does suggest that Sarah does as well.  Or could have them anyhow.  It's possible that some special traits (healing, ability to birth, etc...) could be carried by one twin but not the other.  I think we just have to wait and see what's true.

Taking my reply to the Sarah thread.

I feel like there was something said by Mrs. S that indicated that Sarah was never sick or something similar.  I could be wrong.  I will have to go back.  But also, Sarah and Helena beat the crap out of each other in the Season One finale.  And in the last frame with Sarah, her face was bruised to hell and her lip was split.  

I assume the beginning of Season 2 started the same night (the timeline of this show will become problematic as Skyler ages and Kira doesn't).  Sarah's face was already less bruised the next day and there was no evidence really of any injury by the DYAD event.  I don't think that episode spanned more than 3 days and this show is not really a show from which I'd expect continuity errors.  It could have been, but I'm more incline to believe it was clue at this point.

Link to comment

I think Sarah's face wasn't bruised at the DYAD thing because she was being Cosima, so she had to cover it all up with makeup. By the end of the episode, when she goes to see Art, her split lip is back, as well as bruises all along the right side of her face.

Edited by Ceeg
  • Love 1
Link to comment

 

(She did kick a hole in an exterior wall in order to escape, after all.)

 

I would have to go back and check but I thought the wall was damaged or weakened by a water leak and that she used a fire extinguisher or something to break through it. I thought that was an attempt to make it somewhat believable. Still more strength than most would have.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

I think Sarah's face wasn't bruised at the DYAD thing because she was being Cosima, so she had to cover it all up with makeup. By the end of the episode, when she goes to see Art, her split lip is back, as well as bruises all along the right side of her face.

I watched again, and you're right. There are some indications of injury at the end of the episode. I watched the previously section and the opening she just wasn't as bruised as I thought she was.  The split lip is there, but hardly any face bruising. It seems like they aren't nearly as they should be considering the fight.

 

I think it's not so much that she heals quickly, it's more that she's much tougher and more durable than your average person. Probably stronger, too. (She did kick a hole in an exterior wall in order to escape, after all.)

You may be right about the durability. This would explain her relative lack of bruising after her fight with Helena which was pretty brutal, if brief.  Helena head butted her and strangled her with a chain before slamming her into a wall.

In any case, she bruises a lot less than I do, that's for sure.  I took an elbow to the face once in a soccer game and had a shiner for a week.  Clearly, I'm an inferior human.

Edited by RachelKM
Link to comment

I would have to go back and check but I thought the wall was damaged or weakened by a water leak and that she used a fire extinguisher or something to break through it. I thought that was an attempt to make it somewhat believable. Still more strength than most would have.

 

That's exactly what happened.  And the wall didn't seem to have any kind of insulation; the construction appeared very cheap.  Which, honestly, I thought was kind of a neat touch.  Diner guy owned a restaurant in a really cheap location which means likely not a great neighborhood which more than explained the shotgun. 

  • Love 2
Link to comment

I also really liked how they handled her breaking through the wall.  First, it would have been absurd for her to just on instinct break through the wall and it would have crossed the point of where I can suspend disbelief and enjoy the moment.  Having the wall clearly weakened by water damage helped provide a level of belief which I appreciated.  I also just appreciated that it helps to demonstrate Sarah's street smarts and perhaps as others suggest some extra strength?  The extra strength may not be necessary.  We can do crazy things when our adrenaline is rushing.  And perhaps that's all it was.  It would of course make me super sore to fight through a wall though.  I wonder if Sarah's potential healing abilities/muscular strength (or whatever it is) helps her recover quickly from that kind of muscle trauma.

Link to comment

That scene surprised me in another way. I expected there to be a small window that Sarah notices, and the next thing is Prolethian guy breaking down the door and seeing the window ajar. Of course, he wouldn't be able to get through it. I've seen that scene dozens of time. In fact, we saw that scene in last year's finale - it was how Helena got out of the basement when the cops came. This time, as seamusk and others have pointed out, we get to see another example of Sarah's street smarts at work in getting through the weakened wall. 

Link to comment
 But Mrs. S was involved in the project, was she not? Weren't they aware of her birth, but lost track of her at some point...God, it seems I need to re-watch and refresh my memory. I'm thinking that Sarah didn't have a monitor, but they knew of her existence, just not her whereabouts.

 

But Sarah has an arrest record, she's in the system.  Mugshot, fingerprints at least.  If they knew about her, then surely they were searching for her and would have checked the police databases.  

Link to comment

Although we haven't had any confirmation that Sarah has extra strength, she still reminds me of Buffy. I remember when Buffy started training Dawn, she told her that anything could be a weapon and you just have to improvise, which is what we saw when Sarah took advantage of the water damaged wall last week and when she used the toolbox to hit Barry in the head this week. She's scrappy, she doesn't give up, she's resourceful, and she has good instincts/reflexes.

  • Love 2
Link to comment

There is a marvelous scene in an early episode of Original Flavour La Femme Nikita (Canadian show in the 90s) in which Nikita is ordered to prove she's been paying attention in class and open a computer file on the screen.  The viewers know she has no idea how to do that.

 

Whip-fast, Nikita grabs a sharpened pencil and holds it point first to the Computer Geek's temple and growls into his ear, "Open the file."  

 

He opens the file.

 

And Nikita has accomplished her task.

 

It's a quick but important scene.

 

Much the sort of thing I'd expect from Orphan Black.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

I can't remember from last season, but do the other clones know that Sarah/Helena are twin clones?

I also figured that's why they didn't know about Sarah. They knew there was one baby, Helena, and had been searching for her. They didn't necessarily know about the twin, depending on when the birth mother took off.

One thing that's been mentioned by Leekie but not discussed much is the 'e' work -- eugenics. Is it possible the clone DNA was selected or modified for characteristics like strength/intelligence/etc.?

Link to comment

Thanks DropTheSoap, I thought it had to be important, who Kira's father is, but I tend to overthink things :D

After just rewatching last night's episode I keep seeing more and more of a resemblance between Sarah and Mrs. S, and with Mrs S and Project Leda more questions keep popping up... there were a few scenes in the woods and at the hideout where badass Mrs. S and Sarah looked so similar.

And now I'm wondering if Kira's father is in any way connected to Mrs. S and Project Leda. This show! I hate having to wait a week, lol

 

ElectricBugaloo, I see that Buffy thing too, I keep thinking of Kira, Helena, and Sarah (it seems) as having 'slayer healing' .

ETA: back to reading Buffy fanfic :D

Edited by tveyeonyou
  • Love 1
Link to comment

I came to Orphan Black late and binge-watched my way from the pilot to last week's episode in an embarrassingly short space of time. Watching it that way gives an overwhelming impression of chaos, destruction and hurt left in Sarah's erratic wake. I mean, I look at Kira and think: poor little bugger. That for a mum. Sarah is just exhausting.

Link to comment
×
×
  • Create New...