Sumith Prasad
In the fifth episode of AMC’s science fiction series ‘Orphan Black: Echoes,’ Dr. Kira Manning details the origin of Lucy, who was created by the scientist in the form of her partner, Dr. Eleanor Miller. The explanation helps the clone understand a lot about her existence. Their conversation also marks the conclusion of Lucy’s pursuit of the truth, but only temporarily. When she tries to make sense of the creation of her younger self, Jules Lee, Kira reveals that she hasn’t made anybody other than the former. The revelation raises questions concerning the origin of the teenager, who is definitely the sixteen-year-old version of the scientist’s partner! SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Mysterious Creator of Jules
Dr. Kira Manning created Lucy because of Dr. Eleanor Miller’s untimely death. To not miss her partner and expand the scientific community’s knowledge concerning Alzheimer’s disease, she made use of cloning technology after immense hesitation. Even though she knew that what she did was important and beneficial, Kira didn’t want it to end up in the wrong hands, fearing another cloning catastrophe similar to what happened to her mother. She even let Paul Darros, who has been funding her experiments and providing her with advanced technology, know that her cloning project wouldn’t last beyond Lucy’s birth.
Considering the interest Paul had in Kira’s cloning experiments, he can be Jules’ creator. Ever since the scientist emerged as a prominent figure in the community, Paul had tried to convince her to expand her study to advanced cloning. When she finally agreed to do it, Paul fulfilled a mission he had been trying to complete for a long while. It is unlikely that the same person let Kira destroy the printer used to make clones without ensuring that he could do the same without her involvement. The scientist can be under the impression that she made sure nobody else could give birth to clones again without realizing that her model had leaked from her to Paul.
Even though Kira tried to develop her printing model as secretively as possible, Paul is a highly potent billionaire with the money and influence to find a way to lay hands on the former’s invention. Since he is the one who offered the scientist the necessary technology to develop the printer, he might have tweaked it to gain access to the model. Furthermore, Josh was a weak link in Kira’s system. Although she had all the reasons to trust him with her model, Paul might have put forward a tempting offer to him to gain the cloning project’s fundamentals.
Jules: The Possible Start of a Cloning Catastrophe
Ever since Lucy learned about the existence of Jules, her younger self, Paul’s people have been behind them. A closer look at the reports his detectives have been providing him with reveals that they revolve around Jules rather than the teenager’s older self. The billionaire’s interest in a clone who lives as a normal girl indicates that he has a role in her creation and existence. When the same interest is paralleled with his efforts to convince Kira to develop an advanced cloning project, there is a brighter picture to consider about his actions. Paul can be developing or looking forward to developing several clones without the authorization of the project’s creator, and Jules can be the first prototype.
Paul must have let Jules live as a typical teenager in an ordinary family to learn how clones can cohabitate with humans. The sixteen-year-old girl’s entire existence can be a one-long experiment run by the tech mogul to explore the nuances and characteristics of clones in the normal world. If Jules’ actions, which are “results” for the billionaire, are satisfactory, he may have planned to introduce a business model taking advantage of the clones he can create using Kira’s model. His urgency to separate the teenager from Lucy can be seen as his effort to ensure the progression of the experiment.
Paul seemingly needs Jules not to learn that she is a clone for his project. Since Lucy makes the teenager aware of the reality behind their existence, the billionaire fails. Considering that Kira now knows about the existence of another clone with the same characteristics as her creation, she may confront Paul directly, which may threaten her and Lucy’s lives.
Read More: Did Krysten Ritter Learn Sign Language and Spanish for Orphan Black Echoes?
