Upamanyu Biswas
Netflix’s Thai anthology series ‘Tomorrow and I’ delves into a variety of unique sci-fi stories set against a cyberpunk Thailand gripped by societal issues. The show kicks into gear with its first episode, ‘Black Sheep,’ which highlights the advantages and pitfalls of cloning technology and its implications on human relationships moving forward. The story is told through the eyes of an architect named Nont, who tries to revive his recently deceased wife through untested and illegal cloning techniques, inadvertently leading him to discover a life-altering secret about her. By the episode’s end, the protagonist is left with the difficult choice of being selfish or opting for what is best for her in the long run. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Nont Turns to Unproven Science in the Wake of a Tragedy
Episode 1 begins with a tragedy – the death of a female astronaut and medical science researcher, Dr. Noon. Her passing leaves her husband, Nont, in a difficult place psychologically. Two months after her death, Nont goes through a variety of virtual archives to relive his memories with her. While sifting through them, he realizes that their pet dog, Harvey, was revived through the means of a cloning process employed by the company Sheep Happens. Nont meets their lead researcher, Dr. Vee, who was also a close friend of Noon. The two discuss the possibility of bringing Noon back through cloning, something Vee is stringently against. However, he tries to appeal to her scientific mindset to make the operation seem like a breakthrough for human cloning trials.
Although she remains reluctant about the ethics of the process, Vee agrees to help Nont, albeit suspicious of his motivations to resuscitate Noon. As part of the ordeal, the two first have to procure Noon’s brain as it stores all her memories, which are essential in the rebuilding process before her biological cloning can start. However, obtaining the brain proves to be challenging because of heavy opposition from Noon’s family, particularly from her father. Nont tries to convince them to help in the venture, but Noon’s father insists that cloning her is not the right way to bring her back. Frustrated by his stubbornness, Nont decides to take matters into his own hands by breaking into the hospital morgue and stealing her head.
Subsequently, he hands it over to Vee and requests her to begin the cloning even though she expresses concerns about Nont’s rapidly degenerating mental sanity. They start sifting through Noon’s memories with the help of the AI system. As a human brain brings a lot more complexity into the picture, the AI faces a variety of challenges in reconstructing Noon’s memories because of several contradictions in her backstory. Vee urges Nont to go home while she takes care of the long-winding process herself. However, Nont gets a call from Vee soon after, telling him that an anomaly has emerged in the memory reconstruction. After returning to the facility, Nont learns a life-altering truth about his wife that shakes the very fabric of their relationship and his determination to bring her back.
What is Noon’s Gender Identity?
The big twist in ‘Black Sheep’ revolves around Noon’s gender identity, which comes out of the wash while Vee and Nont work on recalibrating her memories. As it turns out, Noon had been suffering from body dysmorphia since young adolescence, seeing herself as a boy more than she saw herself as a girl. However, because of the traditional outlook of her father and mother, Noon had to suppress her feelings and live her life in quiet torment. Her suffering was so great that her only solace was setting her mind to science and working on her research, which helped her deal with the inadequacies of her life. She decided to live her life according to her family’s values instead of her own, even marrying Nont to keep the illusion of her perfect existence alive in the eyes of her mother and father.
Upon learning about her struggles with her gender identity, Nont collapses in agony, feeling betrayed by his former lover and the secret she never shared with him. It even leaves him questioning whether her love for him was ever genuine or a product of her trying to keep the deception of a happy exterior alive. Additionally, he is forced to consider whether he should even bring her back, as it no longer matches how she actually identified as a person. The host of existential dilemmas is exacerbated by his disappointment, particularly after he had gone to such lengths to bring her back, only to realize that she was never happy in the first place. Understandably, it leaves him distraught and clambering for his own selfish needs, which Vee steps in to rectify.
Does Nont Go Through With the Cloning? Is it Successful?
After learning about Noon’s desire to be a man, Nont almost refuses to bring her back. However, her best friend, Vee, makes the protagonist realize that just because Noon had issues with her gender identity did not make her relationship with Nont any less authentic. She reinforces that Noon always felt at ease around Nont, more than anyone else in her life. In fact, she felt that she was free from any expectations and responsibilities while being married to Nont, which was a testament to his character and openness. Vee’s words prove to be pivotal in Nont’s decision, especially as he showcases a shift from his selfish attitude to a more selfless one. Thus, when the police arrive to arrest Nont for stealing Noon’s head, the former calls up Vee and tells her to proceed with the cloning and to bring his wife back how she wanted.
In the aftermath, Nont is imprisoned for three years for the desecration of his wife’s body. Following his release, he is visited by the cloned Noon, who is now a male. The two embrace after years of being apart and showcase the same warmth they had ages ago. Noon reveals to the protagonist that he has forged a new identity as Nont and is currently working for the ISA. Because of the Agency’s strict security screening, Noon had to reveal the truth about his identity, as they would have found out anyway. His life is seemingly going well, especially as he can continue his research work while also embracing his lifelong dream of living as a man. However, his professional commitments signify less warm tidings for his relationship with Nont.
Does Noon Leave Earth? What Happens to His Relationship With Nont?
During the conversation outside the prison, Noon tells Nont that the ISA has commissioned him to be part of their lunar colonization program. As Noon had always wanted to live on the moon, characterized by the first conversation between female Noon and Nont at the architecture exhibition, being listed as a member of the moon program is a culmination of his lifelong efforts. Unfortunately, it means that the distance of space will once again fragment Noon and Nont’s relationship. After losing Noon once, Nont’s selfish desire is to keep any sort of separation from creeping in between them. However, the character showcases his growth once more by accepting Noon’s choice and encouraging him to live out his dreams just like he did years ago.
The final moments of the episode show Noon’s life a few months later, as he becomes a celebrated scientist engaging in a public talk show. He has made groundbreaking progress in his 3D organ printing work, which will save many lives moving forward. Meanwhile, down on Earth, Nont watches Noon with pride in his eyes as he and Vee go out on a morning jog. While the distance between Noon and Nont may be staggering, the two are still close to one another and are very important support pillars in each other’s lives. In the last scene, the camera zooms into Noon’s habitat on the moon and the pictures of Nont he keeps pinned on his board. It also highlights the drawing of the house on the moon, which inspired Noon when they first met one another.
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