Welcome back, Clone Club, to another exciting season of Orphan Black , which should prove to be doubly exciting given that we have double the amount of clones this time around. That's right, folks — we are about to be dealing with some top-notch, military-grade, male clones, who are about to unleash a whole new batch of crazy upon an already riveting storyline. And while a big part of me is worried that these extra characters are going to mean less Tatiana Maslany screen time (which is never a good thing), I can't help but find myself extremely curious as to what these male Castor clones want with Sarah and Project Leda in general? Like what's their overall endgame here?
As you can see from the image above, it won't take long for Sarah to have an official sit-down with Rudy (the captured male clone) in an attempt to try and gather further details about this rather mind-blowing discovery. (You know, because what this show really needed was even more clones.) And according to a recently interview male clone actor Ari Millen had with TVLine, it seems that whatever the military's plans are, they definitely have the upper hand from just a purely informational standpoint. After all, Leda may not have known about Castor, but that doesn't mean Castor didn't know about Leda.
"I definitely think it adds to the conspiracy of it all," Millen shared in regards to what the male clones' involvement will mean for the season overall. "It just so happens that it’s the military doing the cloning, doing the science. So it’s only going to deepen the conspiracy, darken things. We’re not there to give them an easy time, that’s for sure." But what exactly does that mean? Understanding Castor's underlying motivation here is the key to figuring out where this storyline intends on taking us.
So since we're dealing with the military, it'd be only logical to assume that the main focus may have something to do with combining both aspects of the clone DNA to create the ultimate "super soldier." Perhaps the females possess a certain gene that the males need in order to make the process complete. (I'd go into more detail, but this level of science is way beyond what my high school biology classes covered.) Basically, though, the Castor clones could be viewing the Leda clones as a petrie dish of sorts. Watching and waiting until they were ready to use Sarah & Co. for their own means.
Then again, we also shouldn't rule out the possibility that, much like the Prolethians, they have in vitro fertilization on the brain. The Prolethians sought to create more clones by using Helena as a vessel. And given that this sestra was just recently abducted by the Castor clones, there's a good chance that reproduction is what they too also have in mind. However, instead of there being some religious motivation behind it, the military could simply want this as a way to assure the continued existence (and expansion) of said super soldiers. After all, an evil clone army is nothing with its strength in numbers.
But what if Castor's intent with Leda also stems from a physical well-being standpoint? In a separate interview with TVLine, series co-creator John Fawcett revealed that "the boys have physical, biological flaws of their own" that reflect the kind of problems Cosima has been facing. What if — in a very symmetrical twist — the male clones hold the cure for the female clones and vice-versa? With that in mind, it could be possible for Cosima's health to improve permanently. Though given that this is Orphan Black we're talking about, chances are it wouldn't be just a simple blood transfusion. Sacrifices would have to be made and I have a feeling it could lead to some devastating twists.
Or maybe I'm completely off on all accounts and Castor wants Leda for some crazy reason we can't even fathom yet. Either way, it's clear now more than ever that Sarah & Co. are about to face bigger obstacles than ever before. And in light of everything we've seen so far on this show, that's really saying something.
Images: Steve Wilkie/BBC America (2); BBC America (2)
