Rachel Duncan is introduced as the “pro-clone” at the end of the first season and gradually revealed to be much more than that during the second.  Kris and Stephanie discuss the antagonism between Rachel and Sarah and the parallels between Rachel and Helena, as well as Rachel’s relationships with her parental figures.

Façade

• So much of Rachel is just a façade. How much do we really know about her even after a whole season?

Pro-clone

• Introduced as embedded within Dyad, adversary to Clone Club
• Complicated relationship with being raised by Dyad
• Somewhat tender relationship with Leekie but is willing to send him to his death after finding out he killed her parents
• Seems somewhat resentful of Dyad but she also enjoys the power her position provides her
• From Jonathan:

A lot of things that looked like signs of Rachel’s power, on a first viewing, can be read, in retrospect, as signs of her containment within the highly circumscribed world she inhabits, the Dyad world.  The image of the executive commanding a vast office space; the imperial figure at the window, lording it over all she surveys; the glossy surfaces of her apartment:  these appear to be emblems of power and privilege, but they are also emblems of her isolation; they mark boundaries that set her off from everyone who surrounds her – Leekie, Daniel, Paul and Martin, Delphine.  Rachel has always been, and remains, a “controlled experiment.”

Relationship with Her Parents 

• Videos
• Confrontations with Duncan

Desire to be a mother 

• We realize how painful her infertility is for her in season 2
• Fuels her great resentment of Sarah
• Kidnaps Kira (how dare she!) to get what she wants

Antagonist?

• Bob’s prediction 

I get the feeling (and this is based on nothing) that Rachel is going to become a fan favorite in season 3, just as Helena did in season 2. Helena did far worse things than Rachel has, and Rachel seems to be motivated strictly by a desire for family (with her father gone, she went after Kira). While this was part of Helena’s motivation, Helena also had the religiously motivated purge thing going on, so I think that if anything the transition for Rachel might be easier to accomplish (well beyond ME being able to do it, of course, but I assume that the writers can come up with something that makes sense), As to Rachel herself – eyepatch a la Xander?  Dyad keeping stocks of working body parts?  We shall see.

• Helena vs. Rachel

From Jacqueline

I think Tat does the best job with her acting when playing Rachel, its so controlled and tight. All her movements are slow and almost planned out before she makes them. I would love to know what dance or playlist Tat listens to to get into character for Rachel, has that ever been mentioned. I think the make up team do a great job here too. The honey blonde hair and the soft tan really makes her stand out as an individual from the others… and her fashion, I will kill to have the clothes that Rachel wears, amazing.

From Dan

Should she have survived the pencil, she needs a Freaky Leekie prosthetic eye.

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