Daily Archives: July 2, 2017

Science has always been one of the core components of Orphan Black, but so has power who has it, who loses it, and what those people do to wield or gain it. Now, with P.T. Westmoreland in the picture and Rachel by his side, were seeing more of those inner workings than ever before. Were also getting revelations about those early attempts to push the boundaries of human evolution yep, that thing in the woods was an experiment gone awry and the splintering effect it had on the top of the Neolution pyramid.

So while Ss plans uncovered a wealth of information (and a familiar face or two), Kira also did some experimenting of her own in hopes of learning more about her special abilities. In honor of these revelations, this week well run the clones through our trusted Orphan Black Clone Status Hyper-Sequence Generator Calcutron and export them by whos discovered the most this week. Please enjoy the data set below. (#Science!)

Sarah Much to Sarahs displeasure, Kira wont tell her much about her meetings with Rachel but Sarah does uncover a nasty cut on Kiras arm, which she thinks Rachel inflicted until her daughter admits she did it herself to see how fast she could heal. Unable to provide the answers she seeks and with three days until she has to go back to Dyad, S asks Felix to take Kira while she takes Sarah on a recon mission she has a lead that may help them get some leverage.

Their mark is a Dr. Elizabeth Perkins, who, S tells Sarah, could have a key to P.T. Westmoreland but they need her wallet. Ss intel (the woman likes to drink and has a rough relationship with her own daughter) gives them the perfect setup: They stage a fight, and Sarah throws a drink at S and grabs Dr. Perkins wallet as Perkins makes sure S is all right and then invites her to sit down for another drink.Turns out, Dr. Perkins is a psychologist studying, in her words, how PTSD co-occurs with major depressive disorders, and shes in town for some case studies. One person shes supposed to meet is an Alex Ripley, who is supposedly a high-level Neolution defector who may be being held against her will at a nearby mental health facility. S and Sarah are going to go in as Dr. Perkins and her assistant to check it out. (Sarah, meanwhile, realizes theres no way Ss usual methods would have known about the Neo. She wont say where her intel came from, but Im pretty sure we already know remember when Delphine stopped by her door?)

Once the bespectacled Mrs. S and Sarah-posing-as-a-bumbling-assistant con their way into visitors passes, they sneak into an unauthorized ward and find Alex Ripley, who is actually (drumroll please) season 3 baddie Virginia Coady. Oh hey, blast from the Orphan Black past!Shes initially very drugged up and unable to speak, but Sarah still calls her a genocidal bitch by way of greeting and gives her a slap across the face courtesy of Helena once she comes to. Virginias surprised when they ask about P.T., but after S hints they may be able to help her escape if she talks, she says an old friend had her locked away someone who shared her goal of controlling human genetics but didnt always get it right.

RELATED VIDEO: Orphan Black cast teases season 5

That old friend, it turns out, is Susan Duncan, and here we get a wealth of backstory on their early attempts at Neolution-inspired human experimentation. Susan and P.T. recruited Virginia to their cause when she was young, and before they found Kendall Malone or started human cloning projects, someone else was their first human subject. He was P.T. Westmorelands original obsession, but too many mistakes were made on this child who possessed a unique genome. Their science wasnt as refined then, and he began growing tumors and suffering brain damage Susan wanted to stop their experiments, but Virginia disagreed, and, in her words, they created a monster. Susan never forgave her for it, and they split assets in the friend/science divorce: Virginia took Castor, Susan kept Leda, and P.T. kept them apart.

But before she can tell them anything more, the doctor whom the real Elizabeth Perkins had supposedly been there to visit interrupts the intel party. Seeking a means of escape and knowing shell soon be drugged into submission again, Virginia attacks Sarah and steals her visitors pass (which contains a key card), and when the orderlies and doctor restrain her, S and Sarah use the commotion as a means to sneak away. This definitely doesnt seem like the last well see of her.

Cosima They dont explicitly say it, but its pretty obvious the thing Sarah glimpsed in the woods during her little vacation on Evil Mystery Island is the now-grown boy from Susan Duncan, Virginia Coady, and P.T. Westmorelands early days of human experiments and via Cosima, we get out first real (albeit brief) glimpse of him.

After Charlotte and Aisha hear him and spot whats presumably one of his teeth in the woods while going to look for a missing pig from the Revival menagerie, Cosima confronts Mud asking for answers. She already suspects that whatever took a bite out of Daisy the Pig has something to do with Westmoreland. Were on the Island of Doctor Moreau here, she says. Whatever weird s is happening, its coming from the big house. All Mud will say is its not his fault(probably talking about the man in the woods, but possibly Westmoreland), and she warns Cosima to stay out of the woods.

Later that night, Cosima follows Mud as she makes her way in the dark up toward Westmorelands house. Inside, P.T. is hooked up to some sort of IV treatment (is that a dialysis machine? Science people, drop some knowledge in the comments if you know!), and Cosimas snooping brings her down into the basement, where she finds not just old medical equipment but photos of painful-looking experiments/procedures and, more disconcertingly, a cell with chains and blood on the walls. When Mud finds her down there, Cosima demands to know what they did to the man in the woods, but Mud just begs her to get out and frantically sends her out a side door. Still not deterred, Cosima stays close enough to the house to see Mud bring a blanket out to the man and try to talk to him, but he only appears for long enough to growl and bare his teeth before taking her gift and running back into the shadows. (Recap continues on page 2)

Read the original:
Orphan Black recap: 'Let the Children and Childbearers Toil' - EW.com (blog)

Eric Lagatta The Columbus Dispatch @EricLagatta

In Dan Koboldt's fantasy novels, a medieval world of sorcery converges with its modern technological counterpart.

The metaphor is as apt as any for Koboldt's dual persona: He is both scientist and fantasy novelist.

The 37-year-old spends his weekdays at Nationwide Children's Hospital researching rare diseases in kids.At night and on weekends, he travels to Alissia, a mythical universe of his own making.

Its definitely a very different part of the brain than what I use at work, said Koboldt, who lives in Lewis Center with his wife, Christina, and their three young children. I like it as a creative outlet, and its a fun hobby to have thats less serious sometimes than the stuff I do at the hospital.

In his hometown of St. Louis, Koboldt grew up on a diet of J.R.R. Tolkien, Frank Herbert and other stalwarts of the genre. "Lord of the Rings" and even the original "Star Wars" films gave him an appreciation for the trilogy format.

For years, though, he suppressed his drive to write his own epic tales as he pursued another passion: human genetic research.

Although Koboldt took evening writing classes at Washington University in St. Louis while working on his master's in biology, he didn't really begin writing in earnestuntil 2009, when he firstparticipated in theinternet-based National Novel Writing Month.

"That book will never see the light of day," he said, "but it's good exercise for me."

He continued writing while working as a researcher at the Genome Institute of Washington University, eventually creating an idea for a trilogy in 2013 that he thought had enough promise to begin shopping it to agents.

By early August in 2015, he had a deal with HarperCollins, which agreed to print the "Gateways to Alissia" series under its Voyager Impulse imprint.

Koboldt's first book, "The Rogue Retrieval," was published in March 2016. The storyfollows Las Vegas magician Quinn Bradley, who is recruited by a corporation to infiltrate a medieval realm through a secret portal.

Bradley finds himself returning to Alissia in "The Island Deception," which was released in April. This time, the protagonistsees an opportunity to learn to use real magic for himself.

The stakes will be even higher in the finale, The World Awakening, as competing interests become aware of the portals existence and fight to control the alternate dimension.

"What I like about Dan's writing is that he's able to make Quinn really funny," Koboldt's agent,Paul Stevens ofDonald Maass Literary Agency, said by email."Even though he (the character) is in life-or-death situations, he keeps his sense of humor, often throwing in pop-culture references to lighten the moment."

Like any effective work of science fiction or fantasy, the books draw on the familiar to explore social issues. Themes of corporate exploitation abound, reflected in the shady CASE Global that engages in espionage and uses military drones for its own profit.

The inspiration for the series came after Koboldt read an article about people secretly filming magicians Penn and Teller's live acts in order to reverse engineer their illusions so they could steal them.

It got me thinking about technology, he said. Technology has really changed the practice of illusions and magic.

Since he moved with his familyfrom St. Louis to Columbus in the fall to work at Children's, he has discovered what he called a lively and passionate literary community in central Ohio. He has appeared at several eventsto help build an area fan base, with his next appearance scheduled Sunday at the Book Loft in German Village.

Koboldt and others working at Washington University were recruited to Children's last fall as part of the hospital's efforts to advance pediatric research. As a researcher atthe Institute for Genomic Medicine, Koboldt helps determine genetic mutations that can cause unidentifieddiseasesin children.

His role is primarily as a data analyst.

What I really enjoy is the people who work here are all fantastic, Koboldt said. Were much closer to the patients and families were trying to help.

In his office, a poster featuring the cover of"The Rogue Retrieval" hangs prominently. On his desk, a coffee mug warns all visitors:"Careful, or you'll end up in my book."

"I like to break it out at meetings because everyone around here is afraid they'll end up in the book," he said with a laugh.

It's not an idle threat, as co-worker Vince Magrini has learned.

Magrini whohas knownKoboldt for 10 years, since the two began working togetherat Washington University is quick to point out that a military contractor named "Hank the Tank" Magrini was killed in the early pages of the first book.

He vowed not to read another page until Koboldt resurrects the character.

It's not that Im really boycotting him," said Magrini, who began working at Children's at the same time as Koboldt, "but Im boycotting him.

Joking aside, Magrini praised his colleagues ability to embrace a creative side that many dont associate with scientists.

It helps really diversify somebody," he said. "It centers them; it gives them balance."

Peter White, senior director of the computational genomics group, recognized that same trait in Koboldt, too.

It doesnt fit the stereotype of having this computer science/math/genetics background and to have that creative, artistic side to able to write a novel, said White, adding that Koboldt's books are "on my list to read because I do enjoy fantasy.

Christina Koboldt, who met her husband of 11 years when both were undergraduates at the University of Missouri, was never surprised by his artistic drive.

He often carries a notepad to jot down ideas that occur to him. And,as soon as they put their children to bed, he retreats to his home office to write.

Hes got the creative juice and the imagination and the skill to do it, Christina Koboldt said. I just think its incredible that he can do that while still managing his job and his family and his marriage.

Once Gateways concludes, Koboldt envisions more fantasy adventures.

He hinted at a series set in the future that draws more on the experiences of his day job in which a company designs genetically engineered dragons for households to own.

elagatta@dispatch.com

@EricLagatta

See original here:
Children's Hospital researcher taps into creative side by writing science fiction - The Columbus Dispatch