PLAYER INFO. ✖ Handle: Thia ✖ Contact:gofightwin ✖ Are You Over 16: Y ✖ Other Characters Played in Consignment: Elizabeth Comstock
CHARACTER INFO. ✖ Character Name: Manning, Sarah ✖ Canon:Orphan Black — post 2x04, ”Governed as It Were by Chance” ✖ Character Appearance:Just one, I'm a few, no family too. ✖ Character Age: 28 ✖ Pick A Number: 084, 840
✖ Canon Setting: Orphan Black takes place on present-day Earth, but its premise revolves around the existence of human clones. In the Orphan Black universe, cloning remains illegal, but in the 80s, military experiments on human cloning took place under the name Project LEDA. Scientists Ethan and Susan Duncan succeeded in cloning human embryos, but the military decided it was an ethical failure; however, a private company, the Dyad Institute, then took over sponsorship of Project LEDA, allowing the Duncans’ work to continue. Dyad, which remains a wealthy, influential biotech corporation in the present day, is home to the scientific movement of the Neolutionists, who advocate the use of scientific knowledge to direct the evolution of the human race. In opposition to Dyad exists a religious extremist group known as the Proletheans, who target and kill clones as they believe them to be abominations.
Dyad approached parents who were interested in having children through surrogacy, and in this way effected the distribution and birth of multiple clones across North America and Europe in the year 1984. Nearly all of these clones are monitored by Dyad through the use of a “monitor,” a person who takes the role of a close friend or significant other and relays information about the target clone to Dyad, keeping an eye on their health and behavior. Sarah is notable as one of the few clones who does not have a monitor, as her surrogate mother escaped the clutches of Dyad, hiding Sarah in the UK foster care system.
✖ Character History:Sarah Manning @ Orphan Black Wiki
✖ Character Personality:
Orphaned from a very young age, Sarah Manning spent much of her childhood shuffled through foster care, never knowing her true origins, and as a result became quite independent and self-sufficient. She has a rebellious nature, and is prone to challenging authority. She has a criminal record and a history of theft; particularly, a talent for short-term cons, scamming people out of money and possessions. She seems to have no moral qualms about stealing or doing other illegal things, and in general is shown to have a disregard for the law.
In a similar vein, Sarah tends to be suspicious of those she meets, especially figures of power or authority, and does not trust easily. Just because Sarah has known someone for a long time does not necessarily mean she trusts them—this is seen in the case of her foster mother, Mrs. S. Mrs. S essentially raised Sarah, and even Sarah’s daughter, and yet Sarah still questions her actions and ulterior motives. She doesn’t like it when people are vague and prefers to face situations head on, often bluntly forcing others to confront the truth as in her interactions with Ethan Duncan.
She is, however, fiercely loyal to a select few whom she holds very close, though these people number few and far between. One of her key sources of support is her foster brother, Felix, who is one of the few people she feels comfortable confiding in and coming to for advice. Her strongest attachment, however, is to her daughter Kira—it’s Sarah’s desire to reunite with Kira and to keep her safe that drives most of her actions throughout the show. Kira is absolutely the most important thing in Sarah’s life, and she feels fiercely protective of her daughter, even as she regrets the fact that her lifestyle has kept her from being the kind of mother she’d like to be. Indeed, Sarah is keenly aware of the fact that she has been a less than ideal parent, and much of what she is striving to do is to prevent Kira from having to grow up in the same way she did. Though Sarah projects a facade of aloof independence, her attachment to Felix and Kira belies that, and represents one of her major weaknesses or points of leverage. Still, that doesn’t mean that threatening one of them will automatically force Sarah to comply—for example, she rejects Rachel’s offer of “self-awareness,” even though Rachel implies harm to Kira, instead deciding she can handle (and protect) her family on her own.
Her fellow clones pose somewhat more of a conundrum. On one hand, after growing up an orphan without any blood relatives, they are the closest thing to family she’s ever had, besides Kira. Certainly, she feels genuine familial affection and admiration toward many of them, and is inextricably bound up in a common struggle with them in the ongoing conflict with Dyad. On the other hand, Sarah wants answers and she’s going to get them by whatever means necessary—Rachel’s status as a fellow clone does not trump Sarah’s desire for information and independence. Rachel, and in particular Sarah’s twin Helena, provoke more mixed feelings than Cosima and Alison, who share more similar goals with Sarah. Helena tried to kill Sarah and succeeded in killing their surrogate mother, upon which Sarah shot her; subsequently, however, Helena returns from being presumably dead to save Sarah from torture. Sarah can’t deny the connection that she feels to Helena, but at the same time, she doesn’t completely trust her nor does she know exactly how to deal with her.
Despite her rough upbringing, she’s retained a certain, albeit sarcastic, sense of humor. Furthermore, Sarah is quick thinking and resourceful, and adept at getting herself out of sticky situations, coming up with things on the spot in order to keep things going in her favor. Her impersonation of Beth Childs means that she has to also take on Beth’s job as a cop, and she’s able to quickly explain away inconsistencies with various excuses or devise plans to give herself more time, such as when she makes herself throw up to pretend to be sick to get out of a hearing. These are skills that she has used to her personal advantage throughout her life, but has only recently begun employing in order for a greater gain—to help her fellow clones.
Despite her intelligence, Sarah does not like to be idle—her style is much more to improvise on the fly rather than make any grand long-term plans. She’d rather grab a gun and go straight into a situation to confront someone rather than sit around waiting for them to make a move. She’s used to dealing with tough things in her life and as a result has learned she has to quickly adapt to them. Above all, Sarah wants answers about her background and about the clones, as well as safety for herself and for her daughter; these are the primary goals that drive her, and she’s not willing to take no for an answer.
✖ Character Powers: List your character's powers and skill sets in this section.
STREET SMARTS Sarah has grown up on the street, and as a result has developed many self-sufficient skills that have allowed her to survive. She’s not well-educated, but is quick-thinking, can handle herself in a fight, and is no stranger to illegal activity.
CON ARTIST & IMPERSONATION It’s not on any grand scale, but Sarah has a history of theft and grifting. In general, the canon examples from Sarah’s past appear to be her becoming involved in romantic relationships with men and then disappearing with their assets, at least until Beth Childs happened. Closely tied to this is Sarah’s knack for pretending to be someone she’s not. She knows how to turn on the charm if she needs to, and can assume a variety of personalities and accents. Her adoption of the persona of Beth Childs is obviously the most extensive example; she poses as Beth for a considerable amount of time, even taking on her job as a police officer. However, throughout the series, she has also posed as multiple other clones to gain access to information or defuse a situation, including the German Katja Obinger, soccer mom Alison, and scientist Cosima. Obviously, these examples are unique as Sarah has the advantage of looking nearly exactly like the other clones physically; however, her talent for altering her speech patterns, appearance, and mannerisms is notable.
CHARACTER SAMPLES. ✖ First Person POV: N/A; player already in game
✖ Third Person POV:
It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since Helena found her—since Helena saved her—and Sarah Manning is still on edge. Leaving her clone twin alone with Felix should be the least of her worries at the moment, but right now, it’s just one of many as she heads downstairs from her brother’s studio to grab something from the corner store. She stops at the bottom of the stairs to peer out into the alley, to flip her hood up over her head—it’s an almost instinctive movement by now, and better safe than sorry. The alley is empty of cars, of anyone lurking who might be Dyad. Only just barely satisfied by this, Sarah shoves her hands in her pockets and starts away at a brisk pace.
The corner convenience store is like any other dozen in the neighborhood, small, cramped, and cash-only. She makes her way to the refrigerated section, staring at bottles and cartons through the glass, feeling overwhelmed. The selection is limited, but it’s everything else that’s making the choice difficult.
A childish voice from next to her abruptly breaks her thoughts. “Hello?”
She turns to find a little girl standing there, and she can’t help but think of Kira, to classify this child against Kira as she does automatically with all children. A few years older, looks like, with similar curls, but dark instead of Kira’s honey brown, skinnier, her face less round. Nondescript clothing, a blank expression on her face. Sarah frowns, looks her up and down, wonders what she’s doing here alone. “What d’you want?”
The girl doesn’t seem intimidated by the rather harsh tone, merely counters with a question of her own: “You’re from around here, aren’t you?”
“What’s it to you?” When the girl doesn’t respond, Sarah turns back to the shelves of milk and beer, shaking her head. “Get lost.”
What she hears next is enough to freeze her in her tracks, to grip her heart in panic as quickly as any confrontation with the enemy ever has.
“You want to keep Kira safe, don’t you?”
CHARACTER ITEMS. ✖ Pick a Team: What team will your character be on? Red
✖ Mission Freebie: The obvious mission request for Sarah would be Kira’s safety from Dyad; however, I’m pretty sure this falls under the “not allowed to have this rule” as it’s subject to change/unresolved in canon. In that case, Sarah’s unlikely to take what she perceives as any sort of lesser bribe so I’m going to go with no request for now. ✖ Personal Item or Weapon: Handgun.
At first, Sarah’s only goal is to take Beth’s money, to use the $75,000 to escape her toxic relationship with her boyfriend and finally get her daughter back. Even initially after encountering Katja Obinger and being thrust into the whole clone situation, she still intends to keep up her impersonation of Beth only as long as it takes for her to get that money.
Initially, all Sarah wants from Alison and Cosima is answers about how she’s related to them, and if she won’t get answers, she’ll run, because that’s what she’s used to doing. She doesn’t want to be a part of the whole clone mess, but comes to realize she can’t just run away from it. At first, the role she plays is simply as Beth’s substitute — to use Beth’s position to gain information on fellow clones and the people who are targeting them, purely out of concern for safety. Her realization that she can’t run away is in part because the three share a mutual threat, certainly, but underlying it more deeply is the question of family that Sarah has struggled with all her life. For the first time, she’s found people to whom she’s actually related, and the more she interacts with them, the harder she finds it to dissociate herself from them. She can’t resist asking Cosima “If we’re genetically identical, do you get that little patch of dry skin between your eyebrows?” in the first hint of something truly familial between them. A similar instance occurs with Alison when Alison teaches Sarah to shoot, and they discuss Beth’s death — it’s the first time Sarah really sees how important Beth was to Alison. The revelation that the $75,000 is actually Alison’s money only deepens her ambivalence toward the situation, complicating her initial decision to just take it and run; Alison tells Sarah: “You could rob me blind, but we’re hoping you realize I can’t run away from this.”
Indeed, a crucial turning point in Sarah’s character comes with her decision to give the $75,000 back to Alison and leave Kira with Mrs. S. It’s a complex decision, partially a realization that her plan isn’t a good one and that she’s not ready to be a mother to Kira yet, but also partially a realization that like Alison says, she can’t run away from the situation she’s found herself in. Even if some of it is driven still by pure curiosity, her desire for answers, she’s slowly but surely building up bonds with her newfound relations.
When she confesses to Alison she was planning to run off with with the money, she says she couldn’t do it, telling the other clone: “I have a family too.” Even though this statement implies that Sarah still doesn’t consider Alison family, that she’s distancing herself from the other clone in this way, at the same time, their shared goal of caring for their respective families brings them closer, toward a better understanding of each other. This relationship only continues to strengthen, as Alison poses as Sarah to visit Kira and later defends Sarah to Mrs. S.
Even if it’s just by virtue of their shared threat and shared genes, Sarah develops a strong bond with Cosima as well. Initially a valuable resource for information, Sarah’s relationship to Cosima evolves into something more like her sibling relationship with Felix. In multiple cases, Sarah calls Cosima right away after getting out of sticky situations, such as escaping from Beth’s apartment or confronting Helena, to discuss what they should do. She displays genuine concern for Cosima’s safety, telling her to be cautious and referring to her with the nickname “Cos”. And when Cosima claims she’s only interested in Delphine for information, Sarah answers with an amusedly sarcastic “yeah, right,” showing the familiarity that’s developed between them to the point where they are able to banter with each other, even if it’s part of a more serious situation.
Over time, the sisterly bond between Sarah, Alison, and Cosima only grows stronger, and they become more and more integrated into her existing family. Sarah reveals their existence and relationship to Mrs. S; she and Kira refer to them as “aunties”, and even Felix gets close to Alison in particular, supporting her when Sarah isn’t able to. “I can’t help but feel it’s my daughter in there,” Alison says when Kira’s in the hospital. Sarah goes from not wanting to give them anything, to the point where Alison’s request—“I need you. I have a situation. Just get over here, right now”—is enough for Sarah to show up and impersonate Alison at her potluck without even knowing exactly what’s going on.
Sarah’s relationship with Helena is one that is deeply conflicted, but in which there is an undeniable connection, one that Sarah feels despite attempts to reject it. During their first real conversation in Maggie Chen’s apartment, Sarah initially shows no sympathy for Helena, stating sarcastically “Right, ‘cause we have a connection,” and saying “Yeah, I think I’ll watch” when Helena says she thinks she’s dying. Sarah interprets her initial role in their relationship as simply to deal with the threat that Helena poses to the clones. Interestingly, she attempts to do this by telling Helena the truth of their identity as clones, much as Alison and Cosima told her. And yet, even from this first meeting, Helena’s invocation of their supposed connection strikes some sort of chord with Sarah. Sarah tears up as she points a gun at Helena and is unable to shoot her, instead letting her go—perhaps partially on a practical level to keep Art from discovering the clones, but it’s significant that Sarah spares her.
This oddly contradictional relationship continues—Sarah tells Helena to stay away from her, but meets her at lunch anyway, to the following conversation:
H: “I dreamed that we were friends.” S: “We’re not friends.” H: “You know my name. Tell me yours.” S: “This friendship isn’t there yet.” H: “I’m supposed to kill you too. But you let me live.” S: “Yeah. So let’s call it even, okay? And go our separate ways.” H: “We’ll never be separate. Tell me the names of the others and I will spare you.”
Though she’s aware that Helena poses a threat, Sarah comes to view the other clone as a potential, if volatile and temporary, ally for dealing with other enemies, calling Helena to get her to deal with Olivier and even owing it to Helena to save her from the Neolutionists.
Even after Kira is hit by a car after leaving the house with Helena, an incident that deeply panics Sarah, she can’t rid herself of the tenuous connection she feels to the other clone. Her plan is still to turn Helena over to Leekie, but one of the most striking moments in the evolution of her relationship with Helena comes when she tells Mrs. S: “Yeah, my gut says put a bullet in her myself, but you don’t understand what it’s like. I look at Helena and I see me.” These increasingly conflicted feelings only deepen when Kira tells her mother that the accident wasn’t Helena’s fault, and that Helena needs Sarah’s help.
After this conversation, Sarah’s outward demeanor toward Helena remains still very much one of aggression and distrust. When she finds her locked up in the cage, she tells her: “You’re never going to see [Kira] again […] I wish I could believe [that you won’t hurt her]”. But although she may not fully trust her, the connection is there: “You care…” breathes Helena as Sarah is unable to shoot once again. “No, I don’t,” Sarah says, letting her out of the cage, to a subsequent hug from Helena. During the confrontation with Tomas, Sarah appeals to Helena: “You know that connection I feel, I feel it too. It’s us.” It’s a dramatic shift in tone from how she was just previously dealing with Helena. Certainly, much of this lies with Sarah’s ability to quickly assess and diffuse a situation, and her skill at manipulating others — but even if she doesn’t believe what she’s saying fully, this acknowledgement of their bond is important.
Sarah comes to acknowledge this connection further with the subsequent revelation that Helena is not just her sister, but her twin. While she tells Helena, “I don’t want to be your sister, meathead. I just want you to know you’re not the original,” her retorts to Mrs. S belies the fact that her motivations have a sympathetic undertone as well: “Helena’s my twin sister, she has a right to know. She’s had her whole world turned inside out, just like I have.”
The warehouse confrontation, where their birth mother dies before Sarah’s eyes after being stabbed by Helena, strikes a crushing blow into the sympathy that Helena has been slowly building. Sarah retaliates in anger: “She’s dead, you psycho. You killed someone I’ve been dreaming about my whole life. […] You’re nothing to me. Just some crazy bitch wearing my t-shirt.” Even though Helena reminds Sarah of Sarah’s previous mercy toward Helena, and invokes their own familial connection, Sarah rejects that—“I’ve already got a family”—and shoots her twin. That’s why Sarah’s fear upon seeing Helena’s apparent return from the dead is so palpable, shock on her face as she cries “I shot you, you were dead, you were dead.” Unable to run, she’s forced to come face-to-face with her sister whom she killed, terrified that Helena will hurt her in retaliation for what she did, even though Helena just saved Sarah from Daniel.
Over the course of a season and a half, from the canon point Sarah is coming from, the relationship between her and Helena is still a very complicated one. Sarah’s interpretation of her role in the relationship has constantly shifted, from target to pursuer, from enemy to almost-ally. In many cases it seems as though she herself doesn’t know exactly what her role should be—it’s something she’s still trying to puzzle out. She certainly feels responsible for Helena to some degree, trying to convince her that she isn’t the original, rescuing her from Tomas’s cage, and believing Helena has a right to meet Amelia, their birth mother.
There’s a contradiction insofar as that Sarah acknowledges to Mrs. S that Helena is her family, but is much less willing to accept that in practicality and to reciprocate Helena’s affection. Helena isn’t as easily integrated into Sarah’s perception of family as Alison and Cosima, and yet out of all of them Helena is the closest to true biological family. While at first the two are diametrically opposed, it is revealed that in many ways Helena is the most similar clone to Sarah—not just because they were twins who shared a womb, but because of their status as outsiders, one hidden with the church and one with the state. They’ve both escaped from Dyad’s monitoring, have had their share of hardship, and both are deeply concerned with family in a way that Alison and Cosima are not shown to be. Although Sarah is still very much coming to terms with her relationship to Helena, she can’t deny the bond between them that exists. Their interactions have certainly led her to consider Helena’s background and motivations more, and while perhaps not aware of it consciously, have taught her something about sympathy.
Rachel, on the other hand, elicits no such sympathy from Sarah, although it’s important to note that from her current canon point Sarah has had relatively little contact with Rachel compared to the others, and also has yet to meet Ethan Duncan and reunite Rachel with her father. Sarah doesn’t trust her: “Rachel didn’t feel like a truce, she felt like a gun to the head” and is not above directly threatening her to get what she wants, such as when she thinks Dyad has Kira. In that situation, Sarah’s own interests take priority over any sort of genetic similarity she shares with Rachel, despite the other clone’s ploys to precisely that when proposing the mutual disclosure agreement: “You’re not an orphan any more, Sarah. We want your trust, you want precious answers that cut to the core of who you are.” Rachel’s position of power and authority as a member of Dyad, an organization that seeks to control the clones, is something that Sarah strongly distrusts and is the major reason why she is unwilling to prioritize Rachel’s interests.
Sarah’s relationships with her fellow clones have had major and lasting changes on her character. She develops from being a very self-sufficient and in many ways selfish woman who looks out for primarily herself, to someone who is inextricably linked and deeply connected with others. The biggest result of these relationships is that Sarah has matured greatly and learned to take responsibility for others and provide mutual support, recognizing the benefits of doing so, that she, Alison, and Cosima are stronger together.
Sarah’s maturation is evident not only in her relationship with her fellow clones but also in her role as a parent. Sarah initially wants Kira back because she feels like it is her right as a mother; the Sarah of season two is a more mature figure, aware of the very real dangers that threaten her daughter, and her desire to be with Kira comes much more from a place of increased maturity, awareness and protection—and yes, family. She brings Kira to meet Cal, so that Kira can know her father like Sarah never did, and even trusts Cal enough to leave Kira with him.
Despite sharing DNA, the clones are different people with distinct personalities, and Sarah certainly considers herself dissimilar from Alison and Cosima in many ways, despite their shared bonds. She's had a very different upbringing and lifestyle and often has a more direct approach of dealing with situations. However, their ability to work together, and their concern and responsibility for the clones’ well-being, is something she has internalized, even if it’s unconscious. Additionally, one similarity that Sarah does recognize in all of the clones, is their sheer determination, whether or not that determination is put towards a shared goal, as with Alison and Cosima, or very different goals, in the case of Rachel and Helena. In part, it’s the recognition of this similarity between them that helps Sarah realize what exactly she’s up against, and what she needs to do to deal with all of her counterparts effectively.
Sarah’s character growth is also closely tied to the question of the prioritizing of her own interests versus those of her clones. In Rachel’s case, it’s more clear-cut, but in Sarah’s relationships with the other clones one sees a shift from Sarah’s concern with solely her own interests to a greater ability to balance her own interests with those of the rest of the group. At first she is unwilling to acquiesce to them, staying on as Beth only with the goal of getting the money and getting out, helping Alison and Cosima to some degree but with a greater intention to do so when it stops being convenient to her con. This is a major difference from the Sarah of recent episodes of season two, who is willing to let her daughter make the choice to donate blood marrow for Cosima’s treatment, even though it means cooperating to some degree with Dyad. Sarah is from a canon point several episodes prior to this, but her ability to cooperate with Alison and Cosima has still come a long way from the starting point.
Helena is more complicated — for much of season one the two have vastly different interests, what with Helena’s mission to kill the clones. Even as their connection grows stronger, Sarah isn’t particularly concerned with Helena’s interests — she isn’t willing to throw away her own idea of her family in order to be family with Helena, for example, outright rejecting her before shooting her. Still, their bond and Helena’s saving her, in addition to the fact that they will be the only two clones together in CDC, will force Sarah to challenge and reevaluate her relationship with Helena.
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gofightwin
PERSONALITY ADDENDUM.
Initially, all Sarah wants from Alison and Cosima is answers about how she’s related to them, and if she won’t get answers, she’ll run, because that’s what she’s used to doing. She doesn’t want to be a part of the whole clone mess, but comes to realize she can’t just run away from it. At first, the role she plays is simply as Beth’s substitute — to use Beth’s position to gain information on fellow clones and the people who are targeting them, purely out of concern for safety. Her realization that she can’t run away is in part because the three share a mutual threat, certainly, but underlying it more deeply is the question of family that Sarah has struggled with all her life. For the first time, she’s found people to whom she’s actually related, and the more she interacts with them, the harder she finds it to dissociate herself from them. She can’t resist asking Cosima “If we’re genetically identical, do you get that little patch of dry skin between your eyebrows?” in the first hint of something truly familial between them. A similar instance occurs with Alison when Alison teaches Sarah to shoot, and they discuss Beth’s death — it’s the first time Sarah really sees how important Beth was to Alison. The revelation that the $75,000 is actually Alison’s money only deepens her ambivalence toward the situation, complicating her initial decision to just take it and run; Alison tells Sarah: “You could rob me blind, but we’re hoping you realize I can’t run away from this.”
Indeed, a crucial turning point in Sarah’s character comes with her decision to give the $75,000 back to Alison and leave Kira with Mrs. S. It’s a complex decision, partially a realization that her plan isn’t a good one and that she’s not ready to be a mother to Kira yet, but also partially a realization that like Alison says, she can’t run away from the situation she’s found herself in. Even if some of it is driven still by pure curiosity, her desire for answers, she’s slowly but surely building up bonds with her newfound relations.
When she confesses to Alison she was planning to run off with with the money, she says she couldn’t do it, telling the other clone: “I have a family too.” Even though this statement implies that Sarah still doesn’t consider Alison family, that she’s distancing herself from the other clone in this way, at the same time, their shared goal of caring for their respective families brings them closer, toward a better understanding of each other. This relationship only continues to strengthen, as Alison poses as Sarah to visit Kira and later defends Sarah to Mrs. S.
Even if it’s just by virtue of their shared threat and shared genes, Sarah develops a strong bond with Cosima as well. Initially a valuable resource for information, Sarah’s relationship to Cosima evolves into something more like her sibling relationship with Felix. In multiple cases, Sarah calls Cosima right away after getting out of sticky situations, such as escaping from Beth’s apartment or confronting Helena, to discuss what they should do. She displays genuine concern for Cosima’s safety, telling her to be cautious and referring to her with the nickname “Cos”. And when Cosima claims she’s only interested in Delphine for information, Sarah answers with an amusedly sarcastic “yeah, right,” showing the familiarity that’s developed between them to the point where they are able to banter with each other, even if it’s part of a more serious situation.
Over time, the sisterly bond between Sarah, Alison, and Cosima only grows stronger, and they become more and more integrated into her existing family. Sarah reveals their existence and relationship to Mrs. S; she and Kira refer to them as “aunties”, and even Felix gets close to Alison in particular, supporting her when Sarah isn’t able to. “I can’t help but feel it’s my daughter in there,” Alison says when Kira’s in the hospital. Sarah goes from not wanting to give them anything, to the point where Alison’s request—“I need you. I have a situation. Just get over here, right now”—is enough for Sarah to show up and impersonate Alison at her potluck without even knowing exactly what’s going on.
Sarah’s relationship with Helena is one that is deeply conflicted, but in which there is an undeniable connection, one that Sarah feels despite attempts to reject it. During their first real conversation in Maggie Chen’s apartment, Sarah initially shows no sympathy for Helena, stating sarcastically “Right, ‘cause we have a connection,” and saying “Yeah, I think I’ll watch” when Helena says she thinks she’s dying. Sarah interprets her initial role in their relationship as simply to deal with the threat that Helena poses to the clones. Interestingly, she attempts to do this by telling Helena the truth of their identity as clones, much as Alison and Cosima told her. And yet, even from this first meeting, Helena’s invocation of their supposed connection strikes some sort of chord with Sarah. Sarah tears up as she points a gun at Helena and is unable to shoot her, instead letting her go—perhaps partially on a practical level to keep Art from discovering the clones, but it’s significant that Sarah spares her.
This oddly contradictional relationship continues—Sarah tells Helena to stay away from her, but meets her at lunch anyway, to the following conversation:
H: “I dreamed that we were friends.”
S: “We’re not friends.”
H: “You know my name. Tell me yours.”
S: “This friendship isn’t there yet.”
H: “I’m supposed to kill you too. But you let me live.”
S: “Yeah. So let’s call it even, okay? And go our separate ways.”
H: “We’ll never be separate. Tell me the names of the others and I will spare you.”
Though she’s aware that Helena poses a threat, Sarah comes to view the other clone as a potential, if volatile and temporary, ally for dealing with other enemies, calling Helena to get her to deal with Olivier and even owing it to Helena to save her from the Neolutionists.
Even after Kira is hit by a car after leaving the house with Helena, an incident that deeply panics Sarah, she can’t rid herself of the tenuous connection she feels to the other clone. Her plan is still to turn Helena over to Leekie, but one of the most striking moments in the evolution of her relationship with Helena comes when she tells Mrs. S: “Yeah, my gut says put a bullet in her myself, but you don’t understand what it’s like. I look at Helena and I see me.” These increasingly conflicted feelings only deepen when Kira tells her mother that the accident wasn’t Helena’s fault, and that Helena needs Sarah’s help.
After this conversation, Sarah’s outward demeanor toward Helena remains still very much one of aggression and distrust. When she finds her locked up in the cage, she tells her: “You’re never going to see [Kira] again […] I wish I could believe [that you won’t hurt her]”. But although she may not fully trust her, the connection is there: “You care…” breathes Helena as Sarah is unable to shoot once again. “No, I don’t,” Sarah says, letting her out of the cage, to a subsequent hug from Helena. During the confrontation with Tomas, Sarah appeals to Helena: “You know that connection I feel, I feel it too. It’s us.” It’s a dramatic shift in tone from how she was just previously dealing with Helena. Certainly, much of this lies with Sarah’s ability to quickly assess and diffuse a situation, and her skill at manipulating others — but even if she doesn’t believe what she’s saying fully, this acknowledgement of their bond is important.
Sarah comes to acknowledge this connection further with the subsequent revelation that Helena is not just her sister, but her twin. While she tells Helena, “I don’t want to be your sister, meathead. I just want you to know you’re not the original,” her retorts to Mrs. S belies the fact that her motivations have a sympathetic undertone as well: “Helena’s my twin sister, she has a right to know. She’s had her whole world turned inside out, just like I have.”
The warehouse confrontation, where their birth mother dies before Sarah’s eyes after being stabbed by Helena, strikes a crushing blow into the sympathy that Helena has been slowly building. Sarah retaliates in anger: “She’s dead, you psycho. You killed someone I’ve been dreaming about my whole life. […] You’re nothing to me. Just some crazy bitch wearing my t-shirt.” Even though Helena reminds Sarah of Sarah’s previous mercy toward Helena, and invokes their own familial connection, Sarah rejects that—“I’ve already got a family”—and shoots her twin. That’s why Sarah’s fear upon seeing Helena’s apparent return from the dead is so palpable, shock on her face as she cries “I shot you, you were dead, you were dead.” Unable to run, she’s forced to come face-to-face with her sister whom she killed, terrified that Helena will hurt her in retaliation for what she did, even though Helena just saved Sarah from Daniel.
Over the course of a season and a half, from the canon point Sarah is coming from, the relationship between her and Helena is still a very complicated one. Sarah’s interpretation of her role in the relationship has constantly shifted, from target to pursuer, from enemy to almost-ally. In many cases it seems as though she herself doesn’t know exactly what her role should be—it’s something she’s still trying to puzzle out. She certainly feels responsible for Helena to some degree, trying to convince her that she isn’t the original, rescuing her from Tomas’s cage, and believing Helena has a right to meet Amelia, their birth mother.
There’s a contradiction insofar as that Sarah acknowledges to Mrs. S that Helena is her family, but is much less willing to accept that in practicality and to reciprocate Helena’s affection. Helena isn’t as easily integrated into Sarah’s perception of family as Alison and Cosima, and yet out of all of them Helena is the closest to true biological family. While at first the two are diametrically opposed, it is revealed that in many ways Helena is the most similar clone to Sarah—not just because they were twins who shared a womb, but because of their status as outsiders, one hidden with the church and one with the state. They’ve both escaped from Dyad’s monitoring, have had their share of hardship, and both are deeply concerned with family in a way that Alison and Cosima are not shown to be. Although Sarah is still very much coming to terms with her relationship to Helena, she can’t deny the bond between them that exists. Their interactions have certainly led her to consider Helena’s background and motivations more, and while perhaps not aware of it consciously, have taught her something about sympathy.
Rachel, on the other hand, elicits no such sympathy from Sarah, although it’s important to note that from her current canon point Sarah has had relatively little contact with Rachel compared to the others, and also has yet to meet Ethan Duncan and reunite Rachel with her father. Sarah doesn’t trust her: “Rachel didn’t feel like a truce, she felt like a gun to the head” and is not above directly threatening her to get what she wants, such as when she thinks Dyad has Kira. In that situation, Sarah’s own interests take priority over any sort of genetic similarity she shares with Rachel, despite the other clone’s ploys to precisely that when proposing the mutual disclosure agreement: “You’re not an orphan any more, Sarah. We want your trust, you want precious answers that cut to the core of who you are.” Rachel’s position of power and authority as a member of Dyad, an organization that seeks to control the clones, is something that Sarah strongly distrusts and is the major reason why she is unwilling to prioritize Rachel’s interests.
Sarah’s relationships with her fellow clones have had major and lasting changes on her character. She develops from being a very self-sufficient and in many ways selfish woman who looks out for primarily herself, to someone who is inextricably linked and deeply connected with others. The biggest result of these relationships is that Sarah has matured greatly and learned to take responsibility for others and provide mutual support, recognizing the benefits of doing so, that she, Alison, and Cosima are stronger together.
Sarah’s maturation is evident not only in her relationship with her fellow clones but also in her role as a parent. Sarah initially wants Kira back because she feels like it is her right as a mother; the Sarah of season two is a more mature figure, aware of the very real dangers that threaten her daughter, and her desire to be with Kira comes much more from a place of increased maturity, awareness and protection—and yes, family. She brings Kira to meet Cal, so that Kira can know her father like Sarah never did, and even trusts Cal enough to leave Kira with him.
Despite sharing DNA, the clones are different people with distinct personalities, and Sarah certainly considers herself dissimilar from Alison and Cosima in many ways, despite their shared bonds. She's had a very different upbringing and lifestyle and often has a more direct approach of dealing with situations. However, their ability to work together, and their concern and responsibility for the clones’ well-being, is something she has internalized, even if it’s unconscious. Additionally, one similarity that Sarah does recognize in all of the clones, is their sheer determination, whether or not that determination is put towards a shared goal, as with Alison and Cosima, or very different goals, in the case of Rachel and Helena. In part, it’s the recognition of this similarity between them that helps Sarah realize what exactly she’s up against, and what she needs to do to deal with all of her counterparts effectively.
Sarah’s character growth is also closely tied to the question of the prioritizing of her own interests versus those of her clones. In Rachel’s case, it’s more clear-cut, but in Sarah’s relationships with the other clones one sees a shift from Sarah’s concern with solely her own interests to a greater ability to balance her own interests with those of the rest of the group. At first she is unwilling to acquiesce to them, staying on as Beth only with the goal of getting the money and getting out, helping Alison and Cosima to some degree but with a greater intention to do so when it stops being convenient to her con. This is a major difference from the Sarah of recent episodes of season two, who is willing to let her daughter make the choice to donate blood marrow for Cosima’s treatment, even though it means cooperating to some degree with Dyad. Sarah is from a canon point several episodes prior to this, but her ability to cooperate with Alison and Cosima has still come a long way from the starting point.
Helena is more complicated — for much of season one the two have vastly different interests, what with Helena’s mission to kill the clones. Even as their connection grows stronger, Sarah isn’t particularly concerned with Helena’s interests — she isn’t willing to throw away her own idea of her family in order to be family with Helena, for example, outright rejecting her before shooting her. Still, their bond and Helena’s saving her, in addition to the fact that they will be the only two clones together in CDC, will force Sarah to challenge and reevaluate her relationship with Helena.