Identity Crisis in gen:LOCK
So in the most recent episode of gen:Lock, The Only Me I Know, a big question was raised about identity.
The Julian Chase that we’ve been following for the last four episodes is revealed to be a back up copy of the original, who was captured by the Union and presumably tortured into becoming the unstable Nemesis. For the purpose of this post I’ll be referring to the Polity Chase that we’ve been following by his call sign, Chaser, and the Union Chase that was captured by the name Rooster Teeth has given his Holon, Nemesis.
Chaser has a lot to process after this episode. He’s likely going to star questioning his identity, the validity of his existence if he’s just a back up, as some others already are.
There are a couple ways I see Chaser responding to this.
The first is pride. He’ll start trying to aggressively prove himself. Prove that he’s an equal to Nemesis. That he’s valid and worthy. This could lend itself to anger and recklessness. We’ve already seen a moment of this when he attacked Nemesis.
The second is doubt. He’ll start to question his validity. His worth. Chaser will think that it should be Nemesis in his position, and not him. Think Red Arrow on Young Justice being revealed as a clone.
This will most likely happen early in the next episode, once he’s had more time to process what he’s learned.
The third is shame. It will start to dawn on him that he and Nemesis are, by nature, exactly the same, up to the point where Nemesis was captured, and Chaser was born. This would mean the potential for everything that Nemesis has become is in Chaser too, and could happen under similar circumstances.
By extension this will mean that the potential for every horrible thing that Nemesis has done, and will do, is in Chaser as well.
Fundamentally, human beings are the sum of their experiences, in a body. Chaser and Nemesis’ experiences up to a point, are identical. When you think about, neither one is really an original or a copy. They are a split. A divergence.
Julian Chase’s mind underwent a mitosis, and this resulted in two paths. One path, Chaser, stayed with the Polity, the ESU, and their body, and eventually reunited with Miranda, Migas, and The Vanguard. The other led to the Union of the Fourth Turning, and Nemesis.
My ultimate Hope hope is that Chaser will go through a Mewtwo style character arc, where in he realizes that it doesn’t matter who’s the clone, and who’s the original. What matters is what you do with the time you have.
All he can do, is keep moving forward.
