Magnetgate, or the one tiny part of OB301 that I fixated on
Okay. This is my first extensive Orphan Black theory/analysis/headcanon/something. And it’s all because of a split second shot of some photos that are being held up by a magnet. There is basically no way that this will become important to the plot, but in my opinion, it is possibly very informative about some of our beloved characters. Namely, Siobhan, Sarah, and Felix.
So, here we go with what I am affectionately calling Magnetgate.
(Actually, before we begin, I feel like I should say that my only analysis credentials include some B+ level high school English papers and a fierce desire to discuss anything and everything Orphan Black. So, proceed with caution, I guess? Idk.)
This seemingly innocuous little man who is holding up these truly marvelous photos of Sarah and Felix.
What am I accusing him of, you ask? Well, as I mentioned above, I have a theory. And that theory is that the little man holding up the photos is actually a saint.
It all started the other night when I was scrolling through my dash and I happened upon this post from OBTumblr (which is also where I got the gif). For some reason my brain glazed over the photos and instead fixated on the magnet holding them up. And I stared at it for a very long time. “Is that an icon of a saint?” I asked no one in particular. “Yes,” I answered myself, “it has to be.” Having accepted that headcanon I set out to prove it.
The circle behind the man’s head screamed halo to me, which is seen in any and every depiction of a saint in the Catholic and Orthodox traditions. So my next question was, “If he is a saint, which saint is he?” After some not too strenuous googling I discovered Saint Jerome Emiliani (or, if you wanna get really Latin with it, Gerolamo Emiliani) who lived in Italy in the 15th and 16th centuries. And St. Jerome just happens to be the patron saint of orphans and abandoned children! ORPHANS AND ABANDONED CHILDREN, YOU GUYS.
A brief history of St. Jerome: In 1508 while serving in the army, he was captured and taken prisoner. He escaped from prison and attributed his escape to the intercession of the Virgin Mary. A few years later he became a priest and returned to his hometown of Venice where his chief concern was to care for the large number of orphans that had arisen due to plague and famine. He was also, for a time, in charge of a hospital for incurables. (You mean he cared for people with incurable diseases, too? Why does that also sound familiar?) He built orphanages and hospitals and made sure that communities cared for their orphans and sick and poor. He then contracted the plague while caring for orphans and the sick and died in 1537. [info gathered from wikipedia] Also, here is a pic for reference:
And just to reiterate, St. Jerome cared for orphans and abandoned children!! *loud internal screaming*
So, assuming that Mr. Magnet is one Saint Jerome, it is now time to look at where and how he is placed in the scene. If you’ll scroll back up to the gif above you will notice that Jerome is in direct contact with the photos of Sarah and Felix and is actually facing the photo of the two of them together. Which to me indicates that he is looking over or looking out for both of them. Ahh! So juicy! So meaningful! It’s actually bringing tears to my eyes.
Now, once I got that far, my next question was, “Why would Felix own a saint magnet?” And immediately my brain went to Siobhan. Ah yes, shady Mrs. S. While we still only know some vague facts about Siobhan’s time in the UK, we know she is originally from Ireland (you know, because accent) and presumably moved to London once she became involved with whatever underground organization she was a part of. For the purpose of this post, and to more easily connect our saint magnet to Siobhan, I am going to assume that she is from the Republic of Ireland (rather than Northern Ireland) because the Republic is primarily Catholic.
So, if Mrs. S was raised in the Catholic faith, she would be well-acquainted with various saints. And even if she is no longer a practicing Catholic, I know that Catholicism never really leaves you (my mother was raised Catholic) and it could have informed various life decisions of hers. This could even be part of the reason why Siobhan got involved with helping and protecting vulnerable women and children.
So to conclude: Siobhan commits her life to helping those who can’t help themselves, specifically vulnerable women and children (and orphans!) and at some point acquires the St. Jerome magnet. Maybe she gave it to Felix or maybe Felix took it when he moved out of Mrs. S’s house. Whatever the case may be, St. Jerome, patron saint of orphans, is now in Fee’s apartment looking over Felix and Sarah, our resident orphans. And I’m gonna go a step further and say that the inclusion of St. Jerome is meant to point us to Mrs. S, who, no matter her shady methods, is always looking out for the best interests of Felix and Sarah. And Kira, of course. And hopefully at some point in the near future, the rest of Project Leda. Orphan Black, you sneaky bastards.
Thank you to whoever gifed that moment for inspiring my ridiculous theory. Please feel free to comment on/add to/counter my claims, specifically the OBspec cabal, my analysis/theory idols: happyjacq theleashkid thewetcloud cosima-geekmonkey-niehaus
