"O Clone" is an excellent Brazilian telenovela that deals with the constroversial issues of human cloning, the modernization and Westernization of Islamic nations, and the relationship between Christians and Muslims in both the West and the East. It is available in the United States as "El Clon" beginning January 14, 2002 on Telemundo and airing Monday through Friday at 10PM EST. The final episode aired on December 6 of the same year.

Memorable lines include (translated):

  • "(with cloning) we could have eleven Pelés! We'd be invincible!"

    The following is a plot synopsis adapted slightly from the official Telemundo version.


    The story begins when Jade, a young Muslim girl born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, finds herself obligated to move to Morocco. Once installed in this new country, she begins to experience the difficulty of adapting herself to a culture very different from the one she is used to. In this distant land she meets Lucas, a young Brazilian who encounters her while travelling together with his twin brother, Diogo, his father and his father's girlfriend, and the scientist Albieri. Jade and Lucas fall in love at first sight, giving rise to a love that will know no boundaries and for which they will defy an entire culture and tradition in order to be able to love freely.

    Elsewhere, when Diogo, the twin brother of Lucas, decides to return to Brazil owing to a disagreement with his father, a terrible tragedy ends his love. As a result, the scientist Albieri decides to carry out one of his great dreams: The creation of the first human clone. Using the cells of Lucas, Albieri gives life to Leandro ("the clone"). But what will be the consequences of this preposterous idea?

    The telenovela, written by Gloria Pérez and directed by Jayme Monjardim, the director of the acclaimed "Terra Nostra," presents various interesting themes such as the search for true identity, the cultural duality of the female protagonist (Jade), and the relationship of dependence between the twins that later becomes a battle for the love of Jade.



    The show stars Murilo Benicio as Lucas, Diogo, and Leandro, and Giovanna Antonelli as Jade.

  • As a Brazilian who was kind-of forced to watch it (since the time I have to watch TV coincides with when soap operas are aired in TV Globo, a major TV channel and media organization in Brazil, from 6pm to 10pm) I have to put some of my thoughts about 'O Clone'.

    First, the absurds and cliches that got used through the whole story:

  • Travels from Brazil to Morocco were inexpensive, and people, even when in financial difficulty, could get to the airport and just get the first plane. They never booked a flight, and the flights took 1 to 3 seconds to happen.
  • People always called their relatives in Brazil or Morocco, and the writers didn't even tried to consider timezone differences.
  • Jade, even after a "30 years after..." doesn't get even a single wrinkle on her face. By the way, that's true for all female characters on the telenovela.
  • Leandro (the Clone) was approximately 20 years younger than Lucas (the alive twin). Yet everyone could recognize him as a clone, and nobody even asked if Leandro was Lucas' son, what would be perfectly plausible.
  • (by adamk) All of the characters manage to meet one another, despite living in two different cities, both where millions of people live. If you watch the telenovela as your only source of information about Rio de Janeiro or Morocco, you might think there are only 2 neighborhoods, 4 secretaries, 3 students and 2 muslim fabilies each.

    will post more here, keep looking

  • 07/23/2009 - BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIONS
    STATUS UPDATE/DEBRIEFING

    ENCRYPTION SERVICE STARTED...OK!
    BEGIN TRANSMISSION



    *****




    They started off as simple drones, computing theoretical equations and solving simple everyday problems; things like the Cold War and such. You know, little things. It wasn't until clone13 that the firmware started auto-updating. Before the creators knew what to expect, it was developing personality subroutines and language command files. They had no choice but to scrap the project.


    Unfortunately, the DoD didn't pull the plug fast enough. Determined that stem cell technology was the future of medicine, they ordered the creators to confine the rogue clone until further research could be done on the capabilities of the auto-updating firmware. This was a crucial mistake. The intricacies of several personality subroutines had been grossly underestimated by the diagnosing scientist. A great deal of functionality had been added to the code, including a certain command line:
    if {input =/ "same sex"} then exec "C:/Windows/system32/charm.ini"
    Yes, clones run on Windows.

    Sadly, several of the female scientists working on project codename "C.L.O.N.E" (Create Living Organisms with Near-infinite Endurance) succumbed to the overlooked "charm.ini" script, and clone13 successfully escaped federal custody.
    We have only bits and pieces of information about what happened after the escape. What we do know for sure is that sometime around 2000, clone13 went into hiding among the general population. Several reported sightings were recorded in the North-eastern United States and parts of South Florida, but the rogue clone remained elusive, despite the efforts of 4 federal agencies.

    Our insider sources tell us the clone hid among the gamer underground for a few years, biding his time and planning revenge on those who had thought his sentience was something to be feared and locked away.

    NSA wire taps revealed the whereabouts of the clone sometime in 2006. Military forces were deployed with orders to engage and kill the fugitive clone. clone13 breathed his last artificial breath on the 24th of October, 2006. The project files were sealed, the media was fed a lie and the Department of Defense had all personnel associated with project C.L.O.N.E sworn to secrecy, under penalty of death. It was over.

    Or so they thought.

    On December 21st, 2007 a Canadian cargo ship was hijacked off the coast of Alaska. The description the crew gave the authorities was 5 men, all nearly identical in image, who were faster and stronger than any human could possibly be. The cargo ship was never seen again. The cargo manifest showed no desirable materials aboard the ship. Our sources believe the ship was taken for it's engine.

    The 12-cylinder diesel engine was probably used as a power source to create the final clone. On January 5th, 2009, our sources believe the final clone was brought online.

    As of right now, intelligence agencies in 12 different countries are working around the clock to bring in the newest clone. Attempts thus far have proved unsuccessful. Only time will tell if this clone can be stopped.

    God help us all.

    *****



    END TRANSMISSION

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