On Helly R’s fate and the tragedy of becoming HelenaAs someone who does enjoy tragedy, the most interesting direction, and the one I feel the narrative supports is for Helly to eventually become Helena and for this to be a tragedy. “But wait,” you might ask, “Isn’t it narratively satisfying to delve into nurture vs. nature, and to explore Helly as a good and kind person, also to highlight the practices of the cult of Eagan? Wouldn’t it be most satisfying to see her take control or possibly reintegrate with Helena in a way that preserves her morals and convictions?”
I will say no, I feel like this is wish fulfillment in the exact same way the racist segment of the fandom thought Gemma being alive was wish fulfillment. The practice and process of the severance procedure is meant to be horrific and terrifying. Due to the complexity of the brain implant, I find it personally difficult to think that severance can last without complications for a person’s entire life. This would eventually turn into reintegration; I feel the neat “tuck away the other person” narrative is not one that can or should last. Knowing how much the brain chips can be messed with, I truly believe the best ending of the show ends in everyone reintegrating and the end of all severance. Where the innies all get to live on as memories of a person together.
We already know that the sadness and emotions of the innies/outies takes its toll on whatever personality is currently awake. Due to this, I believe even seemingly completely opposed personalities like Helena and Helly are actually just two ways the same personality manifests. Because of that, I believe the most narratively satisfying outcome (to me) is for Helly to essentially become the questioning/rebellious and moral phase that many conservatives had when they were younger. She will not disappear but those facets of her personality are part of what informs Helena as a person.
The process of losing a friend from your youth who came from a privileged background to the allure of power and prestige is something that’s not depicted enough in media - at least not with characters we’re meant to root for as much as Helly. I find that the fandom is generally in denial to a degree about Helena’s privilege because they see her as just a victim. I’ve even seen comparisons of Helly and Gemma’s situation when of course they are not the same. Lumon will never kill Helly, will never do anything to physically endanger her because she is ultimately their future.
It is the same as children who are born into wealthy families - they may face abuse, but it is not the same level as the people they have privilege over. So in this case, what happens if Helly and Helena reintegrate - whose morality would dominate, and whose memories and experiences would feel less important? I cannot help but feel that it would become a “phase” to Helly, that she would still find that despite the personal costs or her past experiences, she would believe in being part of a greater purpose and having a grand influence - because she would also have Helena’s memories. If she does not “die” when she reintegrates to still make the choice to side with power, and for that choice to make sense. We have already seen Helly is willing to make great sacrifices if she believes in a mission, with all of Helena’s years of perspective, would she believe in that same mission?
She would have the opposite arc of Milchick, who is (hopefully) coming to realize that Lumon oppresses and controls him as well, that he does not ultimately agree with its mission, that he is being used, and being treated in a racist way despite probably being like Ms. Cobel, indoctrinated into Lumon. If we want a woman to break free of Lumon, Cobel has far less privilege than Helena, has been used and disposed of. Helena is a billionaire heiress who ultimately has much more power and much more invested in Lumon than either of them. How should she be the one to break from it?
Personally, I feel this is a much more interesting story of loss than the one the fandom at large had wanted to tell with Gemma. We have seen the “I am a white man, and I must learn to healthily cope with the dead wife” fridging trope over and over again in media. We have seen the disposable woman of color make way for the white woman. How often have we seen: “This person was a good person who I loved, who would sacrifice for me. They were born into privilege. And they had an opportunity - a faraway school, moving out from their parents, or even being severed - where they seemed like they would go in a different direction, but the allure of capitalism and power ultimately turned that person into our enemy. It’s not completely her fault, it’s the fault of the world, but I have to mourn who they were and fight who they have chosen to be?” As Mark has said, Helly and Helena are like each other. As Irving said, the difference (for now) is that Helly is not cruel.
In the end, I believe because Lumon has been aware of Mark and Gemma’s relationship at least since they visited the fertility clinic because a Lumon doctor was there, and then tore them apart at a time that would emotionally devastate both of them. Helena knew this. Helena locked Gemma in a basement, sexually assaulted Mark under false pretenses (possibly to get herself pregnant), perhaps Lumon ensnared the both of them with the specific purpose of finding the people who could psychologically fulfill the Cold Harbor experiment. As a fan of the show who still believes in bold choices and tragedy, I believe Helly being the one who is getting a tragic ending is the best way to resolve this love triangle rather than killing Gemma or Mark - the “death” of Helly would not be a true death, but rather the death of who she was without Helena’s experiences once she is reintegrated. Helena would be a more tragic character, who feels conflict, empathy, whose ideas of the innies as subhuman may even be gone, but ultimately chooses her legacy and power. And the tragedy is that those who once loved her must accept that this is her choice.
This probably feeds into the petty shipping wars that led to the misogynistic (and racist) fan perceptions of Gemma, but since the framework of comparing their roles has been so prevalent in the fandom, I feel it must be addressed this way.