Dupes

Dupes

In the Summer of '47 Michael learns that there were two sets of pods sent to Earth.
In Meet the Dupes, the gang finds out that they & the other set of pods are identical.

The duplicates or dupes as they are known have the names of the original aliens they were made from, Zan, Ava, Vilondra (Lonnie), and Rath.

They had a protector, a shapeshifter, with them at least part of the time, because Lonnie talks about him, and Ava mentions his departure in her art (on the silver handprint).

They believe they are the 'real' alien royals, claiming that the New Mexico group is too human. Perhaps that is what they were told by their protector? Lonnie explains to Michael that the first batch was made (the New Mexico group) but they were flawed, too human, so a second set was made (the New York group). But Nicholas points out that Lonnie is incorrect because the New York group was dumped in the sewer while the New Mexico group was carefully hidden and given the Granolith.

Below is some information and speculation about the dupes.

If you would like all known info about the characters, see the Dupes' section on the Character Guide
For information about dupe fans and fandom, see the Dupe Fans

Why Were the Dupes Made?

There has been a lot of sepculation by the fans over they years about why two sets were made.

Some fans believe the dupes were a backup set, in case something happened to any of the New Mexico group there would be a replacement. Others believe that the dupes were made as decoys to lure in the enemies, so the New Mexico group would be left alone.

Or was Lonnie right and one set was messed up at creation, but they sent both sets to Earth just in case?

Early Years

We don't know much about their past. A protector took their pods to New York, sometime after the 1947 crash, and put them in what is clearly an unused subway tunnel (which Lonnie refers to as a sewer). It is unknown if the pods were kept there all those years, but it is where they later 'hatched', probably in 1989 at the same time as the New Mexico group.

The Dupes Home
More Pics and Info

Why we will probably never know, but the dupes made the subway tunnel their home. They funrished it and has electricity.

It is unclear how many rooms they have since on the show we only see the 'living room' area. For some reason, the floor is dirt, with all kinds of rubble laying around, and the walls are bare concrete (I am guessing this is because it was filmed on a set for something else, and they didn't take the time to spiff the place up), but presumably with their powers, they could have made any number of items and rooms and perhaps even have bathroom facilities. Indeed, most fans like to picture them living in a sort of underground house complete with bedrooms, a kitchen, bathrooms, etc, which is certainly possible.

Canal Street Station at Lafayette Street (in Manhattan) is where the dupes come out of the subway in the episode 'Meet the Dupes'. It appears to be near their home. And you can clearly see a sign for track 2 on their living room wall.

Education

It is unknown if they were schooled in the public system or by their protector at home. I would think it was probably by their protector. They might have a hard time explaining an address underground to the school system.

Employment

It is also unknown if any of them have jobs, but I would guess probably not. We see them stealing food and money and that probably seems easier to them than working for money.

Relationships

Lonnie and Rath are clearly in a sexual relationship, as mentioned by Rath.

Ava mentioned that she and Zan had some kind of relationship, and she loved him, but is unsure if he ever loved her back. She says he always seemed to be waiting for soemeone else.

Lonnie and Zan are brother and sister, but Lonnie seems to resent her brother and even thinks he is a fool and short sighted because he won't consider going to the summit, which might be their only chance to return to their home planet.

It appears that Zan cares for his family and is trying to protect them. If he suspects anything is going on with Lonnie and Rath, it isn't concerning him very much because he has his guard down enough so they are able to surprise him.

From their interaction, it appears that Rath and Zan were once close, but now Rath is openly defiant of Zan and stands up to him. Was it Lonnie who drove Rath and Zan apart? Perhaps seeing Rat as her only opportunity to get rid of Zan and take his crown?

Zan's killing doesn't seem to effect Lonnie or Rath, but Ava is clearly upset and claims she had no idea what they were going to do to him.

Powers

We know the dupes have powers because we see them in use - Rath makes a truck accelerate to kill Zan, Lonnie and Rath change their appearance to look like Michael and Isabel, Lonnie plays a CD. But we don't know if they have special abilities like the New Mexico group - Max's healing power, Tess' mindwarp, etc.

I think they probably would if they were made to be backup clones. Perhaps they even have the same powers as the New Mexico group, since they were made from the same original person. Maybe the powers passed along with the genetic material.

Lonnie urges Rath to back down from Zan, avoiding a direct confrontation, and they later attack and kill him by surprise. Are they afraid of a direct confrontation with Zan? Is Zan that much more powerful?

What is Nicholas' connection to the Dupes?

It is unclear when Nicholas found out about the New York set. Did he know there were two sets all along, or did he only find out about them when they sent out the signal for the Summit? Was his first contact with them right before the summit, or was he there before? Nicholas mentions hating New York, so supposedly he was there before. We can only speculate if he knew the dupes were there. Some fans believe that when Naseodo made the deal with Khivar, he told Khivar or Nicholas about the dupes. Some fans have even gone so far as to speculate that Nicholas might have been the dupes protector, but I don't think this is likely since Lonnie refered to their protector as a shapeshifter. But if their shapeshifter was loyal to Zan, perhaps Lonnie, Rath or Nicholas killed the shapeshifter to get him out of the way.

Past Life

The dupes know more about their past, supposedly told to them by their protector or perhaps by Nicholas.

Lonnie tells Nicholas that unlike the others, she remembers their other life. She remembers what it was like, she remembers Khivar, and wants that life back.

Dupe Speak

The dupes use some terms and phrases you may not be familiar with.
Here are the definitions.

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