- “Love is just a chemical. We give it meaning by choice.”
- ― Eleanor Lamb[src]
Eleanor Lamb is the daughter of Sofia Lamb and a previous Little Sister in Rapture. Roughly ten years after the 1958 New Year's Eve Riots, she contacts Subject Delta, beginning the events of BioShock 2. Eleanor still remembers Delta after ten years and knows he is searching for her. Throughout the course of the game, she will mentally communicate with him through their pair bond connection and leave him gifts and messages written on the walls of the city. In the story of BioShock 2, her behavior and personality is highly influenced by Delta's actions towards the Little Sisters and NPCs.
History[]
Early Life[]
Eleanor was raised by her mother, Sofia Lamb, in isolation from the other children of Rapture. Sofia lectured her daughter on philosophy and psychology, hoping to raise her to uphold her own altruistic ideals. As a young girl, Eleanor was highly intelligent, and taught herself how to take apart and reconstruct electronics.[2][3] However, she disobeyed her mother on numerous occasions, sneaking out to see other kids, and disabling the security systems her mother installed. At first, Eleanor was stand-offish towards the other children, whimsically referring to them as "dog-eaters" since her mother told her they were "raised on a diet of dog-eat-dog".[4] During one of Eleanor's frequent escapes, she met a boy named Amir and got into a fight with him, making his nose bleed in the process, but eventually became his friend.[5] In a later audio diary, Eleanor mentions that she had a childhood crush on him.[6]
When Eleanor was about seven years old her mother, Sofia Lamb, was arrested by Andrew Ryan and taken away to Persephone. Eleanor was entrusted into the care of one of her mother's patients and close follower Grace Holloway who had long wanted a child, and Eleanor lived with her for a time in her apartment at The Sinclair Deluxe in Pauper's Drop. This arrangement proved short-lived, because Eleanor quickly discovered that Stanley Poole was Ryan's spy who had gathered information on her mother's political activities, and he was now bankrupting Dionysus Park through overspending and mad parties. Eleanor eventually confronted Stanley and threatened to tell her mother what he was doing with her home, fortune, and followers. In fear of reprisal, Poole had Eleanor kidnapped and sold to the Little Sister's Orphanage.
Eleanor spent time in the orphanage in Siren Alley before she was transferred to the care of Dr. Gilbert Alexander. Dr. Alexander, who was ignorant of her true identity, turned her into a Little Sister and partnered her with Subject Delta. However, Eleanor's time as a Little Sister did not last very long, because Sofia Lamb escaped from prison and tracked her daughter down on New Year's Eve, 1958. With the help of a gang of Splicers, Sofia managed to abduct Eleanor, and used a mind control Plasmid on Subject Delta to command him to shoot himself. Sofia then retreated back to Persephone, taking Eleanor with her. Since then, Eleanor constantly thought of Delta and still dreamt about him.
Life After Sisterhood[]
Sofia worked with Dr. Alexander over several years to rehabilitate Eleanor. Eventually they were able to undo her Little Sister conditioning, but they could not remove the sea slug that had been implanted within her.[7] Sofia then began her plans to create a perfect altruist by using ADAM to experiment on Gilbert Alexander, who volunteered to become "the first utopian". During this time, Eleanor was confined to Persephone and the Fontaine Futuristics building, but she was horrified at seeing the changes Dr. Alexander went through as the experiment began to fail. She became more rebellious, seeing the hypocrisy in her mother's altruistic ideals (e.g. Dr. Lamb forced her own will on others, just as Andrew Ryan did before her, only while she wanted to force her ideals to eliminate "the self", he wanted to take control to eliminate the "Parasites", and both became what they despised), and wanted to escape.[8]
However, Sofia Lamb changed the focus of her experiments to Eleanor when she realized that Gil Alexander would not succeed. Lamb realized that Eleanor's condition as a Little Sister protected her from the genetic damage that would be caused by using ADAM. Thus, Dr. Lamb began injecting Eleanor with massive doses of ADAM, and glorifying her as a holy vessel for her loyal followers in The Rapture Family.[9]
As a result of her mother's experiments and plans for her, Eleanor started to think of escape. Eleanor had formed a bond with the new Little Sisters kidnapped from the surface, and she could control their actions outside of Persephone. Using them, she was able to carry out her plans around the city, even though her mother had her trapped in confinement. Part of Eleanor's rebellion against her mother was remembering her time with her bonded Big Daddy, Subject Delta. Thus, Eleanor sent out the Little Sisters to find samples of Delta's genetic sequence, planning to revive him at a Vita-Chamber. With the help of Brigid Tenenbaum, she succeeded in removing Delta's Big Daddy conditioning, and brought him back to life.[10][11]
BioShock 2[]
Eleanor saves a Little Sister.
- Main article: BioShock 2
- “Father, it's me, Eleanor. I know you're awake in there, I can feel it. Mother won't be able to… to toy with you like that. Ever again.”
- ― Eleanor Lamb[src]
In her bid for freedom and escape to the surface, Eleanor instigated the events of BioShock 2 by using the new Little Sisters to resurrect Subject Delta, more than ten years after his original death. Due to the powerful and potentially lethal bond they share, Delta is forced to journey through Rapture and seek his former Little Sister. Eleanor aids him whenever she can by leaving him gifts and messages from the Little Sisters, and she tries to hide her contact with him from her mother. Eleanor observes the way Delta interacts with the Little Sisters, choosing to save them or kill them, and the way he gives mercy or vengeance to the people he meets. Delta then begins to learn more about himself and Eleanor as he travels through the city. However, during this time her mother is not deceived, and she begins to accelerate Eleanor's treatments as Delta draws nearer.
Eleanor with her mother.
Eventually, Delta arrives in Persephone to find Eleanor imprisoned in a quarantine chamber. Eleanor is in a deep sleep as he approaches, but as he tries to enter the chamber, Sofia smothers Eleanor with a pillow, stopping her heart long enough to sever the pair bond and put Delta in a coma. Eleanor recovers and tries to salvage her connection with Delta, sending him a Little Sister to control and helping him escape from his bindings. Eleanor gets him to bring her a Big Sister suit for her to wear so they can escape together. Eleanor then joins Delta to fight against the remnants of the Rapture Family in Persephone to reach Augustus Sinclair's escape pod to the surface.
When she fights, Eleanor uses the Big Sister powers that she has accumulated from all the ADAM she absorbed over the years. The player's choice of whether to harvest or save Little Sisters affects Eleanor's personality in combat. If Delta saved all Little Sisters, then her personality will be one of righteous anger at her mother and the Rapture Family. She will also be sympathetic towards Delta after Augustus Sinclair is killed, encouraging to take the time he needs before moving on. If Delta harvested one or more Little Sisters, her personality will be one of sadistic amusement as she enjoys toying with her enemies in revenge for what was done to her. She will also be more callous to Augustus Sinclair’s plight, brushing it off before proceeding with the task at hand.
The explosion charges rigged by Lamb's followers cause the chamber holding the lifeboat to fill with water. Thinking quickly, Eleanor forms a plan to use the other Little Sisters to help her boil off the water. Depending on the player's choice to either harvest or save the Little Sisters throughout the game, Eleanor will either use the Little Sisters completely, draining them of their energy and killing them in the process, or be gentler with them, eventually bringing them with her into the escape pod and saving them.[12]
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Endings[]
Depending upon Delta's choices in dealing with the Little Sisters and NPCs (Grace Holloway, Stanley Poole, Gilbert Alexander) good, neutral, and bad endings are possible.
As the final bombs in the level detonate, Eleanor races with Subject Delta to reach the elevator to the escape pod. A set of charges goes off directly in their path, forcing Eleanor to teleport to the rising escape craft. Delta is stranded on the outside of the pod, while Eleanor makes it safely inside and finds her mother there. Sofia is drowning due to the flooding inside the escape craft, and Delta's choices of whether to save or kill the adults and Little Sisters he met earlier in the game affect whether Eleanor takes pity on her mother and gives her oxygen to keep her alive, or whether she pulls her down to drown her. The events after they reach the surface depend purely upon the player's choice to save or harvest Little Sisters.
Sofia's Fate[]
Good Ending[]
If Delta saved every Little Sister, then on the surface he will breathe his last breaths in Eleanor's arms. She crosses his arms on his chest, then lovingly and respectfully extracts his ADAM, allowing him to become a part of her. Eleanor and the rescued Little Sisters will then gather together under bright, warm weather. One of the Little Sisters hands Eleanor the doll of Subject Delta she made years ago, which she takes and drops into the sea.
- "The Rapture dream is over, but in waking I am reborn. This world is not ready for me, yet here I am. It would be so easy to misjudge them. You are my conscience father, and I need you to guide me. You will always be with me now, father, your memories, your drives. And when I need you, you'll be there on my shoulder whispering. If Utopia is not a place, but a people, then we must choose carefully, for the world is about to change, and in our story, Rapture was just the beginning."
Choice Endings[]
If Delta saves at least one Little Sister and harvests at least one Little Sister, he gets a choice ending. In this scenario, he can choose to either live or die.
- "You made a monster of me, father, but I wondered why you saved the others. You left me in doubt. Didn't you want me to be like you? I knew I could save you; but if you felt regret, if you wanted me to choose for myself I would have to let you go, to let you die."
Sacrifice Choice[]
On the surface, Eleanor moves to extract ADAM from the dying Delta, but he grabs her wrist at the last second, preventing it. Eleanor then drags the dying Delta to the edge of the water, and he spends his last moments staring at his reflection, turning towards her one last time before collapsing, while Eleanor cries and contemplates the loneliness ahead of her but thanks him for securing her freedom. The weather and the mood is calm, yet dark and gloomy.
- "The Rapture dream is over, and in waking I'm alone. Mother, I left behind and you chose to die rather than have me follow you. But you gave me the greatest gift of all, something I have never had. My freedom. There is no name for what I am, but the world is about to change. I thought we would seize it together, yet as I sat there with you I wondered if even I could be redeemed. Your sacrifice gave me hope. But father, wherever you are… I miss you."
Survival Choice[]
In the survival ending, Eleanor extracts Delta's essence calmly. She watches as the bodies of dead Splicers rise to the surface. The corpse-filled ocean crashes violently as a powerful thunderstorm rages overhead, foreshadowing the bloody future the world might face, as it may now have to confront the might of Rapture's godlike genetic technologies wielded by Eleanor.
- "You may not have wanted me father, but you defined me. You chose to survive, no matter the cost, and I will not let your instincts go to waste. The Rapture dream is over, and in waking I am reborn. You'll always be with me father, your memories, your drives. When I need you, you'll be there; whispering over my shoulder. There is no name for what I am, but the world is about to change. And with your help, they will never see me coming."
Bad Ending[]
If Delta harvested every single Little Sister, then Eleanor takes Delta's essence against his will. She watches as the bodies of dead Splicers rise to the surface. The corpse-filled ocean crashes violently as a powerful thunderstorm rages overhead, foreshadowing the bloody future the world might face, as it may now have to confront the might of Rapture's godlike genetic technologies wielded by the genius and cruelty of Eleanor.
- "The Rapture dream is over, and in waking I am reborn. You may not have wanted me father, but you defined me. You chose to survive, no matter the cost, and I will not let your instincts go to waste. You'll always be with me father, your memories, your drives; when I need you, you'll be there whispering from my shoulder. There is no name for what I am, but the world is about to change. And with your help, they will never see me coming."
Powers And Abilities[]
After years of gene therapy and perfected versions of the large-dose ADAM treatments that turned Gil Alexander into a colossal amphibian, Eleanor is gifted with the abilities of dozens of people and Splicers, with seemingly none of the usual negative side-effects. Powers she is capable of include:
- Telekinesis powerful enough to move live Splicers through the air.
- Superhuman Strength, Speed and Agility rivaling that of a legitimate Big Sister.
- Pyrokinesis in the form of explosive, ranged fireballs launched from her hands.
- Teleportation in a much cleaner form of the Houdini Splicers' signature ability, causing a bright purple glow when used.
- Compounded Intellect from many other citizens of Rapture, including their memories, skills and "essence".
- Little Sister Possession, allowing her to remotely enter the minds of Little Sisters and use them to perform various tasks. She is also able to temporarily endow others with this power through a special Plasmid.
- Extrasensory Perception (mainly referred to as "ESP"). In addition to her deep-seated bond with Subject Delta enabling her to communicate with him remotely, Eleanor seems to have a "sixth sense" for danger, and she will instinctively attack any enemy as soon as they spot her or Delta during combat.
Quotes[]
The following are phrases that Eleanor will say during combat. The name of the source audio file is listed, when known.
Audio Diaries[]
Note: Several "ADAM visions" are heard that are not stored in the player's inventory. Formal Radio Messages will be stored beginning in Outer Persephone.
BioShock 2[]
- Atlantic Express
- Ryan Amusements
- Pauper's Drop
- Siren Alley
- Fontaine Futuristics
- Outer Persephone
- Inner Persephone
- Removed Audio Diaries
Videos[]
Gallery[]
Concept Art, Models and Merchandise[]
In-Game Images[]
Bugs/Glitches[]
-
When Eleanor offers the Summon Eleanor Plasmid to the player in the Examination Rooms of Outer Persephone, the player may instead freeze her with Winter Blast then hit her with the Drill. This will cause her to fall over, frozen in her previous pose. The Plasmid will still be in her hand, and she will be susceptible to amusing attacks. Taking the Plasmid from her hand will make her body disappear as per normal and allow the player to continue with the level. - If Eleanor is summoned in the main room of Inner Persephone when it begins to flood, her body will ragdoll and float limply like any other enemy ragdoll. She will eventually teleport away once her time is up.
Behind the Scenes[]
- Originally, Eleanor was meant to be the main Big Sister the player must deal with through the game, but the concept was scrapped at the last minute. Creative Director, Jordan Thomas, found that not only was the twist too predictable, but the character would have done too many terrible things for the player to emotionally connect with her, especially after the multiple encounter battles.[13] This would explain why her appearance in the Outer Persephone quarantine chamber resembles the suitless Big Sister from the BioShock 2: Sea Of Dreams teaser trailer, although with a last minute alteration to her head that doesn't match the skin color of the rest of her body.
- Although her real father is never mentioned in-game, a removed ADAM message from Eleanor revealed that Delta was her biological father. The file was unused by the developers, but would have stated that Sofia Lamb bought Delta's DNA while he was imprisoned in Persephone. Sofia did not explicitly choose Delta; she simply needed the seed by which she could make Eleanor.[14]
- However, another unused file shows they also planned to make it clear she was not Delta's daughter. [15]
- The memory vision seen after dealing with the second Little Sister in Dionysus Park is flawed. It starts showing a regular Little Sister, supposed to be Eleanor, and ends using Eleanor's actual child model.
- In the Quarantine Chamber cutscene, the necklace that Eleanor wears features an Odal rune. Traditionally this rune mainly stands for inheritance, and it may symbolize Eleanor inheriting her mother's work and goals, or how Eleanor's personality changes based upon Subject Delta's actions throughout BioShock 2.[16] This also makes more sense by Delta's name, the Greek letter Delta, being used in math for change.
- According to an Unused Radio Message from Outer Persephone, Eleanor's full name is given as "Eleanor Althea Lamb". "Althea" is a commonly used English name of Greek origin meaning "healing" or "wholesome" - though in the context of BioShock 2 it may refer to the poem To Althea, from Prison, which includes the famous quote "Stone walls do not a prison make, Nor iron bars a cage".
- Eleanor speaks with an upper-class London accent.
- Despite the Little Sister seeing the Big Sisters as princesses (evident by the player seeing the Big Sister suit parts as a princess dress when controlling a Little Sister in Outer Persephone), Eleanor does not take that appearance when putting on the Big Sister suit, even though the player still sees Rapture through the eyes of the Little Sister.
References[]
- ↑ Eleanor's height chart in the Sinclair Deluxe
- ↑ Eleanor Lamb's Audio Diary: Mr. Tape Recorder
- ↑ Sofia Lamb's Audio Diary: Eleanor's Progress
- ↑ Eleanor Lamb's Audio Diary: Eat Dog
- ↑ Eleanor Lamb's Audio Diary: Barbarism
- ↑ Eleanor Lamb's Audio Diary: Misbehaving
- ↑ Eleanor Lamb's Audio Diary: Life After Sisterhood
- ↑ Eleanor Lamb's Audio Diary: Goodbye, Dr. Alexander
- ↑ Sofia Lamb's Audio Diary: The People's Daughter
- ↑ Eleanor Lamb's Audio Diary: Behind Mother's Back
- ↑ Eleanor Lamb's Audio Diary: Freeing Father
- ↑ Post by Jordan Thomas on the 2K BioShock 2 Forum thread "Plot holes and boiling water *SPOILERS*"
- ↑ BioShock 2 was almost a semi prequel hybrid
- ↑ Unused Radio Messages: Fontaine Futuristics ABY_S_Bsis_Pairbond_3a and ABY_S_Bsis_Pairbond_3b
- ↑ Unused Radio Messages: Outer Persephone 13b. Eleanor Lamb - The Meaning of Love
- ↑ Ethel Rune on Wikipedia
