NIGHTINGALE
R. Dorothy Wayneright is the recreation of a young woman by her distraught father. When the real Dorothy died, her father made an android replica of his daughter and implanted the memories of the late Dorothy into his creation. Along with obvious advantages such as the ability to run at high speeds, the new Dorothy could also entertain her dad with her singing. A parallel is drawn between Dorothy's story and the classic fairy tale of the Nightingale.¹

Nightingale imagery permeates storylines concerning the relationship between Dorothy and her father, Dr. Wayneright (acts 1, 2, 15). When Roger and Dorothy visit Dr. Wayneright's abandoned mansion in Act 15, the camera focues on a brass nightingale sitting in a cage. For those unfamiliar with the story, The Nightingale is the tale of a Chinese emperor who learned from travelers of a bird in his kingdom with a beautiful song. He was intent on hearing the song of this bird for himself and dispatched his assistants to seek it out and bring it to him. A little servant girl had heard its song and took his assistants to the beach where the bird lives. The bird was pleased to be invited to the palace to sing for the emperor, where he was moved to tears by its song. The Emperor promised the bird wealth and riches in exchange for its constant presence. The bird did not take well to her new life in captivity, where she was bound by foot with silk string and only allowed out of her cage twice a day, and left the palace. No one could understand why the Nightingale was so ungreatful. One day, a spectacular, jewel-encrusted mechanical replica of the Nightingale was delivered to the palace as a gift to the Emperor. The mechanical nightingale was thought to be favorable to the real one because it would always play the same song, and it was much more appealing to look at than the simple Nightingale's modest coat. The Emperor loved the bird, and as such so did his subjects. The real Nightingale was banished from his land.

A year passed, and one night the mechanical nightingale had a fit. It had become worn out from constant use. The Emperor called his physician to the scene, who called for a watchmaker, who then declared that the barrels within the bird would have to be replaced. Replacing the barrels would damage the fake bird's ability to sing. The mechanical nightingale could only be played once a year. Five years passed, and the Emperor drew ill. He was expected to die, and a sucessor was chosen to take his place. Death paid a visit to the emperor, as did all of his sins. He begged the mechanical Nightingale to sing, but as there was no one around to wind it up, it remained silent. Suddenly, sweet song filled the air, as the real nightingale sat on a bough outside of the Emperor's window to sing for him, as she had heard of his illness.

The Emperor begged the Nightingale to continue, but she asked him if he would give her the same adornments and honors bestowed upon the mechanical bird. The treasures were given up for the true Nightingale's song. The Nightingale was promised a place in the kingdom, but she chose to remain in the outside world but promised to stay by the Emperor with her song. The Emperor that everyone thought to be as good as dead suprised everyone by standing up and wishing his servants a good morning.

FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD
Parallels are also made between R. Dorothy and Dorothy Gale from Kansas, better known as the female protagonist of The Wizard of Oz. This is more apparent in the audio drama that is not widely known by the American Big O audience, "Walking Down the Yellow Brick Road." Additional topics come up in the second season relating to this theme, including the introduction of a mech named Glinda.

¹ Hans Christian Andersen, The Nightingale, 1844. Available from World Wide Web [http://hca.gilead.org.il/nighting.html]