Difference between revisions of "The Order"

Revision as of 20:39, 4 April 2007

The Order is the secret society behind Bree's religion.

Early video references

"The Order of Denderah" was first mentioned in the video Learning To Drive when Daniel and Bree were arguing about Bree's ritual and she exclaimed that her parents were "not Order of Denderah!" Later in his Order Of Denderah video, Daniel tries to research the Order of Denderah because he suspects that it is Bree's religion.

Although in her early blogs Bree mentioned that she has been "religious" her whole life, Gemma later says that the Order is not a religion at all, but a secret society. Most orders call themselves "the Order" when referring to their group rather than using its full name every time they mention it. Thus when Gemma says that their religion is actually a secret society called "the Order" she is probably still referring to the Order of Denderah. Eventually, Bree discovers that her religion, The Hymn of One is actually a front for said Order.

Religious undertones

Although the Creators have claimed that they do not want the Order to be associated with any one religion, many references to existing religions can be found throughout the series. These references include:

• The picture of Aleister Crowley on Bree's bedroom wall.
• Bree attended summer camp with peers from her religion in which they put on a play about Pilgrims arriving at Plymouth and the adventures that they had.
• Bree's studies of Enochian in preparation for the ceremony.
• Bree's mention of her mother's strong belief in Free Will.
• Preparation for the ceremony also includes studies on The Zodiac of Denderah.
• Bree attends a ceremony on the Fall Equinox in which her dad performs bibliomancy.

Furthermore, on more than one occasion, Bree expresses reservation about sharing her beliefs with others. Her religion is unusual and sometimes adds to her alienation from her peers.

• Bree has told viewers that she does not talk about her religion because she expects some people would be very disrespectful of it. (A Change In My Life)
• Bree mentions that she was once friends with a girl named Cassie, who stopped coming over because the "religion thing kinda freaked her out".(My Helper)

The reason for the religious undertones to the Order is that they are operating under the guise of "The Hymn of One" to mask their real operations and true intentions. Bree didn't learn about that when she met with her father in December.

Structure and Inner Workings

Very little external information is available for the Order of Denderah, leading some to conclude that it is a fictitious secret society created solely for Lonelygirl15 as "Bree's religion".

Not much concerning the Order has been explained. Apparently, the figures of authority are called The Deacons. Members tend to live in communities, which are widespread across the globe. There are at least three communities: one in England, one in South Africa, and another in New Zealand. Bree's family currently lives in Southern California, but thus far Bree has not mentioned anything about them having a community there. Bree did attend summer camp nearby where she was able to interact with other peers from her religion (or secret society). The Order has two "branches" that have been revealed thus far.

• OpAphid - the enforcement branch, the people who have been hunting down Bree are believed to be OpAphid members.
• The Hymn of One - the recruitment arm, previously believed to be called The Order of Denderah, is the entry-level, religion-themed cover for the Order.

According to different accounts from Bree and Gemma, Bree's mother appears to hold a higher rank in the Order than her father. Little has been disclosed about how many levels there are and which positions are held by her parents. The Order is very secretive about its operations; Bree herself has mentioned that information is often withheld from lower-level members, and that some of these people's lives are dedicated to keeping their business private.

Much of the Lonelygirl15 series revolves around the mysterious Order and the obscure ceremony that they want Bree to perform. Concerns about the Order's intentions for the ceremony and for Bree's safety eventually prompted her mother and father to request (unsuccessfully) that she be excused from it. The selection process that led them to choose Bree to participate is unclear, but according to Bree it appears that she (and many other girls) were selected at birth and placed in protected homes until puberty, at which time she was singled out from the rest as the right person for the ceremony. This reveals that her "parents" are not her biological ones, but it is unclear whether she was forcefully taken or kidnapped from her real parents.

The Order has gone to extreme lengths to protect their secret motives. When Bree's parents asked that she not be forced to do the ceremony, they were taken by Lucy and a Deacon without giving Bree any notice. She ran away with Daniel and has been afraid to return to her house since. Bree finally had the opportunity to meet with her father many weeks after he left, but their reunion ended bitterly when they were ambushed by members of the Order (probably including Lucy). Her dad was shot and loaded into the trunk of the Order's car. He is believed to be dead.

OpAphid

Bree and Gemma have both mentioned the acronym OPAPHID. Gemma said in her video An Awkward Silence that it was a guide to their interactions with outsiders. However, OpAphid is also a covert organization working for or with the Order. OpAphid might be synonymous to the Order, or it might be a smaller organization within it. Gemma has been revealed to be an OpAphid agent in the Tachyon videos Gemma? [Part I], [Part II], [Part III], [Part IV], and the Brother video Gemma [Part V].