Her eyes were green

K’s loss is a reflection of Deckard’s, separated only by time.

Wallace uses his understanding of human need to tempt Deckard. Whilst his intention is abhorrent, his words touch upon the beating heart of existence:

Niander Wallace: “I know you love pain. Pain reminds you the joy you felt was real.”

It’s through struggle that we achieve life. With the removal of struggle, we exist but don’t live.

Wallace offers this to Deckard – you can have the ultimate in convenience, if you trade it for your humanity.

This scene is incredibly powerful in how it confronts a disturbing element of existence.

Rachel: “Did you miss me?”

It’s a question that cannot be answered.

Torture would be preferable to being in this position. It’s an abomination of the human experience: taking away the one thing that remains sacred – the finality of it.

The advancements in Replicant technology result in something far beyond the dangers of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. With the ability to replicate our most intimate and memorable moments we go against the very notion of what it is to be human.

It cheapens the experience of reality.

The creation of synthetic life may ease the pain of loss, but it’s only through the threat of loss, that we can appreciate what we have.

Replicating things once lost doesn’t bring back reality, only the regret of not appreciating a past reality. Nothing is ever the same the second time.

To be human then, means learning to deal with loss.

The beauty of our existence lies in its ephemeral nature. It takes someone who has loved and lost to see this.

Rick Deckard: “Her eyes were green.”

Deckard’s dismissal is both heartbreaking and liberating. Power means nothing without the ability to feel. And though feelings are what hurt us the most, they are what bring us the most joy. The comparison of the two states is what shows us that we are real.

This is then echoed by K in the next sequence.