Sofia Lamb





"Rapture is a body, Delta. I am the voice and Big Sister is the hand. When Rapture speaks of you it says only this: sleep now for your day is done!"

- Sofia Lamb

Dr. Sofia Lamb M.D, Ph.D, is a clinical psychiatrist and the primary antagonist of BioShock 2. She has taken over Andrew Ryan's position as the leader of Rapture, albeit with a completely different ideological view.

History
Lamb was an old political rival of Ryan, and is in many ways his polar opposite. She was invited down to Rapture by Ryan himself in 1950, as he was in search of an expert to deal with the psychological problems experienced by the city's populace as a result of living under the sea. Before she came to Rapture, Lamb had been a missionary working to provide medical relief after the bombing of Hiroshima, and her experience of this great tragedy, part of which involved her own words being twisted by her patients, convinced her that the world was doomed. Therefore she accepted the chance to come to Rapture. Andrew Ryan later regretted bringing her in after discovering her ideologies largely clashed with his own.

Dr. Lamb is an altruist. She believes every person has a duty to the world, and has allowed those beliefs to corrupt her. Ryan became so fed up with Lamb and her ideas that he had her incarcerated, and she only escaped after taking control of the prison she was held in to retrieve Eleanor from Subject Delta. She spent her time from then to Delta's awakening rehabilitating Eleanor with help from Dr. Alexander.

On New Year's Eve, 1958, Sofia orchestrated the abduction of her daughter, Eleanor, from Subject Delta during his normal rounds. During this event, a Splicer Hypnotized Delta, allowing Sofia to command Delta to kill himself through the use of a pistol to his head (achieved through removing his helmet, also by Sofia's command).

It was Dr. Lamb's debates with Ryan that inspired Frank Fontaine to set up his own charities to try to oppose Ryan, which resulted in the war that tore Rapture apart. So in theory Dr. Lamb was the inspiration for the little sisters, Fontaine Poorhouses, and Atlas. Since Lamb "disappeared", Fontaine Decided that "the charity angle was open to the professionals".

BioShock 2
Lamb comes into conflict with the player when he awakens from his slumber and begins his search for the Little Sister that was bonded to him ten years earlier. This particular Little Sister is immensely important to The Rapture Family, and creates a conflict between Delta and Sofia Lamb. The Little Sister's name is Eleanor Lamb, and is the biological daughter to Sofia. Delta follows Dr. Lamb and her daughter through Rapture.

Throughout most of the game, Lamb stays in frequent contact with Delta over his radio, often attempting to taunt or intimidate him from continuing further while also espousing her beliefs and philosophy; rather similar to Andrew Ryan's messages for Jack during the first half of the original game. Through various audio-diaries and records, it becomes clear that Lamb has an iron grip over Rapture and murders all who attempts to flee. In addition, the audio-diaries also show that Lamb was obsessed with using ADAM and Rapture's splicing technology to transform Eleanor into a "Utopian" or "the People's Daughter" based on Fontaine's creation and indoctrination of Jack.

She finally makes her appearance in Persephone where she sends two big sisters after Delta in an attempt to finally eliminate him before smothering (though not killing) Eleanor before his eyes, fatally disrupting their bond. At the conclusion of the game, Sofia joins Eleanor and Delta in Sinclair's escape pod to the surface while still trying to win back her daughter's allegiance (by that time, Eleanor knew that her mother was just as corrupt as Andrew Ryan). Her ultimate fate depends upon the actions and choices of the player: if Delta has been benevolent towards the Little Sisters and spared the NPC(s) then Eleanor will be influenced to forgive her mother and save her from drowning; however if Delta chose to harvest/kill some or all of the NPC and Little Sisters then Sofia will drown before reaching the surface, either ignored or even dragged under by her daughter.

Quotes
"For every choice, there is an echo. With each act, we change the world. One man chose a city, free of law and God. But others chose corruption. And so the city fell. If the world were reborn in your image, would it be paradise, or perdition?"

- Sofia Lamb

"This is Doctor Sofia Lamb with a message for the people, remember, Big Sister is always watching. To steal ADAM, is to steal from the Rapture Family, your family."

- Sofia Lamb

"How will she remember us, after this moment? I have placed my pieces on the board, as expected -- as have you. Is this what she hoped for, mother and father, locking eyes ... yet still we are blind. Goodbye, Subject Delta, and take heart -- for you, at least, have escaped your legacy."

- Sofia Lamb

"Look at her, Delta. Ten years, and still she dreams of you. Do you know why Eleanor brought you here? She wanted a father. So she found a way to restore you in body and mind. And she has been watching you ever since, exalting your every act as gospel. The girl lying on that bed is no longer my daughter, nor my life's work. She is a monster, shaped by you alone. Just as she always wanted. But there is one detail of your mutual bond she failed to account for. Your body was designed to lapse into a coma when her heart ceases to beat. Eleanor .. forgive me."

- Sofia Lamb

Audio Diaries

 * Adonis Luxury Resort
 * To My Daughter


 * Atlantic Express
 * Ryan vs Lamb: Reality
 * Know the Beast


 * Ryan Amusements
 * Eleanor's Progress
 * Truth is in the Body
 * Rapture is Deliverance


 * Pauper's Drop
 * Ryan vs Lamb: Religious Rights
 * Arrangements
 * Therapy With Grace 1


 * Siren Alley
 * The Requirements of Utopia
 * Shackled to the Great Chain
 * Therapy With Grace 2


 * Dionysus Park
 * The Voice of the Self
 * Learning Poker
 * A Spy


 * Fontaine Futuristics
 * Means of Control
 * A New Cognitive Model
 * Gil's Place in the Plan
 * Meltzer's Choice
 * The People's Daughter


 * Persephone
 * Withholding Visitation


 * Cult of Rapture
 * Ryan Amusements

Trivia

 * For a time, her name was believed to be Sophia Lamb. But, as later confirmed by 2K Games' Community Manager, Elizabeth Tobey, that version of the name was a misspelling made by the media. The correct spelling is Sofia Lamb.


 * In Episode Nine of the BioShock 2 Official Podcast, Jordan Thomas says that his inspiration for Sofia's character was that of Fenella Woolgar's role as Agatha Christie in the series Doctor Who.


 * Sofia Lamb's background is partially inspired by the life and philosophies of John Stuart Mill, a utilitarian and liberal English philosopher in the 1800s.


 * Lamb's phrase "Big Sister is always watching." is likely a reference George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, who's iconic phrase is "Big Brother is watching."