Project Mulberry

On day 24, the silkworms stop eating. This means they will soon start spinning cocoons. As Julia and Patrick move them into egg cartons, Julia observes all the signs of Patrick’s phobia that she hadn’t noticed before. This cements her investment in the project; if Patrick can do it, so can she. After moving the worms, they realize another problem: As the worms spin their cocoons, the webbing seals the cartons shut, so Patrick can’t film. They try cutting into an egg carton, but the worms shy away from the light. Kenny suggests putting a silkworm into a jar to film it, solving their problem.

Julia is grateful that Patrick is filming their project. She is so attached to the worms that she wants to record them for posterity, though she’s glad she can observe them in real time too. She also reveals her final embroidery design: the life cycle of the silkworm. This choice pleases Julia because it is neither (or perhaps both) American and Korean. Then Patrick shocks her by revealing that the pupae must die during the harvesting process, meaning the silkworms will never become moths.

Julia is devastated. The dialogue with