Orphan Black: Community of Dreadful Fear and Hate

Every season of Orphan Black has one of these: a light, comedic, semi-filler episode – but even though they're meant to provide a breather amidst the otherwise heavy content of this show, I suspect that (since they're so heavily reliant on switcharoos between the clones) they're some of the hardest episodes to film.

You can tell it's Cosima by what her hands are doing...

Here the A plot becomes the B plot when Mrs S turns up in Mexico to pick up Sarah ... and Helena, who isn't remotely pleased to see her. Somewhat understandably she's ticked off that Mrs S sold her out to the military, but it takes only a few punches and a hug to bring her around. It's a bit of a stretch (seriously, does Mrs S have supermum powers or something?) but provided that this is resolution to Helena's resentment, I can accept that the writers want to clear it up quickly so as to move onto more important things.

But what was up with the wise cantina lady? She knew that Helena was pregnant (though she's not showing), gave sage advice (and a shower) to Sarah, removed potential weapons from the table, and generally came across as an omniscient bartender. Did she have extra significance or was she just a one-off character? Because at this point I doubt we’ll ever see her again, and yet she was given a considerable amount of emphasis. Ah well, if that's it for her, then we'll chalk her up as a bonafide One Scene Wonder. There's a lot of those going around this week, as the Wilding woman over on Game of Thrones also seemed to make quite an impression on viewers.

Important or just a ship passing in the night?

For the most part this episode revolved around the wacky hijinks of the Hendrix clan, and though it's a typical situational comedy, what with Connie Hendrix deciding not to sell the store, the mixed-up envelopes and Cosima being forced to make Alison's speech for her, Orphan Black proves that clichés can still be funny and suspenseful if you handle them properly.

We finally get the chance to meet Alison's mother Connie, whose opening line to her daughter is: "you're just a smidge late". When was the last time you witnessed such a succinct character introduction? All her passive-aggressiveness, tunnel vision and judgmental nature was captured right there, and continued throughout episode to the point where she dismissed Cosima as Alison's clone because all she could see were her dreadlocks.

Cosima's failed quest to obtain a pee sample was just the cherry on top of all this comedy, and it made perfect sense that despite her intelligence and talent for mimicry, she would be absolutely terrible at impersonation. I realized on watching that this is the first time Cosima has been called upon to impersonate one of her sisters, and whereas Sarah has experience as a con-artist and Alison is a wannabe actress, Cosima is a scientist who doesn't really care about all this subterfuge anyway. And of course, it's Alison and her attention to detail that goes back on stage with a glass of water and the last traces of a coughing fit.

Cosima's arc was altogether more serious, not just because she's getting sick again but because Delphine is overstepping her bounds. Seriously, it was not cool turning up at Shay's apartment unannounced, and so I'm leaning more towards Cosima/Shay than Cosima/Delphine at this point. Girl deserves a baggage-free love interest, so here's hoping that Shay is who she appears to be.

It's more than we can say for Delphine as her comment "don't fight me" felt vaguely ominous, even though it was ostensibly meant to be about Cosima's health. Who is Delphine really? Much like Paul, she's a supporting character who seems to be constantly in flux, and Cosima's order to Scott (not to show Delphine the book) suggests she doesn't trust her anymore.

In more heartening news, Scott ups his game! Despite being incredibly intimidated by Rachel up until this point – and not without good reason – Scott gets a handle on the situation when she's brought into his laboratory for a check-up. In a matter of minutes he takes control of the room, instructs Rachel on how they're going to proceed, and yet remains polite and amicable throughout.

But my favourite part? This look they exchange when he hands her a sharpened pencil:

And hopefully this means a translation is on the way for what exactly Ethan Duncan left in his notebook.

***

But what I found most interesting about this episode was in the details, particularly what they told us about how Dyad operates. For instance, we find out here that Alison and Donnie are "self-monitoring" in the attempt to stay in Dyad's good books (though I'm still wondering whatever happened to that whole patent controversy at the end of season one – did anyone tell Alison about that?)

We also discover that Alison was conceived in vitro and that her mother had opted for sperm that didn't belong to her husband. Obviously Alison is not biologically related to either Connie or Mr Hendrix, but I had always assumed that she was adopted from Dyad with monitors put in place to observe her childhood. This is a slightly different spin on the situation, and one that's worth comparing to Amelia's story. She thought she was a surrogate mother to a couple before realizing something was amiss and making a run for it, and it would appear that Mrs Hendrix was clearly impregnated with a clone embryo without her knowledge.

So Dyad is pretty damn shady, and this episode gave us some clarity on issues that were a bit foggy before. 

And although Felix is back into the role of wingman, everyone present in this episode got some great material. EVERYONE.

Miscellaneous Observations:

This made me laugh more than any other episode recently, from Sarah Stubbs' bemusement when Cosima-as-Alison addressed her by her full name, to Felix's gobsmacked reaction to learning Alison is a drug-dealer ("there are not two Pouchys, darling!") to Mrs Hendrix's appalling reaction to Cosima ("that girl was a mulatto!") And yet for all of this, perhaps the funniest was Cosima's weary: "I don't hear you peeing, Alison."

Felix speaks (or looks) for us all

Nice continuity with Pouchy, the guy who cut off Vic's fingers.

Oh Donnie. You were so close to being cool.

It was great to see some Alison/Cosima interaction – it's been a while but they've known each other longest. It makes me desperately wish for Alison/Cosima/Beth flashbacks that explore just how they found each other.

For a second there I thought Jason had done something to Mrs Hendrix to bring on a heart attack. Instead he successfully talks her into giving Alison the store (and only partly out of self-interest). I'll admit I'm kind of shipping him and Alison.

This was very much Alison's episode, and it really showcased what kind of person she is. It's hard to believe that she wasn't popular when she first appeared, what with her abrasive personality, but here she's summed up with the line: "I'll be your mother hen and keep our chicks together!" That's what she's been doing all along, and despite her awful mother, she's really one of the most tolerant and loving people in the entire show. 

I've defended the Castor storyline in the past (heck, I like it more than the Prolethean plot of season two), yet it was so good to have the focus back on the Leda clones. I don't think Orphan Black will ever quite reach the perfection of season one, in which Helena's role as a serial killer infused every scene with urgency, and the audience was filled with exhilaration at not knowing what the hell was going on (hitching a ride on Sarah's shoulder in the process), but this episode reminded me that it can still manage forty-five minutes of fantastic entertainment.

As for the remaining three episodes? I doubt we'll see the original donors before the season ends (though they might be part of the inevitable cliff-hanger finish) but I hope we get some real forward momentum in the storyline. There have been a few spinning wheels this season, and I'm ready for some answers.