Orphan Black: To Right the Wrongs of Many

And it's over. I've been on the Orphan Black rollercoaster since day one and now that it's come to an end I'm not sure how I feel. A little bereft, oddly nonchalant and mostly satisfied? That's a weird combination, but it's where I'm at.

Truth be told, this season wasn't hugely compelling, and many of the deaths felt more perfunctory than shocking (MK's especially, but even Mrs S's to a certain degree) and a lot of my attention was diverted by what was happening over on Game of Thrones and Still Star Crossed. To paraphrase Mary Crawley, I'm sad the show has ended – but not as sad as I thought I would be, and that makes me sad.

In my mind I imagined this finale differently: there would be an elaborate and ingenious subterfuge carried out by the seestras and their allies, with clones impersonating each other three levels deep and every skill-set being utilized in surprising ways and a couple dozen twists and "oh shit" moments – but the show opted for a more lowkey resolution. I can't really hold it against them.

Orphan Black: One Fettered Slave

So it's not just work that's making these reviews late, it's that there's so much to process in each episode, and a part of me doesn't want it to end. It's hard to believe we only get one more episode of Orphan Black before it's over forever.

Orphan Black: Gag or Throttle

So far this season has been solid but also a little ho-hum – until now! Suddenly things have been kicked into high gear, and for the first time I felt the writers were paying attention to the story as it unfolded, rather than gathering the pieces together for the show's final act.

This was the long-awaited Rachel-centric episode, and though we've had glimpses of her upbringing before, this delved much deeper into her past, her psyche and her relationship to the show's themes of female autonomy and nature vs nurture.

Orphan Black: Manacled Slim Wrists

I can't believe we're officially over halfway through the final season. I feel I should be more emotional about it, but though this season has certainly improved its suspense and stakes, I'm still not as engrossed as I used to be.

If anything, this season has the slight air of a checklist, with each major (and minor) character being brought on stage, given closure, and shuffled off again. We've had the demise of MK, the return of Adele, an appearance from Krystal, and – oh look! – Gracie is turning up next week. Now this is not necessarily a bad thing, in fact you would expect it for a final season, but there is a deliberate "let's wrap up this loose end" quality to the story that's not entirely organic.

And we've now gone two weeks without Felix!

Orphan Black: Ease for Idle Millionaires

So even as the fifth season of the show trundles along without its usual sense of suspense and urgency, this episode threw some interesting spanners into the mix: namely that P.T. Westmoreland may be a big fat fraud.

That Westmoreland is the evil genius behind Neolution and that he's of a preternatural age has been something I've simply assumed is true. Because of that I've been a little bewildered by the scenes of Mrs S questioning the nerds about the history of Neolution and Westmoreland's biography. Was any of it necessary? Why was the show wasting time showing Mrs S trying to establish something we already know is true?

Unless of course, it isn't true. A couple of episodes ago Westmoreland was explicitly referred to as The Man Behind the Curtain, and we all know how that turned out in The Wizard of Oz. He was a complete phoney. More clues popped up across this episode, including evidence that Westmoreland is very ill (so... not immortal after all?) and a lack of familiarity regarding Charles Darwin facts, despite having supposedly gone to school with him.

Orphan Black: Let the Children and Childbearers Toil

Yeah, I'm still playing catch-up. I've been as sick as a dog this week, and haven't been able to do much but groan and flail my arms, so this may have to be a quick one if I want to get it done before the next episode airs.

It's time for another round of "guess who's not really dead". Susan Duncan, last seen getting stabbed by Rachel, and Virgina Coady, implied to have been shot at point-blank range by Ferdinand, are both still alive and – well, not really kicking. But alive.

Orphan Black: Beneath Her Heart

It's the seasonal Alison-centric suburban hijinks episode! However, the show managed to shake up its usual formula, adding plenty of continuity and a little poignancy, thereby reclaiming some of the show's magic.

We get a flashback to the early days of the Clone Club, in which Beth was still around, Sarah not yet on the scene, and Cosima and Alison about to meet for the first time. In fact, this may be the earliest chronological flashback we've had so far, back when Alison's life was first starting to crumble under her feet.

Orphan Black: Clutch of Greed

So is anyone else feeling an odd disengagement? All the pieces are in place: the clones, the conspiracy, the suspense, the twists – and yet I don't feel myself as pulled in as I usually do. This may have had something to do with the "Rachel targets Kira and has to be smuggled away" plot playing out for the millionth time (albeit with lampshade hangings and an eventual subversion) or the shock death that was as unpleasant as it was perfunctory, but I'm just not feeling it this season.

Orphan Black: The Few Who Dare

So the fifth and final season of Orphan Black – my absolute favourite show – has started airing at a very inopportune time: the middle of job training, in which my attention and energy is almost exclusively elsewhere.

I want to be able to savour this final adventure with the clone club, and I debated whether to hold off watching it until training was over ... but I don't have that kind of self-discipline. Thankfully I'm already halfway through the three initiation weeks, so in a matter of a few days I can settle down with the final stretch of a truly great show.

(I've also got Wonder Woman and the latest episode of American Gods to review, but we'll get there!)

Orphan Black: From Dancing Mice to Psychopaths

So we reach the end of season four! And perhaps not a moment too soon, as I've been pretty wrung out by these last few weeks of watching/reviewing. 

A few days before this episode aired, it was announced the forthcoming fifth season would be the show's last, something that I had thought was old news. Seriously, I've been going around telling people there was a five-year plan for a long time now.

In any case, it's nice to get confirmation, and I'm reasonably confident Graeme Manson and John Fawcett can stick the landing – perhaps with only a few balls still left up in the air. (For instance, I think that scene in which Delphine gave Shay a Dyad card with numbers on it has died on the vine).

This finale felt different from past seasons, namely because it lacked a degree of closure and happiness that were found in seasons two and three (the clone dance party, the shared dinner at Bubbles). This is more like season one in that it's a straight-up cliff-hanger.

Orphan Black: The Mitigation of Competition

I have to say, watching and reviewing three shows at the same time has been exhausting. I'm glad there's just one more week of this before I'm down to only two shows, and just three weeks before I'm left with only The Musketeers. Perhaps then we'll start seeing some more variety on this blog!

It's the penultimate episode of Orphan Black, and though I've been loving this season, it still feels as though there's a lot of ground to cover in the finale – even given the fact that Evie is more or less defeated.

Orphan Black: The Redesign of Natural Objects

This was a surprisingly straightforward episode. Your average episode of Orphan Black is packed with so many twists and turns and surprises that it's forever teetering on the edge of incomprehensibility, but this one involved significant steps forward and a near-perfect example of the Unspoken Plan Guarantee (because did anyone truly believe that Alison would betray her seestras?)

It was still a rather low-key episode, and much of it was setup for the final two episodes, but I glimpsed Helena in the "next week" promo, so it's clear we're heading into endgame now...

Orphan Black: The Antisocialism of Sex

I've seen a lot of complaining that this episode didn't push the story forward, but that's what Breather Episodes are for: to give characters (and audiences) the space they need to react to devastating events, let them regather themselves, and set up the board for the final stretch of episodes. In that, this succeeded.

And if we had jumped headfirst into the next bout of action for the Clone Club, I've no doubt people would be complaining about the breakneck pacing instead.

Orphan Black: The Scandal of Altruism

Darkest Hour. That pretty much sums it up.

It became apparent very quickly that this episode would reveal what Beth got up to on the night she died; which occurred a lot sooner in the season than I expected. In fact, in many ways this felt like a season finale. So what did we learn?

Orphan Black: Raw Human Material

We're at the halfway mark already! Time certainly flies.

In some ways this was a patchy episode, but also one that provided a surprising amount of insight on the show's various mysteries. Plus it saw the return of a fan-favourite (sadly, not the French blonde) and some great character dynamics.

Orphan Black: From Instinct to Rational Control

This show really knows what it's doing when it comes to its reveals. They always seem to be in the right place, at the right time, without anything getting strung out too long or being prematurely divulged. Granted, some of the revelations are a bit underwhelming, but there's a consistency to how they're handled that makes me trust what these writers are doing in a way no other show does.

This episode for example opens on MK constructing a bomb. A classic Chekhov's Gun if ever there was one, which the audience thinks has served its purpose when Sarah and Dizzy spot one under MK's front doorstep. But that's not what it's for – the real bomb comes into play at the very end of the episode when Ferdinand is lured into a trap at Beth's apartment. Well played show.

Another example is the reappearance of Evie Cho on a Brightborn DVD at the end of the episode. To the characters watching she means absolutely nothing, but to the audience it's an "oooh" moment, as the last time we saw her (through Beth's point-of-view) was at the start of the season in the company of Doctor Leekie.

It's all so intricately plotted and carefully paid off.

Orphan Black: The Stigmata of Process

Thank God for this show. It never disappoints. *hugs show*

Orphan Black: Transgressive Border Crossing

Sorry for the delay, but I've another Polytech assignment looming!

Before I get into the nitty-gritty of the episode itself, I just want to say that I've always had faith in the overarching story of Orphan Black, even when it became apparent that a few retcons and false leads had been thrown into the mix. But ultimately, I trust (perhaps foolishly given my experience with other television shows) that a master plan is at work and a satisfying resolution on its way.

Graeme Manson and John Fawcett have been given five seasons to tell their story, and though later seasons have never quite matched the impeccable quality of the first, so far they've maintained suspense, momentum and continuity with only a couple of minor fits and starts. The off-screen death of Marion Bowles, the reveal of who was pulling Helena's strings (a bunch of irrelevant rednecks?) and the introduction of Ethan Duncan were so anticlimactic that for a long time I didn't even realize their significance, but I think we're heading into endgame territory now and that once it's all over a rewatch will make everything clear.

Which is to say: I'm keeping the faith.  

Orphan Black: The Collapse of Nature

I'm clinging to the return of Orphan Black like a tired swimmer to a life raft. There has been some truly dour crap on my television lately, and even though there's still the lingering image of what happened to Delphine in last season's finale to grapple with, I a) am still holding out hope she's still alive, b) do not hate Shay, and c) am here first and foremost for Tatiana Maslany as the assortment of Leda clones. Seriously, she's like a balm to my soul.

I spoiled myself by watching the first four minutes of this episode back when it was released as a "sneak preview", and the subsequent wait has been excruciating. But we're here now, at the start of season four of Orphan Black, and I'm so happy.

Orphan Black: History Yet To Be Written

You have to admit; these guys know how to write a finale.

Though the beginning of this season was a little fragmented, I think in its entirety it's been a stronger run of episodes than season two. We got concrete answers as to the whys and wherefores of the clones, some truly lovely character interaction between various pairings, a few fantastically unexpected twists, and some interesting new faces (namely Ferdinand and Krystal, though I suppose in the latter's case it's not exactly a "new" face). And despite fandom's grumbling over the inclusion of the boy clones, I enjoyed Castor as this season's villains much more than I did the Proletheans.

So, let's get down to this episode, which made the most of practically every available second.