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.
The biggest plot of the episode deals with MK, Ferdinand and Sarah, starting with MK adding names and faces to a graph on her computer. Judging from her work, it looks as though Marion Bowles is officially dead. I've no idea what the original plan for this character was, but whether the actress is unavailable or the writers simply changed their minds, it's safe to say she's out of the picture now.
More importantly, MK is addressing a photograph of another clone that she calls "Niki," though thanks to the blonde hair I was initially under the impression it was Krystal (and yes, I will continue to spell that name with a K, as she's TOTALLY a Krystal-with-a-K). Interestingly enough, MK has a name for Ferdinand but no picture...
Meanwhile, Ferdinand is all for rescuing Rachel, perhaps because she's the closest thing to a person he actually cares about, even if it's in an off-handed, utterly blasé way. I was initially suspicious when he told Siobhan and Sarah that he needed their help to track her down, insisting that the source that warned them of Neolution's arrival in Iceland is superior to anything he's got. That seemed unlikely, and I was playing with the possibility that he just wanted to find out who is supplying them with information, but all things considered it's probably just a narrative shortcut to bring Ferdinand and MK together.
As it happens, Sarah is starting to fray a little (snapping at Alison and cold-shouldering Felix) and I can't say that I blame her. She's got God-knows-what in her cheek, watched a woman get her throat slit right in front of her, and constantly seems to be putting her own life on the line in her quest for answers. Still, I can also understand Felix's frustration and think that her jibe at Alison ("start pulling your weight for once") was completely unfair.
That said, I've seen a few commentators complain about Sarah's behaviour, though I'd rather see characters acting realistically irritable under stress than being a perfect saint throughout. (And of course, if she was handling all this with grace and humility, everyone would be calling her a Mary Sue. Female characters just can't win, can they).
Her desperation is apparent through her decision to trust Ferdinand (supremely untrustworthy) and Dizzy (a man she hardly knows). In the latter case though, it would seem she's gotten lucky. I actually really, really like Dizzy, and since he saved Sarah's life in this episode – not to mention tracking down MK's location and lending her his car – I hope he's as on the level as he appears. Also, I liked his weary: "don't steal anything" when he left Sarah alone with MK on Skype.
Proving that she's not infallible, MK is taken by surprise when Sarah tells her that Susan Duncan is not only still alive, but keeping Rachel captive. Now she asks MK to track down Rachel's whereabouts from the distress message on the flashdrive. However, she doesn't disclose who Rachel originally sent the message to, and MK is horrified to learn that it's Ferdinand.
One fake text message later, and Ferdinand is lured to Beth's apartment to face vigilante justice. A boatload of exposition follows, but it contains some highly satisfying answers. Turns out that MK's real name is Veera Suominen and she's a survivor of Helsinki, which was not an operation, but a place in Scandinavia. MK still has the scars on her face from Ferdinand's "purge" of all the self-aware clones that lived there, including Niki.
What initially looks like MK eccentrically setting the mood with candles and a projector turns out to be pieces of her trap: she dowses Ferdinand in gas and forces him to look at enlarged images of Nicki's face – oh, and that bomb she was making at the start of the episode? It's under his chair, rigged to go off if he stands up. For the first time we get to see Ferdinand thoroughly spooked, and it's only thanks to Sarah's timely arrival that MK is talked out of killing him.
It feels like it's important that Beth didn't know about Helsinki (MK says: "she was too fragile" and Sarah retorts: "I'm not" – I really loved Sarah in this moment) and that MK manages to walk off with all of Ferdinand's life savings. For now at least it would appear she's removing herself from play, leaving both Sarah and Ferdinand unaware of Rachel's location.
Luckily, one of the other seestras has found another lead...
***
We rejoin Alison with Sarah Stubbs, who is still totally in love with her.
In this episode's Contrived Coincidence, the once-pregnant Trina that Beth spoke to at the Neolution Club (I knew she'd be turning up again!) approaches Alison to chide her. She thinks Alison is Beth, and drops some fairly significant phrases into the conversation: Club Neolution, Lifespring Fertility, and "a carrier". As in, she's a carrier, which presumably has something to do with her pregnancy rather than the worm-bots as Alison assumes.
Clever Alison manages to snap her picture on her cellphone before she storms off, and then it's up to her, Donnie and Felix to continue Beth's investigation into Lifespring Fertility. Considering Beth has already visited the place, this of course means that Donnie and Felix have to pose as a gay couple. It's a gag that was inevitably going to get played sooner or later, but I appreciate that there was no gay panic on Donnie's end. In fact, he's rather enthusiastic about the acting opportunity, and I had to pause the episode to finish laughing at his "it's a terrible picture" with accompanying hand flap.
Remember back in season one when we all hated Donnie? It's obvious in hindsight that all he really wanted was an adventure in his life, even if it means masturbating into a cup as part of his cover story. And wow, thanks for that Orphan Black, especially when it segued into Cosima pulling a worm out of a tumour.
Alison also gets to do a bit of thespionage (thespian + espionage) when Donnie spots one of their old acquaintances, now pregnant, and Alison plays up her grief over her infertility in a bid to get more information about the clinic. Poignantly though, you get the feeling her emotions aren't hugely heightened from what she generally feels about the situation.
It ends with Donnie and Felix coming home with a DVD about Brightborn treatments, a name that has a lot of resonance when you recall what Susan's motivation is in all this – to control human evolution. What's more, the programme's host is Evie Cho, last scene being introduced to Beth.
***
Cosima and Helena don't get a lot to do this time around: after Donnie talks to Helena about treading carefully around Alison, she gets the wrong idea and decides to head out on her own. That's a shame: not only do we not get any meaningful interaction between Alison/Helena, but I get the feeling the writers aren't quite sure what to do with Helena this season. Is she going to find Jesse Towing? And how is she going to handle her pregnancy without any support?
She also takes the time to bury her embryos in the canister, which seems a bit of a fizz considering all the lengths that were taken to get it back for her. A Chekhov's Gun that died on the vine, which doesn't exactly bode well for the show's long term plans for Helena.
Meanwhile, Cosima and Scott are examining the truly disgusting tumour with the equally disgusting worm inside, learning that it's programmed to do gene editing of some kind. That certainly raises some possibilities for future episodes, though I hope they give Cosima some better material soon. You would think her actress is getting frustrated with her lack of involvement.
***
Finally there's Rachel, who is investigating Charlotte's sickness and trying to come up with ways to fix it. Ira mentions that a certain kind of treatment proved fatal to Jennifer (nice continuity) though Rachel argues in its favour until Susan presents her with the true choice that's before her. To try and cure Charlotte, or to let the disease advance in order to study it?
Rachel ultimately comes to the decision to do nothing for Charlotte, though something tells me she's playing the long-game with her mother (who reveals she knows about how Rachel used Charlotte to get in touch with Ferdinand). But here's my theory: that she's not only faking her physical weakness but telling her mother what she wants to hear. There's got to be something more stewing away in Rachel's brain...
Miscellaneous Observations:
I saw Captain America: Civil War last night, and Tony's parents died the same year as Susan Duncan apparently did!
The funny thing about James Frain sitting on a bomb? He pretty much did the exact same thing to Angel Coulby in The Tunnel back in 2013 (except she was standing on it).
The creators must be so glad Frain is on board, as he completely stole the show with that final scene. It's his delivery that makes it so priceless, from "yes, that's a good point!" to "corn cob, two words" to the way he braces himself before standing up – and even how in the midst of all his panic he's clearly listening carefully when Sarah reveals the purpose of the worm-bots to MK. What a treat to have him.
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| It's a pity I can't capture the noise he makes. |
"I've totally seen that woman before. I think she was on Oprah." Hah!
In short, this was another fantastic episode to a season that's shaping up to be its best. And next time: Krystal!
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