Thank God for this show. It never disappoints. *hugs show*
Three episodes in and it's time for an update on Rachel, still being held prisoner by her mother and doing her best to bond with Charlotte, figure out where exactly she is, and bait the people who are keeping her there. The mother/daughter reunion is not going well, with the two of them passive-aggressiving all over the dinner table.
However, their interactions help clarify a couple of things: Susan is in charge of Neolution but has failed to find the original (Kendall) and so is unable to cure any of the Leda clones. Rachel also learns that Charlotte has been cloned from her; and is one of about four hundred attempts to do so. Judging from Rachel's reaction, this scenario is probably the closest a woman will ever get to experiencing what it's like to be a dude learning he unknowingly fathered a child years ago.
We've also got Ari Millen playing yet another Castor clone, but one strikingly different to his "brothers." This one has never met his fellow clones, and is certainly more refined and intellectual as a result, serving as Rachel's physician during her stay imprisonment.
Rachel ends up using little Charlotte to get a message out (I was wondering why they kept discussing Charlotte's online courses!) which is a nice way to establish their bond, underlie the fact Susan sees Rachel as a test subject rather than a daughter, and reintroduce Ferdinand at the episode's end.
And yet there's more! Like Cosima and several of the other Leda clones, Charlotte is coughing up blood. Rachel brings up Topside and Helsinki to her mother, reminding us that neither one has been fully explained. And finally, Susan explains what all this drama has been about from the start: "to control human evolution – to create a more perfect human being."
That's what's behind everything. This show has a strange habit of downplaying its reveals (back in season two it took me ages to realize the significance of Ethan Duncan) and I'll admit that Susan's declaration was also rather lowkey (as well as not surprising; that motive being up there with "making super soldiers" when it comes to human cloning experiments) but it's satisfying to finally have a solid answer to what's going on, a foundation upon which everything else is built.
***
Sarah is still desperate to get the worm out of her cheek and so goes to Dizzy, the Ragnar Lothbrok lookalike, for some more answers. Though suspicious, he gives her an idea of what the worm might be used for (its proximity to the brain means it ain't good) and the name of the guy in the disturbing footage we saw last week: Alonzo Martinez.
This information branches out into two logical directions: first that Alison comes up with a plan to acquire one of the worms for study. If high-level Neolutionists surgically inserted them into their jaws, then there's a good chance Doctor Leekie had one. All they have to do is dig up the corpse that they buried under the garage. Simple!
Secondly, the name leads Art to making some inquiries at the station, which results in Sarah getting an address to a dental clinic that specializes in implants. But while he's there, Art spots a familiar face: Detective Duko, who he recently saw talking with Beth on her surveillance footage.
Now this is interesting for one very important reason: it means that whoever Beth (presumably) killed on the night she stepped in front of that train, it was not Duko, who seemed to be the most obvious suspect. But now that Art is on to him, perhaps it'll lead to some more answers.
***
Back at Rabbit Hole Comics, Kira is getting her brat on, but also tapping into her spooky psychic side. Cosima was oddly zen about Kira talking about the other clones setting her mother on fire, and I'm not sure whether it's because Cosima isn't taking her seriously, or because she is taking her seriously and making an attempt to stay calm.
I've already seen some complaints about this potential subplot; but come on – Kira has always demonstrated this sort of thing, from her gut feeling about Helena to her super-special healing abilities to her uncanny awareness of what's going on around her. There's every chance the writers could give her premonitions a scientific spin, and her abilities certainly align with Susan's ultimate goal: to create a superior human being.
***
In minor stuff, Helena calls Sarah to tell her about her twins, saying: "I don't want them to grow up like me." It's a poignant line, but also a chilling one considering there's every chance they could if Neolution gets their hands on her.
It then segues immediately into comedy (complete with Helena's screechy ree-raaw sound effect) when the police turn up asking questions about the dead drug-dealers. Yet Helena manages to cover perfectly for the Hendrixes. Well, almost perfectly. If the cops turn up again, Alison may have to try and attempt Helena's Eastern European accent, just uphold continuity on Mrs Hendrix's voice.
And then of course, there's a classic Clone Club skype, in which Donnie and Alison break the news of Leekie's death to Cosima. Only on this show.
***
To sum up my current feelings; I'm enjoying the return to the flavour and feel of season one. The thing about the show's inception was that it didn't revolve around the subject of clones so much as it did the experience of Sarah falling down the rabbit hole; of her horror/terror/wonder of realizing there were people in the world who looked exactly like her, and her need to think on her feet to grasp some understanding of her situation. It made for exhilarating viewing.
Since then the wider context of Sarah's discoveries and experiences have become clearer, and with that we're heading into some well-trod themes that inevitably come with clone stories: that meddling with the stuff of life is a cold and clinical business, that your true family is the one you chose, that nurture trumps nature and so on.
It's an unavoidable side-effect of conspiracy stories: that the mystery is always more engaging than the reveal, but it's why I really enjoyed the final bit of this episode. It initially felt like the show was going back to its roots, with Sarah having to impersonate Beth when she's approached by someone who knew Beth in a mystery context, forcing Sarah to improvise. In this case it's a nervous dental nurse who seems to know something about the worm procedure, initially seeming like an ally until she puts Sarah in a position where she's afraid to move (lest the worm kill her) and reveals she was misdirecting her all along.
This sort of thing was my favourite part of the first season; that feeling of a character getting caught up in a situation without fully understanding it. In this case, Ferdinand turns up to rescue Sarah with a little over the top throat-slitting, having been contacted by Rachel and in turn reaching out to Siobhan, making it a great episode for nearly every character getting something important and interesting to do.
If they keep up this level of suspense, humour and insight, this'll be the best Orphan Black season since the first.
Miscellaneous Observations:
Felix certainly didn't waste any time in tracking down his biological sister, though I'm not sure what to make of her right now. It would be too clichéd to make her a Neolution plant (especially if that's where they're going with Shay) though she's certainly a little dodgy considering some of the stuff she was saying/doing – though it's not like Felix/Sarah haven't done their fair share of drinking/drug using/soliciting sex for cash!
Sarah is inevitably left rather jealous and left out, though I can fully sympathise with Felix's need to do something for himself and go in search of his own identity. Even on a meta level it's good for the character to get a subplot that's entirely removed from the Clone Club conspiracy and his role as sidekick. Let's hope this works out for him.
Rachel gets a special treatment to make her eye look normal. I guess it's for budget reasons, but I'd keep the cool cybernetic look if it was me.
Best lines once again go to Alison: "my sister has a robot maggot in her face" and "she's a scientist and a lesbian, she's not going to let it slide." Not to mention all the flailing and dry retching when Doctor Leekie was exhumed.
Did I catch a glimpse the Hendrix's eldest son who is too old now for the show's time frame and so certainly not being played by the same actor, necessitating that he stay out of focus in the background? It's certainly a neat way of reminding us he's still around without disrupting the show's timeframe.
Two little moments struck me: Sarah with tears in her eyes as she watched Paul on the surveillance footage, and Rachel unconsciously calling Charlotte "darling". Awww.
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