Orphan Black

Orphan Black, like any show, has had its ups and its downs, but it goes out with one of its strongest seasons and a fantastic, satisfying series finale. As it should be, "To Right the Wrongs of Many" is about the sestrahood above all else, about the family they've become and about what they've been fighting for this entire time: freedom.
But in a way, getting that freedom is easier than having it, especially for Sarah. When we first met her -- when she "stepped off a train one day and met herself," as Helena's memoir begins -- she was not one eager to take responsibility, and she struggles with that again. In a way, it's easier for her to have an enemy to fight with than to deal with what comes when that's over.
Sarah's Choice
It's only fitting that the story that began with Sarah ends with her flashbacks of a time when she wasn't responsible yet facing a situation in which she had to be. A position she found herself in again once she became embroiled in c...
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No amount of time would be enough to grieve the latest loss, but in this Orphan Black episode, Sarah hardly gets any before news reaches her that her sestra has been taken (again). Finding and saving her means making some bold moves (especially on Art's part) and having to rely on Rachel for information.
"One Fettered Slave" also offers a look at Helena's life, at how she became the blonde sestra-killer we met in Season 1 who once cut into her own back.

In a series of flashbacks, we see how Helena catches a nun masturbating. That nun bleaches Helena's hair and locks her in a closet, where she remains until Tomas takes her away and trains her to hate the "dirty copies" that "pervert His original, His light" and to "cleanse them from this Earth."
But after he deems her "ready" to do just that and kills a Leda in a church, she's shocked to find that this "copy" look just like her. She's the original, Tomas tells her.
Saying Goodbyes
Before ...
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The end is near, and Orphan Black is clearly going to go out with a bang.

Orphan Black Season 5 Episode 9 was a near-perfect penultimate hour, ramping up the lingering plots as we head into the series finale. It was exciting, tense, unpredictable, and deeply emotional – basically, everything I could have hoped for.

"One Fettered Slave" intertwined flashbacks to Helena's tortured and horrifying upbringing with Sarah and Clone Club attempting to save their kidnapped sestra in the present.

The scenes depicting key moments from Helena's past were well-chosen. I'm already invested in Helena's story, but seeing how she was broken down and abused over the years first-hand is truly horrifying.

If I wasn't already rooting for Helena, I would be after this installment.

She went from being abandoned by her birth mother as a child, to an equally horrible situation in the convent, where she caught a nun masturbating and was tortured...
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Orphan Black breaks my heart and I want to thank it for doing so, with this episode. It rips it out, stomps on it and hands it back to me with a reminder that there are still two more episodes to go -- and that's a sign of an exceptional hour of television, the best of the season so far. As the series nears the end, it's delivering some of its best work.
There are moments of hope as "Guillotines Decide" begins -- Sarah has Kira back (and sends her daughter to stay with Art's daughter with Charlotte), Felix returns and Cosima has the cure and plans to inoculate Ledas with it -- but they're eclipsed by the tragic, heartbreaking consequence to a move made to protect the sestrahood.
It's especially fitting that Cosima quotes Jane Austen in this episode: "There is nothing I wouldn't do for my friend. I have no notion of doing things by halves. It's not my nature." The women in the clones' lives (Mrs. S and Delphine) are willing to do what they have to, even if it means wor...
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I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed Orphan Black Season 5 Episode 8. What a phenomenally masterful hour of television.

To think that all of this plot development took place within 60 minutes (minus commercial breaks) is amazing. The fact that "Guillotines Decide" was chock-full of great character moments as well makes it even more impressive. 

I'll start with Felix's art opening party, where the majority of the action was centered.

This installment picked up shortly after Orphan Black Season 5 Episode 7 left off, with Kira safely at home after her last-minute rescue thanks to Rachel.

Kira and Charlotte were safely shipped off to Art's ex-wife's house for safety reasons and to hang out with Art's daughter. It's a bit odd that a woman who had never met these kids would so willingly agree to harbor them under mysterious circumstances, but take that as you will.

After that, the hour was set up to be a fairly lighthe...
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It's (almost) all about bloody Rachel in this Orphan Black episode -- in more ways than one. She's been more than happy to do what P.T. wants, but one of her trips to the island leads to a discovery that forces her to be careful of her every move. As was true of the Alison-centric "Beneath Her Heart," this Rachel-centric episode is the best we've seen this clone.
Also in "Gag or Throttle," Cosima returns and helps find the leverage they need to get Kira back, while Alison surprises Donnie with a new outlook.

She Was and Is So Naive, But Not Because She Wanted to Call Leekie "Dad"
It's Rachel's turn for flashbacks, to her life growing up at Dyad. Dr. Leekie proudly shows her off to the board. She reads the other clones' files. She knows her own (779H41) and their ID tags (and their purpose). She knows the clones are getting sick and Dr. Leekie's treatments aren't working. But as he reminds her during one of her examinations, she's not exempt from the...
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What an absolutely fantastic hour of television.

Orphan Black Season 5 Episode 7 will surely go down as one of the series' best to date. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it winds up being one of the best episodes of TV among every show airing this year!

"Gag or Throttle" was a deep-dive into all that is Rachel Duncan – the series' most complex clone by a landslide. Remarkably, this hour managed to go a long way towards making readers sympathize with a character who was previously difficult to reconcile.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that Rachel has been redeemed – she hasn't, and I can't imagine what it would take for her character to be fully redeemed (many more season of the show, certainly).

I am all but certain that Rachel will sacrifice herself this season to take down Westmoreland once and for all. That is, if she survives the harrowing end of "Gag of Throttle."

Orphan Black Season 5 Episode 7 managed to conte...
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Revival needs to believe in the myth of P.T. Westmorland, but the question for this Orphan Black episode is, how long can that last? Cosima's locked up in the basement, but she's not the only one rebelling against P.T. on the island -- or even in his house. When it comes time to put a plan in action, does everyone play their parts?
Elsewhere in "Manacled Slim Wrists," Krystal is back and has somehow, once again, stumbled upon something big (in her own Krystal way), but can she get answers herself?

It's Time to Expose the Lies of Revival
Rather than blame the real villain, Mud has taken to wearing a cowbell around her neck as her own punishment for what happened to Yanis and Salvador. Cosima tries to get her to let her out of the cell, but nothing she says (that P.T. isn't who he says he is, what he plans for Kira) works.
Who is P.T. really? His mask is slipping, Susan warns him. She remembers who he is, "John," and while no one else does, "i...
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For an hour that prominently featured Cosima held captive in a basement, Orphan Black Season 5 Episode 6 was easily one of the show's funniest installments ever.

Of course, that's entirely thanks to the impeccable comedic timing of Tatiana Maslany as Krystal Goderitch (and Tatiana Maslany as Sarah Manning reacting to Krystal Goderitch).

As usual, the main action was split in two, between what's been going on back on the island and what's happening on the mainland.

On the island, all hell broke loose in the aftermath of Yannis' escape, attacks, and eventual death on Orphan Black Season 5 Episode 5.

The villagers were getting antsy because people were dying, and they had no clue what was going on. They'd all showed up for the fountain of youth, and yet Westmoreland's treatments hadn't been successful for anyone.

I have to wonder... How long have these people been there? Why did this not occur to them sooner?

I ...
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Cosima is determined to follow the science on the island on Orphan Black, but doing so lands her in hot water in this episode. But at least she has Delphine at her side once more ... right? And what's worse -- the Creature or sitting down for dinner with P.T., Susan and Rachel?
Elsewhere in "Ease for Idle Millionaires," Kira has had enough of the adults sending her off to her room while they talk, but is she ready to become part of the family business and learn to hustle?

Sure, There's a "Bear" in the Woods (and Delphine Has Been Vacationing in Hawaii)
Just like Alison had flashbacks in "Beneath Her Heart," this episode offers a look at a moment from Cosima's past: right after she told Delphine she was sick. "There's nothing that's mine," the clone insists, but Delphine corrects her, "You have me." And despite coming into her life as her monitor, Delphine promises, "I will always work to protect you," adding, with kisses, that they don't own Cosima...
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