One of the tirelessly compelling things about Orphan Black (and the show’s characters) is its drive to keep moving forward. You may even take it for granted and forbid the pace to halt, even for a second. And the show is not afraid to throw a curve ball at the audience – we have been accustomed to that too. This chapter is no different.
We open Episode Three with Sarah and Felix tasked with disposing of the dead body of Seth, currently residing in the bloody bathtub. Of course, now is not a great time for guests, so Sarah and Felix are a little flustered when Art shows up. Discovering their predicament, Art meets Cosima via the wonders of video chat – she and Art both miss Beth. Art later reminisces about Beth, remembering how she did try to tell him (about the whole cloning business) the night she jumped in front of that train. It seems Art was in love with Beth, and his remorse really shows.
In all the confusion Sarah and Felix failed to ask why Art showed up in the first place. Well, he has a lead on Mark and Gracie (who has regrettably been painting her eyebrows it seems). They still have not been to bed together – oh wait, they have now. Let’s not forget she is already pregnant through artificial means. Sarah soon discovers that Helena has been harvested with Henrik’s seed too. Too much information?
Meanwhile, Gracie seeks out Mr. Finch, an old business associate of her father’s, and he gives her a tool box. Opening it, the over-anxious Mark is frantic to find nothing but papers inside rather than frozen embryos perhaps. Sarah and Art turn up at Finch’s farm asking if he knows who Mark is – he denies this, but does confess to seeing Gracie earlier. Gracie’s mother soon finds her (that snitching midwife), which only feeds both their respective doubts. Mrs. Johanssen also tracks down Mark, and shoots him. Yikes. Earlier, Mr. Finch’s final visitor was Mark, whose finger-bashing with a hammer was certainly the most forceful of questioning the farmer had today.
Back at the Castor military base, Paul returns Rudy who gets a slap for his troubles (those troubles being killing his brother Seth). The “Mother” and Paul ponder these so-called glitches. She speaks privately with Rudy and tasks him with finding and bringing back Mark. In case you forgot how creepy these people are, when “Mother” consoles her “grieving” boy, he pops his thumb into his mouth.
To aid their Leda cause, Cosima and Scott agree to use Seth’s body to make use of his brain (Scott is right, “This is weird enough.”). The actual execution of the brain removal might not be for every stomach by the way, but Cosima has hardly broken sweat. The scientists get to work and come to the conclusion Seth would not have likely lasted a week but also the girl clones and boy clones are in actual fact siblings.
As always, so much to digest with Orphan Black, it is a meal that fills the belly, fuels the heart, and leaves hardly any crumbs on the plate. We also get a glimpse of Rachel in recovery, though it seems the old version is gone. Fearless Helena is still captive, warning Paul that one day they will come and kill them all. Her two-fingers acting as a machine gun is a little threatening to say the least.
And let’s not leave out Alison, who is campaigning in the park about kid’s education and offering to talk about the bullying (“So you don’t have to” completes the slogan). She is also making soaps with Donnie, which is looking like a prospective money-maker as well as school trustee vote-getter. It is not particularly distracting that Alison’s narrative strand lies just about in suburban normality, but we hope she re-joins the big party soon. She will always get our vote.
