Orphan Black: Scarred by Many Past Frustrations

May 16, 2015 10:13 PM - Season 3, Episode 5

Sarah and Helena suffer a strained reunion; the Leda family worries about Sarah's absence.

Shut up about the butter.

posted by bleep (33 comments total)

This was a great episode. Very suspenseful and for once they just chose 2 or 3 things to focus on and let us watch them play out. Instead of trying to cram in 8 storylines worth of exposition.
posted by bleep at 10:14 PM on May 16, 2015

I didn't follow all of that... who was in the body bag? Parsons? And what was the significance of Paul's looking through Rudy's log book?

Also: there is some kind of STD the Castor brothers carry that turns their partners' eyes red? & what was Art doing anyway, going back to talk to the woman who had been assaulted by Rudy and Seth?? Just retracing steps to try to find Sarah?

So many questions!
posted by torticat at 10:30 PM on May 16, 2015

I think that was the implication of the red eyes, yes. I got the sense that the significance of the log books was that the guys were taking hair samples of everyone they slept with. Why, we don't know. Paul didn't seem to know either.
posted by bleep at 10:38 PM on May 16, 2015 [1 favorite]

Ahh, Helena. She is the best clone. I don't even fault her for leaving Sarah behind. It's interesting that she doesn't always heed the advice of her scorpion.

The camp feels so fake I half expected Helena to see the Canadian skyline when she reached the wall. Course that could just be the incredibly bad CGI. I love the new twist of purposefully infecting the women. Just when you think the show has settled into its groove, something new shows up.
posted by Ik ben afgesneden at 11:24 PM on May 16, 2015 [1 favorite]

The camp feels so fake I half expected Helena to see the Canadian skyline when she reached the wall. Course that could just be the incredibly bad CGI.

The entire camp is a purpose-built set on a soundstage. There was an "Inside Orphan Black" piece during the show that featured them building the camp set. Pretty cool, actually.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:04 AM on May 17, 2015

I didn't catch that the girl Art went to see was the same one the Castor boys had at the motel.
Do we know who was spying on Cosima and her date?
posted by Thorzdad at 6:08 AM on May 17, 2015

Do we know who was spying on Cosima and her date?

I don't think that we're supposed to. My guess is it isn't some new level of conspiratorial complexity, but Delphine graduating to a new level of sketchiness and hiring someone to follow around the woman she just dumped.

This episode seemed a lot more focused than Orphan Black has been this year, and I dug it. My favorite thing is probably that Helena's scorpion can see things outside Helena's POV! I think this is neither a mistake nor anything the show wants us to make much of, but I did find it curious and delightful.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 6:56 AM on May 17, 2015

For a moment I thought Art was in the car with Shay :D
posted by floatboth at 7:00 AM on May 17, 2015

The last two episodes have been amazing. I thought the point of juxtaposing Gracie's collapse, Art's meeting with the woman Seth and Rudy assaulted, and Paul looking through the log book was to make the point that the Castor boys are carrying whatever this disease is that infects women. "Mother" asks Mark during his debrief if he consummated the marriage, too, so I'm assuming she knows about whatever's going on. I am guessing that the Castor boys don't know that they're vectors for this disease, since I don't think Mark would knowingly give it to Gracie. And it was definitely Parsons in the body bag--you could see the cut around his scalp where they had reattached it.

There was a lot of divided loyalties stuff going on in this episode... setup for some explosive stuff later, I'm sure: Paul, Mark, Helena.

(Did anyone else think the big reveal in the cold open was going to be that Sarah would be able to see and hear the scorpion?)
posted by Kosh at 7:00 AM on May 17, 2015

~My guess is it isn't some new level of conspiratorial complexity, but Delphine graduating to a new level of sketchiness and hiring someone to follow around the woman she just dumped.

That's my assumption, too.
BTW...Didn't the bartender look just a little bit like one of the clones? I had to do a double-take when they first showed her face. It's not exact, of course, but she sure seemed to share some similarities.

~My favorite thing is probably that Helena's scorpion can see things outside Helena's POV! I think this is neither a mistake nor anything the show wants us to make much of, but I did find it curious and delightful.

Didn't Kira once exhibit a bit of clairvoyant ability?
posted by Thorzdad at 7:07 AM on May 17, 2015 [1 favorite]

Two weeks in a row that I'm on the edge of my seat!

I think Kira is more extremely perceptive than she is clairvoyant.

How pissed is Paul going to be that Dr. Coady has been keeping him in the dark about what the Castor clones have been up to? In an earlier episode she referred to them as "our weapons" which makes me wonder if the clones are infecting women as a means of warfare or if they are testing the women to see if any are immune to what is being spread.
posted by plastic_animals at 7:48 AM on May 17, 2015

A.V. Club review
After the Black with Dylan Bruce, Kristian Bruun and Kevin Hanchard
posted by plastic_animals at 8:04 AM on May 17, 2015 [1 favorite]

I totally thought the bartender was also a clone at first. Since we know there is at least another one out there. Speaking of which, since she supposedly slept with one of the Castor boys she may become part of the plot again (Oedipal implications notwithstanding) since she's most likely immune to whatever they're passing on
posted by TwoWordReview at 8:08 AM on May 17, 2015

I was Very disappointed with this episode. Throughout the entire episode I keep wondering when Helena's loyalties changed. First she staunchly believes that Sarah did not sell her out. She said it when Coady first sat her down and told her that Sarah betrayed her, "I don't believe you." And Helena rarely lies. But now she steadfastly believes, even in the face of Paul's revelation, that Sarah. and not Mrs. S, is the one who did sell her out. That belief colors all of Helena's actions in this episode, so it was just so confusing to me. Because it made no sense.

I wonder if Gracie's pain means she's still pregnant and Blind Guy's prediction that "The child is lost" means he isn't as all knowing as the Proletheans think he is. After all, she never did go to a doctor nor did the midwife look at her. They just tossed her out because she bled some.

I have a feeling that Mark is going to help Sarah get out because his feelings for Gracie are stronger than his feelings for his brothers.
posted by patheral at 10:55 AM on May 17, 2015 [1 favorite]

This show just cannot resist a dance party.

Also, where is Angela? It's been awhile since I've watched season 2, was there something that explains why she seems to have disappeared?
posted by Bunny Boneyology at 11:45 AM on May 17, 2015 [1 favorite]

Throughout the entire episode I keep wondering when Helena's loyalties changed.

Well, Helena is talking to an imaginary scorpion who constantly tells her not to trust her sister, so her behavior makes some sense to me.

I'm hoping Helena starts ignoring Pupok and goes back to rescue Sarah.
posted by Pendragon at 1:56 PM on May 17, 2015

I was kind of distracted while watching this but I didn't find it all that compelling. (Also, where is Alison?) I am a bit fearful they don't really know where they're going with all of this.

I still enjoy this show and I'm still happy to watch it but these past two episodes have felt a bit disappointing. They don't have the same "everything happens!" quality that I expect. We'll see, I guess. I just don't find the Castor plot that interesting.
posted by darksong at 1:58 PM on May 17, 2015

They don't have the same "everything happens!" quality that I expect. We'll see, I guess. I just don't find the Castor plot that interesting.

I actually prefer the episodes that are more focused on only a couple of plot lines, rather than the ones that keep jumping around between three or four stories. It's more involving to me.

I agree with you about the Castor plot. It's just never clicked with me, for some reason. I just don't really care. And, now, with the "junior Mengele" plot involving Fr. Coady and her experiments...meh. Maybe it's the military aspect of it? I just don't get it other than some "engineering the perfect soldier" thing, which has been done to death.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:21 PM on May 17, 2015 [1 favorite]

The Castor plot seemed unbelievably trite when they rolled it out but now it just seems kind of inevitable. Sarah and crew couldn't have just continued cat-and-mouse-ing with Rachel and Sepacor or Tri-dent or whatever it's called forever. I'm totally blanking on the name of that place now.
posted by bleep at 2:43 PM on May 17, 2015 [1 favorite]

Sepacor or Tri-dent or whatever it's called forever

Topside.
posted by axiom at 6:08 PM on May 17, 2015

Dyad was the one I was thinking of actually.
posted by bleep at 6:32 PM on May 17, 2015

I was crestfallen when Helena abandoned Sarah. Shut up, scorpion!
posted by homunculus at 7:16 PM on May 17, 2015 [2 favorites]

Aw, I was living for the Felix/Mrs. S/Gracie "safe space for teen rebellion" dance party.
posted by en forme de poire at 9:12 PM on May 17, 2015 [2 favorites]

I'm thinking that the STD that the Castor boys pass on is a feature not a bug. Rape been used as a tool of war throughout history, so why not build soldiers who can take it to a whole new level of atrocity?
posted by echolalia67 at 9:25 AM on May 18, 2015

Aw, I was living for the Felix/Mrs. S/Gracie "safe space for teen rebellion" dance party.

I loved when Gracie appeared at the end of the hall ready to go out & drink Mai Tais. Making up for lost time!
posted by scalefree at 10:15 AM on May 18, 2015 [2 favorites]

I was so hoping for a chase scene where one of the Castors grabs Helena at the last moment but can't hang on as she's greased, she "oinks" rudely at him as she slips through his fingers.

They need to address the sketchiness of this "military" soon, the compound certainly is more rag tag insurrectionist than a secret arm of a world power. Paul keeps claiming to be a 'Major', but that could be all made up.
posted by sammyo at 5:29 PM on May 18, 2015 [2 favorites]

This show is spinning its wheels like crazy. Oh hey now somebody's in prison. Now they're out of the prison for a minute to kill the guy and now they're back in prison. Now somebody else is in prison. We're running some tests. At the end of the season literally ever single major character is going to be kidnapped/in prison and running tests on one another and the last clone will lock their own cell door and throw away the key and then impregnate themselves or something. Man, what a drag.
posted by turbid dahlia at 9:52 PM on May 18, 2015 [3 favorites]

Fuck all these McGuffiny bro clones, I just want the Cosima and Allison Adventure Hour with occasional guest stars Felix and Baby Cult Jesus.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 10:20 PM on May 18, 2015 [4 favorites]

I really liked this episode. I loved Helena's stash of butter and kissy noises for Sarah and Paul.

And Helena's anyone make sense to me. She denied that Sarah sold her out but after hearing that for weeks it has sunk in and she's not sure. Plus she is naturally contrary; of course she is going to be mistrustful of Sarah.

I don't think Helena left Sarah in the cell because she thinks Sarah sold her out, though. She left Sarah because Sarah would have gotten them both caught. As it was Helena just barely got as far as she did; multiple times it was clear a follower would have been seen.

I love the idea of Helena getting away, meeting up with Cosima, Alison, Mrs. S (hmm), and then going back for Sarah. Possibly with the help of Mark and/or Paul.
posted by mountmccabe at 7:02 AM on May 19, 2015 [1 favorite]

I like how they handled the contrast between tactical Helena and impulsive Sarah. When Helena threatens Paul it comes across as a real threat, but Sarah repeating Helena's words comes across as the "me too" a little sibling might say. Helena is right in her element battling the military, while Sarah is in over her head. Sarah doesn't see that but Helena does, and Helena knows that Sarah is too valuable to Project Castor for them to kill her should Helena escape.
posted by plastic_animals at 8:06 AM on May 19, 2015 [3 favorites]

FWIW the show has been hyping the shite out of ep. 6 on Twitter and Tumblr this week; like way out of proportion to their promo activity for earlier episodes.

(Which bugs me to no end since I probably won't be able to watch it 'til Tuesday)
posted by plastic_animals at 5:04 PM on May 21, 2015

I loved seeing Ksenia Solo (Kenzi on Lost Girl) as Cosima's date, and I hope she sticks around.
posted by jjwiseman at 11:11 PM on May 21, 2015

I don't think Helena left Sarah in the cell because she thinks Sarah sold her out, though. She left Sarah because Sarah would have gotten them both caught. As it was Helena just barely got as far as she did; multiple times it was clear a follower would have been seen.

I thought the sandwich line led directly to that.

Put me in the camp of people who liked the more focused episodes following a couple of storylines. As long as we alternate, I think the show can keep juggling all the plotlines and add a little depth.
posted by immlass at 10:12 AM on May 22, 2015