Sarah is on the run – the clone masters have taken Mrs. S
and Kira. Sarah runs into a diner and starts to call people – but Allison and
Cosima’s numbers have both been disconnected. With few other options she calls
Paul – his phone is working but he’s not answering. What she does have from her
various adventures is an old photograph of 2 professors who worked on “Project
Leda.”
Her phone rings from Paul – but it’s Rachel on the other
end (that would be Evil Corporate Clone) who will give up Mrs. S and Kira – but
only if Sarah gives herself up. And two goons enter the diner to campaign for
free ranged eggs and try to make Sarah leave. Awesome Diner guy isn’t best
pleased with someone kidnapping poor Sarah in his own diner – and he has a
shotgun to express his displeasure with. There’s a firefight, goon 1 dies and
goon 2 loses Sarah when she manages to batter her way through a wall to escape
She’s determined when she wants to be.
She makes her way to a gay fetish rave (because this is Orphan Black) where Felix is wearing
arseless chaps, preparing for a 5 way (but not very preparing because while sex
may be his major obsession after serving clones, he doesn’t get to actually
have any) and high on something. Sarah chews him out for not being on call when
she needed him. So, after Felix points out they’re probably tracking her phone
she gets one more call from Paul (who is not exactly with the bad guys
willingly) where she agrees to meet him, alone once she calls him on another
phone. To that end, she steals one.
Delphine and Cosima are staying at Felix’s place because
he’s now running Hotel des Clones, apparently. Delphine takes some of Cosima’s
blood to help treat her ailment and she’s still trying to get Cosima on Team
Dyad with Dr. Leekie the very-creepy as well as to convince Cosima Delphine is
on her side (together that makes for a hard sell). Cosima isn’t sold yet and
makes it clear that news of her and her blood samples do not reach Dyad – she gets
to make the choice.
Sarah dispatches Felix to see Allison to both fill her in on what happened and to borrow a gun. Because suburban housewife Allison can get guns? If your answer to that is to scoff then you have Not Been Paying Attention. But Allison is trying to live a nice, stable life now, her guns (note the plural) at the range, her pills and booze put away. She’s even doing a play. And yes she does know a gun dealer – sorry “enthusiast”. Because she’s Allison.
After a few crafty switches Sarah manages to speak
privately to Paul – learning that Rachel intends to take Kira out of the
country and that she’s going to a big Dyad event that evening. Also bad guy
Daniel (Rachel’s chief goon) is after Sarah – but Sarah’s a few steps ahead. A
quick phone call to confirm that Cosima is still a little naive and it’s on to
Allison buying that gun from her very enterprising contact.
Sadly Delphine puts some doubt on that trust as she meets
with Leekie – who is not happy that Cosima isn’t with them full time and gives
Delphine a dead line on that. Delphine reveals Cosima’s illness – and hands
over a blood sample.
Far more importantly, Allison gets the lead part in the
play (after
killing Aynsley. But that totally wasn’t why she did it. Honest). And she’s
been watched by a very very bemused Detective Art and his partner Detective
Angela who are frustrated by numerous dead and missing clones leaving them only
Allison to follow. Which is when Sarah shows up – Angela rushes out to arrest
her (thankfully Allison notices before she walks over with the gun). Sarah
throws out some info about the murders in the diner but Angela believes
nothing.
They go to the diner to confirm elements of her story and
while they get confirmation, they also learn that random ill-defined federal
people have taken over the murder scene. In the car Sarah tells Art about her
daughter being kidnapped and that it’s all too powerful for him. Much to Angie’s
disgust, Art let’s her go – there’s too much going on to even hold her.
To Rachel who is talking about dragging Paul to Taiwan
and Dr. Leekie apparently has found a conscience and isn’t thrilled that Rachel
has kidnapped Sarah’s family. Rachel goes with the whole “what you don’t know
can’t hurt you” line to avoid answering those pesky little questions.
Back to base to plan. Cosima wants to go to the Dyad
event (she’s been invited) and demand Rachel let Sarah’s family go – yes, she’s
a little naïve. Which is when Ramon, Allisons drugs/arms dealer arrives, gapes
at the clones and has a happy flowery, gun-filled gift basket. Allison even
included a gift card. A hand crafted gift-card. Allison scares me, she really
does. They skype Allison about this, she looks at the flowers with the gun in
them and says “oh they look nice”
Allison scares me.
Now they need a plan.
Back to the evil office, where Rachel wishes she was half
as scary as Allison. Sarah calls and arranges to meet with Rachel – she’ll be
driving the red mini-van. Cut to the red Mini-van and that looks like Allison
delivering costumes for the play, not Sarah… Daniel and goons move in to grab
her and manage to get her in their evil van. Eventually. They weren’t ready for
Allison’s pepper spray, rape whistle and font of endless rage. Daniel has to
make his apologies.
To the big Dyad event and Cosima is attending – except it’s
not, it’s Sarah pretending to be Cosima (yes Tatiana Maslany is playing Sarah
pretending to be Cosima without just pretending to be Cosima because she is
JUST THAT GOOD). And having problems with Cosima’s glasses. There’s an awkward
moment when Delphine kisses Cosima and then she’s dragged to meet Leekie (amusingly,
Sarah makes much better demands to be brought on board than Cosima would have).
Complete with dubious hug that comes with a side-order of pick pocketing
Delphine is not amused and has spotted the clone behind
the clone. But Sarah has had her family kidnapped and is waaaaay less amuse and
demands to know where Rachel is – Delphine points the way
While Leakie makes his speeches about the future and good of mankind, Rachel has a secret meeting with a number of Asian businessmen to discuss how she’s successfully putting patent claims over “synthetic” living people.
Sarah confronts Rachel – and Rachel claims that Mrs. S
and Kira had already been kidnapped before her kidnappers could arrive on
scene. Rachel is icy in the face of the gun, Sarah won’t shoot her. Sarah
shoots the window next to her and Rachel’s icy-professional exterior collapses
completely. Sarah beats her down and presses the gun to her face (“you don’t
own us”).
Rachel is a business woman – not a warrior. Paul arrives
with another gun though – so Sarah beats Rachel to unconsciousness and points
her gun at Paul. Paul confirms that Dyad doesn’t have Kira and Mrs. S – it was
a lie to bring Sarah in. She smacks him as well – did he really think she’d
just give up? Oh he doesn’t know any of the clones very well. He complains
about her hitting his pretty pretty face and he lets her go.
That mission not quite working, Sarah goes to find some
new friends – and goes to see Art. And he adds more to add – the people who
attacked her at the diner were religious extremists (the feds were… actually
feds. And apparently not evil. That’s got to be a first). Prolethians. Helena’s
people. And it looks like Sarah is going to tell Art everything.
Blood stained and battered – Helena is not dead! She makes
it to the hospital where she finds help – and one of the Prolethian goons
arrives
We close with Kira being photographed.
Tatiana Maslany is a freaky acting mutant. No-one can be
this good. It’s not possible. The fact she hasn’t won every acting award on the
planet is a great injustice. Maybe the world’s greatest injustice. If
justice-inclined aliens decide to come down to Earth and wipe out the human
species? It will be because Tatiana Maslany did not win all the awards. I’m
just saying.
Allison is my favourite clone. And the most terrifying. She’s
so wonderfully committed to having a normal life (and she has the most to lose –
but it’s interesting to note the many odd things she needed to make it work
even before the clone-ness dropped on her) and she is terrifying in her drive
to achieve that.
I’m not reassured by Felix by this first episode – more stereotypes,
more service, more meant to be the odd, whacky, GBF comic relief.
Cosima is a more rounded character, but I’m worried about
her and Delphine. Delphine does seem to genuinely care – just like Paul
genuinely cares for Sarah – but Delphine still has at least one foot in Leekie’s
camp. We may end up with “betrayal for your own good”.
I’m hopeful with Art in on the big picture we can see him
get involved more.
