Orphan Black 4.07.
May. 27th, 2016 10:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakShow, we’re good again. You did well after last week’s meh-asco.
I’m usually a fan of episodes that bother to explore the aftermath of a monumental event, and much as I thought the execution, no bad pun intended, of Kendall’s death was by the number and manipulative, the aftermath was done well – showing us how Sarah, Cosima, Rachel and Alison deal with it, or don’t.
I wasn’t quite sure I bought Alison being upset at first, because as far as we know, she never even met Kendall, but then again, other than Sarah, the clones are living under an impending death sentence, and Kendall was their hope, so it makes sense on that level, as did her in typical Alison fashion going into denial and the next “normal” activity. Oh, and I loved her writing a condolence letter to Siobhan, which is such an Alison thing to do. Her storyline is the least angsty of the four, dovetailing with the consequences of hers and Donnie’s drug dealing from last season finally catching up with them at the end. (See, this is what happens when you watch Dexter for inspiration and notBreaking Bad, Hendrixes!) Before that, Donnie rocks that storytelling to the kids on slumber parties, I must say. Who’d have thought?
All the other storylines are major angst fests, though they bring some release, too. Sarah and Cosima both feel guilty of Kendall’s death, since they pushed for the exchange. Cosima deals, or not, by nearly going for one last suicidal mad science experiment, inserting herself with Sarah’s extricate scientific parasite. That she’s stopped at the last second by Felix belatedly giving the news that Delphine got shot but survived, which he learned (yet the audience did not, because they only showed the start of that sentence) via Crystal, I have mixed feelings about. I mean, I get that Cosima needed a bit of hope – they all did – and learning that Delphine is still alive certainly works at that. All IC. But in terms of the overall narrative, I’m just not a fan of the Cosima/Delphine relationship. They’ve pushed Delphine too far in terms of creepy controller last season, especially how she acted towards Shae, and I really had hoped we were done with Delphine. Not to mention that Cosima uttered the fatal word “soulmate” in the last episode. I had bad flashbacks to season 3 of Alias and Sydney saying that about Vaughn. Bah. HOWEVER, everything else about the Cosima subplot, I loved, in a tears-my-heart-out fashion. Of course she’d try to deal with her sense of guilt in this specific way, Cosima the scientist. And I also liked that Scott did take offense at Cosima saying “she’s dead, too” when hearing “lab partner”, as if Delphine had been her only one. I hear you, Scott. At this point, Scott has worked with Cosima longer in the lab than Delphine did, and he’s been a hell less double dealing and possessive and stalkery and a hell more of a good science partner and friend.
Sarah going on a bender in the wake of Kendall’s death and Siobhan’s lashing out at her/rejection of the “blood” claim tied with several of the season’s themes and plot lines – Beth’s last days, and the way Sarah feels haunted by Beth, three whole seasons of crazy, and the Sarah-Felix estrangement. As soon as Felix upon realizing what must have happened between Sarah and Mrs. S. went after her I knew we would be in for a brother-sister reconciliation at the end, and you know, it did feel earned. Complete with the symmetry of Beth standing on one side of Sarah (in her head), and Felix on the other, and Beth saying “there has always been more than blood between us” which of course is true for Sarah and Felix as well.
And then there were the other clone, her adopted mother and recently acquired adopted brother. I loved the Rachel scenes, all of them. (Oh, and the show reassured me that it IS aware of just what makes the Susan/Ira relationship messed up – hint: not the age difference – by letting Ira call Susan “mother” in this episode.) At first I was actually afraid Susan had left Rachel (and Charlotte) at that station after being deposed by Evie, but no, she was there. Not before we got an illustration of Rachel’s enormous will power by letting her drag herself up the stairs, though. The “Leda and the Swan” illustration in ye olde book Rachel finds is something I’ve been wondering whether we’d get at some point of the show, and I expect there’s more to it than just a mythology callback, given the swan Rachel sees with her artificial eye at the end of the episode.
In addition to the “dead Kendall, Susan deposed” news, Rachel also gets another illustration (in addition to last season, I mean) from Evie that any power she, Rachel, thought she had at Dyad/Neolution was illusory. It’s interesting that Rachel doesn’t respond with a temper tantrum (something she might have done in earlier times, before her experience of being a recovering handicapped invalid). What she does to is telling Charlotte the truth about her situation. Which didn’t feel vindictive or as Rachel needing to share the misery to me, though your mileage might vary, but more like Rachel, who was raised self aware but still with a life time of lies, wanting to be honest with Charlotte instead of giving her the lying and manipulation treatment, too.
Otoh telling Ira he should have found a more effective method at suicide if he wanted to kill himself was Rachel being abrasive to be mean, and yet there was a sense of Ira appreciating the brutal honesty of it more than Susan’s pretending that never happened. When he helped Rachel up at the end of the episode and said “what a pair we make”, they actually felt like brother and sister to me. I’m now curious what will develop there.
I’m usually a fan of episodes that bother to explore the aftermath of a monumental event, and much as I thought the execution, no bad pun intended, of Kendall’s death was by the number and manipulative, the aftermath was done well – showing us how Sarah, Cosima, Rachel and Alison deal with it, or don’t.
I wasn’t quite sure I bought Alison being upset at first, because as far as we know, she never even met Kendall, but then again, other than Sarah, the clones are living under an impending death sentence, and Kendall was their hope, so it makes sense on that level, as did her in typical Alison fashion going into denial and the next “normal” activity. Oh, and I loved her writing a condolence letter to Siobhan, which is such an Alison thing to do. Her storyline is the least angsty of the four, dovetailing with the consequences of hers and Donnie’s drug dealing from last season finally catching up with them at the end. (See, this is what happens when you watch Dexter for inspiration and notBreaking Bad, Hendrixes!) Before that, Donnie rocks that storytelling to the kids on slumber parties, I must say. Who’d have thought?
All the other storylines are major angst fests, though they bring some release, too. Sarah and Cosima both feel guilty of Kendall’s death, since they pushed for the exchange. Cosima deals, or not, by nearly going for one last suicidal mad science experiment, inserting herself with Sarah’s extricate scientific parasite. That she’s stopped at the last second by Felix belatedly giving the news that Delphine got shot but survived, which he learned (yet the audience did not, because they only showed the start of that sentence) via Crystal, I have mixed feelings about. I mean, I get that Cosima needed a bit of hope – they all did – and learning that Delphine is still alive certainly works at that. All IC. But in terms of the overall narrative, I’m just not a fan of the Cosima/Delphine relationship. They’ve pushed Delphine too far in terms of creepy controller last season, especially how she acted towards Shae, and I really had hoped we were done with Delphine. Not to mention that Cosima uttered the fatal word “soulmate” in the last episode. I had bad flashbacks to season 3 of Alias and Sydney saying that about Vaughn. Bah. HOWEVER, everything else about the Cosima subplot, I loved, in a tears-my-heart-out fashion. Of course she’d try to deal with her sense of guilt in this specific way, Cosima the scientist. And I also liked that Scott did take offense at Cosima saying “she’s dead, too” when hearing “lab partner”, as if Delphine had been her only one. I hear you, Scott. At this point, Scott has worked with Cosima longer in the lab than Delphine did, and he’s been a hell less double dealing and possessive and stalkery and a hell more of a good science partner and friend.
Sarah going on a bender in the wake of Kendall’s death and Siobhan’s lashing out at her/rejection of the “blood” claim tied with several of the season’s themes and plot lines – Beth’s last days, and the way Sarah feels haunted by Beth, three whole seasons of crazy, and the Sarah-Felix estrangement. As soon as Felix upon realizing what must have happened between Sarah and Mrs. S. went after her I knew we would be in for a brother-sister reconciliation at the end, and you know, it did feel earned. Complete with the symmetry of Beth standing on one side of Sarah (in her head), and Felix on the other, and Beth saying “there has always been more than blood between us” which of course is true for Sarah and Felix as well.
And then there were the other clone, her adopted mother and recently acquired adopted brother. I loved the Rachel scenes, all of them. (Oh, and the show reassured me that it IS aware of just what makes the Susan/Ira relationship messed up – hint: not the age difference – by letting Ira call Susan “mother” in this episode.) At first I was actually afraid Susan had left Rachel (and Charlotte) at that station after being deposed by Evie, but no, she was there. Not before we got an illustration of Rachel’s enormous will power by letting her drag herself up the stairs, though. The “Leda and the Swan” illustration in ye olde book Rachel finds is something I’ve been wondering whether we’d get at some point of the show, and I expect there’s more to it than just a mythology callback, given the swan Rachel sees with her artificial eye at the end of the episode.
In addition to the “dead Kendall, Susan deposed” news, Rachel also gets another illustration (in addition to last season, I mean) from Evie that any power she, Rachel, thought she had at Dyad/Neolution was illusory. It’s interesting that Rachel doesn’t respond with a temper tantrum (something she might have done in earlier times, before her experience of being a recovering handicapped invalid). What she does to is telling Charlotte the truth about her situation. Which didn’t feel vindictive or as Rachel needing to share the misery to me, though your mileage might vary, but more like Rachel, who was raised self aware but still with a life time of lies, wanting to be honest with Charlotte instead of giving her the lying and manipulation treatment, too.
Otoh telling Ira he should have found a more effective method at suicide if he wanted to kill himself was Rachel being abrasive to be mean, and yet there was a sense of Ira appreciating the brutal honesty of it more than Susan’s pretending that never happened. When he helped Rachel up at the end of the episode and said “what a pair we make”, they actually felt like brother and sister to me. I’m now curious what will develop there.
no subject
Date: 2016-05-28 12:37 pm (UTC)I liked Scott's reaction, too. He's grown on me a lot over the course of the show, to the point where he's my favourite non-S, non-Felix supporting character. Nothing against Cosima having flaws, but being a dick to Scott because of her Epic Love is hardly an interesting or particularly endearing trait.
I wonder if Sarah's reluctant new suitor Dizzy might actually be connected to the formerly pregnant Goth girl who mistook Alison for Beth? As this season is so much about family, I think it would be likelier that one of Dizzy's relatives has the gross larvae in their cheek than he himself, and given that she had a child, which may have been effected, she should be especially interesting to Evie and her people.
Rachel and the Moreaus: I didn't realize it so clearly before, but they've really become a bizarro mirror to Sarah and her core family. Ira in all his dysfunctional glory even seems to be the one most willing to reach out emotionally to the others, like Felix, although his suicide attempt connects him more to Sarah in this episode. And Rachel in all her interactions took on Sarah's usual role as the one who steps up in a crisis and is willing to hold the family together - in fact, this may have been one of the few times she seemed like a genuine adult to me.
The Swan: I officially have no clue what's going on here. Virtual reality I presume? Maybe Evie - or whoever provided the bionic eye for Rachel - accidentally invented actual Brain TV. Other than the obvious connection to Leda and Zeus, swans represent transformation among other things, which might be a clue. Or not.
Lastly, I dig the fact that they brought in a 19th century mad scientist/visionary and his very secret science society. Maybe Victor and Henry were members?
no subject
Date: 2016-05-28 04:03 pm (UTC)I didn't realize it so clearly before, but they've really become a bizarro mirror to Sarah and her core family.
Yep, complete with Charlotte-Kira. And maybe that's why Rachel is now more of an adult: there is a child she (somewhat) cares for/feels responsible for.
The Swan: maybe also Moreau-related? I really must read that book, I only know it by osmosis so far.
You know that Victor and Henry were founding members. Oh for a crossover!
no subject
Date: 2016-05-28 05:24 pm (UTC)Rachel becoming more of an adult because of Charlotte would absolutely make sense.
Island: haven't read it, either, alas. They are Apollo's birds, too, but I don't see how that would help... the children of lir come to mind next, then swan maidens, and the story about the x brothers turned into birds and having to be saved by their sister's sewing skills. Maybe it'll become clearer.
Founding Members it is! And now I wish I were writing fanfiction.