Orphan Black: Season 4/ Episodes 1 to 4 – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
“The Collapse of Nature” Episode Overview Orphan Black returns and in order to introduce a new clone, M.K., we flashback and primarily focus on Beth. Episode Rating: Getting Better Review Summary While I did put Orphan Black on the cutting block last year when I was doing way too many reviews, I caught up with…
“The Collapse of Nature”
Episode Overview
Orphan Black returns and in order to introduce a new clone, M.K., we flashback and primarily focus on Beth.
Episode Rating:
Getting Better
Review Summary
While I did put Orphan Black on the cutting block last year when I was doing way too many reviews, I caught up with the last few episodes and, like Sailor Moon, decided I was going to try out the next season and see what happens. Now, with Sailor Moon, the nostalgia died off and I just couldn’t anymore, but oh my god was this season premiere good. Which I say after reviewing all the episodes of this series till now. For not only do we have a new compelling clone, and get to see Beth in action, but the Neolutionist are back. Something which I’m thinking of as a welcomed change since the Proletheans, in comparison, were just not as interesting.
Main Plot (with Commentary)
During the time when Cosima was still in school (the sole way to figure out what date or time period this is), we witness Beth working with a new clone named M.K. Someone who seems almost like a weird mix between Cosima and Helena, at least to me. She has Helena’s aloofness mixed with Cosima’s smarts. However, though comparisons can be made, unlike Tony, it seems M.K. may actually matter in the long run.
Reason being? It seems she was one of the first to become self-aware and is the one who enlightened Beth. Someone who we spend a huge amount of time with and we learn how messed up she really was. For between being addicted to pills, and starting to become a shoddy cop, she is dealing with Paul and the issues which come from knowing he isn’t what he seems. But with some support from her clone sisters, and a very close relationship to Art, who seemingly is in love with Beth, it seems she is just with her toes on the edge of the platform. Now, as for what led her to jump, what was the last straw? Well, that remains a mystery. What is known though is, after being in the shadows for so long, M.K. is going to reveal herself to Sara since, with the Neolutionist mounting for a comeback, they want Kendall.
Question(s) Left Unanswered
Will we see Evie Cho again?
Highlights
Beth: Despite most of the first season dedicated to Sara imitating Beth, and us getting little flashbacks on the occasion, it was nice for us to really get an episode primarily dedicated to her. For while, over the course of 3 seasons we have learned Beth’s life doesn’t exactly mirror the fancy home she had, to really see it in full-fledged action was something else. Especially her drug problem, the complications she was having with Paul, her interesting relationship with Art, and of course her reaction to killing Margaret Chen who, I think, was at one time a figure worth noting. Though, as of now, who she was has slipped my mind.
M.K.: Being that the show employs one actress to portray a slew of characters, and we already have more than 6 established clones, there is always a worry that any new clone will end up being the one which breaks the camel’s back. With M.K. though, she enough familiar characteristics to easily join the clone family, but is just different enough to differentiate from the rest of the clones. Perhaps the best thing about her though is that with her come the Neolutionist and with them being on the backburner as the Proletheans took over as the lead villains, and then the Castor men, it is like the show is returning to its roots in a way.
The Return of Neolutionist: Oh don’t you miss seeing genetically modified humans with tails? I know I do. Plus, it means we may get more flashbacks with Beth, and maybe Paul, as well as see more weird body mods. Some of which may pose an interesting challenge to the seestras as they continue to try to discover the latest mystery.
A Little Background on Art: Being that the majority of Sci-Fi properties still use the token system, it is hard to not crave more out of these tokens. So even with little tidbits like learning, or being reminded, Art is divorced and has a kid, it makes you feel warm inside.
On The Fence
Very little featured on Cosima and Allison: Did we necessarily needed to know how Allison was back in the day? No. Did we need to see Cosima struggle with finals, breaking up with her girlfriend, moving to a new school and all that? Not really, yet with seeing them, and topics like this mentioned, now it is hard not to be a little curious. Which sucks since who knows when is the next time the show may do almost a full episode in the past.
“Transgressive Border Crossing”
Episode Overview
Alongside seeing Beth’s final days before she went in front of a train, Sarah comes upon a discovery which is as shocking as it is disgusting.
Episode Rating:
Maintaining
Trigger Warning(s):
Maggots
Review Summary
As M.K. continues to be the connection between Beth and Sarah, fan favorites Felix and Helena seem to be embarking on their own Allison-esque storylines which don’t necessarily deal with Sarah’s Dyad/ Neolution issues. Something quite exciting, yet slightly worrisome for while these two characters have often been compelling, you have to question how the show will handle them.
Main Plot (with Commentary)
With M.K. telling Sarah she has been discovered, Sarah, Mrs. S, Kira, and Kendall haul ass. But upon their return to their homeland, they find things aren’t the same at all. Allison is now deeply into her new position, all the while trying to keep Helena from knowing Sarah is back; Cosima, while seemingly better, is still ill and dealing with Delphine withdrawal; but perhaps the biggest change comes from Felix.
Now, while Felix still remains part of clone club and seems willing to help Sarah with her madness, unfortunately with doing so much for Sarah and seeing her bond with Mrs. S, who she learns is her biological family, it has created a longing in Felix. For now, no longer does he have this orphan bond with Sarah. Which isn’t to say he doesn’t love her dearly still, but now he wants to find his own family, his own people, and it seems over the period of time Sarah has been gone Felix may not have made much headway. Luckily, though, between his art, and likely sex, he has found ways to de-stress.
Focusing on the heart and soul of the series, the sci-fi mysteries, we learn that within Beth’s final days she discovered something which killed her sense of curiosity, the stubbornness which Art says made her a good cop. What exactly was that thing which broke her? Well, that is unknown. However, one possible figure maybe the maggot bots.
Yes, for those who wondered why in the world in the episode’s opening recap we saw that maggot come out of Dr. Nealon, it is because that is going to become a major issue this season. You see, it seems Dyad, for reasons not fully revealed yet, has placed those maggot things in Sarah, and possibly the rest of the clones, maybe even Kira. What makes things worse though is that, based off a video we see, you can’t just take that maggot out. If you try it likely will kill you and this is a major issue for Sarah since there isn’t much info on what those maggots are capable of.
Things To Note
Helena is going to have twins!
Kendall has leukemia and has sworn Scott to secrecy after he finds out. Leading you to wonder how this may affect Cosima’s gene therapy.
Highlights
Maggots: Do I necessarily want to see maggots wiggling around and see them move within people’s cheeks? Not at all. However, there is a creepy, and slightly freaky, element to this which really helps push Orphan Black back to the place it was in season 1.
What Killed Beth’s Spirit?: As we experience more time with Beth, we begin to see that her committing suicide was something far more complex than we thought. For between learning her relationship was a lie, being suspended for killing someone accidentally, and then her drug addiction, she had a lot going on. Yet, as Art said, she was stubborn. However, it seems something broke her and made it so no matter how stubborn she was in life, something just made it not worth living. But rather than overdose, she decides to step in front of a train, which is an odd decision and one which only can lead you to believe that she had to have chosen that more violent method for a good reason right?
M.K.: The newest clone in #CloneClub is quickly rising and becoming probably only 2nd to Helena. Reason being, as much as there is the desire to pin her as the hacker trope to Cosima’s nerd, Allison’s housewife, and etc, there is just something about her which seems beyond that. Yet, I must say, I’m glad they aren’t featuring her as prominently as Cosima or Allison for it keeps her something special.
The Babies: Helena being pregnant with twins is going to be interesting. For one, her personality hasn’t yet changed due to impending motherhood, and on top of that, you have Allison who is visibly jealous. So that combination is going to be interesting to watch. Especially since Helena is using Allison’s health insurance and something tells me someone is going to ask Allison about when her babies are due.
Felix Getting a Storyline of his Own: One of the biggest supporters of #CloneClub has had boyfriends in the past and has been your usual sassy gay sidekick, but things have changed now. Felix has a true longing for something, and it isn’t a boy or a relationship, in the usual sense. What he desires now is a family. Something he once did have with Sarah, in their shared orphan-hood, but with Ms. S now technically related to Sarah, Felix is now like the adopted kid Ms. S had since she thought she couldn’t get pregnant. So with him noting he is going to find his family comes quite a bit of interest. After all, there are only two paths this can go down. One is that he gets an Allison type of storyline where his family stuff has nothing to do with the main plot what so ever and then there is his parents being either part of Dyad’s remains or Neolution.
On The Fence
Allison’s Storyline: As long as I can remember, Allison has usually had her own thing going on as every other clone was dragged into Sarah’s mess to much higher degrees. So between her trying to keep Helena from knowing Sarah is back, to dealing with local politics, it seems she is going to act as our break from sci-fi clone drama. Which, considering Felix’s search for his family, may force her to, once again, have some of the weakest storylines of the show.
“The Stigmata of Progress”
Episode Overview
Sarah and her crew continue to try to figure out what that robo-maggot is in her cheek, alongside trying to get it out, as we learn more about Rachel’s new life hidden away somewhere with Susan Duncan.
Episode Rating:
Maintaining
Trigger Warning(s):
Throat Slit & Decaying Body
Review Summary
As Sarah makes baby step progress toward figuring out what that Neolution maggot is, much less how to get it out, leaps and bounds are made for Felix which feels a bit unfortunate. For with this being his first real storyline, not one dealing with Sarah or some flighty love interest, you’d think more time and effort would be done. However, for those looking for a touchy-feely moment that surprising comes from Rachel of all people. Leaving us with an episode which has a few on the fence topics, but still maintains.
Main Plot (with Commentary)
Sarah continues to investigate this robo-maggot logged into her cheek and all the while in her need to figure out what it is, and how to get it out, she ignores the needs and desires of others. Two prime examples are Kira and Felix. Kira, to begin, has begun to space out and the more we learn about these maggots, the more there is the need to question who does and doesn’t have one. Allison is checked by Donnie and it seems he finds nothing, but as for Kira, Allison, Helena, and even Rachel, that is hard to say. However, M.K.’s contact, who had the video, does present the idea that perhaps these devices could have some positive uses, like administering insulin among other things, but also with their proximity to the brain, who knows what sinister things maybe a possibility. Leading us back to Kira who, with spacing out, dreaming of her mother’s death, and just seeming out of it, you have to wonder if someone is seeing the strength of those robo-maggots on this little girl’s brain.
Switching to Felix, he has found his sister, named Adele, and while she can only provide him insight about his American father, who is dead [1], there is some peace with him. However, with Felix finding his biological sister, in combination with Sarah being so demanding of his time and energy, and seems the two of them have a row. One which isn’t likely to be solved quickly unless what Sarah suspects is true and Adele is a Neolutionist spy.
But even as Sarah deals with a maggot in her cheek, Ferdinand coming back into her life claiming her can help, and Allison digging up Dr. Leekie to get his former robo-maggot for Cosima to research, the other clones have their own problems. Helena, for example, is now being investigated, well technically Allison, but Helena is the true criminal. Reason being for the investigation? Well, drug dealers or not, Pouchy’s people being massacred has to be looked into, and simply finding a campaign sign, has led the cops to Allison’s front door. So with Allison busy digging up a dead body, Helena finds herself once more pretending to be Allison and Donnie pretending to be her husband. Which leads to the cops walking away, for now, since they don’t have much to go by [2].
Thus leaving Rachel. She, alongside the long absent Charlotte, who seemingly bounces from caretaker to caretaker, a Castor clone Ira, and Susan Duncan all live together in some secluded place. Rachel spends most of her days doing rehab with Ira, with seldom visits from Susan, and she also is somewhat of a mother to Charlotte. Well, perhaps we should consider her a mother for she is a clone of Rachel, slightly modified after Susan’s 400+ tries to get it right. But even after so many tries the child has a malformed leg and coughs up blood. Which for Rachel, especially after she learns the child is technically her own, is a problem. So while she may not be strong enough yet to force her and Charlotte’s way out of Susan’s hiding place, she can still use different means and methods to alert Ferdinand to Susan’s existence and use him to push her agenda.
Things To Note
- Felix’s mother is a dancer and she is dead.
- Sarah and Helena talk, but with Sarah into her own nonsense the conversation is short. However, it is a bit touching how Helena speaks on how she wants her babies to not grow up like her.
Highlights
Seeing Rachel learn that Charlotte is sick and this feeling that a maternal instinct is blossoming.
Allison being part of the main story more than usual.
On The Fence
Felix finding his sister rather quickly, with little to know drama in the search was a disappointment since this is his first, non-Sarah involved, storyline. At least to my recollection.
Kira acting strange can be either a gift or a curse depending on the reason. Is it abandonment or because a robo-maggot?
“From Instinct to Rational Control”
Overview
Jealousy, revenge, and mistrust. There three things are the focus of this week’s episode as Alison is forced to be part of Sarah’s plans, and finds herself at a fertility clinic; M.K.’s true intentions are revealed, and we find Rachel perhaps making one of the hardest decision she has ever had.
Trigger Warning(s):
View of a Maggot
Main Plot (with Commentary)
Topic 1: A Difficult Decision (Susan and Rachel)
It has become established that there is some inkling of feeling between Rachel and Charlotte. However, while the girl is perhaps the closest thing Rachel will ever get to having a child, unfortunately, said child is sick. But, at the same time, her sickness and how it progresses is valuable to both the clones and humanity. So, being that Susan would prefer Rachel make the decision, she leaves it up to her. Thus leading you to wonder if Charlotte was just a means of Rachel getting in contact with Ferdinand, simply someone to talk to, or if maybe, just maybe, Rachel saw her as one of her own.
Well, final decision: Rachel decides to not intervene for the better of mankind. However, with Rachel having little to no trust in terms of Susan, and whoever is paying for this massive, likely underground, holding cell, this all could be lip service. After all, Rachel has worked in the business world and knows how to play office politics. So surely, as she is in a weakened state, she’d rather gain friends than enemies. But mark my words, once she is at full strength or Ferdinand may be able to help, any words or promises made to Susan will likely be voided and I fully expect her to take Charlotte.
Topic 2: Motherhood (Alison and Helena)
As noted in past episodes, there is a part of Alison uncomfortable with Helena being pregnant. Main reason being, she had tried for likely years to do so. Yet someone visually identical to her is in her home, using her insurance, and having her belly swell to accommodate children. As you can imagine, between envy or jealousy there is something bubbling there. To the point, Donnie feels the need to caution Helena. Something which, since Helena is more intelligent than often given credit for, pushes Helena to deciding she should leave. After all, why would she stay where she isn’t wanted? Much less, why would she desire to make her seestra feel bad? But where is she to go is a good question? One would assume Beth’s home, or maybe be around Sarah, but one can’t really be sure.
Refocusing on Alison, it seems Sarah has come to the point where she wants Alison to pull her weight. No longer is she just going to do light work and provide a hiding spot, or give moderate financial support. No, she is going to do some investigations and get her hands dirty on purpose, and not by accident. Thus leading her to a fertility clinic [1] and her sending Donnie and Felix in to investigate. Meanwhile, she deals with an old friend who has now become pregnant thanks to one Dr. Bosch. A Neolutionist, working under Evie Cho, who helps women have babies with the help of advanced technology. Which, possibly, Alison may become interested in.
Topic 3: Always an Outsider, Never a Friend (M.K. and Sarah)
Much is revealed about M.K., real name Veera Suominen, who apparently isn’t so much into the idea of Clone Club as she is for revenge. For despite it being discovered that the maggot edits its host DNA, and how much Sara has done to try to work with M.K., her sole focus is avenging her friend Niki, one of the Lyda clones. So upon the discovery that Sarah is working with Ferdinand, the cleaner who caused the often cited Helinski (which it seems only those who read the comics would know), she is ready to cut ties with Sarah and kill the man who caused her so much pain. Unfortunately, though, before she gets the chance Sarah intervenes for she needs Ferdinand’s contacts. Which, in the end, will be all she has. For the 3 million dollars Ferdinand was keeping away M.K. takes. Then after, she disappears.
Question(s) Left Unanswered
Considering how tech savvy, and murderous, M.K. is, would it be wrong to believe she likely is hunting those she discovers as the Topside’s board of directors?
Things To Note
1: I should note that Trina, who was Beth’s contact, appears and she is the reason Alison is forced to look into “Lifespring Fertility,” which is the fertility clinic Felix and Donnie go into as a would-be gay couple. Also, I should note Trina calls herself a carrier. Leading you to wonder if she got to keep that assumed baby or not. Much less, what do Neolution children look like?
Review Summary
Highlights
Learning What The Maggot Is/ Does
Helena On The Road Again: While just seeing Helena on the regular is a blessing, I must admit seeing her put on the bench seemed like the show was wasting her potential. Granted, she is pregnant, so it isn’t like she can fully do what she used to, out of fear of losing the babies, but there remain such an untapped well there. So with her leaving the Hendrix home, either to be with Sarah, her children’s father, in Beth’s old home, or an entirely other place, so comes a new thing to question and guess. Which, with us talking about Helena, likely she is going to end up somewhere totally out of left field.
At Last A Compelling Story For Alison: Infertility was a topic of interest in a past season, since Rachel seemingly wanted a child at one time, but in its return to the show the focus is on Alison. Someone who, admittedly, has consistently been one of my least favorite clones but there is something about her infertility issues which intrigues me. Especially as it seems she might consider taking in a Neolution baby for the sake of having a child of her own.
On The Fence
Rachel: There is just something about an old villain gestating as you await their eventual return. Especially in terms of Rachel since you can’t be fully sure where her storyline may go. Likely she will never side with Sarah and the rest, for there is far too much bad blood, yet with Charlotte in the picture, and I’m sure her not being too happy about the multiple betrayals of Dyad in the past, you can be sure that she is bound to forge her own path. Question is, what path would that be?
