Orphan Black 2×02 Review: Governed by Sound Reason and True Religion
The relationships between these characters moves me unlike any show on television. They are all so unique and fit together in such interesting ways that I often forget that more than half of them are played by the same actress. The plot and character development in this episode moved far quicker than I was expecting, but this show kind of has a way of racing forward at light speed. While other shows might keep tension going and prolong inevitable development, Orphan Black doesn’t hold any punches.
It looks like my initial assumption that Mrs. S escaped with Kira was actually correct, but it was a lot more complicated that a simple grab and run. They put on a quite a show to escape with the girl in order to throw people off. This episode has definitely sealed my opinion of Mrs. S. I had my doubts for a long time, but she more than proved that she is absolutely on Sarah and Kira’s side. I actually feel pretty bad at how much I doubted her because she proved to be a ruthless badass in her defense of Sarah and Kira. Whether Sarah trusts her or not is a little bit ambiguous. She did drive off and leave Mrs. S behind at the compound, but that seemed to be Mrs. S’s choice to stay behind as she stepped out of the way pretty easily. We also have Sarah’s mother’s final words, which cast a large shadow over Mrs. S’s true identity, so Sarah does have good reason to be suspicious of her. Sarah didn’t witness her pinning that woman’s hands to the table with a knife and prong or shooting her at point blank range with a rifle. We definitely have a better understanding of Mrs. S’s motives that Sarah does at this point and I’m sad that this might have been the last interaction we see between them.
It was also great to see Julian Richings make an appearance. I’ve got to confess that when he appeared I said “helloooo Death” at my computer monitor. He’ll always be Death from Supernatural to me no matter what role he plays. This time he plays Kira’s kidnapper, who has been working with Mrs. S on behalf of the clones. As his character has already departed from the main group I’m not sure if we’ll see him again, but it was a nice treat while it lasted. He’s got an unsettling aura about him that adds a heaviness to any role he’s given so I kind of hope he makes a reappearance at some point.
Meanwhile in Alison’s neck of the woods things aren’t going so well. A well timed glimpse at Donnie’s text messages confirmed to Alison that her husband is her monitor. The relationship between Alison and Felix continues to grow throughout this crisis. She confesses to him that she killed Aynsley before telling anyone else. She even begs him to not tell Sarah or anybody else what she’s done. It’s clear that out of all the people she’s met since she discovered she was a clone, Felix is the one she trusts most. She may have trusted Beth more, but we weren’t given much information about the true depths of their relationship so it’s really hard to say for sure. Either way, it’s obvious that she trusts him more than either of her clones. It’s upsetting that the episode ends with her feeling abandoned by him because I want their friendship to keep growing. While drunk and drugged Alison can be pretty funny, it’s also really sad that she’s doing it to numb her pain. It hurts to see her in such a crisis all by herself.
Helena has been taken from the hospital by the Prolethians and we’re getting a more detailed look at this mysterious religious sect. They live on some sort of compound and the followers all dress in very conservative, outdated fashions. They have an enormous amount of knowledge about who Helena is and how she fits into the whole clone conspiracy, so I’m extremely curious about their origins. Now that they know that Helena’s twin is capable of carrying a child, eyes have turned towards Helena to see if she carries the same anomaly. I have a general aversion to pregnancy body-horror plots, so I hope they don’t make her have a forced pregnancy. It would definitely lessen my enjoyment of the show, but it does seem like a possible next step for her character. Whatever happens to her, I’m looking forward to her fully waking up and being her snappy, quirky self. I love Helena more than I probably should, but I’ve come to terms with that. Long live Helena! I hope your future is brighter than the horrible reality you’re currently living in.
The scene between Cosima and Rachel Duncan was by far the most uncomfortable, but interesting scene of the season so far. I’m surprised at how much we learned about the clones in just a couple of short minutes, but I suppose that makes sense considering they are the most knowledgeable of the clones. Cosima has her scientific background and Rachel was raised in the organization so any interaction between them is going to be heavy on information. As I theorized last season, Sarah’s ability to have children makes her unique among the clones. Cosima’s sexuality also sets her apart if Rachel’s reaction is anything to go by. Not mentioned, but still interesting to note, is that Cosima is the only clone so far that wears glasses. There are subtle differences between the clones and it may be attributed to the actual cloning process. Rachel seemed to indicate that Katja’s illness was due to the cloning process, so it stands to reason that these other anomalies might also be attributed to this. Now that Cosima is investigating their genetics, I have no doubt that we’ll get answers to some of the mysteries. At the rate that this show goes, we may get them in just an episode or two.
In last week’s review I said I wanted three things and I’m surprised I got two of them by the second episode. Kira and Sarah have been reunited and Felix and Alison’s relationship continues to develop. While I am sad about the current state of Felix and Alison’s relationship, her depression about him leaving does indicate that she trusts him and relies on him a great deal. I hope they can reunite and continue to foster that. Now all I need is for Delphine and Cosima to have complete trust in one another and I’ll have all of the character relationships I’m craving for this show. But hey, two out of three in two episodes isn’t bad. I’m excited to see what else this story will bring.
Author: Angel Wilson
Angel is the admin of The Geekiary and a geek culture commentator. They earned a BA in Film & Digital Media from UC Santa Cruz. They have contributed to various podcasts and webcasts including An Englishman in San Diego, Free to Be Radio, and Genre TV for All. They identify as queer.
Help support independent journalism. Subscribe to our Patreon.
Copyright © The Geekiary
Do not copy our content in whole to other websites. If you are reading this anywhere besides TheGeekiary.com, it has been stolen.Read our
Awesome. Okay…let’s start with Sarah and Siobhan. I think like you said that Sarah does have legit reason to doubt her because she is lying. Both she and Kira are picking up on that vibe and know to get out of there. BTW…how impressive is it that Kira at her young age…and having lived her whole life with Mrs. S…has the insight and wisdom to not dismiss what her instincts are telling her. And Sarah knows to trust her daughter because she does have that insight and I love that.
That said, I believe that, whatever demons are in her past, Siobhan was speaking the truth to Sarah when she said she’s always been on her side. I think she truly loves Sarah and Kira regardless of who she was or what she’s done in her past. And we do know it’s significant because people do not just start stabbing and shooting people on a lark. She probably has a significantly more violent past than any of them know. And who did she kill? People who threatened Kira and Sarah. People who sold them all out and put her family at risk.
The look in her eye too when she saw Sarah’s doubt and confusion as she allowed her to drive past made me weep… because in that instant, she knew her efforts to protect Kira put her in danger. And she knew that Sarah didn’t trust her to help them now. I suspect that will all change and Siobhan will in the end prove to Sarah and Kira to be on their side. But for now, that doubt has to hurt.
As for Helena….this new sect of Proletheans clearly have something dark planned for her. Let’s look at the visual cues. What was in Helena’s pockets? Sugar packets, candy, crayons and….a freaky Better Baby photo, most notably associated with the Eugenics Society of America. What was Henrick doing when we first see him? Inseminating a cow. What was his big interest in Helena? She’s the twin of the mother. When he spoke to Tomas, his thoughts were on how she might also be able to bear children.
It’s also clear that this new group of Proletheans…with their out with the old, in with the new philosophy…see Helena entirely differently than Tomas and Maggie Chen, who kidnapped Helena from Ukranian nuns when she was 12 and then spent 18 years training and brainwashing her to be an assassin. No, their plans for Helena are even sicker, if that’s at all possible.
In fact it would seem that the Proletheans and Neolutionists are two sides of the same coin and both embrace eugenics in one form or another. The Neolutionists want Sarah and Kira and the Proletheans want (and now have) Helena.
Now…on to Rachel and Cosima and Delphine. I don’t know…there was something off by how overt Delphine was with Cosima in front of Aldous. “I just want to make beautiful science with you” etc. My read of Cosima’s expression was that it made her uncomfortable. It almost felt like Delphine was emphasizing the fact that she was with Cosima to Leekie as opposed to being natural around him. Might have just been a random vibe I was picking up though.
Cosima is different…because of her glasses, and bisexuality and who knows what else. But the thing is, we know that while supposedly genetically identical, they clearly have these little variations. And what of Cosima’s sexuality? Well, it’s like Delphine said. It’s fluid. Some people may or may not be attracted to the same gender and some may be willing to explore it and some not. Delphine, though using her attraction to Cosima as a cover initially, acknowledged that she herself had not considered bisexuality in her own life and thinking but that didn’t mean it wasn’t there. Just that it wasn’t considered. Does it mean that maybe this facet exists within the other clones as well and so far only Cosima has been open to exploring it because of the environment she grew up in? Perhaps. But I don’t think Rachel cared about her sexuality. I think she started with that because she wanted Cosima off balance.
What really fascinated me about the exchange was how everything for Rachel seems to go back to Kira. To motherhood. Like I said above, I think both sides are interested in the same thing…possibly for the same reasons. Both are extreme ends of the spectrum, but it all goes back to what? Motherhood. Children. Kira.
Finally, let’s discuss Alison, whose life just imploded. I’m seeing several parallels between her and Beth which I find disturbing. They both found out their mate was their monitors. They both use drugs/alcohol to cope. They both feel alone and abandoned. Alison telling Felix that even her clones think she’s useless made my heart break.
At the same point, Alison has her kids, something Beth didn’t. That could anchor her.
It is my hope that Alison and Cosima, who I’ve never seen as being particularly close, start to bond and open up to each other. Alison should tell her about Donnie and Aynsley and Cosima should tell her about her illness. They need each other now more than ever, especially with Sarah temporarily galavanting around the countryside.
And Sarah too…she needs her “sisters”. So I hope she figures out quickly that she really cannot run from this and that they all need each other’s strength to prevail.
Wow…I’m sorry. That came off more as a novel than a comment. lol
I LOVE super long replies to my articles. Never apologize for that lol.
The whole thing with Mrs S breaks my heart. I’m not sure if she’ll pop back up in the narrative again or not. I had doubted her motivations for so long and now that it’s clear she’s on Team Sarah & Kira I really love her. For some reason the way that ended felt pretty final to me and I can’t explain why. She’ll either be killed or willingly stay out of Sarah and Kira’s way so more harm doesn’t come to them.
The interactions between Delphine and Cosima in this episode definitely haven’t made me feel like their relationship has found solid ground yet. I really want it to, though, but yeah, the scene with Dr Leekie felt forced. Delphine is in a difficult position, though, because I do feel she loves Cosima and would choose her over DYAD if it came to it, but right now it seems like she feels being partnered with DYAD is an overall net good. She’s trying to play her cards right with both sides. When she handed over the blood sample in the first episode her internal conflict was so incredibly clear across her face, so Dr Leekie might already suspect that her loyalty could waver.
And oh God, I hadn’t even thought of the Alison/Beth parallels. That’s so heart breaking, but you are absolutely right. I wish we had an opportunity to see more of the interactions between those two because I feel like they were extremely close. Right now Felix is the person Alison is closest to, but we really have no idea how deep Beth and Alison’s friendship went. Now that you bring up these parallels and I notice just how similar their habits are, I’m even more curious about what interaction between those two was like. We’ll probably never know… I weep… 🙁
It’s interesting between in season one I assumed that Cosima and Alison were pretty close, but that was just because they were the two in the know who had to explain it to Sarah. Once Beth was out of the equation, it really does seem like Alison is alone. If her and Cosima can bond more moving forward that’d be great. They need each other.
And I have no words for the trajectory of Helena’s story. It seems obvious where it’s going and thematically it makes sense, but it is one of my least favorite tropes ever. It’s going to be very uncomfortable for me, but it fits the story. We’ll see how it goes I suppose.
-Admin Angel
I am very pleased you like long comments because this show in particular makes me think and feel quite a bit. I love to analyze and deconstruct characters, narratives, arcs…whatever. And sometimes the show isn’t worth that attention (meaning, I and others seem to care more about the logic than the writers do) and some rare gems like this one make my obsessive analysis and theorizing worthwhile. 🙂
I do not believe Siobhan is out of the picture. I saw a great extended inside look today that focuses on her and they all basically said there’s more to come. More secrets, more details. Tatiana Maslany talked about this as well and how will she be able to trust S when she’s been lying to her all her life. S will continue to fight on Sarah and Kira’s behalf, whether they like it or not. Also, in a radio interview, Maria Doyle Kennedy stated that Mrs. S will get some sort of love interest as well. (I’m happy for her as long as it’s not Leekie or Johanssen). lol All this to say, I don’t think we’re done with her yet, thank goodness.
With regard to Delphine and Cosima…I think they actually have the exact same problem. Head versus heart. They do care for each other deeply but intellectually, they are on different sides of the rift. Add to that, Cosima has been badly burned by Delphine but she just can’t help herself from flying closer to that flame.
As for Alison…I just read a spoiler that she’s going to be going into rehab. Add to that the fact that we’re supposed to learn more about Beth this year and I hope that means we’ll find out what kind of connection they had. Alison had played it off to Sarah at the shooting range but I suspect that maybe she felt a connection with Beth that she might not have felt with Cosima. I hope soccercop fans out there don’t take offense but I don’t think it was romantic. lol I don’t know that I can ship people who are essentially biologically sisters with each other. But I do think that there might have been a closeness where maybe they confided in each other a little more than with others, even though we know that Beth kept a LOT of secrets from both Cosima and Alison.
As for Helena…. well now with that spoiler pic of her in a wedding dress with Johanssen and wearing a ring…just NO.
That said, I suspect if Henrik thinks he will get a chance to consummate his marriage, he will find himself one bit short of a threesome.
Think Lorena Bobbitt. 😉
Interesting to hear about Mrs. S. Thanks for the info!
LOL is “soccercop” this ship name between Alison and Beth? Good to know. I ship them, but the whole genetically identical thing is a little weird. It’s not nearly as screwed up as some of my other ships (judging myself for my Hannibal ships very hard). There was definitely something there, though, whether it was just a deep trust or a connection due to their similarities beyond genetics. I’m glad to hear that we’ll learn more.
The spoiler pic of Helena in a wedding dress was a million different kinds of NO. But yes, that is going to be a dangerous relationship for the potential husband and after seeing what she did to that one guys tale last season, going Bobbitt on him is definitely in the real of possibilities. As long as Helena isn’t injured she’s extremely capable and pretty damn brutal. Looking forward to her inevitably gruesome justice however she ends up doing it. Rock on Helena.