Orphan Black has just laid down the path for one epic sized series finale next week. A lot of characters didn’t make it out of this episode alive and many others are in perilous positions. This episode also dove heavily into Helena’s path and definitely explained a lot about why she was the way she was when she was first introduced in the first season. It also finally explained her blonde hair. It’s no wonder why she’s so fierce after all the torture and manipulation she was subject to. It was horrendous what that poor child had to endure only to be supposedly rescued and further manipulated by Tomas. She really had an awful upbringing. Sarah really was one of the very first people to truly care about her in any sincere way. The fact Helena was able to overcome so much to be with her sisters and be a part of the family says so much about how strong she really is.
After all that Helena has been through it’s no wonder why she convinced herself that effectively killing herself was the right answer when she thought she was all alone. What she failed to realize is that she’s a part of a family now and one that loves her so much that they were willing to risk life and limb to rescue her. She’s not some abused orphan anymore, but a sister and an aunt who is loved more than she realizes. Her twin quite literally stormed the proverbial castle to get to her. Sarah had just lost Mrs. S. and nothing was going to keep her from getting to her sister. Sadly, to go save Helena, Sarah had to leave Kira behind, but the young girl seemed to understand why her mom had to go. Kira felt Helena’s pain and understood enough of what was going on to know the severity of everything. Even though Sarah had to leave Kira, they did get to share some terrific scenes together. Skyler Wexler and Tatiana Maslany delivered some really nice mother-daughter moments as they both mourned Mrs. S. and tried to make sense of their new normal. The fact Sarah was able to pry herself away from Kira for Helena showed off just how much Sarah is willing to do for her sisters, in particular, Helena. It’s that family bond that has been one of the greatest hallmarks of this show. No matter what they’ve all been through in this journey they are always there for each other.
Sarah may have been the bait in this whole situation, but she wasn’t alone. She had Scott and Art covering her back. Thanks to Scott and Hell Wizard, Art was able to infiltrate the building on what may be a one-way mission. The line has been drawn in the sand and it seems like if he’s going to go down he’s going to do so fighting. Enger has been a pain since she arrived on the scene and it’s almost a guarantee in the series finale these two will throw down. The loss of Mrs. S. was a tough blow, so when this journey is over Art has got to still be alive. Losing someone else they all care about would be a devastating blow. However, the sad fact is that there are sure to be more losses before the series fades out for good next week.
This episode saw the end of two characters and only one is really worthy of being mourned at all. That would, of course, be Mark who was far too trusting for his own good. With him, the Castor line ends, so it was only appropriate that in the same episode Coady would meet her end. It almost seemed like her end wasn’t violent enough considering what she did to all the Leda sisters and her own Castor’s. Perhaps, once upon a time, she was a decent person, but P.T. corrupted her beyond redemption. Now, to be fair, it wasn’t clearly spelled out that Helena killed her, but it seems pretty obvious that was the outcome to the head bashing. She’s one character that no one will be mourning and in fact, may be cheering at her demise. It was a good moment in the story that it was a Leda sister who ended her. Considering everything she has put them through, especially Helena, it definitely had to be one of them to do the deed.
Coady tried to act like she cared, but the fact is she didn’t. She only cared about herself and P.T. and no one or anything else mattered. She murdered one of her own creations simply because P.T. was done with him. How she can’t see how vile he is baffles the mind. Surely at some point, she should have come to her senses and defied him. After all his entire Neolution scheme is falling apart around him. She had everything to lose by remaining loyal to him and absolutely nothing left to gain. Yet she still went through with offing Mark and that’s what makes the end of that character such a great moment in the episode.
Unlike Coady, not everyone remained loyal to P.T. as was the case with Rachel. Sure, she’s spent most of her time in the series as an antagonist, but here, in the end, she stepped up for her sisters. It was her assistance that helped them get Sarah into the compound and to Helena. Granted, it all started with Art and Felix cornering her and demanding her help, but she didn’t put up much of a fight. When it came to helping she did so with very little hesitation. She easily jumped right back into badass Rachel mode to help extract information Hashem to help in the search for Helena. She’s not going to win any sister of the year awards anytime soon, but she stepped up when it counted, so good on her.
She still has some beef with P.T. so it would be nice to see her confront the old sick psycho before they end his tyranny once and for all. He has played a part in every horrific moment in their lives. He has experimented on innocent souls and ordered the murder of countless innocents and done it all to benefit himself. His own mortality terrifies him so much he’s willing to do anything to preserve his own life even if that means becoming a vile monster. He’s so far lost in his delusion that he thinks he’s still in control when in fact the entire world is turning against him. Those that still trust him and follow him are extremely limited now. He will fall, and the only question is which sister will take him down for good. A good bet would be Sarah, but never underestimate any of them. They are a family who will do anything to protect their own.
It’s that fact that made the loss of Mrs. S. hurt so much. She was their matriarch and losing her has left a huge void in their hearts. It was sad that Cosima and Alison couldn’t be there at the funeral, but at least they send Scott and Donnie to represent them. Losing Mrs. S. devastated them all, but absolutely shattered the very essence of life for Sarah, Felix, and Kira. They are her living legacy and that’s a big burden to carry given how fierce she was. The service they threw for her was beautiful and so incredibly sad. Perhaps the most beautiful moment of the episode was the saddest and it occurred at the funeral when Sarah struggled with the letter and Felix took over it. Even though Mrs. S. wasn’t there in body it felt like she was there in spirit giving them all the strength to get through it. And it was lovely that Adele was there too and so supportive of her brother. It was very tough to watch Kira break down in her mom’s arms. The whole scene was stunningly well done, but tragically sad. At least they can take comfort knowing that she went out fighting and for a warrior woman like Mrs. S. that was the only fitting end to her story.
This is the penultimate episode, which means that this time next week we will be talking about another sad subject, the end of this wonderful show. There was a lot left hanging at the end of this episode to be tied up. Helena’s babies will be born, Art will likely have a showdown with Enger, and there will be some epic showdown with P.T. and the Leda sisters. Expect a wild first half of the series finale and hopefully some calmer moments after they prevail over P.T. because we all know this story must end with P.T. failing. The sisters and their respective loved ones deserve a happy ending after all they’ve been put through. Sarah with Felix and Kira. Helena with her sisters and babies. Cosima with Delphine. Alison getting back to her old self with Donnie and their kids. Felix, Art, Delphine, Donnie, Scott, and everyone else that has been there for the sisters all along also deserve some happy ending. They’ve all put a lot on the line for the Leda sisters and hopefully, all their hard work is about to pay off so they can all get to end with happily ever afters.
Don’t miss the series finale when it airs next
Saturday, August 12th at 10/9c on BBC America.
Hit the comments with your thoughts about this episode. What do you think will happen in the series finale?
