The sad day has finally come where we must say goodbye to this show forever. On the bright side, it will live on in our hearts and minds forever. This is the type of a show with the sort of legacy that will never allow it to be truly gone. New fans will continue to discover it through various online mediums while those of us who have been with it from the start will continually go back and watch certain episodes over and over again throughout the years. Tatiana Maslany will live on in infamy as the most talented and diverse actress of this generation all because of this one show. Other actors and actresses have played multiple roles, but none nearly to the degree of Maslany who wowed every single week. She made the characters so unique that even long term viewers sometimes found themselves wondering how the same actress was doing it all. Orphan Black will live on and its reputation will only grow as Tatiana Maslany’s immense talent continues to evolve and wow audiences for a long time to come.
This was a very unique series finale in that most viewers likely expected the drama of Helena’s birthing of her twins and the final battle with P.T. to drag out longer. It was very surprising that the intense part of the episode barely took up a quarter of the hour. Yet it was so very right because it gave the show time to properly say goodbye to everyone. We got to see what life was like for each sister after the war was won and that was what made this ending so fitting. Nothing major was left hanging and everyone got some good satisfactory ending. The whole finale was a gratifying and fun experience.
The series also saw the final demise of P.T. and Virginia and it was very fitting which sister took each of them down. They have been nothing short of vile and evil towards the sisters and there is a special dark place in Hell for them. Virginia murdered off her own line of clones and had they succeeded here the Leda line would have likely been next. What is quite interesting though is just how many Leda sisters there are versus how few Castor brothers there were. P.T. was certainly expecting to find his holy grail in a Leda, but what he underestimated is that the Leda’s are fighters who never back down from a fight. Sarah lost Mrs. S. because of P.T. and in that moment she was fighting to save her sister and her future nephews. Even more than that, she was fighting to save all of her sisters, even if at the time she didn’t know just how many lives she was truly saving. It was fitting that after all P.T. put her through she was able to take down the sick monster once and for all.
Then, in the midst of it all, two precious new lives joined the Clone Club with the birth of Purple and Orange. What was so poignant about this is that through the birth storyline they were able to incorporate Mrs. S. in the finale. Even though she couldn’t be in the present day alive and well she was at least with them in the end. It was nice that the show went back and dove into what Sarah went through with her own pregnancy. Then being able to parallel it with Helena added a really nice extra level of emotion to the hour. The finale wouldn’t have felt right without Mrs. S. in it somehow, so it was terrific that they found a way to have her participate in the story. In the end, Mrs. S. was with them and that was very important.
After everything they’ve been through it was almost weird to see them all going about normal lives without looking over their shoulders. It was nice though and to see them celebrating as a family was just the right touch. They’ve all earned this time to just sit back and relax and live their lives. What was also very appropriate was that Mrs. S’s death wasn’t forgotten or glossed over. It was still very much so affecting Sarah and all the other characters. Dealing with her loss sent Sarah to a dark place, but her loving sisters wouldn’t let her get lost there. They rallied around her and showed her that even after the fight is over they still have her backs. Sarah is going to make mistakes as a mom, but she isn’t alone and that’s the biggest thing she needed to realize. Through her grief, Sarah was even trying to sell the house to escape the bad memories, but what she seemed to be forgetting was the wonderful memories she did have there. Sarah is the strong fierce woman she is because Mrs. S. raised her to be that way. P.T. wanted Sarah to believe that she was his legacy, but that couldn’t be further from the truth because Sarah is Siobhan’s legacy and a darn good person to carry on her mom’s legacy. In Sarah, and all the sisters really, Siobhan lives on and as long as they keep living their lives and helping their other sisters they are honoring her.
It wasn’t just the clones getting back to their lives. For the length of this fight Delphine, Art, Felix, Donnie, and everyone else who came to their aid put their lives on hold. This was time to see what their lives would be like not fighting for survival with the sisters. They each sacrificed so much for the fight. Felix has been there since day one and even Art has in his own way. Donnie blundered through more than a few situations, but when it counted he was always there for the sisters. Delphine came into Cosima’s life under the disguise of a lie but ended up falling madly deeply in love with her and ended up being an invaluable asset to the family. She quite literally almost died for the cause. This family get together was a culmination of five years of struggles all made worth it. This was a celebration of the sisters and all those who they’ve loved and lost and all those still standing with them at the end.
It was also nice that we got to see Delphine and Cosima venture throughout the planet providing the cure to all the other unsuspecting Leda’s. As was said in the episode, because of all the sisters went through their other Leda sisters will never have to endure what they did. It was nice to give those unknown sisters closure as well. Plus it was kind of fun to see another Leda hit on Delphine. Apparently, the Leda sisters who love the ladies have a type and Delphine is it. Come on, who wouldn’t be a sucker for her stunning looks, brilliant mind, and that accent? It was also funny to see Cosima just a tiny bit jealous over the whole thing and Delphine to make sure that Cosima knew she was the only one for her. They finally got their happily ever after which they deserved after everything they endured. They were the great romantic love story of the show.
Felix also got his happily ever after in the form of his big New York art show and perhaps a chance to finally settle down. He also helped, along with Alison, to remind Sarah of the importance of keeping the house. It wasn’t really firmly declared, but it kind of seems that as the door closed that Sarah was indeed at least contemplating keeping the house. It’s what Mrs. S. would want and it keeps her close to all of her sisters. He also helped Rachel to get a tiny bit of closure. She might not ever be considered a part of the family, nor does she apparently wish to be, but it’s almost a guarantee that they’ll check in on her from time to time. She may have betrayed them over and over again, but she’s still a Leda and as such a small part of her will always be with the others.
Donnie and Alison got to get back to their lives as well. They get to live normal suburban lives with their kids again. Donnie found himself a job that seems to make him really happy. More than that, Alison seems to be back to her old ways. She wasn’t as bossy as she’s been previously, but there was a bit of her bossy attitude back. She’s also found some new passions in life to keep her occupied. And she and Donnie are up to their usual hilarious antics. Perhaps most importantly they get to be an Aunt and Uncle to her two adorable new nephews and their brilliant young niece. The boys seem to adore their big extended family, but definitely, have an affinity for Donnie and Alison.
That’s fitting given that the way Helena chose to name the boys was to give them the names of “real men”. While Felix would have been a cool name, there were only two boys to bestow names upon and Art and Donnie really did interact with her more than Felix. Donnie was there for her more times than can be counted and Art quite literally helped to save her life and the lives of her sons without regard to his own life. He waged war on a heavily guarded compound to give her and her boys a chance at life. Those boys couldn’t have been given better names. And, ultimately, those boys and her sisters gave Helena the one thing she always desired, a true family. She was an orphan who found hope and family through one crazy unexpected journey. It’s cool that in the end it was revealed that the story of Orphan Black was Helena’s story all along.
In the end, the bad guys were defeated and the sisters lived happily ever after. Series finales are tricky beasts and a lot of times they fall flat and don’t leave the audience feeling satisfied. This one, however, did its job well and sent the series out on a high note. It wasn’t only the characters celebrating the final journey but the audience as well. By ending the series in a low key chill kind of way it gave the audience time to decompress five years of this show and just enjoy watching everyone enjoy their lives. A fitting ending for one of the most prolific series of this generation that set a bar so high that no other clone series will likely ever be able to come even close to matching. Goodbye, Orphan Black, and thank you for five amazing years of entertainment!
Hit the comments with your thoughts about this series finale. Are you sad to see the show go? What did you think about this final episode?
