Orphan Black Season 3 (1 Viewer)

[Adam Lenhardt]

The reveal about Paul always working for Castor came about four-fifths of the way through the second season, when Tony the transclone passed on the message: "Tell Beth to keep the faith. Paul's like me. He's on it. He's a ghost." We didn't know what Castor was at that point, but we knew Paul was undercover. Likewise, in the second season finale it was made explicitly clear that the blackmail Dyad had against him about supposed improprieties in Afghanistan had been staged by the U.S. military as a means of helping him infiltrate Dyad.


The desperation that led Mrs. S to make the trade was the fact that Castor needed a fertile Leda clone. There were only two to be had, and both Mrs. S and Paul were desperate to ensure that that one wasn't Sarah.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Episode 7: "Down the long lane of the history yet to be written America knows that this world of ours, ever growing smaller, must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect."

BBC America Synopsis:

Spoiler

Episode 3.07 - Community of Dreadful Fear and Hate
Original Airdate: May 30th, 2015 | 9:00PM

Alison must secure a store front in order to take her and Donnie’s business to the “next level”. But things don’t go according to plan when her mother, Connie, proves to be a major hindrance. Cosima is facing familiar health issues and calls upon beleaguered Alison for a favor. But with Alison working to save an imperiled Donnie from the merciless hands of a drug lord, it’s Cosima who ends up doing a favor. An unassuming Scott gets closer to the greatest discovery of all, when he sits down with beleaguered clone Rachel.

 

[DaveF]

Thanks for the reminder. I'll have to re watch parts of S2. That revelation did not register with me (or my wife) then. For some reason, it doesn't seem an organic part of the story that Paul was always part of Castor.

In S1, it was strongly portrayed Paul didn't know about clones. He didn't know he was seeking a fertile female clone.

Shows do this all the time, retroactively fix story elements as they discover the evolving plot progression. But sometimes it doesn't fit as well.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Yeah, I don't think they'd figured out Paul's role in Season 1, but they definitely had by Season 2. The only slightly awkward retcon for me was that they hadn't decided that Ari Millen was playing the Castor clones when Mark and Paul shared a drink while Paul was tracking Sarah and Mark was tracking Helena. They should have recognized each other, but in that last episode they sort of explained it away as Paul recognizing Mark but not wanting to blow either of their covers and Mark for whatever reason not recognizing Paul.

 

[joshEH]

TEAM HENDRIX

 

[TravisR]

The only thing more fitting than Donnie taking Alison's last name is Alison's mom being a real piece of work.

 

[joshEH]

DONALD FRANCIS CHUBBS! Oh my God, of course that's his last name.

...Aaaaaaand this is why Alison is the way she is. Holy frickin' Christmas cake. Welcome to Clone Club, Mrs. Hendrix. Let the real heart attack commence.

"The same Pouchie who cut off Vic's finger?"
"...Maybe."
"There are NOT two Pouchies, darling."

Can't wait for next week's episode. Donnie and Helena is the team-up I never knew I wanted, but which I now realize I've always needed.

 

[TravisR]

Donnie and Helena is the team-up I never knew I wanted, but which I now realize I've always needed.

Yeah, the instant that I saw that, I realized that it's the best possible comedic combo of this show's characters and I had never even thought of it.

 

[joshEH]

Donnie speaking Portuguese was freaking hysterical.


That medieval farming-game is hardcore. Having just checked BoardGameGeek.com it apparently rates 8 out of 10 stars there (and 10 out of 10 stars at Dyad, evidently).


Also, Delphine could totally wipe the floor with you, Shay. She's like 90 feet tall.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

It was an interesting choice after that big dramatic mythology episode to follow up with an episode centered around the show's small quirky pleasures, but I loved it.


As Josh said, Meeting Mama Hendrix explained so much. And of course she'd be wowed by the charismatic drug dealer while being completely dismissive of the husband with his nose on the literal chopping block for her daughter.


San Francisco pot smoker and certified lesbian Cosima's speech to a conservative Ontario suburban school district, including walking off and apologizing for the shit show while still on stage may be my favorite thing ever.


Mrs. S decking Helena in the face, pausing for a moment in surprise at her own action, and then hugging it out with our favorite psychotic murderess comes in a close second.


The whole theme of this extended family that's come from the clone revelation, while a bit too on the nose, was nevertheless well stated. I'll admit I got a bit choked up when Sarah called Mrs. S "mum".


I can't wait to hear Rachel's conversation with Sarah.


Is the protein in the Leda clones communicable as well? If so, Cosima might have inadvertently left a metric shit ton of sterile ladies in her wake.

 

[mattCR]

I loved Cosima's speech, but my favorite moment was Helena "and we will drive tow trucks together".. hilariously out of the blue but yet something that matched with her character.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

BBC America and Space have released the titles and programming guide synopses for the last three episodes:

Episode 8: "Progress toward these noble goals is persistently threatened by the conflict now engulfing the world. It commands our whole attention, absorbs our very beings. We face a hostile ideology global in scope, atheistic in character, ruthless in purpose, and insidious in method. Unhappily the danger it poses promises to be of indefinite duration. To meet it successfully, there is called for, not so much the emotional and transitory sacrifices of crisis, but rather those which enable us to carry forward steadily, surely, and without complaint the burdens of a prolonged and complex struggle – with liberty the stake. Only thus shall we remain, despite every provocation, on our charted course toward permanent peace and human betterment."

BBC America Synopsis:

Spoiler

Ruthless in Purpose, and Insidious in Method
Season 3 | Episode 8 | Original Airdate: June 6th, 2015 | 9:00PM

When Rachel makes a promise to Sarah, it comes with a hefty price. Meanwhile, Helena and Gracie work with the Hendrixes, and Donnie takes Kellerman to task. Over at Castor, Coady and Benchman scheme to track down the Castor Original, and Rudy descends on DYAD for a much needed asset. Justin Chatwin guest stars.

Episode 9: "Another factor in maintaining balance involves the element of time. As we peer into society's future, we – you and I, and our government – must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering for, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without asking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow."


Space Synopsis:

Spoiler

Insolvent Phantom of Tomorrow
Season 3 | Episode 9 | Original Airdate: June 13th, 2015 | 9:00PM

Sarah, Felix, and Mrs. S are in London to track down the Castor Original, but their enemies are not far behind.

Episode 10: "Down the long lane of the history yet to be written America knows that this world of ours, ever growing smaller, must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect."


Space Synopsis:

Spoiler

History Yet To Be Written
Season 3 | Episode 10 | Original Airdate: June 20th, 2015 | 9:00PM

Castor and Topside force Sarah to make uneasy alliances. But there is some rest for the wicked, when Donnie gives Helena an unexpected ‘gift’, and the results of Alison’s candidacy finally come in. Even as team Leda takes a moment to breathe, change is afoot and a life hangs in the balance.

 

[DaveF]

I appreciated seeing Agricola on Orphan Black. It's considered a top game, if you're into complex euro-games. It's not my thing specifically (I prefer the less time-consuming games like 7 Wonders). But it was an apt choice for Scott and friends. And, like everyone else, it's fun to get a reference to one's favorite sub-sub-culture hobby.


That said, the title and brand were pretty well visible. So I wonder if it was product placement. Or it could be a writer's favorite game and they wrote it in.

 

[joshEH]

"I may be a bitch, but I'm Alison's bitch." OMFG.


Donnie, remember that time your wife was so afraid that you were spying on her that she knocked you out and tortured you? Maybe you should rethink this.


Also, I hope Scott scanned that shit and uploaded it to Dropbox. You never know when a psychotic clone is gonna steal an H.G. Wells book from you. Fucking traitor Shay.


"You are like baby ox...this I like." Helena is like dat Donnie azz.

 

[joshEH]

Also, which clone is officially the hawtest? I think I'm jumping the Cosima-ship and climbing aboard the S.S. Krystal.

 

[TravisR]

Scott's apartment was exactly how I'd imagine it.

 

[schan1269]

Also, which clone is officially the hawtest? I think I'm jumping the Cosima-ship and climbing aboard the S.S. Krystal.

In this context...

Super Slut...???

(using the line..."I can think of no greater compliment")

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Really enjoyed this episode. While we got a nudge toward the Castor original (who is the biological brother of the Leda original), and there was that whole bait and switch with Rachel that had both Dyad and Clone Club fooled (is the old lady overseeing Rachel's surgery Susan Duncan?), nearly the entire hour was devoted to character.


The whole sequence in the nail salon was brilliant and had so many things going on. I'm always fascinated when we meet a new Leda clone, because while obviously the particulars are very different certain shared qualities always seem to shine through. In this case, the one that stood out again for me was the Leda clones' innate intelligence. Everything about Krystal Goderich that we'd seen from the video surveillance footage in the season premiere and then in the opening scene tonight with Delphine getting a manicure, from the way looked to the way she acted to the way she spoke, pointed toward her being a shallow, empty-headed little nitwit. But once Felix (how neat was it to get to hear his natural speaking voice without the British accent or the more flamboyant affectations?) starting digging even a little, that first impression quickly crumbled. She managed to zero in on the artificial constructs in her life, picked up on the importance of the Castor tattoo and accurately reproduced it, and kept an organized record of her investigation. Meanwhile, Sarah and Felix used to pull identity theft scams like these on a lark without a second thought, but now have reached a level of maturity where they feel completely shitty about it. Felix in particular is ready to blow the lid on the whole damn thing, bless him, but ultimately agrees not to blow her whole world upside down. And Sarah, sitting in the car and listening to every word, could not relate to this girl any more if she tried. Everything Krystal confesses to Felix rings completely true with Sarah's experiences. By the end of the episode, I was really hoping that Krystal makes it through her ordeal, because she's someone worth rooting for. And the fact that we get a whole season with Jordan not playing Felix, in a way, and Tatiana not playing Sarah, without us thinking twice about it, shows just how great a cast this show has.


The whole interplay between Cosima and Delphine, and the depth of anger there now, was really interesting. They each felt like they couldn't trust the other, plotting schemes and manipulations, and as a result they both ended up getting played.


It's also interesting to see the walls between the individual clones's worlds continue to crumble. I like that Helena and Gracie are weaving back and forth between Sarah's world and Alison's world. The shared supporting characters help keep this world bound together without Tatiana Maslany necessarily having to act opposite herself in every scene. This strange sort of blended family that's come out of Project Leda is one of the most powerful and compelling parts of the show, and so far they've grown it in a really smart and engaging way.


Speaking of Helena and Gracie, I loved that scene where they came face to face for the first time since the farm and the first time since Gracie's miscarriage. Helena cares about her babies more than just about anything in the world. But when confronted with the loss of one of them, the one closest to being a real baby outside of the one she's carrying herself, there is absolutely no anger or judgement. Whereas Gracie's mother and the Proletheans cast her out as soon as her utility had ended, in a particularly cold and heartless fashion, Helena has only empathy for the ordeal that Gracie has endured. And she hugs Gracie and gives her the kind of emotional support and plain, ordinary, everyday kindness that her mother should have given her. The dichotomy between Helena's brutal lethality and warmhearted benevolence is endlessly riveting.


Given the beat down Jason Kellerman laid on Donnie when Donnie stepped up and tried to confront him (without a gun, because after the Leekie incident he's learned from his mistakes) I have a feeling that we'll be seeing Helena's brutal lethality again real soon. After all, Helena's got a soft spot for Donnie ("You have meat on your bones. You are strong. Like baby ox. This I like.") and the assault he endured will not go unanswered.


I'm psyched to be headed to London with our original three British characters. I have a feeling it's going to look suspiciously like Toronto.

 

[joshEH]

I GOT REFUND.

 

[joshEH]

Fucking Gracie. Shit. Then again, I guess Shay really was too much of a red-herring.


Props to Mrs. S for being willing to blow her own mother away for a cause. And here I'd be totally willing to do it for free.


"You should not threaten bebies." My new catchphrase (to be uttered in a completely-monotone, dead-eyed, murderous Ukrainian accent) for whenever something random intensely displeases me.