It's always exciting when our clones find out something more about themselves, isn't it? In episode "Formalized, Complex, and Costly," both the Castor and Leda clones are rocked with an important revelation that just might change the way they interact from this point forward. The only problem is getting each of them to believe it. Seth's body comes in handy, allowing Cosima to remove his brain for further dissection with Felix's help: "tongs or spoons?" In the meantime, Sarah and Art are pursuing their only lead, Mark, to find a way to get closer to Helena, giving Art the opportunity to reveal more about his interest in helping the clones.
The episode begins in a fashion that suits scenes with Felix and Sarah. A little dark humor and a lot of trouble send the two reeling when Art shows up right as they're trying to dispose of Seth's body. Sarah makes clear what Art probably already knows: "Okay, first off-it wasn't us." A quick chat with Cosima puts a plan in motion to study the glitch of the Castor clones, freeing Sarah and Art to chase their lead on Mark.
Logically, we jump to Mark and Gracie to find that they have yet to consummate their marriage. Gracie sweet talks an anxious and worried Mark, and he spills his guts, at least partially, to reveal
what we already assumed: Mark was sent by the military to infiltrate the Proletheans. However, we also learn that Gracie's father, Henrik, ran away with important military science related to the Castor clones, and Mark came to retrieve it.
Apparently, the military has reason to believe that Henrik has original samples of the Castor clones, which would allow them to cure the glitching clones. Mark believes that an associate of Henrik's, Willard Finch, is holding this for safe keeping, so he and Gracie come up with a plan to retrieve it. When Gracie returns with a locked box, Mark only finds papers and notebooks, but the key is what he says next: there should be DNA samples that require temperature control. Wait a minute. Didn't Helena escape from the farm with a canister of samples? Could it be that original DNA samples are sitting unnoticed in Felix's apartment?
While the other clones are chasing answers and searching for Helena, Alison and Donnie are hot and deep in their new business. Under the guise of a soap business, the two are taking advantage of Ramon's client list to make money and blackmail her constituents. When the incumbent, Marcie, shows up at Alison's house and tries to buy her off to back out of the election, Alison stands up for herself with her oh-so-Alison comeback: "Go sell a house, Marcie." The more I see of Alison and Donnie, the more I am rooting for them to kick ass and take names. They're hilarious together, and now that they're on the same page, there's no stopping them.
Later in the episode there is a small peek at Rachel. She appears to be doing well, performing exercises that show she is making cognitive progress. When she attempts to ask about things beyond
her small medical room, however, she learns a truth that surely stabs at her cold heart: Delphine sent word that she died in a plane crash, so as far as Topside is concerned, Rachel Duncan is dead.
As someone with a love-hate relationship with her character, I'm interested to see how this changes her viewpoint. Will she be more open to the sisterhood of the Leda clones?
I've always seen her as an opposite, yet similar character, to Helena because they were both raised for a purpose that required them to be cold and deadly for the greater good as dictated by DYAD and the Proletheans, respectively. Could this be her turning point? Just as Helena learned that she was not any better than the other Clones, Rachel is learning that she is now on their level. Perhaps even a bit lower as evidenced by a simple sentence: "You're more valuable than you know." What plans does Delphine have for the woman who essentially stripped her of her relationship with Cosima?
Rudy returns to the Castor's base and finds their "mother" is not happy that he terminated Seth. This is completely secondary in reality. She's worried because, according to her conversation with Paul, she needs him to buy time with the director so she can save the Castor clones. Who exactly is the director? She also needs Rudy to find Mark and find what they need to cure the Castor clones. In her
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| (Makes machine gun sounds) |
interaction with Rudy, we see a childlike side where he sucks his thumb after speaking about seeing Seth glitch so quickly, giving more depth to his character. On the other hand, he goes right on to pick a fight with Helena.
"Another one," she says with amusement. "You are the ugliest Mark yet." I hate to tell Rudy, but he may feel like he is big and bad enough to take her on, but Helena is too smart and crafty for him to stand a chance. Paul intervenes, letting Helena bring more of her sparkling observation: "Dirty Paul. He lies with my sestras. Even Rachel. Come inside, have another." Ah, if only he would. Helena would turn that compound upside down.
Art and Sarah hit the road in search of Mark. They find Alexis, the former midwife at Henrik's compound, and Sarah is hit with a truth that only makes her desire to find Helena stronger: Helena is pregnant. So is Gracie. During their investigation, Art keeps getting calls from the station and Sarah pushes him to reveal why he is so insistent on helping even
with the possibility of losing his job. Art reveals the first of two important confessions: Beth tried to tell him about being a clone the night she killed herself, but he didn't listen. Later after they visit Finch's farm, he sheds more light onto his interest in Sarah's plight.
Sarah says what he can't: "You loved her." The shoe drops and Art's insistent involvement makes sense. "She tried to tell me, what she was," he said, but even more important, he shows how the nature of each of the clones is more powerful in some ways than nurture. They may not have known one another, but he tells Sarah that she is "Beth's sister, through and through." With this sobering confession, he leaves Sarah to her hunt so he can return to work and remain of use to them in the police department.
Mark leaves Gracie to go back to Finch's farm and try to find what he believes Finch is holding for Henrik, so Gracie winds up at the diner where Sarah was with Art. Sarah takes a seat and introduces herself, not flinching when Gracie admits she thought Helena was lying when she said she had a sister. Sarah asks Gracie about Mark and when she refuses to give her information, Sarah tells her one little detail Mark left out of his confession that morning: he is a clone. Gracie is shocked and hurt. Sarah uses the moment to remind her that she is carrying Helena's baby, and asks about Mark again so she can save her sister. Next thing we know, Gracie is back at the hotel packing her bag and her mother is at the door after Alexis told her of Gracie's whereabouts. Gracie confesses that she made bad choices and, seemingly, returns home with her mother.
In the Willard Finch's barn, Sarah receives a phone call from Cosima. When Cosima and Scott dissected Seth's brain, Cosima ran his DNA to compare it to the Leda clones. The result, while not astonishing to fans, confirms what many thought was a sensible conclusion. Castor and Leda are siblings. As Helena would say, hello brother-sestra. Sarah doesn't have time to digest this information as she is distracted by a noise in the barn, which turns out to be Mark. Mark attempted to torture the information out of Mr. Finch, but he could not take it and died of a heart attack. Sarah provokes him to get information about Helena by telling him she told Gracie the truth, but when that fails to work, she uses her newly found information. Of course, Mark refuses to believe that they are brother-sestras and his only concern is for Gracie.
Rushing from the barn, Mark attempts to leave to find Gracie when he is shot in the leg. Sarah witnesses it and watches helplessly from the safety of the building. Mark drags himself into the
nearby cornfield and looks up to see his shooter: Gracie's mother. She's angry that Mark betrayed
them and angry that he took advantage of her daughter. She aims the gun at him and he makes a heart wrenching plea: "I love her." There are a few times where I've doubted his feelings for Gracie, but this whole episode made me truly believe that he loved her. Of course, mother hen isn't impressed. The scene cuts back to Sarah, watching in horror as a shot is fired and the crows fly into the sky. We assume Mark is dead.
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| My face at the end of this episode. |
Just like in most episodes of Orphan Black, this one is full of details that keep you guessing and thinking ahead. If Mark really is dead, I can't help but wonder how Gracie will feel once she comes back to her senses. Will it be a mother-daughter battle? When will they find that damned canister Helena left in Felix's apartment? Cosima still has her nagging cough. How long until she begins to decline again? We know Rudy is coming back to find the genome to save the Castor clones. How will he react when he finds out they're siblings? Will he even believe it? Will they team up and it wind up a clone versus military versus DYAD war? What I love most about this show are the endless possibilities that keep me guessing week in and week out. This week was no different. That being said...
Anyone have a TARDIS? I'll just travel ahead to next Saturday, please.
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