Orphan Black - Endless Forms Most Beautiful - Review

For an episode that was blowing up plots left and right, Orphan Black’s finale feels fairly slow moving. It’s not necessarily slow per se, but it’s far more methodical than one would expect from a show so heavily reliant on forward momentum. At times it comes off as the writers are checking off boxes for plot points they need to deal with to get the show setup for next season. This occasionally provides it with a slightly jumpy quality. But before it appears as if I’m being totally down on this finale, I must say that I was gripped into this world like I continually have been throughout this terrific season.

This slowness comes from a sense of functionality. Take the many twists of the episodes. Besides the one that wraps up the hour, the show is confronting plot points it’s been beating around the bush about. We still haven’t learned who Allison’s watcher is. We still don’t know why Dyad is interested in the clones. The police still haven’t come after Sarah. And thusly, the show finally shows some of its hand.

The business with the police quickly blows over with the help of Dyad shutting down the case (of course moments before Sarah reveals the truth to Art). The cops obviously can’t learn what’s what just yet, but this is not going to stop Art from getting to bottom of it. Much like a number of places plots end in this episode, this is more ellipsis than period. A to be continued. But it's okay because there's simply too much else going on to be completely let down by plots ending in these sorts of places. 

Dyad is apparently run by one of the clones, Rachel, a woman raised with awareness of her clone nature (called "ProClone") and has devious plans in mind for our other clones. She attempts to get Cosima, Allison, and Sarah to sign contracts with the company. The episode is essentially about the three of them pondering over whether they should or shouldn’t considering what’s happened over the course of the past nine episodes. Now it turns out the contracts are bullshit (not really surprising); Cosima with the help of a returning, apologetic Delphine discover that the clone’s DNA is intellectual property that the company will own if they sign the contracts. 

Allison signs before she learns this. She’s understandably still concerned about her children. The most interesting development in Allison’s story though is that she essentially commits the murder of Aynesley, the nosey woman she presumes to be her watcher. It’s a lovely, dark, ridiculous scene where Aynesley’s scarf gets caught in the garbage disposal and Allison hesitantly decides not to do anything about it. She thinks she’s freed of observation but that’s totally not the case. Turns out her first guess was her best guess and her husband is her watcher. 

The other big story of the finale is Sarah dealing with Helena. Their birth mother has just revealed herself to both of them. Only problem (in a nice bit of plotting) is that when the police arrived, Helena used that time to break free. Helena pretends to be Sarah and kills their mother. Sarah has had enough and kills Helena, which means we won’t get any more wildcard crazy from Helena, but then again that act was a tad one-note and was starting to get old anyway. 

This moment has some interesting implications though. Sarah kills Helena despite the fact their sisters (which was what she kept claiming as her reason for holding back). On the other hand, technically Cosima and Allison aren’t her sisters and yet her bond with them has grown into something rather sibling like. The bickering between them has the quality of sibling rivalry and sibling concern. Similarly, when we saw Allison and Felix together in past episodes, there was a sibling-like quality as they looked out for eachother. Identity has been an underlying theme of the season, and while it’s never been the most blatantly discussed piece of the show, it’s hard to ignore in a show that’s about clones. Now we know that the only thing that really matters for Sarah is Kira, and so she’s willing to give up any potential connection with her sister as it’s become too dangerous to keep her around. By contrast, Mrs. S is not an individual who has blood ties, nor is Felix, and yet Sarah has strong bonds with them; she considers them family. 

This is ultimately why it’s so devastating when Mrs. S runs out with Kira (this was how I took it, not as an abduction). It seems to suggest Mrs. S has been lying to her all along. While Sarah has been doing miraculous identity shape-shifting and balancing acts, apparently her own adopted mother has been playing the biggest deception of all. It fits with what the season has consistently done taking someone we think we know and deconstructing that (not just with the clones but also supporting players such as Paul, Art and Felix). And yet it still comes as a massive shock. It’s all the more unbelievable due to Kira being involved. Kira has been more of a plot-device than an actual character, and I’m still a bit weary that the show has continued to use this as a point of redemption and character nuance, but she’s also been made out to be this pure entity that above all else needs to be kept safe. If that’s her purpose than that’s her purpose (even if I think it’s kind of a stupid one), and if that’s the way the series wants to play it than this simple act of up and leaving in the night is the worst imaginable thing that could happen. 

Sarah has been defined by Kira. Kira was the one good thing she had done in her life, and her quest from the start, from taking Beth’s money onward, has been about her choosing to do things to be with Kira or keep Kira safe. It’s her whole reason for being, and it’s now been taken away from her.  

Stray Thoughts:

-DEAR LORD! Tatiana Maslany can fucking act!

-Acting Exhibit #1: Sarah about to reveal the truth to Art in the interrogation room. Chills.

-I’m not really a fan of Delphine. But, hey, I want Cosima to be happy so, live and let live.

-Speaking of Cosima: what’s with her coughing up blood?

-The computer coding/DNA mumbo jumbo just wasn’t all that interesting. I get its purpose, but we could have spent less time with it.

-Rachel remains far too mysterious at this point (probably purposely so), but it does sap some of the tension out of her presence. Nice bobcut though!

-Paul has never been interesting to me as a love interest or character in general so his brief appearances to me were just meh.

-There’s a dark absurdity to Aynesley’s death. The show wants to force the story to a point where Allison has to make a choice. The moment is entertaining enough to cover for the fact it’s forced, and Maslany’s acting is so good in that moment that what it’s saying about Allison’s character is wonderful in spite of this.  

-I like how the series doesn’t make the point too finely about the seeming moral consequences of killing Aynesley, especially after it’s revealed that Allison’s husband is the watcher. The show doesn’t hold it over Allison.

-The elevators in Dyad feel very clichéd with their white, cubed appearance.

-Matt Frewer’s performance is a huge reason that Leekie is at all interesting. He gives the character just the right touches that he doesn’t get stale.

-Vic returns. And he’s reformed! These scenes are all very funny.

-Art now knows about Allison. His obsession with this case is only going to grow with that knowledge. I am very curious how he fits into the show’s future. 

-Helena with the blowtorch is a beautiful, creepy shot.

-Helena impersonating Sarah was a well-handled twist and totally took me by surprise. 

-The evolution of these characters across the season is so impressive. Lots of changes for lots of different people but especially Sarah, Allison and Felix and our understanding of them.