Orphan Black S04 E03: The Sigmata of Progess

Clones R Us! If they ever do start mass producing humans via cloning, this series will serve as the bible on how not to treat the clones. I love this show and on last week’s episode of “Orphan Black” We learned more about Beth’s last moments before that dive off the train platform. While Donnie and Helena are excited about the arrival of twins, Alison feels overwhelmed. Sarah’s discovery that she has a maggot bot inside her sends her into an encounter with a new player.

Rachel

We haven’t seen our proto clone in a while, but she is still healing and not happy about being isolated from the world or getting an eye exam from a Castor clone. She does have Charlotte to keep her company but the child prattles on and on all day. This Ira is so not like the others. Maybe it’s because he was raised by Susan Duncan and Team Neolution. What do we really know about Susan the Ice Queen?

From the way that Rachel and Susan interact, you can tell that they never had a close relationship. At dinner, Susan hits Rachel with the news that Charlotte, after 400 failed attempts, was cloned from Rachel… which might explain the close bond between Charlotte and Rachel… I guess it’s a sister thing. Although they are being watched, Rachel and Charlotte have devised a plan to communicate and, to get an important message out. Who does Rachel trust in the outside world?

Felix

How long has Felix been searching for his family, we’re not told, but he has made contact with a family member who is as wild as he is. Sarah is so wrapped up in her troubles that she has not been giving Felix the support he’s always given to her. When Sarah meets Adele, she’s not happy, but Felix doesn’t care and practically tells Sarah to “Shove off.”

Felix has memories of his mom, but they are very faint. He does learn that his dad was an American and that his wife knew about Felix’s mom, but not about Felix. So is Adele a spy for Neolution like Sarah suspects, or is she family?

Rabbit Hole

I really like the comic book shop. While Hell Wizard and Kira play a board game called Descent, Cosima and Scott do a scan on Sarah’s cheek. No one knows how that damn maggot bot got there or what its function is, but there might be someone who does know. While Sarah tracks down Dizzy, Alison and Donnie discover that they may hold the key to the bots… but it might involve some rather nasty work.

Until this season, we really haven’t spent enough time on Kira. She is the child of a clone, but what has she inherited from her mom? In this episode, Kira’s dissatisfaction with being left in the dark about what is really going on causes her to misbehave. Can we really blame this kid? After knocking the game board off the table, Kira tells Cosima about a dream. Is Kira having psychic visions; premonitions about the future?

The Hendrix’s

Alison and Donnie have morphed into “Orphan Black”’s very own Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. I can’t believe the comical situations they find themselves in. If you recall, Donnie accidentally killed Dr. Leekie and then, he and Alison buried Leekie in their garage. Now, to help Sarah, they have to dig Leekie up and get that maggot bot from his cheek.

I’m guessing that Helena is the Ethel Mertz character in this “I Love Lucy” sitcom, because she is stuck with the job of watching the kids and speaking to the two detectives, who have mistaken her for Alison and, have questions about the dead Portuguese drug dealers.

Conclusion

Season 4 is turning out to be the best season so far because we are learning how much Beth had discovered before her leap from the platform. Did Beth find a bot in her cheek? Is this why she jumped? Mrs. S is forced to trust Ferdinand after he tells her about the message he received that Susan Duncan is still alive. Mrs. S tells him where Sarah might be. Dizzy told Sarah his theory of why the bots are placed in the cheek. They are close to the brain. Does this mean they can control the clones… or kill them? Dizzy sends Sarah to a dental office where the dental worker thinks she is dealing with Beth. The dental worker offers to remove the bot from Sarah’s cheek, but she is working for Neolution.

Like Tatiana Maslany, Ari Millen has had to play many clones and while Tatiana plays the Leda Clones, Ari is doing an outstanding job of portraying the Castor Clones. I am intrigued with his newest role as Ira. If Ira is self-aware like Rachel and, if he wasn’t raised with his brothers, does this mean that he might eventually become an ally to the seestras?

There is a new twist in the story because Kira had a vision that involved her mom being set on fire by the seestras. She thinks this event will happen. I was doubtful until Helena seemed to magically remember Alison’s campaign manager’s name. Did Alison telepathically send her those names?

As Ferdinand comes to Sarah’s rescue, Susan Duncan apologizes to Rachel for being such a lousy mother. Susan reveals that everything that has happened so far is to control human evolution and create a more perfect human being. This sounds like a science experiment for Lucy and Ethel. See you next week, my little clone club