Orphan Black S04 E06: The Scandal of Altruism

On last week’s episode of “Orphan Black” we were treated to the dynamic duo of Cosima and Donnie playing the part of spies. Agent 007 they are not, but they still learned plenty at the fertility clinic. This week Sarah makes a decision that exposes Kendall’s location.

Beth

This season and this episode all leads back to Beth, but in the first flashback, we watch as Beth, dressed like Krystal, attempts to kill Susan Duncan. I think the creators and writers of the show are brilliant in bringing back the Beth storyline because it fills in so many of the missing pieces from the first three seasons. We still need to understand just exactly when Beth became aware of what she was and, I would love to see an episode showing her reactions after she found out that she was a clone. For now, what we do know is that she protected and loved her sisters, and that simple act speaks volumes about her character.

Beth was told by Evie that Susan Duncan was the person who was trying to wipe out the clones, but Susan’s pleas for mercy and declaration of love for the Leda clones, kept Beth from shooting Susan. Why did Beth believe Susan? Beth was a police officer and working on the force gives you a good sense of when a suspect is telling the truth. It comes from experience and Beth realized that Susan was not the enemy. So who was?

Susan

Susan Duncan, when she’s not sleeping with the most refined of the Castor clones, Ira, is trying to get Kendall into her clutches. She claims that Kendall’s blood will cure the disease that will eventually kill all the Leda clones and Castor clones. Susan finally convinces Cosima to get a few samples from the Matriarch of both the Leda and Castor clones, but Kendal has leukemia. Can the white cells that can cause one person to die, save another person?

Stem cells are used successfully in the cure of certain types of leukemia, but in this episode they can be used to correct the major flaw inside the clones, but Sarah will only deliver Kendall if Susan promises not to use the Castor clone DNA for a biological weapon. Ira is upset because Susan, who is not only a mother figure but his lover, agrees and this is potentially a death sentence for Ira. The importance of Kendall is not looked upon lightly by Susan’s assistant, Evie.

Evie Cho

All we knew about Evie, up to this point, was that she’s dedicated to making perfect babies after having been cured from a childhood death sentence. She and Beth knew each other and she played an important role in Beth’s taking her own life. Evie, as part of the deal made between Susan and Sarah, must remove the maggot bot from Sarah’s cheek before Kendall’s genetic cocktail is handed over to Neolution… but instead of destroying the maggot, she keeps it and we find out later the real importance of that nasty bot.

Evie as convinces Cosima to hand over all the work that she and Delphine had done on the clones. Cosima wonders if Evie knows where Delphine is, but as soon as Evie realizes that Susan has been compromised, she takes Cosima prisoner.

Krystal

With all the dark stuff going on with maggot bots, Susan, Evie, and the clones, it was a welcome break to see Art and Felix work together as a team to find out what Krystal knew or didn’t know. Art is suspicious of Detective Duko, and rightly so, and when Krystal is at the police station asking for help, Art takes her to his office to question her.

Kevin Hanchard’s role as Detective Art Bell has been so important to understanding what Beth was going through. He was Beth’s partner on the force and later her lover. His commitment to helping the clones puts him in danger. I loved how easily Art played off of Felix’s bohemian style and it made for one funny scene. When Felix arrives at Art’s apartment dressed like Sherlock Holmes, we knew that there would be comedy a foot. We weren’t disappointed as Art explains to Felix that Krystal assumes she’s being hunted down by Vidal Sassoon. Krystal thinks Vidal is putting stem cells in beauty products and that Leda is the trade name of a product.

When Felix begins to speak with Krystal, she panics and sprays him with mace, but this comedy routine turns quickly serious when Krystal reveals that she saw Delphine murdered. Since Krystal is completely clueless as to being a clone, Art sends her home with the promise that he will investigate the fashion industry. I love the Krystal clone and I can’t wait for her to meet Alison.

Conclusion

Beth didn’t kill Susan Duncan because she believed Susan was telling the truth about her caring for the clones. Susan may have begun the Leda Project thinking that the resulting life was nothing more than an experiment, but when she began to watch over and follow the clones from birth, she realized that they were not the experiment she bargained for. The clones had become family. Susan was telling the truth about her need for Kendall’s blood. She was trying to save them from dying. She risked Ira’s life because of the deal not to use Kendall’s blood to make more weapons. Ira, faced with the reality that he was doomed, tries taking his own life. Luckily Sarah and Benjamin arrive just in time. Unfortunately, not everyone is trustworthy.

Evie and Detective Duko are working together and that means that Evie wants complete control of the clones, both Leda and Castor. It was Evie who had Kendall kidnapped. It was Evie who destroyed all the work on Scott’s and Cosima’s compute and it was Evie who had Detective Duko shoot and then burn the body of Kendall… but can the maggot bot be the very tool that will eventually lead to the Leda clone cure. Not if Evie has her way.

Evie played wickedly by Jessalyn Wanlim not only sent Beth to kill Susan, but she was the reason Beth was seen on tape with blood on her hands. In a flashback, after Beth beat pistol-whipped Evie, Beth was told that if she didn’t take her own life, she would be signing the death warrants of the other clones. Beth showed the ultimate proof of her humanity. She gave up her life for her sisters. While poor Cosima is left alone with the burning remains of Kendall, we wonder what would have happened if Beth had killed Evie and Duko that night in the car. See you next week, my little clone club.