With only one episode left in the entire series, Orphan Black is not letting any moment go to waste. In the penultimate episode, the show amps up the drama and the death toll.
A lot happened this episode, so let’s just deep dive right into it. And do we even need to say it? SPOILERS AHEAD!
Season 5 episode 9 is pretty much all about Helena. It starts off with some backstory of Helena, with her as a child int he convent. And is it just us, or does she looks nothing like the other clones as children? Bizarre. Anyways, we get a closer look at how Helena was treated by the nuns and how she became a bleach blonde. We then see her taken away by Tomas as she starts her new life on the farm.
Meanwhile, in real time, Sarah, Felix, and Kira are morning Mrs. S’s death, which doesn’t last long since they soon learn from the tongue-less nun that Helena was visited by Gracie and then taken away.
Over with the neolutionists, P.T. is getting sicker (and balder!) and thus more and more desperate for the secret fountain of youth gene. He demands that they induce Helena asap and rip the babies (or should we say bebes) from her womb. He also commands Cody to “put Mark down” as he is no longer of use to them. She reluctantly mercy-kills Mark, thus killing off the last of the Castor boys. Bye, Mark! We hardly knew ya.
Flashback to young Helena, who is getting ready to kill her first sestra. After realizing that all the clones look like her, Tomas convinces her that she is the original, that she is special.
Back in real time and Helena makes one last desperate plea to Cody to allow her to keep her babies. Cody proceeds to tell Helena that she would make a horrible mother due to her homicidal past. Once alone, Helena tries to free herself but when she cannot, she proceeds to stab herself in the wrist with a pair of scissors to “free her babies” from a life of experimentation. If you kill off Helena, we will never forgive you, Graeme!
Meanwhile, the clone club is busy hatching up a plan to save Helena. They come up with an elaborate scheme to get into the neolutionists hideout, which involves Sarah posing as Rachel (of course) and Scott breaking into the Dyad facility. Scott FTW! Love what a badass he has become.
Everything goes according to plan and Sarah (as Rachel) makes it inside and is face-to-face with P.T. However, he soon realizes she’s a poser after she accidentally calls him “father,” a term Rachel would never have used. *Cue action sequence.* Sarah slashes P.T. in the neck and P.T.’s police crony gets Sarah in a choke hold. Just as P.T. is about to shoot Sarah dead, Cody comes running in with the news that Helena is on the fritz and they need Sarah’s blood in order to save her. What a coincidence!
Cody hooks Sarah up to Helena and Helena comes to. THANK GOD!
Thinking quickly on her feet, Helena smashes Cody’s face in. Another one bites the dust! Just as Helena and Sarah are about to escape, Helena’s water breaks. The babies are coming!
*Cue Credits*
Is it just us, or has this season had an inordinate amount of death? Mrs. S, Ira, Mark, Gracie, Susan Ducan, Cody — who hasn’t died? We have a feeling there might be one or two more deaths left before the series finale credits roll next week — here’s to hoping P.T. is one of them!
Even as Orphan Black gets more and more complicated, the writers somehow make the plotline sensical. While other mystery-esque shows have made unseemly choices, Orphan Black has mostly stayed on the right path. Season 4 was a bit hit or miss, but season 5 has been completely on-point.
Graeme Manson previously admitted, “We always sort of had five seasons in mind, and the thing that we just didn’t want to do is get kind of soft around the middle.”
And to be honest, we feel like he’s mostly kept his word. And unlike other shows that long outstayed their welcome (we can think of a few), Orphan Black is leaving on a high note and we’re so grateful. But someone better snatch up Tatiana Maslany real quick because we can’t stand the idea of not seeing her onscreen.
