It’s hard to believe that Orphan Black‘s third season is almost over, but “Insolvent Phantom of Tomorrow” is the second to last episode. It continues the trend of very strong episodes in the season’s second half and sets up what’s sure to be a big finale, just like the previous ones have been. But most importantly? We get answers! Well, a couple, at least.
Sarah, Felix and Mrs. S. travel home to track down the Castor original, which leads to a reunion for Mrs. S. and one that doesn’t end so well for everyone else involved. Meanwhile, Cosima discovers the identity of the Castor mole and realizes she’s made a big mistake, and Helena helps Donnie with a Pouchy-related problem, which, if nothing else, proves there need to be more scenes with those two in the future. Plus, Rudy looks to be the next Castor to go, which is unfortunate because, even though he had the nerve to threaten Denise the cat, he has easily become my favorite male clone. But my favorite part of the episode? Easily Mrs. S. singing in London.
Orphan Black Recap: Tension Bubbles Over at Dyad>>>
In London Town, We All Fell Down…
Upon arriving in London, Mrs. S. takes Sarah and Felix to a pub in her old neighborhood, gets a gun from an old friend and reveals that her plan is to kill the Castor original when they find him. They can’t let Castor continue to sterilize women, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t take a moment to reminisce with her friend Terrance. In do so, it is revealed that their safe houses, like the one where he took Sarah when she was young, were also used “for Carlton to shag your mother,” as he tells Sarah and Felix.
While Terrance can’t help with the nursery rhyme part of Rachel’s translation, he does know the number is a prisoner’s number and knows someone who can help with that. While he goes off to get them information, Mrs. S.’ old band shows up and which reveals her musical past. With some prodding from Sarah and Felix, she sings once again, while Terrance fights for his life after a visit from Ferdinand and his muscle, Bulldog. See, Terrance was supposed to call if Siobhan Sadler ever showed up. “We had an understanding,” Ferdinand reminds him. You just can’t trust anyone … or can you? When Ferdinand asks why Siobhan is there, Terrance claims she just there on a family holiday and sightseeing.
Terrace leaves a message for Mrs. S., but he only has enough left in him to her that he “didn’t talk” and whispers something more. When Mrs. S. listens to the message, and hear’s the whisper, she orders Sarah and Felix to leave. Sarah protests, and on their way out, she picks up Terrance’s phone from the ground and, pretending to be Siobhan, uses it to contact the person he called for information and sets up a meeting … while Ferdinand watches from his car.
A cab picks up Sarah and Felix, but then the driver stops and forces them out because he knows Siobhan. When Sarah introduces herself and Felix, the driver reveals he knows her because he tracked her down about 20 years ago and helped move her around. She realizes he’s Kassov. He gives them the information he gave Terrance: the prisoner’s number belongs to Kendall Malone, in for aggravated homicide in 1981 and parole in 2007, and he then takes them to his current address.
After Kassov leaves them, he pulls over, only for Ferdinand to hop in the backseat. Sure he’ll make an exception to “not taking fares” for him. Ferdinand then calls Delphine for a quick chat about the fact that the clone he last saw locked up in Dyad was traipsing around London. After they agree to a meeting, he hangs up and gets out of the cab, leaving Kassov’s dead body behind. Poor Kassov. And Terrance.
…And Castor Woke From Slumber
Sarah leaves Felix outside Kendall’s place to keep watch while she enters finding mail that proves she’s in the right place and a photo of a woman holding a baby, but no Castor original. A woman comes up behind her and demands to know why she’s in her house, and when Sarah reveals she’s looking for Kendall Malone, she’s in for a big surprise when the woman tells her she found her. She’s Kendall.
Mrs. S. then joins them and reveals that Kendall is her mother. (I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m shocked. Maybe I should have seen this coming, but I didn’t, and that’s why I love this show.) And the surprises just keep on coming. Siobhan’s mother killed her husband, whom she saw as a drunk and robbing the cradle. Siobhan argues that she was 17 and had already been done with her mother by 12 anyway. Oh, how I wish they had time to really delve into Mrs. S.’ family. But they don’t, because there are more important things to discuss, like the fact that Kendall is the Castor original. How is that possible?
Kendall explains that Duncan tested the inmates for what he claimed was cancer research and found a viable donor in her. When she was in the womb, she absorbed her male twin and has two cell lines. When Felix texts Sarah that someone is there, she lets Mrs. S. know they have to go, and that exchange speaks volumes: Sarah saying S.’ name and Siobhan knowing what she means may be a small moment, but I love seeing these two working together and working together like this after where they were at the beginning of the season because Siobhan chose to give up Helena to Castor.
So what are they going to do about Kendall? Well, Siobhan has an easy solution: burn down the house, with her inside, ensuring they destroy every little bit of her DNA, because Castor must be stopped. However, they can’t do that, as Sarah argues that Castor and Leda are siblings. If Kendall has two cell lines, she’s their original too and they need her. She’s Leda.
BBC America Renews Orphan Black for Season 4>>>
This Is How Helena Gets a Refund
Last episode, Donnie wanted the crazy psycho to go live with one of her other sisters. Now, he and Helena are sort of becoming friends? Maybe? And I love it. Though Helena does briefly revert to what she knows as she helps Gemma prepare for a competition. Being small is a weapon she tells her, (which is good advice), and to squeeze her opponent’s eyes, (which is not the best thing to tell a kid), she does seem to be trying to walk a different path. She’s now someone who, more or less, can be trusted to watch the kids, (though checking on her is a good idea), and she helps make soap in the garage. Oh, and she helps take care of a pressing matter while Alison is focused on her campaign.
Bruised from the scuffle with Jason, Donnie stays at Bubbles overnight, so he is there when a new problem comes a-pounding on the front door. Lionel is there to take back the pills because Jason is not vouching for them to Pouchy anymore, so they’re out. The pills aren’t in the store, but Lionel takes Helena’s canister as collateral.
Donnie tries to sneak into the house, but Helena catches him and doesn’t buy his excuse that he got hurt jogging. Instead, she sits him down, puts together a homemade ointment, takes care of his injuries and gets him to “fess up.” When he mentions the canister Lionel took, she tells him they’re her frozen eggs. “I will find them,” she declares knife in hand, but he reminds her she’s walking a different path now and tells her he’ll get them for her because she is part of the family now.
Donnie leaves Helena outside when he goes to return the pills to Pouchy, get the canister and, what he hopes is a refund for the pills. However, when he takes longer than she is comfortable with, she pulls a hat on over her hair and pretends to be Alison, checking up on her husband. They blame her voice on a cold, “one of those really bad ones that messes with your syntax,” according to Donnie. They get the canister, but not the refund. Luisa threatens the Hendrix children if they try to get back into the business as they’re leaving. That’s a big NO in Helena’s book, so she pushes Donnie outside with the canister and locks the door. “You should not threaten babies,” she warns, and all Donnie can do is try to stop her with his yelling through the door.
When Helena joins Donnie outside, she’s covered in blood, as is the weapon of choice she’s holding: the blade of the paper cutter. “I got a refund,” she tells him, and once home, he hides the money she took, (more than what they were owed), in the freezer in the garage. (Oh, the Hendrixes and that garage.) When Alison comes home, it’s time for Donnie to tell her what she’s missed, and he starts with the good news: “We’ve come into some money, like a lot of money.”
Who Is the Castor Mole?
Shay looked mighty guilty last week. I even dedicated a section of my recap to the reasons why, which is why I should have known that was just too easy. But Cosima is thinking along the same lines, especially once she sees that Shay used to be in the military in the file from Delphine. She fills Scott in, pointing out that Shay saw the book and asked about Sarah even though Cosima is certain she doesn’t sleep-talk because it’s creepy. (I don’t really follow her reasoning there.) Then Scott mentions that Rudy knew she was sick again and Cosima confirms that Shay knows about her illness.
So what’s Cosima going to do? Turn to Delphine for help because at this point, she doesn’t know what else to do. She may not know if Shay is the mole, but some things don’t line up anymore, and Delphine was right that she can’t quit Dyad. But that doesn’t change the fact that they both need Castor gone and they need to know who told Castor about the book.
Delphine takes matters into her own hands and, along with a couple of Dyad guards, pays Shay a visit. She is scarier here than she ever has been before, even when she poked, prodded and pressed on Rachel’s eye socket. I love it. Her first order of business is to have Shay sit down and take off her shoes. Then he starts getting to the questions, like how is she able to afford her lease and if Castor’s paying for it. Shay accuses Delphine of going “single white female” and says she doesn’t know who Castor is, but Delphine just starts filling up the bathtub and takes a razor blade out of her boot. See, at her boarding school, a girl tried to kill herself and slit her wrists, but it wasn’t enough, Delphine explains. She should’ve cut the metatarsal arteries on the top of her feet too. OH. MY. GOD.
At this point, even if Shay were the Castor mole, I think I’d be on her side a bit because Delphine is absolutely terrifying. (Evelyn Brochu is so good in these scenes.) But guess what? Shay isn’t the one who told Castor about the book. Gracie is the mole, and it turns out I was right to wonder about her eavesdropping and hearing Mrs. S. mention the book in the last episode. That was one big clue and there was something about her reaction to Helena’s hug in Bubbles as well. Another clue comes in this episode leading up to the reveal. There’s her goodbye hug for Helena when she should just be going off to a doctor’s appointment. Then, as soon as Gracie calls Cosima, (I know. She doesn’t even have to say anything.), but once she begins to thank her, the only thing that can follow is an apology and it does. That’s when Cosima realizes she’s the mole. So why did she do it? Castor told her she could save Mark and they could be together. The two are reunited, but for how long?
Realizing she made a big mistake, Cosima immediately calls Delphine. Part of me is worried that Delphine will ignore her call, but she doesn’t. Cosima tells her she was wrong about Shay, and with that, Delphine looks back at Shay, who must be beyond confused right now. (Though there is still the matter of her military background, and that can’t just be coincidence, can it?)
Am I the only one wondering about the way Delphine looks at Shay and then the camera moves to the razor blade still in her hand? Or is it just that Delphine realizes what she almost did? Plus, Delphine takes a big risk going to Shay’s in the first place without definitive proof because she had to realize if she’s wrong, it can only lead to Shay having a lot of questions.
Orphan Black airs Saturdays at 9pm on BBC America.
(Images courtesy of BBC America)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
If it’s on TV — especially if it’s a procedural or superhero show — chances are Meredith watches it. She has a love for all things fiction, starting from a young age with ER and The X-Files on the small screen and the Nancy Drew books. Arrow kicked off the Arrowverse and her true passion for all things heroes. She’s enjoyed getting into the minds of serial killers since Criminal Minds, so it should be no surprise that her latest obsession is Prodigal Son.
