Revival needs to believe in the myth of P.T. Westmorland, but the question for this Orphan Black episode is, how long can that last? Cosima’s locked up in the basement, but she’s not the only one rebelling against P.T. on the island — or even in his house. When it comes time to put a plan in action, does everyone play their parts?
Elsewhere in “Manacled Slim Wrists,” Krystal is back and has somehow, once again, stumbled upon something big (in her own Krystal way), but can she get answers herself?
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It’s Time to Expose the Lies of Revival
Rather than blame the real villain, Mud has taken to wearing a cowbell around her neck as her own punishment for what happened to Yanis and Salvador. Cosima tries to get her to let her out of the cell, but nothing she says (that P.T. isn’t who he says he is, what he plans for Kira) works.
Who is P.T. really? His mask is slipping, Susan warns him. She remembers who he is, “John,” and while no one else does, “if you think we don’t need the myth, you’ve gone mad.” Back when he began all of this, it was 1962, she was a woman, and he bought what he couldn’t get with his brains “with fortune and fiction” since “that’s how the patriarchy works.”
He reminds her she wasn’t the only scientist he bought before Coady walks in. Susan easily defends her actions concerning the other woman with her disproval of genocide, but P.T. has come to realize his mistake of separating Leda from Castor. “Progress requires equilibrium, balance of opposing forces,” he explains. “No friction, no fire.”
Coady even tries to recruit Cosima by suggesting she just shift her thinking one step and help her with her pet project, but the clone refuses because “frankly, you’re all too insane.”
Ira seems torn upon learning that Coady is on the island because she did, after all, create Castor. “As a weapon,” Susan argues. “I raised you as a human being.” When he says he wants to learn about himself (and who can blame him since he has begun glitching?) she slaps him across the face. She apologizes and admits that she should have killed Coady when she had the chance; she’s “everything but” a murderer, but “that may have to change.”
Ira offers to get close to Coady and finds her taking blood from a kid in the clinic. P.T.’s doing parabiosis, “anything to extend his pitiful life,” as Susan later puts it, even if it means transfusing young blood into his old veins.
Ira “vaguely” remembers Coady after Susan separated him from Castor when he was four, and she recalls him screaming when he left his brothers. “Are there any of my brothers left?” Ira asks, and I do and don’t want Coady to answer that heartbreaking question. (She doesn’t.) After he claims he hasn’t shown any symptoms, she tells him she’s close to a cure.
Lies, Susan insists. His best chance for a cure is Cosima. They’re also going to need her to use her influence with Mud. “I sacrificed everything for Neolution,” Susan admits, giving him an envelope. “People I loved. Perhaps even my own soul. But now, Ira, it is time to bring it all down.”
Ira joins Mud and Cosima in the basement shortly after Aisha dies. There’s just something about the image of a Leda (Cosima) and Castor (Ira) clone standing together, albeit still divided (by the cell). Susan has a plan, he reveals. They’re going to take a stand, but they need Mud.
This is when we learn Mud’s story. P.T. saved her life. She was a junkie who stole from her parents and was a vegetable for months after OD’ing before he brought her to the island.
Mud does end up helping them so that Susan can drug P.T.’s IV bag. However, as she goes to leave, he tells her she’s been “a great comfort” and to “forgive herself” and remove the bell. Mud leaves the room, but I have a feeling she’s about to ruin everything, just because P.T. says the right words at the right time to manipulate her even if he doesn’t know he needs to.
Ira’s glitching continues to get worse as he frees Cosima from her cell and gives her the envelope from Susan. They part ways to get Susan (Ira) and the cure and Charlotte (Cosima).
Once Cosima leaves the clinic, Amar and the villagers stop her. They’ve had enough of Westmorland’s experiments and grab her belongings, wondering if what she has with her killed Aisha. It’s her medicine, she explains. All she wants is to leave with her sister.
They’re right to protect the kids, she continues, showing them the photo from the envelope, of “P.T.” with Susan in 1967, young and proof that he’s not 170. With the knowledge that the fountain isn’t real and P.T. deceived them all, the villagers let Cosima and Charlotte leave before setting fire to Revival.
While Susan waits for the end of P.T., he recalls a poem by Wordsworth and asks her to finish it for him: “I heard a thousand blended notes. … To her fair works did nature link this human soul that through me ran. … If this belief from heaven be sent, if such is nature’s holy plan, then much it grieved my heart to think what man has made of man.”
But then, with Mud standing in the doorway, Coady enters the room, gun on Susan. She was trying to kill him, she informs P.T., but Susan corrects her: “I was trying to save us all.”
Cosima and Charlotte are able to leave the island behind, but Ira and Susan never make it to the boathouse because, with his nose bleeding, he finds that Susan’s plan has been used on her. RIP Susan Duncan.
As P.T. watches from his house, Revival burns and Mud stands in the middle of it, looking horrified as she finds the photo from 1967.
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How Does Krystal Do It?
When Krystal’s best friend’s hair starts falling out during one of their vlogs, the girls scream in terror and then the clone brings Brie to Art and Scott. Krystal is assuming that Brie’s been poisoned by big cosmetics because they’re all about exposing their lies.
“Is she actually necessary?” Krystal asks Art when he connects her with Sarah. “‘Cause, she’s so rude every single time.” But once they have Krystal focus on the fact, she is pretty useful. She’s been cultivating the CEO of Blu-Zone cosmetics, Leonard Sipp, as a source, but since Brie was “poisoned,” he’s ghosted her — and no one ghosts Krystal. “It’s difficult at first, but you get used to it eventually,” Scott assures her.
It just so happens that Blu-Zone is one of Rachel’s recent acquisitions; Leonard sold the company to a Dyad subsidiary last week. “Did Krystal just fall ass-backwards into something big again?” Sarah wonders. She plans to see if “Krystal” can make Leonard talk and find out if this is connected to LIN28A by posing as her, but Krystal has Brie distract Scott and sneaks out to meet Leonard herself.
Krystal is somewhat prepared, with a surveillance kit and earpiece, so with Art and Sarah in her ear and watching via her phone, she lets Leonard in and does her best to get him to talk while kissing him. Sarah tells her to steer him to Dyad without making it obvious as he steps away to take a call and Krystal comes right out and says she knows he sold his company to Dyad. Fortunately, he buys that she knows because people in the beauty game talk. He claims to have no idea why Dyad wants a cosmetics company.
Once Krystal realizes he’s a lying liar who lies and didn’t really like her vlog (but clearly loves her dresses), she excuses herself to the bathroom, declaring her plan to Sarah and Art: “I’m peeing, then I’m going to kick him in the balls.” That’s when Scott informs Sarah that Brie stole one of Sipp’s face creams — and Leonard finds it in a makeup bag in the living room.
Krystal ditches her earpiece for the confrontation and tells him that Brie’s sick. It’s experimental, Leonard explains, laughing, and this batch causes hair loss. She decides to stick to her original plan, going so far as to tackle him to the floor and threaten to use the cream on his beard. It’s a dermal delivery system, which is what Dyad wants, the next big thing in regenerative therapy, he reveals.
Is “Linda something” in it, Krystal asks. (And hey, at least that’s close to LIN28A?) But it seems that Krystal knows more than he does, and after rubbing the cream all over his beard, she kicks him out of her apartment.
That’s One Way to Get out of a Visit to Dyad
Kira is definitely part of the family business (now that she’s no longer being sent out of the room while they talk Neos). When Mr. Frontenac shows up to bring her to Rachel, Sarah tells him she’s sick and Kira plays her part, saying she wants to go before throwing up on his shoes. It’s effective. (As is ipecac.)
But Kira wants to do more to help (other than point out that the LIN28A gene might be in spiny mice as well and continue to come up with code names, the latest being Wonderland for the island) and offers to hustle Rachel. Though Sarah tells her she did her part for now, Kira’s not going to get to just rest.
P.T. finds out that Kira’s not at Dyad to begin her hormone treatments and calls Rachel to make sure that will be remedied A.S.A.P. Her recent corporate acquisitions are fruitless without that piece of the puzzle.
Rachel then goes to Mrs. S’ house herself to retrieve Kira, for a “completely benign” sleep study, despite no agreement being made for overnight visits. As they leave, S takes the opportunity to tell Rachel, “There will come a day when you need us.” And given how “P.T.” has been lately, I have a feeling that day is coming sooner rather than later.
Were you surprised that the truth about P.T wasn’t held until closer to the series finale? How much did you love seeing Krystal again? Did you see that ending with Susan coming?
Orphan Black season 5 airs Saturdays at 10/9c on BBC America. Want more news? Like our Facebook page.
(Image 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.
