(Image from: BBC America‘s Orphan Black website.)

The third season of BBC America’s science fiction drama, Orphan Black premiered on Saturday, April, 18^th, 2015 with an episode titled, “The Weight Of This Combination.”  Written by: Graeme Manson.

Loose Episode Synopsis & (SISTER CLONE) Plot line:

When a Castor clone stirs up trouble in Sarah’s life, she soon learns that Helena is missing. Taken by the military (and Paul) thanks to Mrs. S and she actively begins her pursuit to bring her home. With Rachel out of commission, Delphine returns to take over her position at Dyad, but realizes that the position requires her to break things off with Cosima. However, things at Dyad for Delphine grow tense with the approaching arrival of Dyad’s cleaner, Ferdinand, played by the awesome James Frain. Ferdinand, as it turns out, happens to be close with Rachel, so Delphine proposes Sarah impersonate Rachel for his visit. Reluctant at first, Sarah finally agrees to do it on the condition that Delphine does all that she can to find Helena.

Meanwhile, Alison deals with mortgage payments and a snooty mom, Marcy, who is running for the school trustee. Classic, competitive Alison soon decides that she wants to run for school trustee to protect her children’s placement in the Glendale School District. When Ferdinand arrives at Dyad, Sarah/Rachel is dressed to impress (and intimidate) the sinisterly suave “cleaner.”

Sarah does such a good job at impersonating Rachel that the two agree to meet that evening at Rachel’s apartment to discuss Helena’s disappearance. Sarah/Rachel continues to push Ferdinand on tracking down Helena who grows suspicious of her intentions and questions her sudden interest in her sister clones when she was the one who wanted to get rid of them in the first place.

While Delphine tortures and interrogates a recovering Rachel in the hospital for information, Sarah/Rachel learns that Ferdinand has already sent an assassin after Alison and her family. After an attempt to warn Alison, Ferdinand corners Sarah/Rachel in the bathroom, convinced she is hiding something from him. Scared for her sister and herself, Sarah/Rachel is pushed to find her inner Rachel. Sarah/Rachel takes his belt, turns him around, and spanks him with it, much to his delight. Furious and disgusted, Sarah/Rachel throws Ferdinand face down on to Rachel’s bed and straddles his back. Sarah/Rachel wraps the belt around his neck and chokes him as the scene cuts to a man stalking around Alison’s home.

However, just when it looks like Sarah/Rachel is going to kill him, Delphine shows up and kicks Ferdinand out for ‘playing’ with Dyad property. Delphine has Ferdinand taken away and the assassination attempt on Alison is called off. Delphine tells Sarah that she is working on locating Helena, but that she needs to “stand down,” until she is able to figure out what Castor really is.

Episode Rating: 8 out of 10 for me, because of character shifts in development and the addition of the ‘brother’ clones.

Since Season 1:

Sarah has shifted from the self-preservation, surviving, outsider to the family oriented, and protector-mother-hen sister clone. (Which is what Beth was for the clone club in the beginning.)

Alison has made this shift from the bossy, obsessive, tense, pent-up-soccer-mom one, to this involved, helpful, and slightly-less-bossy-soccer-mom sister clone.

Helena is evolving from the extremely psychopathic, introvert, loner to someone who is thinking for herself, becoming self-aware and welcoming a bond between herself and her sister-clones.

Cosima is shifting from the open, caring, easygoing, friendly one to the sheltered, closed off, and secretive sister clone.

I can guess what some of you may be thinking in regards to the more clones thing, but hear me out. One of the reasons I fell in love with Orphan Black, besides Tatiana Maslany’s incredible acting skills, were the darker elements the show carried. Moreover, I was fascinated with Helena when she was first introduced (I still am) because of the rubric-cubed workings of her psyche. I mean, did you see the scenes with her in that box? She was talking to a scorpion…and it talked back. With these ‘brother’ clones, I feel as though we will get to see a new level of those dark elements and I am excited for it.

Overall Season Three Predictions: I predict that…

1) The family/sister bonds will begin to tether in regards to Cosima keeping the key to Dr. Duncan’s cipher to herself.

2) That with Delphine’s new position at Dyad, she will begin to go dark.

3) That we are going to see more male cones.

4) That Paul might come back into Sarah’s life.

5) That the ‘brother’ clones from the Castor project are in some ways more powerful/advance than those from the Leda project (because it’s the military), but I also predict that they’re cells are deteriorating at a quicker rate than the Leda clones so that’s why they want or need Helena.

6) That there will be telekinetic aspects that come into play as the season progresses. I saw a hint of it, or what appeared like a hint towards telekinetic with male clones in the episode’s closing sequence.

At this point, it is all speculation. I cannot wait to see what hints next week’s episode brings.

Until then,

Gia