Orphan Black Review: From Instinct to Rational Control (Season 4 Episode 4)
Last week we had no idea where Orphan Black was going, but this week “From Instinct to Rational Control” gave us nothing but progress. All the Leda clones are back to following their own little nuggets of the truth and the threads are starting to come together.
We finally know what the cheek bots do, and we may finally have an idea of what Neolution is planning.
The biggest mystery this season is M.K., who we just found out was the survivor of the Helsinki plot that killed six difficult clones in 2006 along with 32 collateral damage casualties. M.K. had a friend, and Leda clone sister, named Nikki who was also killed in the massacre.
This explains why M.K. is paranoid and has been living her life as a ghost, but now we are not sure why she’s stolen $3.7 million dollars from Ferdinand. Yes, he was the hand behind Helsinki, but what is M.K. going to do with all that money?
Is she running back to Finland? Can this really be the last we’re going to see of M.K.? Please don’t leave her there, Orphan Black, we’re just starting to get to know and like her!
Things in Camp Neolution aren’t going so well either. Remember when Charlotte coughed up blood last week? Rachel has to make a tough decision regarding Charlotte’s treatment.
On one hand, she’s bonding with a child that is essentially her daughter. On the other, untreated, Charlotte’s illness can give them a valuable data set to help future clones. Rachel chooses to withhold treatment since immunosuppressant therapy is unlikely to save her life.
Read that paragraph again. Rachel is going to withhold treatment that could prolong Charlotte’s life in favor of the other Leda clones. It’s a logical, scientific choice as well as a humane choice.
The immunosuppressant therapy was tried in an adult clone with little success. Ira describes it as torture. If Rachel sees Charlotte as her own daughter then she may not want to watch her suffer. There’s solid reasoning behind this decision, but that doesn’t mean we have to like it.
Lastly, we have Cosima and Alison work on two parts of the whole. Neolution is a threat. Why they want Kendall Malone is a mystery, but now we may have an idea of what they want.
When the purpose of “The Bright Born” treatments comes out through a DVD, Susan Duncan’s hunt for the original genome becomes clear.
With the original genome, they could produce more Leda clones via the “Bright Born Treatments.” If they want the clones to reproduce they’ll need to edit the genome somehow to avoid the possibility of biological half siblings coming into contact with each other.
Cue the cheek bots! We still don’t know exactly how the gene bots work or what exactly they’re testing, but our guess is that it all has to do with babies.
Stray Thoughts
- Ferdinand’s fear when Shioban clips the wire on the bomb under the chair was adorable. As much as we may distrust him, it’s hard not to like the dark and somewhat sinister humor he brings to the table.
- Felix and Donnie as a gay couple at the fertility clinic. That was a great moment.
- The scene where Helena buries her eggs in the Hendrick’s backyard was heartbreaking, but where is she going?! She can’t leave the other clones.
What did you think of this episode of Orphan Black? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Orphan Black airs Thursdays at 10/9c on BBC.
Lauren Busser
Lauren Busser is an Associate Editor at Tell-Tale TV. She is a writer of fiction and nonfiction whose work has appeared in Bitch Media, Popshot Quarterly, Brain Mill Press Voices, and The Hartford Courant.