Orphan Black Review: Beneath Her Heart (Season 5 Episode 3)

Let’s step outside the world of Neolution plots and into a story that’s a little more Neolution-adjacent. Orphan Black Season 5 Episode 3, “Beneath Her Heart,” is less about the big picture and more character-focused — specifically on Alison Hendrix.

This isn’t what I expect from the third episode of the final season. But after two episodes that were full of action and plot (neither of which really gave us answers), we needed to return to the core Leda sisters.

At first glance, it may seem like this episode wastes time, because we are dealing with one clone and a very internal struggle. But “Beneath Her Heart” also pulls together several threads from previous Donnie and Alison arcs.

And we come away from it realizing exactly how much has gone down in the Hendrix home!

In this episode, the writers return to the body of Aldous Leekie in their garage, revisit Ainsley’s death, and sum up the Hendrixes’ careers as drug dealers. Not to mention, they make reference to the Castor clone Helena killed at the end of Season 3 — remember him?

The episode isn’t entirely nostalgic. A few small moves drastically progress the plot. By the end of the episode, the Hendrixes are safe from police scrutiny, the bodies have been discreetly disposed of, and Donnie and Alison seem to be in a good-ish place.

Without a doubt, the star of this episode is Alison.

Tatiana Maslany plays two versions of Alison in this episode: one present day and one from the past. Through these two storylines, we get to see Alison lose her identity by finding out she’s a clone, and then reclaim it by stepping outside of the Bailey Downs community and embracing the sisterhood she’s gained.

This episode does this by touching on a familiar thread: Alison’s insecurity.

While Alison is part of a conspiracy, she struggles with how she can contribute the group. So when someone from Dyad lays out Alison’s place in the clone pecking order with phrases like, “Even M.K. was more valuable than you,” it’s going to feel like a punch in the gut!

Let’s go back to Season 1, when Alison teaches Sarah how to properly hold firearms to pass a police marksmanship exam. While she was bringing Sarah into the fray, she says that her contribution was more of a monetary nature.

Early on, Alison realized that Beth was a cop and that Cosima was a scientist. Meanwhile, she’s a soccer mom with a glue gun. So, to contribute and maintain her lifestyle, she set up a fund for Beth with $75,000 in it that Beth could use to get information. The same fund that Sarah was going to swipe in the first few episodes.

Season 1 Alison was really untrusting and really determined to protect her kids, even going so far as to not use “the c-word.” Alison has never really lost that drive, but her kids have been on the periphery of Orphan Black, making up a part of Alison’s life instead of the clone plot. As for her identity, as a clone, Alison has slowly accepted it.

Season 5 Alison has gotten a little more fearless. While she still struggles with where she fits within the Leda sisterhood, she’s gained her own sense of self.

This is juxtaposed with a flashback storyline that involves Alison finding out she’s a clone and meeting Cosima while she’s on magic mushrooms. It felt a little out of place to be seeing this moment right as the series comes to an end, but as the episode progresses, it feels like a fitting end the Hendrixes’ story.

When we leave Season 5 Episode 3, “Beneath Her Heart,” there is definitely a hazy finality as Alison declares that she needs to go away for a while.

If there is one thing we’ve learned through these storylines, it’s that Alison can’t go back to the soccer mom life she had before she met her sestras. Cosima sums it up perfectly on the phone with Beth:

COSIMA: You’re basically asking me to, like, drop a bomb in the middle of a Norman Rockwell painting.

To think that Alison could just go back into a leadership role in Bailey Downs is really foolish. Alison’s quiet suburban life has been anything but that since she found out she’s a clone, and although she’s still very protective of her immediate family, she sees Bailey Downs for the hypocrisy it holds.

I have the best hopes for Alison as the series comes to a close. While I think she does need to do some soul searching and go see her kids, I definitely don’t think this is the last we’ve seen of her. For one thing, she’s the only clone that’s in a stable relationship with a lot to lose, and if she isn’t back with Donnie and her kids by the end of the series, there may be a revolt.

However, I think given the fact that we’ve just spent a lot of time ruminating on how “useless” Alison is, we need to see her come back in a “save the day” fashion — a la Helena with a bow and arrow, but Alison’s version of that.

Stray Thoughts:

• Alison says she studied kinesiology. For anyone who has no idea what that means, it’s the study of the mechanics of body movement.
• The little memorial for M.K. with the drawing, the mask, and the photos is very touching, and I like how understated it is.
• Donnie’s highland dance is awesome, and the way he passed out after drinking the soft drink full of lorazepam mirrors Alison’s breakdown after Ainsley’s death. (Remember, she fell off the stage too!)
• S should really know better than to bench Sarah and Felix. I am betting she’s going to pay for that.
• Okay, Rachel was hoping that Kira would play doctor with that mouse story right? This is supposed to show Kira something? I’m unsettled and really hoping that Rachel wasn’t lying!
• Can we get rid of Art’s Neolution partner? If this thread doesn’t go anywhere, I am going to wish Art had pulled the trigger while she was digging up that grave.
• Helena is at a church! Somehow this shouldn’t surprise me, because she did grow up in one. And they are supposed to be sanctuaries!
• Okay, seriously, I am still wondering what the end game is with Neolution. Now, I get that is probably the purpose of the season, but come on. I am asking for one nugget of information!

What did you think of this episode of Orphan Black? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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Orphan Black airs Saturdays at 10/9c on BBC America.

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